Chapter 5 – The End

-:-:-

They established a new normal after that.

There were six of them, which was sort of ridiculous to think about, but Audrey and Evie were determined, organized people, so within two days they had a schedule to ensure that everyone was allowed to spend equal time with everyone else – covering sleepovers, date times, meal times, etc. It was actually kind of a relief to not enforce that kind of stuff himself, so Chad was happy to follow their lead, trusting the fact that these people probably wouldn't spend time with him if they didn't, in fact, want to.

Which proved to be the case when he spent the night in his own room with Doug for once, things going awry when Chad was tugging his boyfriend towards the bathroom for their post-practice shower.

"Hey, um- maybe no?" Doug said, his hand wrapping around Chad's wrist.

"What?" Chad blinked, stopping on reflex at Doug's request, though that didn't make him less confused by it in the first place.

"I think I want to shower by myself," Doug said, shifting nervously. "If that's okay."

Chad blinked, then appropriately disengaged. "Of course, Doug-o. I'm sorry for assuming."

"Don't be," Doug assured him, a dark blush spreading across the bridge of his nose. "So um- do you wanna go first?"

"You can have it," Chad said, motioning him on. "I'll just get my gear clean in the meantime."

"Okay," Doug said, then went into the shower without Chad, a thing he hadn't done since the end of last marching season.

But whatever, there was no reason to look into that, maybe Doug just needed some space. He had five partners now, that was a lot, especially for an introvert like Doug. He probably just needed some privacy, so Chad gave it to him, offering the dwarf kin a respectable amount of distance as they did their homework.

He did hold hands with Doug on the way to dinner, but that seemed allowed, if the shy grin Doug gave him was any indication, and then Chad tried to give him more space until they got to the time where they usually wound down for the night.

"May I um- make you feel good, Doug?" Chad asked, wincing at the utter lack of swag he seemed to have. "If you don't mind-"

"I'm good," Doug chirped, seeming embarrassed by his vehemence. "I mean- thank you, though."

Chad blinked, but tried not to let the hurt register on his face. Doug was allowed to turn him down; he didn't owe Chad anything just because they were kind of dating. Everything Chad had been given thus far was a gift, and it would be greedy of him to demand more.

"You're welcome," Chad said, trying to seem as comforting and collected as possible, even if he felt like he was breaking down inside.

It was discouraging, but not a surprise. Chad couldn't win them all, obviously. Doug deserved to be happy, Doug deserved to have space and Chad needed to not be a baby about that. Of course, all of that completely flew out the window when they were actually settling into bed, Chad going over to Doug's bed on reflex, because he hadn't slept in his own since the first few weeks of junior high, not since they'd realized they both felt better with company.

"I um- wanted to sleep alone tonight?" Doug hazarded, sounding tentative but concerned, like he was afraid Chad would go off on him for being denied this comfort. "If that's-"

"It's totally okay," Chad assured him, swallowing his humiliation as he retreated to his own bed, the one he only used for storage and setting out outfits. "I'm sorry for assuming again."

"That's okay," Doug soothed, and this time his smile seemed genuine. "I know this is new, I just- I thought we could give it a try."

"And that's totally fair." Chad made a show of settling into his own bed without any damn issues, because he was a mature, supportive friend. "Goodnight, Doug."

"Night, Chad," Doug said, trailing off into an adorable yawn, and then he clicked off his lamp, leaving them bathed in shadows.

It was funny, Chad was now dating five people but this was the most alone he'd ever felt, but that was- that was on him. Doug didn't owe him anything. He never had. He was allowed to want space.

Chad just couldn't help but wonder if he'd done something to push the dwarf-kin away, and if he had, what he could do to fix it. Which was stupid. Doug's world didn't revolve around Chad. He probably wanted space for a reason that had nothing to do with the blond prince, so Chad should stop taking things so personally. He needed to focus. He needed to be a good friend.

So he settled into what would become his new normal, even if he didn't know it at the time.

-:-:-

Doug stopped having sex with Chad.

They still made out, still traded kisses. They still held hands and hugged and cuddled and had sex with the others, but Doug stopped having sex with Chad, even if he didn't stop hanging out with him.

In fact, Doug seemed to go out of his way to spend more time with Chad, giving him more gifts than he normally would have, trying to determine Chad's hobbies (which was kind of horrific because Chad's hobby used to be Doug, which made him sort of tragically shallow and definitely codependent) so they could do those together. Chad wondered if this behavior was an attempted apology to make up for the fact that they weren't getting it on anymore, because Doug didn't need him.

Like Audrey had said, if they wanted sex, they had several other people they could go to, and why would Doug need Chad, who he'd been with and predictably knew the full scope of when he could go to Ben or Evie or Audrey?

And it wasn't like Chad could demand his attention because he'd been monopolizing Doug for years. He didn't really have any ground to stand on, because at the end of the day, Doug didn't owe him anything, and if he'd rather be with the people he actually loved rather than the people he dated out of obligation, could Chad really blame him? He'd do the same too, if he could.

So Chad tried to focus on Evie, because he'd admitted to liking her and she liked him back, and he tried with the others, even though he was kind of scared that it was going to be taken away somehow.

As a result, he did his very best to be the model expectation of a good boyfriend, trying not to give them any reason to see fault in him. They already assured him they liked his personality, so they wouldn't dump him for that, which meant all he had to do was maintain. It wasn't the most accurate representation of himself, but it was close enough to be comfortable, and that was what mattered.

"I have news," Ben said one night at dinner, Chad finishing a creative interpretation of a mild fumble that had happened during Tourney practice that left Mal and Audrey cackling. "I have finally managed to get my parents to see that this isn't a phase."

"That's awesome, Benny," Audrey said, giving her boyfriend a small round of applause. "Good on them to get with the times."

Her own parents had taken the transition in stride and had already visited Auradon City several times to meet Audrey's new partners – having them all over for dinner at the Auroria summer house so they could get to know them. Queen Aurora had been especially careful with Mal, letting her know she was welcome and appreciated for her place in Audrey's life, until Mal may have slightly teared up under the wake of such consideration, shaking because her mother had done nothing but harm these people.

"You're not your mother," Queen Aurora had soothed, hugging the half Fae close. "You are a strong, talented, lovely girl, and I could think of no better partner for Audrey."

Her parents had similar conversations with all of them, and Chad had to forcibly detach himself into a look of vague charm because if he engaged too much he also would have started crying.

"No offence," Mal said later that night, cuddled safely in Audrey's arms. "But I expected to hate your family."

"No offence taken," Audrey said, running a hand through Mal's hair. "Just watch out for my Grandma Ingrith. She's fucking crazy. Even I don't like her."

"Noted," Mal said, and then it devolved into a series of very dedicated cuddles.

Ben's parents – or at least, his dad – had taken longer to come around to his unconventional relationship, King Adam thinking that the addition of three more people was some kind of rebellious power play to make up for his reaction to Ben having an extra girlfriend until Ben, apparently, had gotten through to him.

"They want to host a dinner," Ben explained, dragging Chad back to the present. "So they can meet you and formally hash out the specifics of our relationship in regards to our future duties. It's mostly PR stuff, but mom swears it's not a trap to get me back to dating one person and your parents are also invited, so it's serious."

Chad tried not to tense, because invitation from the king or not, he doubted his father would make an appearance. He hadn't before.

"My mom contacted Queen Snow for you, Evie," Ben said. "She feels that you and Mal deserve to have guardians present so you won't get lost in the political side of things. Mal, Fairy Godmother volunteered to step in on your behalf, since you're both Fae and she understands the demands of the council."

"That's fine, I guess," Mal settled on. "Evie, you okay with that?"

"Um." Evie pursed her lips together in thought. Chad had orchestrated a few calls between Evie and her sister as Hanover was a neighboring kingdom to Sardinia, but there was a difference between a polite call and being semi-claimed as family for a formal dinner. "She won't mind?"

"Not at all," Ben urged. "She was actually interested in visiting you beforehand. Maybe having lunch with you."

"That would be great, Ben," Evie said, her smile brilliant.

And that was what led them to eventually having a formal dinner at Auradon Castle, all of them dressed in their best, Audrey and Mal working together to keep Evie's nerves settled, assuring her that she looked perfect, Ben doing the same with Doug, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and nuzzling his hair while the dwarf kin tried not to whine at the attention he so desperately desired.

Chad himself spent the car ride over checking his phone, as though that would magically make a message from his dad appear. He'd already gotten the okay for Fairy Godmother to act as his representative at the dinner as well, which was an old default for them, but he'd thought with the King of Auradon issuing the invitation, maybe Chad's father could have managed the effort to make an appearance.

More the fool him.

They ended up trading small talk in one of the more private lounges, the kids getting to know the parents they hadn't met yet. Chad, of course, had met Doug's father Ori (nicknamed Dopey, by the cruel whims of history) many times, and always delighted chatting with him. It was obvious where Doug's love of books came from, Ori the head scribe of the dwarven city Erebor, and he killed some time thanking the dwarf for the last list of book recommendations he'd made. Chad wasn't the greatest reader, but for Doug, he developed an appetite, and was a sucker for books that were rife with happy endings.

Things seemed to be going well – Doug keeping Evie company as she talked to Queen Snow, Queen Aurora, and Ben's mother, Audrey holding court with King Adam and Mal, both of whom were dazzled by her presence. Ben traded easy conversation with Fairy Godmother and King Phillip, and all of them were kind enough to ignore the fact that Chad's father wasn't present.

At least, that was what Chad assumed until Cogsworth made a sudden appearance, the head butler clearing his throat to capture their attention.

"Pardon the interruption, your majesties," he began in a formal drawl. "But may I present his majesty King Christopher James of Sardinia."

"Please pardon my tardiness, everyone," Chad's father greeted, seeming to be having one of his better days where his smiles weren't forced. "Traffic was worse than I'd anticipated."

"Christopher," King Adam cheered, King Phillip falling in line with them as they took turns shaking his hand. "I'm glad you were able to make it."

"Me too," Chad's father chirped, earning a laugh from King Phillip. "I'm always honored by the invitation, though I will admit I'm a bit confused what this dinner is about."

"It's a bit of a combination of a celebration and a battle plan meeting," King Adam replied easily. "You know how the press gets when we don't define things. We figured it would be best to hash out the details now to give the kids an idea of how to handle themselves if the sharks started circling in."

"Always a wise course of action," Chad's father said, applying just the right amount of charm that had earned him his nickname. "Though what, exactly, are we defining?"

"Our children's relationship, Chris," King Phillip said, bright and breezy enough to keep everyone else from tensing at the King of Sardinia's seeming obliviousness.

Chad's father blinked, taken by surprise, and then his gaze found Chad. "Are you dating someone?"

That, of course, was when everyone seemed to realize not all was well, that was when they tensed as much as propriety would allow.

"Yes, dad," Chad said, pretending as though it hadn't been in the media for weeks now, that to avoid this fact would have taken a dedicated effort. "These are my partners."

"Who?" his father pressed, still confused.

"All of them," Chad said, trying and failing not to be humiliated.

"Perhaps we should get you caught up," King Adam said, ever the diplomatic. "Ben, do you mind taking your partners to your suite while we hash out boring details?"

"Not at all, dad," Ben said, and with that the six of them were dismissed, Chad trying to ignore the sympathetic looks shot to him by Ben's mom, by Queen Aurora and Fairy Godmother.

They managed to make it to Ben's sitting room in peace, but that was where things ended, Audrey whirling on Chad with a snarl.

"What the fuck, Chad?" she snapped. "Did you even tell your dad about us?"

It wasn't fair and Chad knew- he knew he should stay calm. He knew he needed to be mature about this, but he felt like he was coming apart at the seams, off balance by his father's presence and the demonstration of his utter lack of care. He felt shaky from Doug's distance, from the demons he tried to ignore, and while Audrey shouting at him was a bit of an inevitability, he couldn't help but feel something fierce activate inside of him in response.

So instead of staying calm, Chad found himself snarling, his teeth gritted in a scowl as his hands tensed against his sides in tight fists.

"You try getting through to him!" Chad snapped, making Audrey jolt back in surprise. "Because I sure as shit can't get him to answer any of my phone calls! Frankly, the fact that he's in the same building as me is a miracle."

Chad still sort of marveled at it, to be honest.

"Fairy Godmother isn't just here for Mal," he continued. "She's my representative as well, she's always my representative because my dad would literally rather do anything else in the world than bother with me. You know," he began, pacing a path up and down the length of the sitting room when his frustrated energy would no longer allow him to stay still. "I broke my arm in Junior High and Fairy Godmother had to act as my guardian so I could get treatment, because he couldn't be bothered to show up. I stay with her during the summer, not out of a sense of nostalgia, but because she knows if I go back home, no one will talk to me!"

The outburst made the others stumble back, and maybe that was for the best, maybe they should see the angry beast that lived in Chad's bones, maybe then they'd realize he wasn't as sparkling and nice as they thought he was.

"And I get it," he began. "I get why he hates me – I killed his wife. I am the reason she is dead, and if I could take that back, if I could switch us, I would, just so he could be happy."

Chad didn't like his dad by any means since he hardly knew the guy, but the captain of the guard and the steward and every councilman he had ever talked to said that his father was a great man and a great king and maybe on that alone he deserved to be happy, since he seemed so especially miserable with his mother's passing.

"So…" Chad picked back up, running a hand through his curls and feeling the steam of his anger sort of just putter out, until he was back to being resigned and sad. "Don't act like I wouldn't have told him if I could, because I would have. I would have gushed if he gave me the opportunity, if he pretended to care, but he doesn't and he never will, because my dad doesn't give one solitary shit about me."

He hung his head by the time he was done, feeling defeated. What a paltry thing, to have daddy issues, like that even compared to Mal or Evie's woes. So what, his dad ignored him sometimes, all the time. He was still a prince. He should be happy with that, but no, he had to go be an obnoxious asshole, just like he always was.

"Hey," Evie said, and then she was pulling him into a hug, undeterred by the mess that was her boyfriend. "I'm so sorry, sweetheart. We didn't realize how much you were hurting."

"It's fine, I'm fine," Chad insisted, rubbing at his cheeks and wishing he'd stop crying. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have yelled like that. I'm- please don't break up with me, or-" He cut off with a wet gasp, because that was such a shitty thing to do, to play on their pity. "I mean, if you want to, you should- I'm sorry. I shouldn't have- I shouldn't have asked that, that wasn't fair-"

"Chad," Mal said, and then she was right there, the others were there until he was being cradled in a firm hold between them. "We're not breaking up with you because you had a breakdown."

"But I'm an asshole," Chad gasped. "I h-have to be, I mean, I don't- I don't know why else- he probably just knows-"

"Chad," Audrey cut in. "Your dad neglects you because he's an asshole, and there's no excuse for it. That isn't your fault. You didn't do anything wrong. Don't try to take responsibility for his actions."

"Is that why you've been so nice to me?" Doug asked. "Because you're afraid of being abandoned again?"

It was that, of all things, that made Chad start sobbing. "I love you," he gasped. "I've always loved you and you never believed it so I just- I took advantage of you instead because I'm a piece of shit-"

"You're not a piece of shit," Ben rumbled, frustration rife in his tone. "Don't think that."

"Chad," Doug said, seeming all conflicted.

"I know you don't like me like that," Chad continued to blubber, unable to help himself. "I know you don't w-want me anymore, and that's okay, I just want you to be happy, but I- I didn't- I treated you nice because I like you, Doug, I've always liked you, please- please just believe me-"

"Chad," Doug said, and then he was pushing himself forward, dragging Chad against his chest. "I want you. I've always wanted you, I just- I didn't want you to think that you had to give me sex to get my attention. What those girls said-"

"Doug," Chad gasped. "You are my version of sex incarnate. Everything I have done with you is perfectly willing. I love you so much, you're so sweet and cute and smart and too g-good for me-"

"You are good enough for all of us combined," Doug said, using the authoritative tone he usually reserved for Ben, and having that directed at Chad, it did things to him, made him shudder helplessly. "I love you too. I think I always have, but I just- I thought it was helpless, and then we started practicing and fake dating and real dating and just- it was awful-"

"Fucking hell," Audrey muttered. "Doug, Chad has been running off your suitors for years. He almost clawed Ben's eyes out for looking at you without ever noticing that Ben had a fucking crush on him too."

Chad paused, somewhat overwhelmed by the information that was coming to light. "What?"

"I had a crush on both of you," Ben said. "You don't- you don't get one without the other. Anywhere Doug was, Chad was his shadow, and Doug was at every one of Chad's competitions, cheering him on. You're so smart and sweet and I didn't realize I could have more than one person, so just- It was a relief when Audrey asked me out because I wouldn't break you two up with my dumb feelings, and then we started dating Mal and both of you started dating Evie and I was done. I was finished." He tilted his head down, managing to nuzzle Chad's shoulder. "I am so lost for you guys. All of you guys."

"You mushy schmucks," Mal sniffed, rolling her eyes as though she didn't have happy tears running down her face. "You losers. I can't believe you didn't notice you were in love with each other."

"You're one to talk, Bertha," Audrey muttered. "You were so sure Evie didn't really like you."

"Mal," Evie gasped, partially wounded. "I love you."

"I know," Mal groaned, burying her head in Audrey's shoulder. "I love you too, I was just stupid for a bit, was all." There was a beat, and then, "Audrey is surprisingly good at pep talks."

"And getting what she wants," Audrey chirped, a twinkle in her eye. "For the record, Chad, part of the reason I didn't like you was because I was upset that you didn't seem to view me as any kind of romantic interest, which I realize is immature and spiteful, but what's a girl to do?"

Chad blinked at her, then blinked at Doug, who blushed. "Yeah," Doug said. "I um- I knew about that, but I didn't want to say anything, because I didn't want to lose you to Ben and Audrey."

"You couldn't do that if you tried," Chad said, certain enough to make Doug shudder.

"I think we have some talking to do," Mal said. "And some cuddling to do. And we should start with all the stuff Chad has done to keep Doug as his one and only boo, because I want to hear about this."

"All those times Chad sent you from the locker room, Ben?" Evie spoke up. "That was so he could threaten some of your teammates for being assholes."

"Evie," Chad whined. "He needs to have plausible deniability."

"You are so sexy," Doug laughed, making Chad's flush darken. "I'm sorry I've been pulling back. I'm sorry it took me so long to see that you were serious."

"As the damn plague," Chad murmured. "I love you, Douglass Orison. I- I think I love everyone in here, I was just so scared of surrendering, of hoping for too much, but I've been lost to Doug for years-"

"We're gonna talk about it," Evie said, silencing him with a kiss. "You are wanted, Chadwick James, not for your position or for your physical affections, but because you are a great, thoughtful person, and if allowed the opportunity, we would like to treasure you the way that you should be."

"Aw, Eves," Chad sniffed. "You're too nice."

"She's is definitely the appropriate amount of nice," Ben said, leaning forward to capture Chad's lips. "Now, come on – cuddle and talking. And maybe you guys can have dinner in here."

"Us guys?" Mal echoed. "What about you?"

"Pretty sure I have a king to yell at," Ben said, his gaze shifting into a look of determination Chad now realized did things to him.

"Oh, fuck that," Mal said. "We're all yelling at Chad's dad."

"You act like our parents aren't doing that," Audrey huffed. "But I'm sure they wouldn't mind us helping you."

"Guys," Chad whined, unused to this kind of attention.

"You take care of us," Doug reminded him. "And you've never asked for anything in return. Please allow us to do the same for you now, because we love you."

"Oh fuck," Chad said, his body claimed by shivers.

"Later," Doug promised, Chad's gaze widening with the implication. "We need to make up for lost time."

"I brought Doug's lingerie," Evie whispered, because the two of them actually wanted to shatter him into a million pieces.

And yet, with Audrey's giggle and Ben's flush and Doug's unrepentant smile, Chad knew that if that was the case, they would gladly put him back together again, the same he would for them.

It was a partnership he could trust.

And yes, he deserved it.

-:-:-

Endnotes:

I realize this one ended on a bit of an abrupt note, but I was trying to wrap this one up before my attention completely got away from it. I promise the next story will be long ;D

Thanks to everyone who's stuck around for this ride! For all the feedback, bookmarks, and kudos – it is all very appreciated, and I'm glad you enjoyed this reemergence of snarky Chad. If you're looking for some more Descendants' goodness, I'll be posting the first chapter of my next fic, 'More Than Survive', on Wednesday. At last, we get the Doug-centric angst-fest total-failure-to-communicate post-D3 fic everyone's been ready for :D

Story notes:

Queen Ingrith is the main antagonist of Maleficent: Mistress of Evil. She's Prince Phillip's mother, and legit cray-cray.

Hanover is my name for Charmington, because it actually sounds like a real kingdom.

Ori and Erebor are both stolen from J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, which I am an unashamedly large fan of.

I will shout it for the people in the back – we do not compare traumas. Just because someone else had it worse doesn't mean your troubles are not also valid. I think the people in the back already know this, but I like to reiterate the point nonetheless ;)

Until next time

-:-:-

"I can see the way, I see the way you look at me; and even when you look away, I know you think of me. I know you talk about me all the time, again and again. So come over here and tell me what I wanna hear. Better yet, make your girlfriend disappear. I don't wanna hear you say her name ever again, and again, and again, and again-" – 'Girlfriend' by Avril Lavigne.