Chapter 5 – The Restaurant


-:-:-


Doug was pleased to get the invitation, even if he was embarrassed to go dressed down, like his yellow uniform pants combined with a blue t-shirt and letterman jacket was in any way unappealing. Harry had never seen the dwarf kin so casual, and the surprise of it left him a bit breathless. That was the only reason, though, just surprise.

Jane was waiting with Aziz and Chad by the time they got back to the parking lot. As was Ben, surprisingly enough.

"What, no date, Ben?" Lonnie asked, quirking a brow at the prince.

"Audrey's having dinner with her parents," Ben said, his smile a bit more strained than usual. He blinked when he realized Harry was wearing Chad's letterman jacket, but otherwise didn't comment before they piled into the limo with Aziz and his family. Jane and Harry ended up next to Chad, Jane holding the prince's hand this time while Fairy Godmother softly explained their new path going forward, how she would have meetings with Chad at least once a week, and how he was allowed to call her as much as he wanted, no matter what time it was, and that she was proud of him and pleased with his friends.

"And there's always a room for you at my cottage," she continued. "If you need to get away. Dinner's at six."

"Like, family dinner?" Chad asked, his voice entirely hopeful, as though he'd never dared to ask for such a thing, as though he'd never received it.

"Yes," Fairy godmother hummed. "Sunday dinner's mandatory, and you're free to spend the weekends at my cottage if you want."

"Oh," Chad said, seeming entirely overwhelmed by the prospect.

Even Jane had teared up by the time they made it to the restaurant, but Sultana Jasmine held the car long enough for them to clean their faces off before she allowed the chauffeur to open the door for them.

The Agraben restaurant was nice and colorful, and Harry did his best to stick close to Doug and Lonnie, mimicking their behavior in order to get by. This was his first time in a proper restaurant, and it was odd being relieved of his coat – Chad's coat – but the others did so without complaint so he tried to swallow his unease, getting into the swing of things.

They were shown to a private room, the waiters pulling the chairs out for the ladies while the guys settled into their own, and Harry tried not to tense when his napkin was unfolded and draped across his lap for him. He took comfort in the fact that the same was done for the others, so he hadn't been singled out and labeled as incompetent before being given a chance to stumble through things on his own.

"Greetings," their head waiter said, a group of them working together to pour everyone water and pass out menus. "Your majesties, your highness – ladies and gentlemen, it will be my pleasure to serve you tonight." He scanned the group of them with a bright grin. "I see some new faces among you."

"Dalil, this is Fairy Godmother, Doug, and Sonny," Aziz introduced with a bright smile.

"Son of Dopey," Doug explained somewhat bashfully.

"And you?" Dalil prompted, turning his attention to Harry.

Ben cleared his throat. "Sonny's the new transfer student from the Isle."

To his credit, Dalil took the information without blinking. It was one of the other waiters that seemed to tense before purposefully relaxing himself, likely something everyone else missed, but Harry had been trained to search for such things.

That one would be worth keeping an eye on.

"Wonderful," Dalil chirped, clapping his hands together. "I'm so glad you were able to join us this evening. I'll give you a chance to review the menus, and in the meantime, can I get anything started?"

"A few pots of Masala chai would not be amiss," Sultana Jasmine murmured. "Thank you, Dalil."

"The pleasure is mine, your majesty," Dalil cheered, finishing this with a formal bow before he and his wait team disappeared.

The following minutes were spent with Lonnie attempting to explain the different dishes to Harry, who had never seen anything like this before.

"You've never had Agraben food?" Lord Consort Aladdin asked, genuinely curious.

"There aren't that many Agrabens on the Isle," Harry replied with a shrug. "Ye take care of most of your petty criminals in house, and Mozenrath enslaved the major offenders ye sent over."

There was an uncomfortable pause where Harry remembered that not everyone was accustomed to the concept of owning people.

"Are they free now?" Doug asked, his brows furrowed together in concern.

"I'm pretty sure they're all dead," Harry murmured. "But Ravenmoth – Mozenrath's son, he protected their children. Helped them get settled in the new order."

"Mozenrath has a son?" the lord consort asked. "Does Jafar have a child?"

Harry did not tense. "Yes, Jay – or, Jadir. He's the head of the guardsmen, and partner to the queens."

"Partner?" Jane echoed. "Like, he helps them keep order?"

"Oh." Harry blinked, then felt himself blush. "No, um- I meant, romantic partner."

There was another pause.

"Oh, like polyamory," Fairy Godmother chirped. "Is it like that?"

"Like the Corona royal trio," Jane piped in, and even though Harry didn't know who she was talking about, he decided to roll with it.

"Yes, exactly," Harry said, his face feeling hot. "The Queens have um- four other partners. They're all together, Jay's one of them." He turned his attention back to Aziz's dad. "He's a good person, your majesty. Not at all like his father."

"I don't doubt that," the consort said, and he seemed to mean it.

"How does that work?" Lonnie pressed, brows furrowed. "Like, are they all dating?"

"I guess?" Harry said. "They're committed to each other."

Partway through this, the door opened and the waiters returned with pots of what Harry assumed was tea, a tray of delicate cups balanced in one hand that they started passing out to everyone.

"It still seems… complicated."

Maybe it was. Harry tried to think of a way to explain it while the tea was being poured.

"Evie, or um – Queen Grimhilde's daughter – said communication is key. But they care for each other and they're happy, so I guess it works out."

"Who else is part of that relationship?" Ben asked, curious for some reason.

"Carlos De Ville," Harry said, seeing no point in hiding it since Uma and Mal wouldn't. "Gil LeGume – Gaston's son, and then Evie and-"

He caught the movement from the corner of his eye – the tense waiter who he'd been watching out of habit. The man had been in his blind spot, but the sudden shift of weight against the floor combined with what he was holding gave Harry a good idea of what was going to happen.

He moved, turning and pushing himself up enough to cover Jane who was sitting next to him, grimacing when the burning feel of hot tea splashed against his back.

Fuck, that hurt.

"Habib," Dalil cried, tone sharp.

"My apologies," the tense waiter murmured. "I lost my footing-"

"We need to clean this up now," Dalil ordered. "My deepest apologies, sir, this will not go unpunished." And then he switched into what Harry assumed was Agraben as he talked to the other waiters.

Meanwhile, Harry tried to breathe through the pain, hoping the work the others had done to heal his body hadn't just entirely gone to waste.

"Sonny?" Jane's gaze was wide when she looked up at him. "Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine, duckling," Harry muttered through gritted teeth. "Ye good?"

"I'm fine," she said, nervous. "None of it hit me."

"We need to get you to the bathroom," Lonnie said, her tone tense, everyone seeming on their feet. "Get you out of this shirt-"

"I've got it," Genie said, and then suddenly the hot liquid was gone, Harry's shirt was dry and he was left with nothing but a lingering stinging sensation. He sagged against Jane's chair, brain and body confused but relieved by the sudden change.

"Thank ye," he said, giving Genie a polite nod.

"You weren't surprised by that," Aziz's dad said, his brows furrowed.

Harry shook his head. "Sort of a habit to watch out for people who don't seem to like me."

"I'm so sorry," Sultana Jasmine said. "That never should have happened."

That was pretty much the story of Harry's life, but he was past the point of getting angry about it.

"I have some ointments that might help," Doug murmured, the dwarf kin hovering by his chair. "Does it still hurt?"

Harry shrugged. "I've had worse."

"Yeah, maybe we should try those ointments out," Aziz said, and then he was leading the three of them back out into the restaurant, into a bathroom seemingly reserved for this side of the building.

"Guys," Harry sighed when Aziz started undoing the buttons of his shirt for him. "I promise, it's fine."

"It's really not, though," Aziz said, his tone tight. "You shouldn't- you shouldn't be used to this and it shouldn't happen."

"You're not wrong," Harry said, embarrassed by his insistence but unwilling to fight him, allowing the prince to push the shirt off his shoulders until his torso was bared to them. "But there's no use getting upset by what's already done."

"Why don't we agree to disagree?" Doug said before Aziz could argue, the dwarf kin pulling out a small first aid kit from the hip satchel he had attached to his waist. "I've been experimenting with dwarven magics – potion making and rune crafting. I started working on this stuff for Chad since he usually gets scuffed up at Tourney games. It should work for you."

Harry craned his neck to look over his shoulder, trying to get a good look at his back in the reflection of the mirror. There was an angry red blotch where the tea had soaked through, his skin thoroughly irritated. There were a few blisters, but Harry had experienced worse, so he didn't say anything as Doug began applying a thin layer of clear ointment to his skin, rubbing it in with careful movements.

Instantly, Harry was washed with a cool relief that left him sighing, his eyes fluttering closed with contentment as the stinging was eased away.

"It definitely works," Harry mumbled, trying not to lean into Doug's contact.

He'd gotten used to holding hands with Chad, with cuddling and hugs, but it had been a while since he'd had hands against his bare back, since he'd been this exposed in the company of someone else, and his newly sensitive body was reminding him of this fact with a relentless sort of fury.

As relaxed as he'd been, Harry tensed at the first tendrils of heat that started building within him, trickling down low into his chest before settling hard in his groin-

Oh fuck, this was- this was not the damn time or place.

"There," Doug said, a mild relief in itself when he finally stepped back. "We should give it a little time to dry."

"It's fine," Harry said, hoping his voice didn't sound as rough as it felt. "My shirt was already ruined with tea-"

"But Genie fixed it," Aziz said, holding his shirt out of reach. "So we can wait a few minutes. It'll be okay, Sonny, this is a private restroom. No one's going to bother us here."

"That's good," Harry said. "I mean, I'm glad, but I'd- I just-"

Aziz paused, allowing Harry's hand to curl around his shirt. "Are you embarrassed?" he asked suddenly, which efficiently released the floodgates of Harry's humiliation. "Oh, you- I'm sorry, I didn't- you have no reason to be, Sonny, nothing that happened was your fault."

"Maybe he's more embarrassed about not wearing a shirt," Doug offered, his cheeks heated in a flush, like he was embarrassed by association.

"Why?" Aziz asked, genuinely confused. "He's super hot."

Harry was sure his hot flush spilled down his chest, where his stupid nipples were pebbling under the literal attention of nothing.

"Aziz," he protested, trying not to whine.

"What? You are," Aziz said, his voice gentle. "But if you want to um- get redressed, that's fine- here, I'll help-"

"I can-" Harry's words seemed to catch in his throat as the prince helped him back into his shirt, his tan fingers continuously brushing against Harry's stomach, his chest, as he redid the buttons.

They were light, entirely inconsequential movements, but each stroke sent another thrum of heat through Harry, until he was unquestionably hard, straining against the front of his pants like a stupid, horny asshole.

"I'm sorry," Aziz repeated with a huff, his gaze focused on Harry's buttons. "None of this is going like I planned. This was supposed to be fun bonding and instead you get attacked by stupid idiots and then I embarrass you in the bathroom and-" He cut off abruptly, staring at Harry's face. "You're flushed. Did- does it still hurt? Are you sick?"

"I'm fine," Harry murmured, trying to think his way out of the situation without giving the Isle kids a terrible name. "I just- could I have a moment to myself?"

"That's fine," Aziz said. "Doug and I can guard the door, and-"

He cut off, seeming to look over Harry for injury on reflex, and came to an abrupt halt when he realized Harry's predicament.

"I'm sorry," Harry gushed, panic flooding his chest as he tried to step away. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"Hey, no- not your fault, definitely not your fault," Aziz said, equally flustered but somehow determined.

"Right," Doug cut in, because he was still fucking there too. "For all we know, this could be a side effect of my ointments."

"Ye can just say I'm a floozy," Harry muttered, ducking his head. "Just- I promise, not all the Isle kids are like this. It's just me, I'm just-"

"Hey, no," Aziz repeated, and then he was dragging Harry forward into a tight hug, wrapping his arms low on Harry's back to avoid the burns. "You're not a floozy and no one's upset with you, okay? You had a normal teenage reaction – you think Doug and I don't get worked up at the drop of a hat? We totally do. We get you, man, it can be super inconvenient and embarrassing but you don't have to feel bad about it and I can promise we're not going to tell anyone."

"Aziz," Harry said, his tone definitely strangled. "Ye gotta- I'm gonna-"

"Do what you need to do, Sonny," Aziz said, his tone gentle. "Do you want to take care of it yourself or wait for it to go away or… I dunno, do you need help?"

"Aziz," Harry moaned, there was nothing else to call it, his hips rutting reflexively against the Agraben's thigh and shuddering hard at the feel of heat that followed.

"Yeah, that's it," Aziz said, his hands warm on Harry's hips. "You do whatever you need and it's totally okay, alright? This is a bro thing. Bros help each other out all the time."

Harry was pretty sure they didn't like this, but Aziz seemed so sure, his gaze so wonderfully earnest. Maybe this really was a friend thing. Maybe it was a recent development in Auradon, which was why Evie hadn't known about it, but either way Aziz seemed entirely reassuring, wasn't shirking away or calling Harry a slut.

There was no bad networking. If this was a bonding opportunity, Aziz trusting Harry, or, presenting a moment for Harry to trust him, it was a good thing, right?

He shouldn't scorn it. Not if it was an olive branch.

"Here," Aziz said, settling Harry's arms around his shoulders. "This good?"

"Yeah," Harry said, swallowing hard before he rutted against Aziz again. "It's um- good."

"Do you want me to do anything?" Aziz asked, making Harry flush. "I wouldn't have offered if I wasn't interested in helping out my friend."

"W-What are you comfortable um- doing?" Harry asked, feeling foolish just for asking as much.

Aziz blinked, then broke into a smile. "Whatever you want."

Harry let out a small huff. "Don't say shit like that."

"I mean it," Aziz said, grinning unrepentantly. "Now how can I help?"

"Um…" Harry felt terribly flushed when he took one of Aziz's hands, heart pounding in his throat when he lowered it to his rear, wondering if this was going too far-

But then Aziz squeezed him, urging Harry to rut against his leg, which had sort of been exactly what Harry was hoping form. The pirate shuddered, biting at his bottom lip to keep his moan from spilling out.

"Good?" Aziz asked as he started up a slow rhythm.

Harry nodded, eyes fluttering closed as he took in the feel of someone new, but this was- Uma had said this was okay. It was slightly more than he was willing to give, but this was a normal Auradon thing. It wasn't weird.

"Can I um- help?" Doug spoke up, making Harry's mouth part in a small gasp of surprise. He turned to look at the dwarf kin in the reflection of the mirror, and while he was flushed, he still seemed determined. "Do you need anything else?"

Harry thought about it, but Doug seemed earnest too, and they'd already come this far...

With a swallow, Harry reached out for Doug's hand, tugging him forward until he could reach around Harry's chest. He settled Doug's hand on his pectoral, guiding him to pinch his nipple through the soft material of his shirt, which seemed to make Aziz flush. Maybe that was too far? He'd gone for too much?

"Like this?" Doug asked, his fingers squeezing with a strength rivaled only by Gil. It immediately had Harry pulsing, his hips stuttering hard against Aziz's thigh.

Unable to talk, Harry nodded frantically, feeling like he was about to come undone.

"We've got you," Aziz soothed, rutting him forward. "It's okay, Sonny, we've got you."

Another pinch, and Harry fell to pieces, collapsing against Aziz while he crooned into the curve of his neck.

"Oh," Aziz said, rubbing his hand against Harry's side in a comforting pat while he shook through it. "Better?"

"Much," Harry gasped, feeling entirely spent.

"Thanks for letting us take care of you," Aziz said, running a hand through Harry's dark locks. "You try so hard to take care of us, we're glad for the chance to return the favor."

"I really don't do anything special," Harry muttered, savoring this hold while he could before he eventually pulled back, forcing himself to get calm again.

"Agree to disagree," Doug repeated, giving him a soft grin. "Do you want to get cleaned up?"

"Um- yeah," Harry decided, sliding into one of the stalls. "Ye can go without me."

"Bros stick together," Aziz announced solemnly, unknowingly easing more tension in Harry's chest.

This was- it was good. He had friends who genuinely cared for him, and they didn't seem to think less of the Isle, so maybe things were going alright after all.

-:-:-

Harry thought it would have been awkward returning to the table after that, facing Aziz's parents after that, but Aziz merely offered him a kind smile, taking his hand and guiding him back to the private room as though he were Chad or something. Still, it was nice, friendly and not malicious, so Harry savored it until they had to part ways, the others seeming to perk up at his return.

"You missed it," Lonnie said when he settled back into his chair. "Sultana Jasmine ripped that waiter a new one. Pretty sure he got fired. Or arrested. Maybe both."

"Definitely both," Lord Consort Aladdin said, his smile gentle. "You okay?"

Harry nodded, hoped he looked composed again. "Doug's ointment is very effective."

"It's pretty dope that you're getting in touch with your dwarven, mystical roots," Genie chirped, making Doug flush. "Good on you, D-Man."

And just like that, they slipped back into a normal dinner. It wasn't as though nothing had happened, because some of their waiters had been traded out, but Dilal was there, just as bright and congenial as ever, seeming determined to make up the earlier mistake with a relentless kind of cheer. Some of the others still seemed to be worried too – Ben smiled but the corners of his eyes were pinched, and Jane kept nervously flicking her gaze over to Harry, like she was worried he would get hit again if she took her eyes away for too long. Chad was more open with his concern, but he smiled brightly anytime Harry looked at him, like he didn't want the first mate to know about it.

In the end, they determined that Agraben food was spicy but good, even if Doug and Jane couldn't seem to handle it. They laughed at each other's trials and talked about schoolwork and overall it was… normal, Harry guessed. Or at least something close to it.

He found that he liked that a great deal.

-:-:-

"Do you need to go to the infirmary?" Ben asked when they were dropped off by their side of the dormitory. Chad, Jane, and Fairy Godmother had been dropped off at their cottage, and Lonnie, Aziz, and Doug at the front of the dormitory. The elevator they used to get to Ben's suite was closer to the back, so Aziz's parents had dropped them off there, bidding them another fond goodnight with an added thanks for looking after Aziz.

"I'm glad he has a friend like you," Sultana Jasmine had said, her gaze genuine and bright. "Feel free to bully him to go to the infirmary anytime you wish – you have my full permission."

"Thank you, your majesty," Harry had said, flushed and overwhelmed.

She had wanted to trade numbers with him – in case Aziz lost track of his phone, or if he himself wanted someone to talk to, but Harry didn't have one of those phone things yet, which Lonnie immediately declared a crime. It set Ben on the case to rectify the situation but for now, Harry would be amazed at the prospect of a literal queen wanting to be able to contact him on the regular.

He guessed he wasn't doing that bad a job representing the Isle after all.

"I'm fine, Ben," Harry assured him as they strolled into the hidden elevator. "Doug's ointment really did work like a charm."

"I'd still like to look at your back, if that's okay," Ben said. "Maybe take a photo for evidence. We should have done that before, but with enough eye witnesses, we were able to file a report on your behalf."

"Was he really arrested?" Harry asked, tugging at his sleeve.

Ben's gaze locked on his. "He assaulted you. He was suitably punished for the crime he committed."

Still, Harry didn't think it would matter much if it was him, some Isle kid. But Ben seemed to think it was important, they all did, so maybe… maybe he was getting closer to breaking through to them. If Harry deserved rights, didn't all the refugees?

It was a step in the right direction, at least.

-:-:-

Harry kept his breathing steady as he unbuttoned his shirt for the second time that day, trying not to be too awkward from where he stood in the middle of Ben's bathroom. It was, as expected, ornately fancy, enough so that Harry wanted to take a picture of it and send it back to Mal so she could update hers into something similar, make it something more worthy of her and Uma, but in purple and teal. That would be a nice combination.

He distracted himself with thoughts of this while he slid off his shirt, turning to show his mostly unblemished back to Ben.

"Oh," Ben said, his fingers seeming to hover over the part of Harry's shoulder blade that only bore a slightly red patch as evidence of the spilled tea. "I thought you'd have more scars."

"I did," Harry said. "When we were allowed access to magic, the magic corps healed those that wanted it."

"Oh," Ben repeated, seeming to process this. "And everything's fine? There were no side effects?"

"I'm a bit more sensitive," Harry replied with a shrug. "Evie suspects that's the nerve endings that had deadened themselves from old injuries going back to um- producing outputs, or something like that."

"Evie?" Ben echoed. "The same Evie that's partners with the queens?"

His tone was neutral again, aggressively so, which was how Harry knew he was being interrogated rather than having a friendly conversation.

"The same," he said. "We're friends. She's a seamstress as well. Sometimes we work on stuff together."

"Do you have anyone on the Isle?" Ben asked, a sort of non-sequitur that left Harry confused. "I mean, were you dating anyone?"

Harry paused, his heart squeezing tight in his chest. He hadn't been explicit back at the restaurant, had essentially excluded himself from his relationship rather than stating he was alone, but-

But Uma sent him here for a mission, to do the best he could, and the others weren't with him now. And he didn't entirely understand the look in Ben's eye, but there seemed to be an unhappiness at the prospect he was spoken for. Maybe Harry was reading too much into this, but Ben was the person he needed to keep most happy.

It was better to play it safe.

"No," Harry said, shaking his head while he slid his shirt back on. "I don't have a partner."

"That surprises me," Ben replied, painfully genuine. "You're a great guy, Sonny."

"Thank ye, Ben," Harry said, fumbling with his buttons to redo his shirt. "I suppose I work too much to allow for such things."

"Well, maybe you'll find something out here," Ben said, his voice kind.

"Maybe," Harry said, and that was that.


-:-:-


Endnotes:

Harry, making all the right choices for himself, forever and always.

Story notes:

Dalil was invented for the purposes of this story. Masala chai is a popular Indian beverage, and since Agrabah has no distinct country of inspiration, I decided to use Indian food to represent Agraben food. Mozenrath is an antagonist from the Aladdin animated series. He was a sorcerer said to rival Jafar. His son Ravenmoth is an OC invented to round off the VKs.

Habib was also invented for the purposes of this story to be an unimportant antagonist. No offense to all the Habib's out there, I just took a random name from a list ;)

Until next time