Chapter 8 – Being a Bro


-:-:-


It started off innocently.

Harry was studying with Chad, the two of them reviewing notes for an upcoming test before Chad winced for what had to be the third time in ten minutes, which was three times too many for Harry.

"What is it?" Harry asked. "What hurts? Do ye need to go to the infirmary?"

"No," Chad griped, but Harry didn't know what other response he was expecting because Chad hated going to the infirmary, perpetually insistent that he didn't need to bother the nurse over what he thought was nothing. "I twinged my shoulder at Tourney practice. The pain will fade by tomorrow, it's just annoying."

"Want me to rub it for ye?" Harry asked, setting his notecards down. "I'm sure Doug won't mind if we use some of his ointments."

Considering the fact that Chad was who he'd made them explicitly for, combined with the way the dwarf kin stared at Chad sometimes, Harry was almost certain it would be fine.

"Um." Chad blinked wide eyes at him. "You wouldn't mind?"

"I wouldn't have offered otherwise," Harry said, unoffended by Chad's question. He knew the blond needed a lot of reassurance after years of neglect, and he never minded being the one to give it to him.

"In that case, yes please," Chad said, unbuttoning his shirt in quick movements. "Sorry, I know you like us to try to be careful and I was – this didn't even happen during defense practice, I just got too excited throwing and Aziz already ragged on me for it-"

"It's okay," Harry soothed, settling himself behind the blond. "Accidents happen."

"I just wanted you to know that I was trying," Chad said. "Because I care about you a lot, and I'm glad you care about me."

"And I appreciate ye saying that," Harry said as he coated the injured shoulder in a thin layer of ointment before he started working it in. "Now let me know if anything hurts, alright?"

"Okay," Chad whispered, breaking off into a small moan when Harry dug his thumb into a sore spot.

Throughout the course of his efforts, he forced himself to remain professionally detached. He couldn't get lost in the smooth planes of tan skin, in firm muscle waiting under his hand. Beneath his shirt, Chad was muscular, the cut of him well defined in a manner not unsimilar to Jay. It made Harry briefly imagine how the two of them would look together, Chad likely bashful and stuttering under Jay's relentless attention, which led to dangerous thoughts Harry immediately abandoned before he got warm.

Unfortunately, it seemed like he wasn't the only one having heat problems, which wasn't something he noticed until Chad started fidgeting again.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked. "Am I hurting ye?"

"No," Chad said, a little too fast, too insistent. "No. Nope, I'm just fine, but um- maybe I need to go to the bathroom. Yeah! I need to go to the bathroom, so I'm just gonna-"

"Are ye okay?" Harry asked, gaze shifting over to the mirror across the room when Chad rushed to stand up, the two of them locking gazes in its reflection before his attention was drawn downwards, towards the prominent bulge straining against the groin of Chad's pants.

"I'm so sorry," Chad whispered, entirely humiliated. "I'm sorry."

"Chad, hey-" Harry tugged the blond back down, Chad collapsing onto the bed with an embarrassed whine. "It's okay, these things happen, right?"

"But you were being nice and I made it weird," Chad groaned. "My stupid body had to go and get worked up."

"My body does the same thing," Harry reminded him. "As does Doug's and Aziz's. They act up at inconvenient times, it's perfectly natural. Now uh… do ye want um- bro help with that or do ye wanna take care of it yourself?"

"What's bro help?" Chad asked, confusion managing to overwhelm his embarrassment. "I mean, I knowwhat it is, I'm just making sure we both have the same definition."

"Aziz told me about it," Harry said. "How sometimes friends help each other out with these kinds of things."

"These-" Chad cut off with a flush, then motioned to his groin. "Like, this stuff?"

"Yeah," Harry replied, feeling his cheeks flood with warmth. "It's not a big deal."

"I mean, obviously," Chad babbled. "It's totally casual. Not a big thing at all. And um- yeah, I've had plenty of bro help over the years. Tons of it, even-"

"It's okay if ye haven't," Harry interrupted. "I didn't until Aziz helped me out once, but it never happened again so I guess maybe it's a rare thing."

"Oh." Chad blinked, seeming to feel better about that. "In in that case, yes, I would like your bro help, if that's okay."

"It's fine," Harry said, dragging Chad into his lap. "What aren't ye comfortable with?"

"I am super comfortable with this," Chad said, seeming to melt into him. "Super-duper comfortable with this."

Harry grinned, honored and pleased by Chad's trust in him. "May I touch ye?"

"Always," Chad whispered, tone edged with reverence that Harry had to bypass before he settled a hand between the blond's legs, giving him a tentative squeeze. "Oh, fuck yes, Sonny." His hips seemed to rut up reflexively, desperate for more. "No one's ever- please."

"I've got ye," Harry murmured, making Chad shiver in his arms. "May I touch ye directly?"

"Like my-" Chad cut off with a squeak. "Like, put your hand in my pants?"

"Underwear," Harry elaborated, making Chad whimper. "Or pull ye out-"

"Yes, both, go for it, whatever," Chad babbled. "Sonny."

"I'm here." Harry took his time stroking Chad, getting him worked up before he undid his pants, cupping him gently through the soft fabric of his underwear. A small damp spot had grown where the tip of his length strained against his clothing, and Harry lost a few seconds playing with that, reveling in the shivers it earned him.

"Oh fuck, oh fuck," Chad panted when Harry finally eased his underwear down, exposing his pretty, flushed length. "Sonny, Sonny, Sonny."

His tone took on a tragic note when Harry finally got his hands on warm skin, shuddering hard as his hips happily rutted into his grip.

"Oh wow, Sonny," Chad babbled, turning his head so he could nuzzle against Harry's shoulder. "Sonny."

"And we're just getting started, sweetheart," Harry said, heart pounding in his throat as he started to properly work Chad over.

It proved to be one of the best and worst decisions he'd ever made, because Chad was so damn responsive, kept writhing and babbling and shaking in Harry's hold, a pretty flush spilling across his cheeks as his lashes fluttered closed, lips pink and parted in desperate pants for air. It was a beautiful sight, but also a horribly enticing one. If Harry had been on the verge of getting worked up before, he was well on his way now, couldn't help it when Chad continued to inadvertently grind down against him, so eager and willing, as though he'd never jerked himself off before.

"Sonny, Sonny, Sonny," Chad was panting into his neck, length dripping over Harry's fingers until they were both wet. "I'm gonna- I'm- I don't know why it feels so good but it feels so good and I'm gonna-"

"It's okay, Chad," Harry murmured. "Ye can fall apart."

"Sonny," Chad gasped, and then his back was arching, head falling back with a terrible cry as his length sputtered in Harry's hand.

The sounds somehow got worse when Harry continued to pump him through it, until Harry was lost to the accidental brush of lips against his neck while Chad moaned.

"Oh," he breathed when he was coming down from his high, seeming to sag against Harry, almost dazed. "This um- bro stuff is amazing."

"Yeah, it's pretty nice," Harry agreed, a flood of fondness gripping his chest at Chad's blatant honesty. "Want me to clean ye off or-"

"What, like with your mouth?" Chad asked, blinking wide, earnest eyes at him. "Of fuck, that is what you mean. Yes, yes you can do that, but only if you want, you don't have to-"

"Bro stuff, Chad," Harry reminded him, for once grateful for the Auradon concept. "It's fine."

That was what led to him pushing Chad against the bed, have him licking at his chest the way he always sort of wanted to, Chad letting out soft coos all the while, one hand curling through Harry's dark locks as he descended down his chest.

"Oh, wow," Chad breathed. "Even cleanup's awesome."

"Glad ye think so," Harry murmured, grinning against the defined plains of Chad's stomach. He used a tissue to clean off his length, not wanting to tempt fate, even if he was already embarrassingly hard. He tried to ignore that as he eased Chad back into his clothes, the blond letting out a happy sigh.

"Why is this only a sometimes thing?" Chad asked as they both moved to sit back up. "That was amazing. Aziz is really onto something. Or, I mean, I guess all the guys at the school are onto something. Do you think Doug does bro stuff? Who does he do it with, Aziz? No, I bet it's Ben. I bet they talk the language of books until one of them gets aroused and then Ben goes all beast on him."

These were not images Harry needed in his life, and once he had them, they did not help his new predicament.

"I bet Aziz can do bro stuff with whoever he wants," Chad muttered, distracted by his new train of thought. "Anyone on the Tourney team or the sailing team, well, probably anyone ever because he's so charming. Like Ben, he's had a girlfriend for a while so I'm sure he's new to bro stuff, but Aziz- I mean, he even helped you and-" Chad cut off abruptly, finally realizing that Harry was worked up. "Hey, now I can too! I mean, if you want? I've never touched a guy before, but I want to help you."

"Chad," Harry groaned, dragging a hand over his face. "Don't waste that on me. Save it for Aziz or something."

"What? No." Chad was in his face in the next moment, pouting up a storm. "Aziz didn't even tell me about bro stuff, he does not get my first dick touch, and you are totally worthy of me touching you, so may I do that?"

At his core, Harry was an unfortunately weak person. He really didn't stand much of a chance at all.

"Okay," Harry said. "But go as slow as ye need- Chad."

"I don't need to go slow," Chad declared as he fumbled with Harry's pants, shoving them and his underwear out of the way until he was staring at Harry's bared erection. "Oh wow. Oh wow, you are pretty. I mean, you're always pretty, it's just- you have a pretty dick too-"

"Chad," Harry whined, throbbing under the deluge of compliments.

"Do you like that?" Chad asked, perking up with interest. "Do you like compliments, Sonny? Because I would love to compliment you. You're so sweet and thoughtful and hardworking, and um- the flushed expression on your face right now is really pretty-"

"Chad," Harry panted, something that cut off into a strangled moan when Chad finally wrapped his hand around Harry, giving him a deliberate pump.

That action alone had him shuddering like crazy, leaking all over Chad's tan fingers, the blond intrigued as he continued to clumsily stroke Harry, movements inexperienced but more than enough for Harry, who rutted into them with a renewed desperation. It'd been so long since he'd had this kind of contact, and receiving it from Chad, of all people-

Harry couldn't help but have a soft spot for him. The blond reminded him too much of Gilly, even though Chad was distinctly his own being, so soft and earnest and lovely.

"You're doing such a good job, Sonny," Chad soothed, working him faster now. "You're holding out for me so good, making the nicest noises, I can't wait to see you come, I'm sure it's going to be awesome."

"Chad," Harry groaned. "Chad."

"That's me," Chad chirped, leaning forward to nuzzle his shoulder. "Hey, can I kiss you?"

Harry's response was to lean forward eagerly, too desperate to fight the urge. Chad met him halfway, and maybe it wasn't perfect, but it was still Chad, whose lips Harry thought of far too often, whose mouth was soft and careful as it sighed against his own. Harry fell apart like that, caught off guard by a rough drag against the head of his length until he could hold back no longer. Chad gasped against his mouth, pulling away so he could watch Harry burst hot beads of slick, uncaring for the new stains he earned on his shirt because Chad was there, because they… they had something good.

"Oh yeah," Chad said when both their heart rates had calmed down, his head ducked somewhat bashfully. "We should do that a lot."

Harry didn't really have an argument not to, so he offered a small grin instead.

Look at them, proper bros indeed.

-:-:-

"So I don't want to monopolize you," Chad said, because at his core, Chad was a thoughtful being who tended to put the consideration of his friends' feelings above his own. "Or be too needy or something, but I thought that was super cool and you seemed to like it so I think we should schedule bro time more often."

"You're not needy," Harry said, knowing that needed to be nipped in the bud first. The guy was selfless to the end, had already loaned Harry a fresh shirt while setting Harry's old one to soak, because Chad was the self-proclaimed cleaning champion. "And I'd be happy to do that. I think we have to be discreet though."

"Yeah, you're right," Chad said, and it didn't even seem like agreement for agreement's sake as he ran a distracted hand through his hair, seemingly overwhelmed at the new world of possibilities presented to them. "I didn't even know it was a thing so it must definitely be a secret thing and we can't be the two assholes who give it away." He paused suddenly. "Do you think girls do this too? Like, Jane and Lonnie-"

"I um, think Lonnie would be pretty open about whatever she wants," Harry muttered, cutting Chad off before he could accidentally envision Uma and Lonnie making out or something.

Just, they were both determined, strong ladies. It would be hot, is all. He was only human.

"Fair point, fair point, you are making a lot of fair points," Chad declared as he nodded his head. "So um- obviously we'll have to plan for when Doug's not in the room, or we could bro it up in your suite, since Ben's always out in meetings and stuff."

"We'll just have to make sure they're long meetings," Harry said. "Ben has good ears."

As far as Harry could tell, all of Ben's natural senses, as well as his strength, were enhanced due to his beast. Sort of a reward to his bloodline for the trials it had suffered combined with a warning by way of his beast rage. It was a give and take kind of thing.

"Aw, man," Chad said, blushing at the thought of it. "Um- good point. So like, what are all the bro things we can do? Not that that wasn't awesome, that was perfect, I'd be happy with that-"

"Relax," Harry said, making the blond's shoulders slump with relief. "We can do whatever we're comfortable with."

"Cool, cool, cool," Chad murmured. "Um- and for those of us who might not know what all the options are, could we review them pretty please? Just to ensure we're on the same page."

"Well, um- there's what we did," Harry said, feeling awkward even if the communication was necessary – vital, even, though it seemed a lot easier when Chad offered him a few enthusiastic nods to show he was on the same page. "I guess I could blow ye if ye wanted that."

Now that he'd gotten a look at Chad's pretty length, there was a small longing to see how it felt in his mouth. Harry had gotten marginally better at blowjobs over the course of his relationship, though Gil would forever be the most enthusiastic executor of such things, the blond seeming to revel in stripping Carlos out of his shorts so he could drive him wild.

"Cool!" Chad chirped. "Um- what does that mean?"

"I'll suck your dick," Harry said. "With my mouth."

It never hurt to elaborate, and it was sort of worth it for the full body flush that seemed to overtake Chad.

"Oh, oh, you'd want to- you can- that's a thing?"

"They have a name for it," Harry said with a shrug. "So yeah. And I'd be happy to do that."

"I don't think I can fit your dick in my mouth," Chad said honestly, then proceeded to see how wide he could stretch his mouth open, brows furrowed with a stubborn determination that could be nothing other than adorable.

"Ye don't have to reciprocate," Harry said. "It takes a lot of practice."

"So you've done it before?" Chad asked, perking up. "Is that what you did with Aziz?"

"No." That time, it was Harry who was flushing. "No, that was- I just rutted against him a little."

"Sounds like I got the better bro time deal," Chad declared with a click of his tongue. "Okay, so um- obviously I'm fine with you doing that. I mean, I've never tried it, but the guys on the Tourney team talk about that kind of stuff all the time so I don't know, it's probably good." He frowned, toying with is lips for a second. "Taylor says I have 'dick sucking lips', so now I finally get what that means. He must have known I'd be good at it."

"What?" Harry snarled, good mood immediately abandoned in favor of focusing on that particular issue. "What else did that shitbag say?"

"Um." Chad blinked at him sort of hopelessly. "That I shouldn't drop the soap in the shower room? Which like- that's just good etiquette. I don't know why he thinks I'm clumsy or whatever."

"That piece of shit," Harry hissed. "Is this the same Taylor that's on the Tourney team with ye?"

"Yeah," Chad chirped. "I mean, I only talk to him when Ben and Aziz are busy and there's no one else around because he always laughs at me like I'm not getting a joke and even if I laugh with him, he knows I have no idea what's going on."

"Come on," Harry snapped, abandoning their study session to grab Chad's hand, dragging him towards the door. "We need to talk to Aziz."

"But we didn't finish reviewing what bro stuff we could do," Chad said, flushing.

"We'll do that at our next bro session," Harry decided before he dragged them out into the hallway, motioning for Chad to lock up behind them. "Doug's going back home this weekend, right? Ye could sleep over in my room on Saturday – Ben has to go to Auradon Castle for family stuff anyway."

"Oh, okay," Chad said, seeming to relax as he slipped his hand back into Harry's, letting the pirate pull him along. "Great, perfect, that works out."

"Yes, and so will this," Harry growled, moving like a man on a mission.

Fucking Taylor was going to learn a thing or to, if Harry had anything to say about it.

-:-:-

"Suspension," Lonnie marveled at lunch two days later, Jane sitting over at Audrey's table, where she had been more frequently relocating. It seemed to be paying off though, Audrey becoming less tense and angry as time went by. "Nice."

"He should be lucky that was all he got," Harry grumbled, tugging Chad closer to his side. "Ye didn't do anything wrong."

"I just feel so dumb," Chad groaned, burying his face in Harry's shoulder. "I had no idea he was basically calling me a whore for like, months. Who misses that kind of stuff?"

"A pure soul whose mind isn't buried in the gutter," Doug said, his eyes narrowed in frustration at the concept of Taylor.

"He tried to drag you down, Chad, and he failed," Ben said, his gaze resolute. "All thanks to Aziz's spy work."

"I can't take all the credit," Aziz said, a dull blush spreading across the bridge of his nose. "It was Sonny's idea."

"And Sonny's glad this nonsense is behind us," Harry said, giving Chad's hand another squeeze.

They'd all listened to the tape Aziz had recorded, revealing the true nature of the private conversations Taylor had with Chad. It was fortunate that Chad didn't understand sexual innuendos the way the rest of them did, or his self-esteem would likely be even lower than it was now.

"Bet you wish they were holding something else, huh, Charming?" Taylor had asked. "Think Ben likes to do it doggy style?"

"You're a weirdo, Taylor," Chad had laughed, clearly missing everything.

"You'd bend over and take it from any of them, wouldn't you?"

"Take what, Taylor? We're not even on the field yet." There was a pause, then, "What was that thing you said about my lips?"

"What, that you've got dick suckers?"

"What does that even mean?"

"What does it sound like, Charming?"

"I mean… people don't actually do that, right?"

Cue Taylor's laugh. "I could give you a demonstration, if you like. Show you what you're good for."

"…I think I'm good."

Luckily, Aziz had interceded after that point, turning in the tape to Fairy Godmother the next morning, leading to Taylor's suspension.

Well, the tape combined with what appeared to be a liberal ton of dick pics he kept sending Chad.

"Yeah, I just thought it was a guy thing?" Chad said. "But I didn't want to send one back even though he kept asking for one."

Ben had gotten so mad at that point he had to leave the room so he could growl his frustrations out by himself. Lonnie followed, her head stubbornly held high as she kept him company, making sure he knew he wasn't alone, in either his anger or life.

"And no one else has been bothering you like that?" Doug asked, cuddling Chad carefully in his lap, like he was worried the blond would break.

"No," Chad had muttered, embarrassed but happy for the comfort. "But I promise I'll tell you guys if they do."

That was what led them to lunch as the newest batch of gossip surged over the school. Their table had been approached a couple times by nosy classmates, but Ben and Lonnie usually sent them running with a knowing look.

"Aw, man," Chad sighed. "First my grandpa, now Taylor. I wish I knew why people kept targeting me."

"Predators search for vulnerability and isolation," Harry explained, bumping his shoulder with Chad's. "You're not used to having a support structure yet, so ye brushed off his behavior rather than telling one of us that it made ye feel uncomfortable, because to ye it wasn't a big deal. Ye'd likely had worse." He paused for a moment. "I have the same problem sometimes, but we're here for ye, and we want to help ye when you're feeling low."

"Oh," Chad said, ducking his head with an embarrassed flush. "And you'll let me know if I'm needy?"

"You'll never be needy," Doug insisted, his gaze hard. "I think we can all agree on that right now."

"Damn right," Aziz murmured, Lonnie echoing the sentiment with a thumbs up.

"Never," Ben agreed, and that seemed to make Chad glow most of all, because like Harry, Ben's opinion meant the world to him.

"Okay," Chad said, biting at his bottom lip. "And you know that I feel that way about you guys, right? I also want to know if you have problems so I can help cuddle them better."

"I promise if I encounter anything, you will be the first person I turn to," Lonnie pledged, her gaze utterly solemn.

"If that's the case, I think we're going to have to start scheduling mandatory cuddle sessions for Benjamin here," Aziz hummed. "Coronation preparations seem to be getting to you."

"I'll say," Ben sighed, his cheeks dusted in a light flush.

"I'll start making a schedule," Doug declared, making the prince's blush darken. The rest of them seemed to perk up though, happy to help, making Harry think that… that maybe this was his new crew. His Auradon crew.

Nothing could replace what he had left behind, but they seemed to have each other's backs, and ultimately, that was what mattered more than anything else.

-:-:-

Doug did end up making that schedule, which was how they came to work together to pull Ben away from his paperwork when it was getting too hectic. Lonnie was the best at ignoring his protests and dragging him out of his chair, letting Doug and Harry organize whatever paperwork he had left for that day while Aziz dragged him into his lap so they could watch some mindless tv together or Lonnie shoved him onto the bed so she could give him a massage or Chad could sit in his lap and force feed him the cookies he and Jane had baked with Fairy Godmother.

Through all of these, Ben tried to protest, and through most of them, he was ignored.

"You're not even sixteen yet," Harry muttered, slowly stripping Ben out of his clothes in dedicated movements because he already knew from bro stuff that it wasn't weird, and Lonnie had been very insistent that Ben needed a relaxing bath with her bath salts and oils and scented candles. "Ye need to take time for yourself."

"I just- I don't have any," Ben sighed, flushing but not resisting Harry's efforts to strip him down.

"Delegate," Harry murmured. "Trust your assistants. Hire more assistants. Talk to your dad, who is already king. Your parents wouldn't want ye working yourself into an early grave, and neither do we."

"I um- I can get it from here," Ben said when he was down to his underwear and Harry left him, taking the rest of Ben's clothes with him and giving the prince a look to communicate that they would not be given back unless he got in the damn water.

"I don't need foot rubs," Ben protested the next day, when Doug was attacking his feet with that enhanced strength of his, seeming to make Ben melt into the couch. "Doug."

Fucking hell, the sounds Doug was coaxing out of Ben's mouth made it sound like they were having sex, the prince moaning, biting at his lips and letting out small whimpers as Doug angled his legs just so.

"Hot damn," Lonnie muttered to herself before taking a picture of Ben's flushed expression, sending a copy of it to everyone else.

"It's okay," Ben would say just about every time they tried to pull him away from his work. "Just a few more minutes."

"No," even Chad would confidently shoot back, the blond looking extra adorable as he dragged Ben out of his chair.

By the end of the week, most of them had mastered filling out Ben's supplementary paperwork, and while Chad and Aziz weren't as good with public policy, they made up for it by cuddling Ben twice as much.

"Thank you," Ben murmured, slumped against Aziz's chest, his eyes seeming close to fluttering shut while the Agraben ran a hand through his hair. "This is really nice. I just- I don't want to get used to it, though."

Harry perked up from his spot by Ben's desk. "Because ye think we'll stop helping ye?"

"It's never going to end," Ben sighed. "It'll just get worse after I'm coronated, and I can't honestly expect you guys to keep helping forever. Chad and Aziz have their own kingdoms to look after-"

"Teamwork makes the dreamwork, asshole," Aziz said, poking his forehead. "We'll make it work, okay? And we're here for you as long as you need us."

Ben just shuddered at the casually offered commitment, seeming to cling tighter to Aziz in retaliation. It reminded Harry of Uma and Mal back on the Isle, those first few weeks when they'd had to establish schedules to ensure their queens didn't run themselves into the ground. They all had important jobs and they all looked after each other, ensuring that they remembered their limits.

This was sort of like that, all of them working to help Ben while they reviewed their own homework and projects and chatted amicably, like they weren't sick of each other despite spending so much time together.

That was crew, though.

And there was no need to look any deeper than that.


-:-:-


Endnotes:

Look, I thought this was going to be a dumb smut chapter too and then we had to take a hard turn into angst/comfort/bonding and I'm just as surprised as anyone else.

Thanks for the feedback, everyone! The onslaught of 'Nooooo, Ben!' is always a delight, as is the cumulative desire to smack him with a piece of rolled up newspaper. Good times, good times ^_^

Story notes:

Taylor, the sacrificial lamb in all my stories when I need a random Tourney dude for things. Like, I guess I could have used my go-to bully OC Fritz, but I like to mix things up sometimes.

I realize it probably doesn't mean great things for Agrabah and Sardinia that their heirs aren't the best with public policy, but like, they're teenagers. They've got plenty of time to get better.

Until next time :)