Chapter 6 – Baked with Love

-:-:-

"Look," Doug heard Audrey say into her phone later, when Chad and Jane were helping Gil establish what would be his space, what he needed as his rules in the relationship. "You missed the boat, okay? You've had weeks to-" A pause. "We didn't mean to woo him, you fuck," Audrey snarled. "All we did was treat him decently and- no, don't put words into my mouth." Another pause. "Look, you guys need to sort your shit out. When you're stable, and when you keep the fucking vodka away from Hook, then you can try to win him back to you. Maybe some time apart so he can build his confidence will- well, fuck you too, Ben," she spat, before she hung up the phone.

Doug gave her a few moments to settle, aching for the princess who seemed determined to carry the weight of their battles herself.

"I can call him again later," Doug offered when she seemed closer to calm. "He might be more receptive to me."

"He might be," Audrey sniffed, straightening her posture until it was that of a perfect princess. "But I'm okay with playing the bad guy, Doug. I don't think you have it in you."

"You're not a bad guy," Doug pressed, his throat seeming to tighten. "Audrey, you don't have to play into the persona they've created for you."

"I appreciate that," Audrey murmured. "I really do. But you guys… us-" She made a sweeping gesture with her hand as though to encapsulate all of them. "We deserve to be protected. Ben- he's a great guy, but he isn't perfect. He tries, but he's awkward. You saw how he handled the love potion thing, how he handled you and Jane leaving. Once things go off-script, he doesn't really know what to do. Mal ran off to the Isle, and like a sparkling prince he went to save her. I don't think it even occurred to him to look into the deeper causes of the problem. Ben…" She sighed. "He's under a lot of pressure, more than the rest of us, so he struggles too. He's good at hiding it most of the time, but when stuff like this happens-" She held up her phone. "He goes all beast. You don't deserve to deal with that. Better for it to be someone who's already seen it. Because he'll feel bad about it later, but not as bad as it would be if it'd been one of you."

Doug never really thought of it like that. He spent so much time putting Ben up on a pedestal that it was hard to think of him as a fallible human. In a distant way, he understood the king had as many faults as the rest of them, he just seemed so well adjusted that Doug barely processed the possibility.

Then again, his apology to Chad should have been a clue, the king choosing to have a gift basket full of scented candles delivered that Chad stared at with wet, wide eyes.

'For your spa treatments' the card had read, innocent enough, until Chad had started crying, one of the candles clutched in his hands.

That was how they got the story of Chad's tutors' favorite punishment of locking the prince in a dark closet when he was being particularly difficult. Chad wasn't allowed a nightlight for his room, but one time he and Ben had made candles together, and they hadn't been able to confiscate a present from the crown prince. Since then, Ben had been regularly getting Chad candles for years, apparently with a complete lack of knowledge as to why Chad had treasured them in the first place.

"He thinks I'm stupid," Chad cried into Doug's shoulder, his breaths coming in wet huffs, and Audrey had been so infuriated that she'd stolen the basket and shoved it in storage next to the boxes full of Evie clothes.

So Ben was good, and he tried, but sometimes he missed the mark.

In light of that, Doug struggled for a response, then settled for the one he knew was most true. "I'm proud of you, Audrey," he said. "You're strong, and I admire you, and I'm grateful for the way you take care of us."

He could only hope that in the grand scheme of things, he would be able to help her too.

That earned him a sincere grin. "I'm proud of you too, Douglass," she said, hooking a hand into his collar and reeling him close. "You've come very far, and I can't wait to see what we do next."

We, as in all of them, because this was- it was certain. It was true.

"Yeah," Doug said, his voice somewhat shaky. "Me too."

-:-:-

"I just don't super know what to do with my spare time," Gil admitted as he lazed across the couch, his head in Doug's lap while the dwarf-kin read over his music theory textbook. "I mean, I'm not used to having spare time. I practice sparring and stuff-" The gym was determined as Gil's private space, and he loved it a lot, loved that he got to share it with them for their early morning workouts, even though it was mostly his. "And I've looked over different community sports like Ms. Anne suggested-" Ms. Anne was Gil's tutor, and token hero to everyone who lived in the apartment. "But um- I'm still kind of scared of going out to do that."

He sighed, likely feeling dejected, and Doug took comfort in the fact that all of them would reassure the blond later.

"Well," Doug began after a moment of thought. "You like cooking, don't you?"

"Oh, yeah," Gil perked up, offering Doug a bright smile. "Cooking's awesome. I like being able to make you guys stuff that tastes good."

Gil also liked working with fresh ingredients, though Doug suspected half of Gil's enthusiasm came from getting to learn from Chad, who was always positive and encouraging and bright in the kitchen.

"Then maybe you could start a cooking channel," Doug offered. At Gil's blank look, he elaborated, "You could post videos of you making different recipes. Maybe you could target the Isle kids and share the stuff that you've learned."

"That," Gil began, his smile stretching wide. "-is a great idea. I'm gonna do that!" He bounced up from the couch, rushing over to the collection of cookbooks Chad had organized in a bookcase near the kitchen. "This is great! I can tell them about what fruit and vegetables are supposed to look like when they're fresh and show them how to make bread and stuff because we can do that now!"

"That's the spirit," Doug cheered, grinning at his enthusiasm. "And it'll be something you can do just for fun."

"And it helps other people," Gil chirped. "And gives me an excuse to make things for you guys. This is- this is so good, Doug. Thank you."

"You're welcome," Doug murmured, genuinely glad to have helped.

Gil was a person who needed direction, but once he had it, he was generally good to go. His free time had just been another challenge like that, a moment where he needed more direction.

And now he didn't.

-:-:-

Gil took his new show very seriously. He took detailed notes when Doug walked him through how to use the video camera, how to set up his shots and put up proper lighting. He showed Gil how to edit his videos together, and then the pirate took it from there, determined to do things on his own.

Audrey was the one that designed his logo for him, his banner and cover photo, as well as art for each video thumbnail. She enjoyed the challenge of drawing cartoon versions of food when generally she stuck to real life recreations. Doug was the one to compose some cheerful music for Gil to lay under his video, and with that, 'Isle Cooking Fun Time' was born.

Now Doug would walk into the apartment and see Gil talking to the camera with a broad grin, his tone serious as he explained the steps of the recipe.

"And then you just flour the counter," Gil said, his brows furrowed in concentration as he scattered it across the clean marble. "-so the dough won't stick. And flour here, man, it doesn't have like, bugs in it or anything. And it's way more useful in food than it is for like, setting things on fire. Fun facts!"

Gil enjoyed scattering a lot of 'fun facts' throughout his videos, though it could often be questioned whether these were indeed actually facts rather than opinions. Well, no one in the James/Rose household really cared either way, because Gil was happy, and that was what mattered.

"Some people don't believe pineapple belongs on pizza," Gil explained in a different video. "But they are crazy. Have they tried pineapples? They are delicious. Sometimes Harry would manage to steal some canned ones from the barges and we'd save them for a special occasion and they were like so good, but they're even better fresh. So I say, why stop at pineapples? Go ahead and throw some blueberries on there, and some bacon and sausage, and then like, all the cheese you want. There can never be too much cheese. You don't really need to measure it, just like, follow your heart."

Gil's whimsical reinterpretation of recipes combined with his natural charm had his channel gain an immense following almost overnight. Something about the son of Gaston wearing a bright pink apron and going on about how to make the best cinnamon rolls ever seemed to really tickle people. Gil got a lot of support, and soon Audrey was designing cute graphic t-shirts for him to sell.

Part of the money he kept to buy them presents, but the rest he donated to charities that funneled into the refugee support programs, which Gil was eager to share with the internet with earnest thanks.

"You guys are awesome," Gil would cheer into the camera. "Thanks to you, we were able to help Uma's charity hit its fundraising goal! So thank you, and um- happy eating."

That was his tag line, along with 'fun fact' and 'measure with your heart'.

Gil really was the best.

One time Doug came home to see Chad in front of the camera with Gil, the two of them spattered with what seemed to be pancake batter as they stared at the griddle.

"Man," Chad said. "I promise, I used to be good at this."

"Chad's mostly good at everything," Gil sagely informed the camera. "He's the one that taught me how to cook and stuff."

"What are you guys doing?" Audrey asked, following Doug inside.

"Audrey!" Chad perked up. "Could you help us flip pancakes?"

"Please!" Gil added.

The princess didn't even sigh, just set her bags down and shrugged into an apron that was supposedly for Doug – a nice forest green that Chad insisted complimented his eyes.

"Okay, fellahs," Audrey said, pushing up her sleeves. "Let a pro show you how it's done."

The pancake video didn't break the internet, but it certainly shook things up a bit. Apparently the fact that Gil was friends with Chad and Audrey had escaped the collective's general knowledge. Now that they saw him casually interacting with the two heirs, the fanbase went a little wild, half of them shocked that Audrey could be so normal, the other half wondering when Chad learned to cook.

Doug thought all of them were stupid, and Audrey was immediately endeared by his protective stature.

"Sweetheart," she'd murmur, and then she'd pull him into a kiss.

Of course, that was before Jane and Doug started showing up in videos.

It was entirely on accident, of course. Doug just- he liked being nearby when Gil was filming, so he'd work on his homework in the living room while Gil made scones and pies and pasta, and sometimes he would need an extra pair of hands.

"Doug!" Gil called, frowning in concentration at his beef wellington. "Could you help me wrap this, please?"

And Doug, unable to deny Gil anything, would go and help.

The same thing happened for Jane, and they sort of forgot about the wings-out rule in the apartment until the internet seemed to light itself a blaze over the state of her very pretty wings.

"See?" Chad said, pointing to some of the comments. "They all think you're just as lovely and cool as we do, Jane."

"Maybe." Jane would flush, but she seemed pleased with the attention, her wings fluttering shyly behind her.

It was different, but it was definitely good. Their form of good. And that was what mattered.

-:-:-

To celebrate the newest donation milestone, Gil decided to do a cooking livestream.

It seemed to be going well until he started reading the live chat.

"Um." Doug only looked up because Gil was getting an edge of uncertainty in his voice. "That is not a cooking question. Do you guys have any cooking questions? Like, I probably won't be good at answering them, but I can try." Another pause. "Okay, um… I'm just going to go back to doling out the cookie batter."

Doug looked up to see Gil do just that, though his brows were furrowed in either concern or anxiety. "I already have a set of these done for you guys to look at, but like, this is what the process of getting them on the tray looks like." He glanced up at the laptop again, still frowning.

The unhappy slant to his look was what made Doug speak up in the first place. "Everything okay?"

"I think so?" Gil offered. "It's just- they keep asking me why I broke up with the others instead of stuff about cooking."

"You don't have to answer them," Doug soothed, his stomach beginning to fill with ice.

"I mean-" Gil shrugged. "It's not a huge mystery. I love them a lot, but um-" He turned his gaze to the camera. "Fun fact – dating a king is super stressful. And kind of scary. And like, I'm used to the kind of scary where people try to kill me, but stress scariness is new for me, and I'm not good at handling it." He shrugged again. "So that's why I broke up with them. And also Harry yelled at me, so…" He trailed off. "If you guys have any cooking questions now, could you ask them, please?"

That seemed to be the end of the gossip line of dialogue, but Doug was almost certain that the kickback from the media was going to be something fierce.

He sighed, watching Gil putter on with his livestream, and started texting Audrey. She'd want to know about this.

-:-:-

It wasn't a nightmare, exactly, but there was a certain buzz.

Upon discovering that Gil still cared for his ex-lovers, most of the general populous was rooting for the others to win him back in the epic romance of the century. It also spurred the questions as to if that was why Doug and Jane had broken up with them as well, and if so, would they be interested in returning?

It was a bit of a mess, but since it was one Gil had started, he was determined to finish it.

"I'm super grateful for your support," Gil informed the camera. "But I really don't need help with my love life, and neither to Jane and Doug. We moved on, and we're happy, because it's not scary and we have movie night cuddle times and can go outside without like, being terrified of failing. So, please stop bugging the others. They're happy, I think, and we're happy, so that's all matters."

Doug really wished that was the case, though he sincerely doubted it.

-:-:-

It was a not-so special Thursday evening when they received an unexpected visit.

Or perhaps it was expected, maybe this was something they'd been waiting a long time for without really knowing it, but either way when Doug came home from a late research session at the campus library, it was to see Audrey having a standoff with Mal, Ben, and Uma in their living room. She was dressed in one of the shirts she'd designed for Gil along with a pair of Jane's pajama pants, her hair thrown in a lopsided pony that indicated Gil's handiwork. Despite this, she seemed entirely prepared for battle, her arms folded across her chest in a silent bid for their unexpected guests to dare to come at her.

Doug didn't see any of the others in sight. He was sure Chad had ushered them to the back bedrooms, out of the figurative line of fire, just as he was sure that if he checked his phone, he'd have a text warning him of the others' company.

At his entrance, Mal turned, her lips quirking in a small grin. "Hey, Doug."

"Mal," he greeted, setting his bookbag down and moving to stand beside Audrey. "How can we help you?"

"We," Mal said in a low drawl, one that indicated she was not entirely happy with the state of things. "Have a proposal."

"And that is?"

She shared a look with Ben and Uma, Audrey's shoulders tensing in Doug's peripherals. "We would like to date you guys."

"Us guys," Doug echoed. "Like…" He gestured to one of the photos they had framed on the fireplace, a picture of all of them after one of Doug's concerts.

"Right." Mal nodded. "All of you."

As shocked as Doug was by the deduction, he immediately found himself managing a response, because if he didn't, Audrey would. "That sounds like a terrible idea."

For whatever reason, Ben seemed shocked by his reply. "What? Why?"

"Because you guys don't like Chad and Audrey?" Doug offered. "And we do? You can't just-" He exhaled sharply through his nose, trying to come to terms with things, and turned his attention to Uma. "I know you want Gil back. And trust me, he wants to be with you too, but until he's better adjusted to Auradon, he's not going to be able to manage the lifestyle you want him to have. Those are just the facts. Just… give him time, and understand that there's a chance he might never be ready to be a king's consort."

It was Mal whose teeth pulled back in a snarl, eyes flashing with disbelief. "We didn't just come here for Gil, Doug, we came here for you and Jane as well."

"Supposedly, you came here for all of us," Doug countered, his tone cool. "Mal, we can't give you what you want. We tried, we failed-"

"We can do better," Ben urged, so very earnest. "We can make adjustments."

"Motherfucker," Audrey growled. "You all need to make adjustments. You're fucking falling apart at the seams, and yet you're here, trying to add onto the chaos that is your relationship as though that will fix your bounty of problems. Newsflash: it won't."

"Oh, yeah?" Mal challenged, deeply displeased with that assessment. "And what exactly are our problems?"

"Why, I'm glad you asked," Audrey cooed sarcastically. "You don't communicate, you don't delegate. Each of you is trying so hard to prove yourselves that you're taking on too much and drowning." She turned on Ben. "For fuck's sake, Ben, have Evie decrease her college load, hire her some fucking help for her company so she doesn't have to do everything and give her a fucking team for legislature development. Same shit goes for Mal and Uma. Jay is the only one doing slightly okay because he understands his limitations, but Harry was a mess long before Gil left, and Carlos completely withdrew when Jane left. Trying to balance five additional people is not going to help your current problems, it will only make them worse."

"You also need to delegate, Ben," Doug added, tone softer. "Ask some of the royals from our generation to help with press relations. They'd do it if you asked. You're drowning yourself in school and legislature-"

"It's my kingdom," Ben said, not angry, closer to someone who was repeating the line they'd been sold all their life. "It's my duty-"

"Your dad's not dead, Ben!" Audrey snapped. "Get him to help you with this shit. There's no way he could completely wash his hands of helping with the kingdom he established just because you turned sixteen. We all know he lowered the coronation age to ensure that the crown would stay in your family, but that doesn't mean the asshole has an excuse to stop working. Get him to help you. And if he won't fall in line, get your mom to do it. You have options."

"Where the fuck do you come off saying this shit?" Mal snapped, defensive, shoulders tense. "Like you know any better."

"Um, hello-" Audrey stalked over towards the kitchen, gesturing to the long chalkboard list of rules. "This is ours. We have it to reinforce things that mightseem obvious but aren't to us, because communication is important. Because rules and structure matter. Chad and I aren't going crazy with our duties as heirs because we learned to delegate and trust our publicity team. Doug is doing better because he's not running himself into the ground managing Evie's company and helping her with legislature and trying to be the perfect boyfriend and-" She cut off with a growl. "Everyone in this relationship," she said, motioning around the apartment. "We're the insecure ones, okay? They couldn't get the security they needed from you, so they had to pull back. So if you are interested in fixing that, then give them some damn stability." She stomped back into the living room, determination in her eyes. "If you want to date them, I have a list of changes I can email you that you'll need to make before we can consider anything."

"You have a fucking list-" Mal groused.

"Yes," Audrey interrupted. "I do. And we're not going within ten fucking feet of you until you make them. Fuck, you should make them anyway, just for your peace of mind."

"I don't-" Doug's heart felt like it was getting crushed in his chest. "I don't want to date them again."

The other three looked at him in something like shock, but Audrey's expression was only consoling. "Doug…"

He shook his head, feeling the heat begin to build in his eyes. "I don't- I don't want to go back to feeling awful all the time," he croaked, knowing he sounded stupid. "I'm really happy. I mean- I miss Evie, I'll always miss Evie, but I wasn't good enough-"

"Yes," Audrey urged, moving forward to capture his hands in hers. "Yes, you are. You're good enough for anyone."

"But I couldn't keep her happy," he cried. "She didn't- she didn't even tell me about- about being with Mal and them and I know that's rich because I didn't tell her stuff either, but it hurt. I spent- I spent two and a half years being second fiddle and I didn't even know."

"Fuck, Doug, that wasn't it," Mal said, and then she was cuddled next to him too, Audrey and Mal working together to bring comfort to the mess that was Doug. "We just- we tried to fit in, to be like normal Auradon people. We tried to leave what we had behind, but it wasn't working. That's why we wanted to share. Because Evie loved you so much, she thought you were so great, Carlos and I thought Jane and Ben were so great, that how could we not want to share you? You were the best things we had." She squeezed his hands, shifting one arm to curl around his shoulders. "On the Isle, you share your greatest treasures with your crew. There were so few joys in life, it would be truly wicked not to. And we thought we were bad, sure, but we weren't that bad."

Doug was… Evie's greatest gift?

"Then why…" Doug swallowed. "Why didn't she notice that…"

"That he was floundering," Audrey elaborated when Doug couldn't find the strength to.

Mal got a sad look. "You guys are like heroes to us," she explained quietly. "We didn't realize you could struggle as much as we did, but that wasn't fair."

"No," Audrey agreed. "It really fucking wasn't."

"Look, I'm trying, okay?" Mal sighed, shooting her an unhappy look. "The point is, we know better now. And we want to be there for you, and we don't want you to feel awful all the time, so- so if we need to make changes," she said, looking carefully to Audrey. "Then that's what we'll do. Because we want you guys back in our lives."

"But what about Chad and Audrey?" Doug asked. "We're not leaving them."

"And we're not asking you to," Uma said, tone calming. "That's why we had this proposal in the first place."

"We…" Doug swallowed, considering their options. "We'll have to talk about it with the others."

"And if we do this," Audrey cut in. "We're going slow. And you-" She pointed a hand at Ben. "Are going to super fucking nice to Chad, because he cares about you a lot and you know that."

Ben startled, seeming surprised by this statement, then nodded. "Okay."

"Great." Audrey clapped her hands together. "We'll talk to the others and let you know how things go later tonight. Uma-" The captain perked up. "Would you like to talk to Gil? He'd be happy to see you."

"If you could tell him you don't hate him," Doug added. "That would be great."

Uma sighed, though it didn't seem to be aimed at them. More at the situation where Gil thought they might hate him in the first place. "I'd appreciate that."

Audrey ended up overseeing their visit, Gil shyly explaining to Uma about all the money he'd managed to raise on accident, and if she didn't mind, he'd like to pretty please do a video on fried fish like they had at the Chip Shoppe, but like, better. Uma did a good job of reassuring him, aiming a gentle smile his way while she talked about how proud she was of him, how much she missed him. She showed him some pictures of their old crew on her phone, and by the end of it, Gil seemed to be glowing.

Doug stuck by Chad, who was clearly on edge with Ben's presence. Jane passed shy small talk with Mal, who seemed deeply amazed and in awe of Jane's wings. Even Ben managed a few compliments, but he seemed mostly distracted, not quite unhappy, just- occupied. Audrey had given them a lot to think about.

It wasn't bad, but it was still a bit of a relief when they left.

"So," Audrey sighed as Chad gave up on dinner and started pulling up takeout menus on his laptop. "Looks like it's conversation time."

-:-:-

Endnotes:

Because unlike Doug, Audrey's going to talk about literally everything ever. Let it not be said the lady doesn't learn.

Story notes:

I'm not trying to bash anyone here, just pointing out that Ben is human and flawed, just like the rest of them. Like Audrey, he's put under immense pressure, and though he has a stable support system, sometimes that pressure can get to him, encouraging not-so-great decisions.

Let's assume Audrey knew about the whole Descendants' 2 thing because of Chad. He is a solid gossiper like that ;)

Ms. Anne is entirely made up for the purposes of this story.

Chad's last name, James, comes from the Rogers and Hammerstein musical 'Cinderella'. I like to think of Charming as more of a nickname than anything else.

I think we can all agree Gil would be an awesome youtuber ;)

Until next time