Chapter 8 – Harry

-:-:-

"You thinking of changing up your style, Harry?" Evie asked at dinner as she reviewed the new rule, not so much as blinking as she added her name to Harry's cuddle list before Mal herded her out of the way so she could do the same.

Harry tensed, but didn't look at the ground when he shrugged. "Yeah. I figured since we're not piecing together our outfits anymore, maybe I could do something different."

"Did you have anything in mind?" Evie asked. "I have some sample boards you could look through – see if anything jumps out."

"We were thinking pastels," Chad said when Harry seemed to hesitate, the blond carrying on as normal as he helped Gil place everything into serving dishes.

For a moment, Harry froze, Evie blinking in surprise before she melted into a smile. "I think that would look really nice on you, Harry."

"What?" Jay spoke up, brows furrowed in confusion. "Like pink and stuff?"

"What's it to ye?" Harry snapped, getting predictably defensive.

Jay paused, looking at Harry with wide eyes, then flushed. "I um- I have this pink cardigan," he admitted, getting more than one person's interest. "Aziz gave it to me as a joke, but you can have it if you want." After a beat, he added, "I think it would look nice on you."

Harry seemed to be taken completely off guard by the suggestion, a dark flush spilling across the bridge of his nose. "If um- ye don't want it, I'd… if ye don't mind."

"I absolutely do not," Jay said, giving him a soft grin.

"You should wear some purple too," Mal said, poking Harry's arm. "Like lilac. Lilac would be great on you."

"Don't forget light blue," Uma added, the rest of them chiming in with suggestions that made Harry flush, though the longer things went on he realized they weren't making fun of him and he slipped into a smile, thriving under their attention.

"I think you would look good in anything, Harry," Gil told him sagely. "And you are badass no matter what."

"Thanks, Gilly," Harry said, practically a preen.

-:-:-

From that point on, Harry seemed less snappish. Audrey sat down with him and Uma and found new coaches to help Harry with PR stuff. Upon hearing what the old advisers had said, Uma was predictably furious, which led to her bringing it to the group's attention to see if any of their other partners had been labeled lost causes.

"Oh yeah, they said I should just smile and defer to you guys if I could," Gil said, not seeming bothered by this. "But I already sort of did that, so, you know, it wasn't an issue."

Jane cleared her throat. "They said I was too tentative," she murmured. "And if I didn't get more confidence they'd cut me from PR stuff too."

Everyone looked at Doug. "I didn't actually see them enough for them to lower my self-esteem," he replied honestly.

"I'll have Cogsworth be more thorough with the resumes," Ben said, looking somewhat pained. "I'm sorry-"

"We learn from the past," Audrey interrupted, because most of Ben's time seemed to be spent looking guilty nowadays. "To improve the future. It's okay, Ben."

"And for the record, you guys are not lost causes," Mal snapped, dragging Jane into her lap for some Fae-to-Fae cuddling. "If anyone's a lost cause, it's me, and they haven't fired me yet."

"Not for lack of trying," Carlos muttered, doing his best to wrap himself around Gil as a sort of protective blanket, and for once, they sort of reached a collective point of harmony. They didn't happen often – Ben and Jay and Mal and Evie seeming to struggle to adjust to Chad and Audrey's inclusion, but they were getting there.

With the new coach came new schedules, came Chad and Audrey helping Harry flush out his hobbies because he could have them now, when on the Isle he hadn't been permitted such a luxury. It turned out that Harry loved to read but rarely allowed himself the privilege, thinking it was a right he hadn't earned. Audrey recruited Uma to inform him that this was dumb (in a nice way) and set him up with a reading list based on what he'd expressed an interest in. Doug and Chad worked together to fill the empty bookshelves in Harry's bedroom with options they thought he'd like, as well as new editions of the books Gil and Uma remembered him reading on the Isle, and there was a good chance Harry might have teared up staring at the gleaming, untarnished pages before Chad gently tugged him towards the overstuffed armchair they'd placed by the window, cuddling Harry in his lap as they read the first chapter together.

"If you're worried about maintaining your rep, there's always competitive Swords and Shields," Audrey informed Harry as they were sorting through his new clothes, an array of pastels that made Evie's eyes light up in inspiration – a look Doug had always loved on her – before she dived for her sketchbook to design Harry new things. "Or you can join the community leagues just for fun."

"Maybe I'll start there," Harry decided, and it turned out a bunch of Isle refugees had taken up similar pastimes to hold onto the survival skills they'd spent years obtaining in a low stakes way. Harry thrived in Swords and Shields because at the end of the day, the lives of his crew weren't on the line, so he could just enjoy something he'd spent years getting good at without the fear and anxiety that had been attached to it before.

Slowly but surely, Harry seemed to settle into his own skin. Being given a routine and a proper support network took him from snappy and scowling to grounded and steadfast – and he still had the same passion and loyalty that was embedded in his bones, but now it seemed more solid, like stone, rather than hectic, like fire.

"Here," Audrey said one day, strolling into their living room where Harry was cuddled in Doug's lap for once, the two of them listening to one of Doug's pieces while Harry gave him bashful compliments. "I got you a better makeup pallet. Gil mentioned yours was falling apart."

"Oh." Harry blinked, digging into the first bag she passed over and taking a careful inspection of the large eyeshadow pallet. "This um- has a lot of colors."

"I thought maybe you'd want more options than black," Audrey said, giving him a small grin. "I got eyeliner too, if you wanted to give that a whirl."

Harry tensed. "I don't really know how to apply it."

"Want to find out?" Audrey asked, which was what led them to having 'nightly makeup time' a few days a week, Jane and Mal joining them on occasion as Harry tested different flavors of smokey eye, as he learned the ins and outs of eyeliner and concealer and highlighter.

"I don't look stupid?" Harry asked Mal as they were setting the table for dinner, his eyes dusted in an array of purple.

"Are you kidding me?" Mal asked. "I would rather blow you than eat dinner right now, that is how fucking gorgeous you look."

"Fucking hell, Mal," Harry grumbled, cheeks heating in embarrassment, but he seemed pleased by the attention, all of them complimenting his experimentation.

It led to Uma giving Audrey a lot of attention of her own, the captain kissing her knuckles and nuzzling her shoulder, pulling her and Chad into random hugs.

"Thanks," she said, holding them tight. "It's hard, looking out for them out here. Everything's so different and I didn't know how to do it right. But you helped them, so just- thank you."

"It was our genuine pleasure," Chad said, his eyes widening in surprise when Uma kissed him then and there.

Aside from Gil, they didn't really have sex with the pirates that much. At least, at first. The more Gil and Harry settled though, the more Audrey's demanded changes left a lasting effect on everyone, the more that seemed to change.

"If you don't mind," Uma would begin, pinning Audrey against the counter with a sultry look. "I would really like to eat you out."

"I'm guessing Gil told you he wasn't afraid of making public appearances anymore?" Audrey asked, her cheeks dusted in a dark flush.

"Among other things," Uma hummed, nuzzling Audrey's shoulder. "May I ravish you?"

"That gonna get you in trouble with Mal?" Audrey asked, seeming coy, but the question was genuine.

Uma rolled her eyes. "Mal's a big girl. She's still adjusting, but in time, she'll come around. Now," she continued, hands settling on Audrey's hips. "Are you interested in my offer?"

"Can Doug watch?" she asked, making Doug flush horrifically from where he'd been pretending not to pay attention.

Uma merely aimed a roguish grin his way. "The more the merrier."

So things were different.

"Harry," Gil chirped one day, strolling into the room with a large package in his hands. "I got you something and I think you're going to like it but if you don't that's okay – I just wanted to say that first."

"I like everything ye get me, Gilly," Harry replied honestly, because now that he wasn't trying to be tough all the time, he really was sweet.

As such, Gil's cheeks flushed dark. "Um, good. I hope you still feel that way when…" He passed the box over to Harry who was nestled in Doug's lap, the two of them reading through their own separate books in the sunny corner of his room.

With a blink, Harry put his book down, opening the box in slow movements and staring at a great assortment of silk material inside.

"They're specially made for boys!" Gil chirped. "So they should fit you better."

"What should fit me-" Harry cut off when he picked one of the delicate bunches up, unfolding the material to reveal a lacey pair of panties. "Gil."

"I just thought- I mean, you like them," Gil said. "And you look cute in them."

"I think they're nice," Doug offered, nuzzling Harry's shoulder. "And you would look nice in them."

He could feel Harry's blush. "Shall I model a set for ye?"

"I'd like that," Doug replied honestly, feeling his pulse begin to pick up. "Do you want Gil to stay?"

"Please, Harry," Gil weaseled. "I want to see you model your pretty underwear."

"Okay," Harry huffed, trying to hide how frazzled he was. "But lock the door, would ye?"

"You got it." Gil fired off a quick salute before bounding over to the door, Harry gathering up the box and disappearing into his bathroom to try on some of his new gifts.

"Oh fuck," Doug said when Harry first came out, waiting at the end of Harry's bed and breathless because apparently there hadn't only been panties in that box, but a sheer, flowing robe as well that Harry wore over his first selected pair of lingerie, the light blue doing sinful things to his eyes. "You look very beautiful."

"So pretty," Gil added in an enthusiastic gush. "It looks real nice on you."

"It does?" Harry asked, half genuine, half playful, the pirate seeming to sway over towards them with renewed confidence. "Would um- ye like an up-close demonstration?"

"Yes, Harry," Doug said, didn't bother lying because that was what had killed their relationship last time. "We very much would."

That was what led to Harry climbing into his lap, looking at Doug with a sultry expression, though behind it there was fear. The last time they'd done anything like this, Doug had freaked out on him; he'd run away.

Doug was determined to erase that memory for both of them, so he leaned forward, capturing Harry's lips with a gentle movement that had the pirate gasping into his mouth.

"Darlin'," Harry breathed when Doug pulled back, the dwarf kin allowing his hands to roam down Harry's torso. "Ye don't have to-"

"Believe me when I say I very much want to," Doug said, his hands caressing the gentle fabric pulling against Harry's hips. "In fact-" In the next moment, he had Harry splayed out on his back, the pirate flushed as Doug crawled between his legs. "I'm pretty sure I need a better feel for how these fit you," he continued, cupping Harry's length through the delicate material of his panties. He was already half hard, and Doug was tempted to sneak his fingers underneath the silk to get at warm flesh. "Gil, could you help?"

"Yes," Gil gushed, fumbling to lie down on Harry's other side before his hand joined Doug's. "Yeah, we just- we gotta check the fit. It's very important to see if they stretch."

"How absorbent they are," Doug continued as he started to tease Harry, brushing against his inner thighs and kissing low on his abdomen. "Very important business."

"Very important," Gil agreed as he toyed with the head of Harry's length stretching against the silky fabric.

"Ye guys," Harry moaned, his hips shuddering into their attention.

"Let us know if it's too much," Doug told him, trying to hold on as best he could. "We'll stop-"

"Don't stop," Harry ordered, and between the two of them, they took him apart, letting him make a real mess of that first pair of panties.

"I think I have to clean this up," Gil said as he eased the material down Harry's legs, leaving behind a sticky, slick mess splattered against his groin.

"It's the only reasonable thing to do," Doug agreed, and between their two mouths, they had Harry clean and worked up again in no time.

"Let me just…" Gil then proceeded to practice his efforts at giving a blow job which Harry enthusiastically appreciated, his noises getting low enough that Uma used magic to get into the room.

"Hot damn," she said when the three of them settled. "Top notch, boys."

"Thanks," Gil chirped, offering her a lopsided smile. "Can you cuddle Harry while I suck Doug off in the bathroom?"

"Any reason you can't do that here?" Uma asked, not being cruel just- they were supposed to be opening up to each other, bonding. They'd just seen all parts of her first mate, and by extension, her.

Gil nodded. "His dick's really- nothing," he course-corrected quickly. "His dick is awesome but he feels bad about it-"

"It's okay," Uma said, cutting off his babble with a wave of her hand before setting her gaze on Doug. "If you're not comfortable with that yet, don't worry about it. But you've already done a lot for my boys. You've proven yourself in every way that matters. I don't really care what you're hiding in your pants."

"But it's really small," Gil said, making Doug freeze. "Like, in an awesome way, because it's so easy to give him blowjobs and when you do that he makes the best sounds-"

"Gil," Uma tutted, strolling over to the bed with a frown. "What did we say about secrets?"

"That- aw nertz," Gil sighed. "I'm so sorry, Doug."

"It's okay," Doug said, even though his face felt hot and his pulse seemed to be pounding in his ears and-

"Could I um- blow ye?" Harry asked, seeming even more devastatingly beautiful in just the sheer robe alone. "Please?"

"I'd like to as well," Uma said. "Gil's not going to – that's your punishment."

"Aw man," Gil whined. "I guess that's fair."

"If- I mean, I want to tell the others at my own pace, if that's okay," Doug said, feeling hot and shaky.

"It's your body, Doug," Uma said. "We'll make sure Gil doesn't tell anyone else before you do, and for the record, you really don't have to show us anything now."

"Um… I uh- I think I should," Doug said, feeling sort of embarrassed. "Just-"

"Could I unwrap you?" Uma asked, graciously taking charge, and Doug nodded.

His stomach felt like it was going to drop down to his feet as she worked to undo his pants, but then she told Harry to kiss him, and that was, it was good and distracting in its own right, at least until Doug felt himself finally get freed from his underwear.

Then it was straight back to terror.

"Yep," Uma mused as she rubbed her thumb across his leaking head. "I am going to relish this."

"And me next?" Harry asked, sounding hopeful. "I mean, if he can?"

"He has dwarven stamina," Gil informed them proudly. "So yes, you definitely can."

"What a good day to be us," Uma said with no amount of mockery, no laughter, just appreciation, the same as everyone else got, and then she was around him, swirling her tongue in sinful ways while Doug shuddered and crooned beneath her.

"Doing great, darlin'," Harry murmured before drawing him into another kiss, his hands curling through Doug's hair like he knew that would kill him.

"Yes, keep doing that," Gil coaxed. "His dwarf side likes it."

"Got it," Harry gasped, and then he started tugging and scraping against Doug's scalp, and if he hadn't been mush before, he was then.

Suffice it to say, he was ready to go for Harry's blowjob, and Uma ended up letting Gil have a turn since Doug was ready for that too and the second mate had been so helpful.

"Awesome," Harry gasped as he cuddled into Doug's side, not the least bit shy about his nakedness. "Thank ye, darlin'."

"Yeah," Uma murmured, curling around Doug's back. "Thanks for trusting us."

"Thanks for not laughing," Doug said, still remembering the cruel bullying of the young dwarves back in Erebor.

Uma tensed. "Gimme names, Douglass. I'll fucking gut them."

"They don't matter anymore," Doug decided. "I've got you guys, and this. That's better, I think."

"Yeah," Gil agreed, curling around their legs. "I think that's better too."

-:-:-

Officially winning the pirates over gave them a bit of a foothold. It had them spending more time at Auradon Castle at least, though they did make an effort to retreat to the penthouse once a week at minimum so Chad could tend to his garden and Gil could film his cooking show. Harry had gotten sucked into helping with one of his episodes, his eyes done up in shades of blue and green, wearing an oversized light blue sweater and Chad's blue and gold apron, sort of setting the internet ablaze with his new look.

"It's so unfair," Uma read as they gathered around to read the comments. "How can he be a deadly warrior and a cutie patootie? I thought it was just Gil. My loins." She trailed off with a cackle. "Gil, you've got a good audience."

"Yeah, I do," Gil boasted, his chest puffing up with pride as he nuzzled Harry close.

"Maybe we should get you some jewelry, Harry," Jane offered. "You help Uma pick out all her stuff, right?"

Harry flushed. "I um- I just like helping."

"We know." Doug gave him a kiss on the cheek. "But that doesn't mean you can't wear pretty stuff too."

"Would you like that?" Uma pinned Harry with a hard stare. "Because you're my treasure. I would love to dress you up in jewels, show the rest of the world how fucking cherished you are."

Harry shuddered. "I'd um- like that."

Which was sort of what released the floodgates on pampering Harry, especially once Doug informed Jay and Carlos about what had transpired, knowing they'd pass it on to the others. Everyone started getting Harry gifts – clip on earrings, bracelets, necklaces, ear cuffs – and he was embarrassed by all of them even though obviously loved each and every one.

"Look," Harry murmured, holding up a rose gold chain that featured a lotus pendant hanging above his sweater. "Ben got it for me. He thinks I look cute."

"You do look cute," Uma reminded him, curling around his back. "So that was a good call on his part."

"Fucking hell," Harry muttered, the same way he always did when he was overwhelmed by the good fortune life had brought him. "Thanks, captain. I'm sorry-"

"Don't apologize for what makes you happy," Uma interrupted, her tone hard. "Evil knows I'm not going to."

With that, Harry just shivered, his smile stretching wide.

"Now-" Uma began, her fingers pushing down the waist of his lilac sweatpants so she could tease at the silky material of his panties below. These were dark plum – and like every other pair, they looked amazing on him. "Your captain would like to pleasure you, Mr. Hook. Will you oblige?"

"I'm always your faithful servant, captain," Harry whimpered, and then she was dragging him out of the room, Gil following with a broad smile as they fell together the way they always should have.

"We are fucking awesome," Audrey declared, pulling the rest of them into enthusiastic high fives.

"Yeah," Doug said, feeling somewhat like Harry, amazed by his luck. "We really are."

-:-:-

Of course, the original four of them still had frequent conversations.

"We don't want you to feel like you're being upgraded or pushed aside," Audrey admitted when they curled into bed one night, familiar constellations dancing across the ceiling. "We're natural problem solvers, so admittedly, we're going to get lost fixing shit, but that doesn't mean we love or cherish you any less-"

"Audrey," Jane interrupted, snuggling close to the princess's back. "You and Chad already wrote very extensive reports on this before things got started so we'd have that down in writing. We know you're loyal."

"Are you worried about us?" Doug asked. "Worried that since we're trying to get back with the others that we might not want you anymore?"

It was sort of horrible, feeling the way Chad tensed in his arms. "Well," the blond began. "Admittedly-"

"I love you," Doug said, vehemently, deeply, feeling his dwarven loyalty explode in full force. "I love both of you. You aren't fucking compromises and- hold on."

"Oh, are you getting the hair beads?" Jane asked as Doug dug through the drawer of the nightstand, making Doug pause. "…that I don't know about."

"Jane, you minx," Audrey laughed, something that trailed into happy tears when Doug emerged with a jewelry box he'd kept hidden for months now, waiting for the right moment to bring the items his minimal metal working skills had allowed him to create.

"Doug," Chad said, looking at the courting beads, knowing what they meant.

For dwarves, polyamory was perfectly normal, especially considering the ratio of male to female dwarves. Homosexuality, polyamory, platonic affection – those were all standards. In terms of romance, dwarves usually had a One (which was more of a traditional title than an accurate description) though the closest Doug could come to an Auradon translation was a soulmate. Dwarves found their crafts quickly but their Ones took more time to locate, and courting beads didn't come into play until they felt entirely sure.

In the back of his dresser, Doug had a set of courting beads he'd designed just for Evie, along with a braid design he'd invented for her, because a princess seemed to deserve more. He'd never felt confident enough to present them to her. Maybe that would change this time around.

"Chadwick James," Doug began. "Audrey Rose, Jane Lightwood – you are my Ones. Mahal was kind enough to guide you into my life, and it would do me a great honor to braid these beads into your hair, signifying your importance to me for the world to see. I understand-"

"Get those fucking beads in our hair, Doug," Audrey ordered, her voice thick with emotion. "Please."

"So my One commands it, so it shall be done," Doug said, and he got to work, all of them crying tears of happiness by the end of it.

He had designs for the others. He had a set for Gil. He didn't know if his heart had room for Uma and Harry and Carlos and Jay, but he was confident enough to at least listen to the possibility instead of closing himself off.

And that, he felt, was more important than anything else.

-:-:-

Endnotes:

Look at Doug getting in touch with his feelings and stuff. Trusting. We have come so far ^_^

Thanks to everyone who's given feedback! The support is greatly appreciated, and things are going nowhere but up from here on out. There will still be some angst, but it won't be angst-time central 24/7, which is an achievement in itself ;)

Story notes:

There is no significance to the lotus on Harry's necklace other than I googled rose gold flower necklaces for reference and that was the one I liked :)

I entirely made up Jane's last name, though it's not a traditional human surname. It's more like she belongs to the order of light fairies that generally live in the woods, hence – lightwood.

Mahal is also from the Lord of the Rings' verse, considered to be the god and creator of dwarves.

Until next time :)