*Sheepishly pokes head out from around corner*
Hey guys, I hope this chapter isn't too late for you. (Says that while fully knowing it most certainly is.)
Apologies for…the last chapter. This one isn't much better in terms of angst. I'm definitely more satisfied with the way this one turned out, but yeah it's just…angst everywhere.
Let's get to the reviews shall we?
StoryWriting1414: I'm so glad you're enjoying this story so much, haha, and that you're loving Carlos so much too! You will definitely be seeing those reactions shortly so don't worry. ;) I hope you will continue to read and enjoy!
EvietoyourMal: I'm sorry about your wisdom teeth surgery! That doesn't sound like fun at all, but I'm glad my story was able to make you feel better. :) Haha, yeah Chad totally is that type of friend, to be honest. I'm glad you're enjoying my story and hopefully you'll enjoy this next chapter and that it will help further take your mind off of your teeth. ;)
Elle: Thank you so much for the kind words! I'm so glad you love my story so much and that you think I'm doing a good job at portraying everything. I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy!
tigerladygamer: Haha, yeah just you wait. ;)
manticore-gurl071134: Thank you! It was definitely one of the sadder chapters but I'm glad you enjoyed it nonetheless.
Guest 1: Thank you so much for the kind words! I'm glad you like the way I'm portraying everything and I hope you will continue to read and enjoy!
Nyehhh: Lol, if you loved that character development just you wait for this doozy of a chapter! ;)
Tiredandlazy: *cracks knuckles, clears throat*
So like, I couldn't help but laugh so hard because if you thought that was a doozy, then like, you have no clue what you're in for now! But like seriously, the Isle was definitely no joke and we're starting to get into that a bit more in this chapter, and future chapters to come so like, hold onto your computer screen (tablet, smartphone, whatever bit of technological device you're reading this on.)
It made me really happy/stupid/sappy emotional to hear that you enjoyed the chapter, and my whole take on Evie and the various other dark recesses of my mind, haha. Like, what gives?
As for the mystery daddo, well, like…it wouldn't be mystery if I just told you now would it? Don't worry, though because I do plan on telling eventually. This whole plot thing is uh, growing…a bit longer than I'd thought…um.
And Chad…I believe you wanted him to just 'show his soft insides' or something like that? Well, like…wish received and granted, lol. ;)
Anyway I'm really glad you enjoyed the chapter even though I hate(d) it. And yes, yes that was a shameless Brittany Spears reference. And also excuse me what?! They have eggnog in stores already asfdgssh! Ahem, sorry. I suddenly have to run out and get as much as will fit in my fridge because ohmygoshyesss! My obsession with eggnog literally knows no bounds (my mom has to dole out the cartons in rations over the holiday season or it's all I'll drink.)
I hope you'll like, continue to read and enjoy! (And with that, I believe I have out-Valley Girl'd you. ;))
Shots and Giggles: Good to hear from you again! I'm glad to hear you enjoyed all my backstory and character building, as well as the chapter itself. I definitely am excited for all the developments I've got planned with the pirate crew, too, haha.
I'm also not entirely sure about everyone's ages according to any canon, despite the fact that I currently own the book, lol. But yeah I'm just playing fast and loose with the canon anyway since I agree, it didn't really make sense to have them not know each other for a longer time given how close they all are in the movie.
And yeah I definitely didn't want to shy away from all the implications that these situations would bring out… as you'll see some more of here. There's gonna be a lot of angst and tempers flaring and just general chaos as everyone tries to get everything figured out. And I emphasized a bit too, just how affected everyone is by all these situations and the negativity so that was fun to play around with. And I used your prompt to do it so I hope you'll enjoy that, and that I did it justice. :)
Thank you again for all your kind words and support, and I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy!
Jewelz1642: Thank you for the kind words! I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter, even if it did almost trigger you. I'm so sorry about that, it wasn't my intention at all!
But I did understand what you meant, and I'm glad you liked my interpretation of Gil and that you're enjoying the story so much.
Hopefully you'll continue to enjoy! :)
Guest 2: I am, lol. It's such a weird feeling; I never would have thought a story of mine would get this far. I hope you'll keep reading and enjoying!
Descendants5HLM: Hey! Congrats on the new account! It's such an exciting feeling, isn't it? :)
Thank you for the kind words and I'm glad you're enjoying this story so much and think I'm doing a good job portraying everything. And I'm glad you noticed Chad's shifting to actually calling Carlos by his name, hahah. I don't know how many others picked up on that significance, but I'm sure they will by the end of this chapter. ;)
As for Daisha, yes we'll be hearing a little bit more about her later. And the italic part of Evie's pov will definitely be further explained and clarified on in future chapters but yes, it probably is along the lines of what you're thinking, unfortunately. But don't worry, it won't be for a little bit yet, and I don't plan on going into too much detail. But suffice to say there was/is some trauma involved that led to the developments that are currently going on.
Thank you again for the review and I hope you will continue to follow along and enjoy!
Rosenn Rae: Welcome to the story and thank you for leaving a review! I'm glad you're enjoying it and hopefully you'll enjoy this chapter just as much. :)
guest 3: Thank you for the kind words! I'm so glad you're enjoying this story and my writing and that you will continue to read and enjoy.
Kry Chi: Something is definitely going to happen, haha. But I'm glad you liked my development of Chad and that you're enjoying the sign language. I'm not fluent, but I am currently learning ASL so it's a fun experience for me too. :) I hope you'll continue to enjoy!
Author's Notes:
Ok guys, I'll try to keep this short so you can get to the chapter. It is…also a bit shorter, sorry, but has some very important character and plot developments that I think you might like.
But it also has some other stuff as well so here's the ***WARNINGS PART THAT YOU SHOULD NOT SKIP!***
***This chapter contains the usual; language, some mild violence and brief mentions of bullying, but it also deals with and describes heavy topics such as Self injury and Self harm (mentioned/referenced only); mental health issues such as panic/anxiety attacks; brief mentions of anger issues and brief mentions/implications of misogynist behavior; as well as dealing with child molestation and assault.***
Just as before, I've done my best to handle these things with respect and without being too graphic, but I've also marked the sections that may be triggering so please, feel free to skip! It is not my desire to offend or hurt anyone but again, I didn't want to shy away from it or pretend like it doesn't happen, especially considering how similar things have happened to/affected good friends of mine.
Note 2:
That being said, here is the next chapter for you. It's not all horrible and angsty, but it is there, so just be mindful as you read, and equally mindful and respectful in your reviews.
The songs that inspired this three-part set are 'Prayer of the Refugee' by Rise Against, and 'Youth,' by Daughter,
And this chapter features a prompt from the wonderful Shots and Giggles! They were one of the four prompts I selected from a contest I did earlier in the story, and so I hope you will enjoy it and I look forward to hearing what you think!
Jay
It doesn't take Jay long to find the Auradon gymnasium. Mostly because he'd demanded the location from a knight, and received it in the same brusque, tightly angered tone he'd asked it in. He'd nearly smashed the thing's head in for it, but decided it wasn't worth the further trouble it would most likely get him into. He curses to himself at that, Auradon's influence already- impossibly- affecting him.
The gym, or, 'a place he could go to hit things and not get hit in return,' is startlingly large and open, a circular shaped arena decorated in the obnoxious blue and gold of Auradon, with some kind of viewing area above. There was a rectangular sort of section off to one side, with giant white armor looking things lining the walls, and needle thin swords that couldn't possibly serve any purpose. Then on the opposite side there was a small section of metal racks strung with weights, and at the back…Jay feels the tightness coiling in his gut loosen minutely, a slow grin sliding onto his face.
He all but runs as he crosses the floor, cracking his knuckles and glaring in a fierce sort of glee at the absolutely perfect punching bag that hangs before him. He'd only ever seen one of these on the Isle, and it was located in Gaston's pub, because duh. 'No one's slick like Gaston, no one's quick like Gaston, no one hoards all of Auradon's shit like Gaston.' The bag was one of the first things the surly man had managed to snatch off the barges, and more than once Jay had gotten into a brawl with the other man over a score. Gaston's true punching bag, it was rumored, had been his son Gil, but the one he kept in the pub had been beaten to its core, the leather cracking so badly you could only hit it about one time, once a day. Any more and you'd risk splitting it open completely. But Jay had always made his hits count, and now that he had something solid to work with, he wasn't about to hold back.
He took a stance, eyeing the bag top to bottom and marking out each blow before he made it. He swings his left arm up and snaps it across the bag as hard as he can. His opponent staggers, swaying sharply to the right.
"Haha, didn't see that coming did you, you fucker," Jay jeers, snapping another blow with his right elbow.
It doesn't take long for him to find his rhythm. And his anger. As he sucks in his breath between his teeth and ducks under imaginary blows and counters with his own, all of his frustrations over the recent events come surging back.
Carlos' face when Jay had dismissed him like a dog, knowing how much it hurt him. Whap!
Evie, and how he hadn't been able to be there for her. Thwack!
Mal, her charging headfirst into everything as always. Abandoning them and expecting Jay to pick up the slack in her place. Smack!
His hands start to hurt after a while, but he presses on, switching to striking at the bag with his feet and legs, the chain connecting it to the ceiling rattling and sending sharp pangs down Jay's spine. He grits his jaw and tries to shove aside the memories, the sudden sensation of water filling his lungs and unable to cough it back up and drowningdyingdying!
Jay yells in defiance of the fear and launches himself at the bag again, striking until his hands go numb. The burning in his chest and lungs is a good one, he reminds himself. It means he's alive. That he was stronger. He forces himself to take a step back and catch his breath, but something doesn't feel right in the gym. He knows better than to hesitate and wait for an attack, but he keeps still anyway, and is rewarded when he hears the slight shuffle of feet on the mat behind him.
"Giving up already, Jayden? What, is the bag tougher than it looks?"
Jay's head snaps up in surprise as Lonnie steps into the space, a smirk on her face and eyes gleaming slightly.
"What are you doing here?" He asks, and she lifts a brow at him.
"I could ask you the same thing," she counters smugly. "You're technically not listed to use the gym."
Jay scowls, his fists clenching as the anger starts to buzz faintly in his ears again. "What are you gonna do?" he challenges. "Snitch on me?"
"Please," Lonnie scoffs, rolling her eyes. "I could use a sparring partner."
Jay blinks, caught off guard, and Lonie barks a quick laugh as he takes her in fully. She's not wearing any kind of uniform, instead a simple (pink) pair of loose pants, and a form fitting blue t shirt with some kind of flower patterned across it. Her feet are bare, and her usually long hair is pulled back from her face, her hands expertly wrapped.
Not one to be outdone or let any perceived weakness get the better of him, Jay curls his lip, shifting his weight and crossing his arms as he approaches her.
"You sure you want to fight me in those pants, sweetheart?"
Lonnie's face hardens, her eyes suddenly dark, and Jay feels a tiny flicker of fear for a moment.
"Call me sweetheart again and it'll be more than just a friendly spar."
Jay laughs to cover his realization that she's serious, and his slight confusion. He'd complemented her, hadn't he? Why was she so insulted all of a sudden?
"I um, I'm…sorry?" Jay tries, and something in her eyes softens, despite the set of her jaw.
"Right," she murmurs, more to herself than to him. "It's all backwards to you, isn't it?"
"Who you callin' backwards, sweetheart?"
It'd been lighthearted; a challenge, this time. Just to be sure. Just to see.
He finds out the extremely hard way; as Lonnie tenses before suddenly uncoiling fluidly and startlingly fast. Jay barely has time to lift his arms in defense, and even that was nothing to her as she somehow winds her way around his guard, dropping his arms with a blindingly fast blow, smacking the back of his head sharply with her opposite hand. He cringes, more out of surprise than anything, and swings forward without fully processing where he was aiming. It's to his disadvantage, as Lonnie effortlessly dodges out of his reach, grabbing his arm and twisting hard…he feels a strong kick to his hip, and an even stronger pressure against his knee, and before he can fully figure out just what the fuck was happening, he was on his back and coughing from the sudden pain.
"The…Fuck…" he coughs, wincing and trying to sit up, only to find a foot pressed firmly against his ribcage.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Lonnie says, and her voice is low but full of humor. "Unless you want me to break something."
"How the fucking hell?" Jay groans, letting his head fall back against the mat.
"Did you forget the part where my mother was a warrior and my father was captain of an army?"
"Yeah," he mumbles, closing his eyes and sighing carefully. "Must have missed that part of the welcome package."
It takes all of his effort to maintain a straight face as he subtly shifts his hands closer to his sides, mentally taking note of just where her foot was resting, how much weight she must have been leaning on it to pose the threat it was, and just how much he should twist without hurting her...which, now that he's actively thinking about it, is a first for him.
"That's ok," Lonnie continues above him, unaware and still entirely too cocky for her own good, or for Jay's liking. "I know how embarrassing it must be for you, losing to such a 'sweetheart' like m-"
Jay seizes his opportunity as Lonnie shifts just a bit, and he snaps his hands up, grasping her ankles firmly and twisting it to his right, forcing her weight to shift inwards sharply and effectively losing her balance. He launches himself up as she falls, rolling over her and pinning her firmly to the ground, leaning his weight back onto her legs and keeping her in place.
"I think you forgot the part where I'm from the Isle of the Lost," Jay gloats, smirking at her and crossing his arms across his chest again. "And it takes a lot more than that to keep me down."
Lonnie stares up at him a moment, and he can't read the expression on her face. Then her mouth splits into a grin and she laughs, the tension in her body fading instantly.
"You are something, Jay from the Isle," she gasps between breaths. Jay lowers his arms and gapes at her, unable to determine just what it was he was feeling right now. He starts to laugh with her, when suddenly he feels her arms wrapping around his, sliding around his torso and gripping hard. He realizes what she's doing a second too late, and he feels her body shift up, her body twisting hard around his and effectively swapping their positions.
"You are something," she repeats lowly, her eyes twinkling with mischief. "But so am I."
She's entirely amused, but Jay isn't. Not like this. The way he's lying now is horrifically familiar, her body weight resting against his hips, her hands reaching coyly for his arms. Jay feels his breath hitch in his throat, and he tries to laugh it off like she is but her hands brush his arms and suddenly Jay is in another room entirely.
caution
The hard floor beneath him is the same, but it's wood, splinters digging into his back with every shift of weight above him. Don't look, Jay reminds himself. Just don't look it'll be done soon don't look just don't…. Someone starts humming, and Jay feels a knot coil in his stomach, bile burning his chest and throat. Someone laughs, the sound low and hoarse, and a hand threads through his hair…down across his face and he can smell the thick musk in the air…smell it get thicker as the humming turns to a moan...the hands move to his chest now, and he chokes on a sob. The hand is quick to strike him for that, and a voice is saying something…threatening…promising…but he can't hear it. He won't hear it he doesn't want to he doesn't want this!
A breathy chuckle meets his ears and Jay flinches, blinking up at the lightly-tanned face above him. The deep brown eyes that smile and laugh at the same time. Lonnie, his brain finally connects, though he feels another small hitch of unease in his chest at his still-prone position, at her hands which are now carefully resting against his arms. Somewhere during their spar her hair had come undone from its tie, and so he ends up looking up at her through a partial curtain of inky black.
He tries to pry his mind out of the nightmare, to remind himself through little details that he wasn't there anymore; Lonnie's hands are gentle, not constricting, not binding. Her hair smells like fruit and something kind of spicy, and her eyes gleam brightly at him, her expression soft…fond, almost? And Jay would have succeeded in his efforts if it weren't for the fact that he was still on his back under her, and it was all the connection his mind seemed to need to start slicing bits of the nightmare back into him.
triggers
The hands that go where no hands should ever go. Not like this, he knows. Not like this. Voices that slur and rumble, that pant and sigh and moan and the knot gets tighter…pulls lower and Jay feels his expression tighten, the horror and the pain and the knot is too tight and he can't he can't he can't please don't make me please and he's screaming in spite of himself and there's more voices echoing his cries and there's salt on his tongue from more than just his tears and a husky voice is saying something in his ear…good….good….but it's not it's not it's…
"You're zoning out on me, Jayden," Lonnie's voice cuts through the haze suddenly, and Jay could have sobbed with the relief. "Is it so hard for you to comprehend being beaten by a girl?"
And he's not on the Isle anymore. Not eleven years old and helpless. He's in Auradon. He's safe, and in…good company. Jay manages a brief, tight sort of chuckle, and pushes against her arms weakly.
"Yeah, as if," he says, and if his voice trembles just a bit, she doesn't notice it. "I let you win. Didn't want to…hurt you or anything."
Lonnie tosses her head back and barks a laugh, the sound light and incredulous and thoroughly relaxed. "Let me win!" She repeats, shaking her head. "I thought you were better than stupid stuff like that, Jayden."
Not by a long shot, Jay thinks with a twinge of bitterness. But he forces himself to smirk at her instead, to continue separating himself from the past and into the present.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever," he grumbles, pushing against her a little harder and trying to remember that he wasn't in danger as he struggles to sit. "If you're done gloating, will you let me up already?"
He says it with all the snarky bravado the situation demanded, but Lonnie settles herself further against his legs and lifts a brow, and he has to bite his lip to keep from screaming for an entirely different reason. The nightmare stabs brutally behind his eyes and he grits his jaw and grimaces, tensing his body and twisting sharply to the left, shoving a hand against her shoulder and all but tossing her away.
"Alright, get…get off!"
He's on his feet before her noise of surprise reaches his ears, his chest tightening and every instinct screaming at him that he'd barely avoided death. But he's on his feet and that's all it really takes for Jay to come back to himself completely. He realizes that Lonnie is the one on her back now, looking up at him in something like shock, and Fairy Godmother's 'Goodness' lessons come back to him as he stares at her, her voice silently admonishing him about his rudeness.
"Sorry," he finally snaps awkwardly, extending a hand to her somewhat jerkily and waiting.
It's too vulnerable, his instincts scream at him. She could have a knife, and stab it through your ribs. As it is, her eyes take him in slowly, and he can't interpret the look on her face. It's like she's taking him apart piece by piece and seeing behind his actions, and he shifts his weight and frowns as his heart slows its attempts to beat its way out of his chest with difficulty.
"Look, do you want a hand or not?" he says quickly. "Because I'm totally fine with leaving you there and walking away, even if it is technically rude."
She stares at him a moment more before grasping his hand firmly and shifting her weight. Jay tenses instantly, half expecting her to leverage him back down onto the floor, but she simply hefts herself to her feet and smirks at him, adjusting her hair back into its tie.
"Well it looks like we're two to one," she says, cocking her head at him. "You continue to surprise me, Jayden, and I'm not typically one for surprises."
Jay scoffs and shakes his head, relief surging through him at the familiarity, the return to their somehow now normal interaction as the nightmare fades away completely.
"Don't get too excited," he cautions. "I'll get…wait…," he blinks, realizing what she'd said. "Two to one?"
He might be a lot of things, but he wasn't one to just cheat without cause, and he definitely wasn't one to lose track of things like scores.
"Yeah," Lonnie says, and the tilt of her smirk sharpens slightly as it turns to something more genuine.
"I didn't win anything yet," Jay insists, chasing after her as she turns away from him and heads for the door.
"You won my increased respect, Jayden," she replies as they step out of the gym. The hallway muffles her voice but her expression is entirely sincere. It makes him uncomfortable, for some reason, and he gives a quick jerk of his head, tossing his hair back in a brief and familiar gesture.
I don't need your respect…the retort is on his tongue, the smirk already twisting his face. He hadn't gotten anything even close to that from Jafar, so why should it matter now? And then he realizes it, as he takes in Lonnie's smile, the teasing light in her eyes and the overall genuine way she spoke with him. It mattered. The strange feeling in his chest bubbles up and makes him even more uncomfortable, but also leaves him feeling lighter, and the smile he gives her doesn't feel forced or awkward.
"Well," he finds himself saying, shrugging a shoulder slowly. "That's definitely something then isn't it?"
Her eyes flicker, but only to brighten further, and the way Lonnie beams at him makes Jay feel, just for a second, that everything in his shitty excise for a life wasn't going horribly wrong. And then he remembers where he is and where he's from, and that he's going back to that, and his own smile falters, his brow furrowing self-consciously.
"I'll try to make sure I'm…that it's worth it," he mutters, shifting his body intentionally so his gaze his focused on the hall behind them, half-pretending to scrutinize the crowd before he dares to make eye contact again. He regrets it instantly as he takes in her expression that she tries to hide but he's an expert at manipulating people and emotions and he knows all the words that she's trying to gear herself up to say.
I'm sorry, says her fingers as they twist the end of a wrap.
You are worth it, her eyes say.
And also Why would you think you're not? from the wrinkle between them.
As well as I'll make sure you know that you are, from the set of her jaw.
And he doesn't want to hear it right now but he does anyway, and he has to get away right now or he'll start punching things again and despite her insistence on sparring he doubts she'd appreciate it if he hit her. He chuckles but it's weak and the wrinkle between her eyes deepens so it changes to Why won't you think that you're worth it? and her mouth opens and he turns away completely because he has to.
"I'll catch you for another match before I go and make it even," he promises as he walks towards the swarming chaos. "I uh…I can't leave a score unsettled. It'll bug me too much."
And he feels the weight of her gaze on his back, the unspoken inflection of his name in his ears and he realizes as he lets the crowd take him that he'd imagined her saying it as Jayden, and that she's the only person in his entire life that he'd allowed to call him that and be ok with it. And he suddenly hates Auradon that much more. Hates that he's going to miss it. That he's going to miss her.
Ben
Ben's not surprised when he finds out his father had retreated back to the family castle and called an emergency staff and council meeting. Only a few of the official Council had been on hand to gather, but letters and official summons had gone out to the remaining members declaring the situation an emergency and thus would require attendance as soon as possible. Most of the Council, Ben had been relieved to hear, had been less than pleased at the abruptness of his father's demands, and were dragging their feet about actually getting to Auradon. If he was lucky, he'd have a few days to come up with a case for the VKs. As it was, the staff meeting was his father's gateway attempt to rile the Council up against the VKs, and Ben wasn't about to just stand by and let that happen.
What surprises him, is that the Fairy Godmother seems to feel the same way- given that he's now riding shotgun in her tiny blue Prius on the way to the castle, Jane huddled awkwardly in the back seat and trying to pretend that any eye contact made through the rear mirror was accidental. The older woman had taken one look at the summons and rushed to find Ben immediately, and after a brief and panicked exchange of words, she'd shoved him into her car with Jane and that was that.
Except the Fairy Godmother talked when she was anxious, and so as the car sped (responsibly, of course. It might be an emergency but that was no cause to ignore the speed limit) towards Beast's Castle, Ben was filled in on the medical reports that the Fairy Godmother, as well as Flo, Faun and Merry had discovered from the VKs.
"Starting from day one," the woman murmurs, her fingers gripping the steering wheel tightly. "And you had me do that brief exam, do you remember Ben?"
Of course he does, but he hadn't gotten a chance to actually say the words.
"Well as I explained to your parents and the rest of the staff then, the amount of injuries was just staggering."
Jane goes pale and when she shoots Ben a look through the mirror he sees his own panic reflected in them.
"You never mentioned specifically….," Ben barely manages, and the Fairy Godmother shakes her head quickly.
"No," she agrees bluntly. "I didn't want to try and make things worse than they were, but now well…I see there's not much of a choice in the matter."
"There is if we say something," Jane chokes from the back seat, and the Fairy Godmother manages a tight smile.
"And we will," she replies firmly. "We'll…."
"What did you tell them?" Ben interrupts pointedly, grimacing at his sharpness but he needs to know. "What did you find?"
"The children are severely undernourished and underfed," the Fairy Godmother intones sternly. Her voice is muffled by the other side of the door, but Ben can hear every word if he presses his ear to the crack. Jane leans with her back to the door beside him, her arms crossed defensively and her eyes tightly shut. Ben doesn't want to stare, but he knows she's crying.
"There are also multiple injuries that both magical scans and medical scans detected, including broken bones and even concussions ranging from mild to severe…."
"Yes, we have heard this news before," Ben's dad cuts in shortly. He sounds almost bored, and Ben has to fight hard to keep from slamming the door open and confronting him. "I'm not sure how it's relevant to the current situation."
"Alright," the Fairy Godmother says, and her voice is suddenly entirely ruthless, startling both Ben and Jane, who flinches at her mother's tone. "I'll be blunt then, Your Majesty. The situation is this: we have a group of children who came from a dangerous and abusive environment- an environment that we put them in, I'll remind you. Despite this, your son Ben, decided to do what no one else had dared to try, and bring these children over from the Isle."
"And what has come of this decision except trouble, and an apparent death threat?" Someone in the conference room counters, and though Ben isn't sure who it is, the man has a reedy, nasally voice that grates at him for some reason.
"I would like to argue for some of the good that has come from this decision," the Fairy Godmother continues, as though the other person hadn't spoken. "I would like to remind you that when the children arrived, they were incredibly defensive and easy to provoke to violence. They wouldn't meet anyone's eyes and they would flinch away at any perceived harm to them…these are issues I do wish to further address as well, but continuing on…you'll also recall how Carlos never spoke, and in particular seemed to be the most frightened and defensive of the four."
"The point, please, Fairy Godmother," Ben hears his dad rumble, and Ben feels a tiny growl of his own tickle at the back of his throat.
"My point is evident if you would only look, Your Majesty," she replies, and her voice is just a bit sterner, and Ben silently cheers her from the other side of the door. "It is clear just how being in Auradon has affected the children for good. They've connected with quite a few of the other students, and have let their guard down. They no longer flinch away from all contact, and Carlos especially has thrived here and has grown close with my own daughter. I consider it all the more proof of how Auradon is influencing them for the better."
"But clearly not enough, given the recent events," Ben's dad murmurs stiffly, and a few voices in the room grumble their own agreements.
"I would like to remind you just where these children came from," the Fairy Godmother intones carefully, as though she's restraining herself. "Judging by the amount of past injuries I discovered, as well as the ones they arrived with, it is all too apparent that the Isle of the Lost is nothing like Auradon, and that any sort of nurturing they might have received was mediocre at best…most likely found with each other. If we send them back to that environment, it will only erase all of the good that has been done here."
"Or it will just be returning them to their proper place," the reedy voice harrumphs, and again, more murmuring of agreement rises in its wake.
"Fairy Godmother I understand how it is within your duties to see good in everyone, and to help in any ways you can," Ben's dad says, and his voice is softer, not quite as fierce. "But I have a responsibility to uphold the safety and well-being of my kingdom and there's just no guarantee that another incident wouldn't occur, with even more devastating effects."
"There was no guarantee with Belle marrying a Beast, or with trying to unite all of the kingdoms together as one, or even constructing the Isle in the first place and yet…here we all are."
The Fairy Godmother's words bring absolute silence in the conference room, and both Jane and Ben exchange equal looks of pride and horror; and Ben wonders if she's realized -as he had- just how far the woman had gone with that statement. Ben holds his breath and counts, half expecting to hear his father's furious roaring, but only silence persists until finally….
"Seeing as we do not currently have access to the full Council, it is impossible for a decision to truly be reached." His father's voice is stiff and formal, unyielding in his resolution. "When the Council has assembled we will discuss this further, with the villain children present, and come to a decision then. I have said all that I intend to on the subject. This meeting is officially adjourned."
Chairs groan in a hollow chorus, and Ben leaps away from the door as the protests start; things like '…consequences!' and '…must be held accountable for their actions!' but it all goes unheeded and a heavy trod of footsteps is their only warning before the door is flung open. Jane squeaks out a yelp and even Ben has to steady himself at the absolutely livid expression on his father's face. His brows are drawn so tightly Ben can barely see his eyes, but then his father lifts his head and the anger reflected in them makes him feel like maybe that hadn't been a bad thing.
"We need to talk," Ben manages, though where he'd gotten the courage, he never knew.
His father shakes his head once with a frustrated sound, barely seeming to notice Jane at all. "Not now, Ben," he growls, making to push past him.
"Yes, now," Ben insists firmly, ignoring the arrival of the Fairy Godmother, and the few other staff members that trickle out into the halls. "You can't just let them go so easily."
His father pauses then, and blinks as he suddenly notices Jane standing just behind Ben, confusion knitting his brows just a bit tighter.
"Wait. How did you even know this meeting was happening? How did you get here?"
Ben falters, not having thought that through. Of course he wasn't supposed to know! The Fairy Godmother rushes up then, sliding around to stand just off to Ben's left and taking the focus away.
"I brought him," she admits, and though her voice doesn't waver, Ben can tell she's anxious about everything she'd just said, and he watches the anger trickle back into his father's expression and he can't let her take the fall for this.
"I asked her to," Ben blurts, the lie coming startlingly easily to his lips as he step forward. "I asked her to bring me because I thought I could get you to see that you were wrong about the VKs."
His father sighs heavily, removing his glasses to pinch the bridge of his nose in irritation, and Ben exchanges a brief, anxious look with the Fairy Godmother before pressing on carefully.
"You are wrong about them," Ben repeats slowly, forcing himself to keep his tone subdued, if only to avoid causing a scene in front of the exiting staff. "I know you think that you have to protect the kingdom, but they're a part of the kingdom too, and that protection has to fall to them. The Isle isn't safe for them…for anyone, and you can't just send them back without hearing their side of things."
"As I told the board," his father growls out between his teeth. "When the full Council is assembled I will allow the villains to present their case. Until then, I don't want to hear any more about this."
"They're no more villainous than we make them out to be," Ben tries, but he's speaking to his father's back now and it's a feeble attempt at most. "And if they are, then it's only because we've made them out to be that way."
"Three days, Benjamin," his father intones weakly as he makes his way up the stairs, the last of the staff members finally making their way out the door. "Three days, and then we'll find out."
A door closes firmly at the top of the stairway, and Ben works his jaw, trying to maintain his composure and certain he was failing miserably.
"That…could have gone worse?" Jane whispers behind him, and the Fairy Godmother sighs thickly.
"I'm sorry Ben," she murmurs heavily. "I shouldn't have brought you here…shouldn't have said those things."
"You weren't wrong in them," Ben murmurs back, staring forlornly at the staircase.
"But it won't help the case any," she replies. "I'm afraid I've just made things worse. Again."
"You haven't," Ben retorts, slowly turning to face her. "Of course you haven't. You've just been trying to help, and they'll see that."
"They do see it," Jane says in an undertone, fidgeting with the bow on her dress. "They just like it...or, trust it, I don't think."
"They're going to have to," Ben says, grimacing at the idea. "If there's going to be even a hint of a chance that we can save them…they're going to have to trust us."
"What if we do just make it worse, though?" Jane asks, her eyes doubtful. "What it they don't want to be saved?"
Mal
Boredom wasn't a concept that existed on the Isle. You were never still long enough to be 'bored'; you were always in motion. You stay still for too long and you died, it was that simple, and that complicated. So to be stuck in this tiny, sickeningly white room, lying in an (admittedly comfortable) bed with nothing to do but stare at the wall and think, was just pure torture for Mal.
Which is why, when the door clicks opens around 8 o'clock in the evening and familiar voices reach her ears, Mal could have readily cried with relief. And then they come in, and her relief hardens in her stomach to something closer to dread, and Mal ignores the brief stab of pain and forces herself to sit up as her group files in one by one.
Carlos is first, his head ducked and his eyes darting around the room instantly. She watches him catalog the pitiful lack of exits, notes the way his shoulders hunch defensively, and then quickly relax when he catches her eyes. It's not a 'normal' relaxation, however, and she forces herself to take in Evie, who follows closely behind Carlos. The dread in Mal's stomach hardens further as Evie smiles at her and instantly crosses to grab a chair from the wall. It's all too casual, and Evie doesn't just 'do' casual…not unless it's intentional. The other girl avoids Mal's eyes when she sits in the chair and smiles, and Mal sighs under her breath as she takes in Jay. The older boy had crossed to the wall to her left, leaning against it with one leg drawn under him, his arms folded over his chest and his fingers flexing subtly.
Mal lets out a bitter chuckle and shakes her head, rolling her gaze back over to Carlos as he all but leaps onto the bed beside her, tucking his feet up so he can fit comfortably between the railing.
"I was wondering how long it would take you guys," she mutters wryly, glancing up at Jay as she idly threads her fingers through Carlos' hair.
"To come visit?" Jay asks, with a brief quirk of his own lips.
"To fall apart," Mal replies, and Carlos tenses minutely under her hand.
"What?" Jay scoffs, but his eyes flicker and she knows she's right.
"You've been hitting someone," she continues, pointedly nodding her head towards Jay's hands- specifically his bruised knuckles. "Someone's been hitting Carlos, and E…," she presses her lips together tightly as she takes in the other girl, the way she draws herself tighter with unmistakable guilt. "You told me you didn't bring it…that you destroyed it, actually. So what…?"
"It wasn't…I didn't-" the other girl tries to protest but Mal shoves herself upright sharply, her eyes flashing brightly.
"Don't. Don't you try and give me bullshit, Evie. Lie to everyone else; never each other. That was the deal we all made when we came together, so don't. Just don't."
Evie flinches at her tone and draws herself even tighter, but Mal doesn't regret it. Can't regret it, not when they were all in danger because of her own recklessness. Not when any more slips of judgement or weakness could mean their death.
"I didn't…" Evie rasps weakly, but Mal doesn't let her finish, instead turning her gaze sharply to Jay.
"Jay, who did you hit?"
"No one," Jay responds immediately, and though his eyes reflect guilt at his perceived betrayal of Evie, there's also something resembling happiness there. "Turns out Auradon's gym has a pretty decent punching bag so I got a few rounds in."
Mal nods once in acknowledgment, even though she knows there's something more he had left out. More to make him feel something so strangely positive. But it wasn't what she was after right now, and so she turns to Carlos, softening her voice minutely for his sake and ruffling his hair again gently.
"Who do I have to go kill, C?"
Carlos tries to laugh, but it comes out too submissive a sound, and so he ends up shaking his head instead. "N-no one," he mutters quietly, his eyes peeking up at her carefully. "I mean, ju-just some assholes ffffrom the team, but they're…it's ta-ta-taken care of."
"Ok," Mal says briskly, satisfied that he really was ok but filing the information away for later because just what was it with her group and not telling her everything suddenly?
Evie shakes her head, and Mal hates that she can see how close to tears she is; hates how guilty she feels for doing this; for having to be doing this.
"E," she says softly, and that's all it takes for the other girl to break. Mal winces, but lets it happen, the room silent except for Evie's quiet sobs, and Mal reaches over Carlos to grab the girl's hand and squeeze tightly.
"I'm sorry," Evie cries hoarsely, and her tears hit the back of Mal's hand but she doesn't pull away. "I'm sorry."
"You don't have to apologize to me, E," Mal murmurs, clenching her jaw against the welling of emotions and the rock that lodges itself in the back of her throat. "Just get rid of it."
"I didn't even mean to," Evie whimpers, her sobs less harsh despite the fact that Mal could still feel her tears against her hand. "I just…the things they were saying and I…I slipped."
"Who was it, E?" Mal presses, all set to start throwing fire again because no one messed with her crew and lived to brag about it, Auradon be damned.
"Nothing," Evie mumbles, taking her hand back to rifle through her wrinkled purse and pull out an equally wrinkled napkin. "No one. It was stupid."
"You're not stupid," Mal snarls viciously, reading through her words easily to the self-depreciation underneath. "I wouldn't have picked you for my group if I thought you were anything but incredibly clever."
"Ahem," Jay huffs from the wall, and Mal shoots him a look.
"Shut up Jay."
"But I…," Evie tries, and Mal shakes her head sharply.
"A mistake," she says, and it's as simple as that in her mind. "I don't think any less of you, E, you know that. You know."
You know I've made my own mistakes, and have the marks to prove each one.
"Just get rid of it, ok?" Mal taps Evie's hand, making sure she could see her eyes; making sure.
Evie nods, but she ducks her head again and Mal knows what she's expecting and she isn't having any of that.
"Evie."
"I will," she says quickly, a hot flicker of something raw and painful in her eyes. "I told you I'll…."
"No, E," Mal cuts in, shaking her head sharply. "That's not what I- Half a lifetime ago it was just me and Jay trying to stay alive and hold onto our turf. And then he said that he knew someone: someone who could help turn the tides in our favor."
Jay straightens against the wall, a look of surprise creeping onto his face. Carlos had shoved himself upright at the beginnings of a 'story,' his eyes wide, and Evie…Evie's eyes were bright with what Mal suspected were tears, but the way her lips were curved said something else entirely.
"So," she continues briskly, trying to ignore the prickling of her own emotions. "He tells me about this girl he knows from the other side of the Isle; some crazy little thing with bright blue hair that somehow convinced a shopkeeper to give her some expensive piece of Auradon crap just by saying 'please.'"
Evie lets out a watery little laugh, and there's definitely a smile on her face now. Jay rolls his eyes and gives Mal a knowing look, and she subtly flips him off over Carlos' shoulder. Never mind the fact that it had taken a little more convincing on his part to get her to actually meet Evie, let alone bear to hear her name…it wasn't what the other girl needed to hear right now.
"He tells me how some girl with blue hair survived on the other side of the Isle against all odds, and I just knew…I had to have her on my crew," Mal continues fiercely. "You're part of my crew, E. All of us. Always. Part of each other."
"Rotten," Jay chimes in, smirking just a bit as he moves closer.
"Rrotten," Carlos adds his voice, smiling softly as he presses himself just a little more against her side.
Evie blinks and the tears smear some of the color on her face, but the smile she gives is all that Mal really cares about.
"Rotten," she whispers hoarsely, and Mal allows her own smile to slip onto her face as she holds out her hand.
"To the core."
Three hands join hers; three voices; three hearts; and for just that moment, Mal could almost let herself believe that everything was ok with the world.
Almost.
"Ok," she says abruptly, gently but firmly pressing against the small of Carlos' back, causing him to shift and pull away until he was sitting on the edge of the bed. "That's enough…Auradon sentiment…."
The atmosphere shifts immediately at her words and she hates it, hates that she always has to take this role. But someone had to, and she wasn't going to let it be anyone else in her group.
"We need to focus on the serious stuff," Mal continues, glancing over to Jay and feeling just a bit of surprise to see him nodding.
"Yeah," he says, clearing his throat a bit and inching closer to Evie. "We do, actually. Um….." He trails off, and glances to Carlos, who looks away sharply, and Mal grimaces.
"Really?" she complains, glaring at Carlos until he drops his eyes from her, too. "Why do you two always fight when I'm not there? Seriously. Carlos!"
"Wwhat?" he snaps, but there's a guilt undercurrent to his voice that ruins the effect. "Not mu-mu-mu-mu-my fault Jay's such a ddick."
"Oh really, 'Los?" Jay growls, his fists clenching sharply. "You really want to start….?"
"Sit down, Jay," Mal snarls, her eyes flashing, and Jay freezes, abruptly sitting down in the chair opposite Evie.
"O-oh," Carlos whispers meekly, eyes wide, and even Jay looks fearful for all of two seconds before he corrects it and glowers at her.
Damn, Mal chides herself silently. Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad (good?) idea to take some lessons from the Fairy Godmother. If only so she wouldn't accidentally curse her group.
"Don't give me that look," she snaps, instead of the apology that had somehow come to the front of her mind. Like an instinct. "You guys need to get it together and quit acting like children."
"Tttechnically…," Carlos mumbles with a shrug of a shoulder and a smirk, and Mal glares at him.
"Don't start crap, Carlos," she snaps. "None of us have ever been 'children' like that…but I'd be happy to put you in time out if that's what you'd like."
Carlos's face goes deathly pale, his whole body stiffening against her, and Mal blinks, not understanding the signs for what they were.
"Carlos?" she says, reaching for his shoulder.
It was a mistake, and she knows it- watches almost from an outside, slow motion view- as her fingers close around his shoulder and he screams.
"Sonofabitch!" Jay hisses, flinching back as he jerks his hands up over his ears at the high pitched wail that comes from the boy's throat.
Mal stifles her own flinch, but only just, as Carlos screams again and throws himself to the floor, his hands coming up to fold over his head, his knees drawing up so sharply he almost smacks himself in the face.
"Msorry!" Carlos whimpers, but it's more scream than physical words, rocking slowly back and forth. "P-p-pl-please, no! I'll bbbbe good, good, pro-promise, please!"
"Damnit Mal what the fuck did you do?!" Jay hollers over Carlos' wailing, while Evie instantly goes into protection mode and tries to get down on the floor with Carlos.
It only succeeds in making it worse as Carlos flings himself backwards and into the nearest corner, eyes wide and unseeing, his body flinching with every movement as though expecting blows.
"I don't…" Mal tries to say, but her words are drowned by the combination of yet another terrified wail from Carlos, and the infirmary door bursting open.
"What's going on?" and "Is everything ok?"
Come in rapid succession as Ben (of-fucking-course, Ben) and Chad(?), along with a few other of the Auradon kids appear in the doorway. Jay snaps to attention, tense and wary and all set for defense, and Mal takes her cue for offense while Evie hovers somewhere in between, ready for a word to direct her. Normally, she'd be the one to help aid Carlos in anything tactical or involving a retreat, but seeing as neither option was readily available to them here, Mal was struggling to fight her own panic at the realization that they were sorely outnumbered.
"We heard screaming and…."
Ben's voice jolts Mal to action and she whirls on him, teeth bared and eyes flashing. "And what? Thought you'd come take in the show?"
This isn't the Isle, Mal reminds herself a second after the words leave her mouth, and she drops back into defense, signaling the rest of the group to do the same.
"Sorry," she hisses, shaking her head. "But now really isn't a good time for-"
Carlos wails again, a stream of apologies and pleas and promises that get tangled up with his tripping tongue, sending him into a desperate coughing fit for air. The danger surges up again, and Mal growls low in her throat, shaking her head hard. No no no! This wasn't safe, they weren't safe here! Too many people, too many eyes and Carlos was the clear weak point they would kill him first and she wasn't going to let them take him from her!
"Is he ok?"
Mal doesn't know which of the idiots had said it, but before she can launch herself at them someone else does it first.
"No, of course that screaming he's doing means he's ok!"
She blinks as everything comes back into focus, and is surprised to see Chad scowling sharply in Ben's direction. She can infer from there, as Ben seems equally surprised, and painfully clueless.
"But what," he begins, and Chad grimaces sharply.
"Panic attack," he says shortly, and Mal, Jay and Evie freeze.
Silence.
And then.
"How the hell did you know that?" Jay says lowly, and Chad blinks and pales just a shade.
"Just a guess," he says quickly, but it's too quick, and Mal knows that look and she stalks forward, full offense. She hears Jay flanking her, shifting the rank, and Evie shift closer for Carlos, but the blond haired pretty boy is all that's in her focus.
"You don't just guess something so specific," she hisses, taking another step. "You don't just say 'panic attack' without understanding what it means, and more than that…you don't just say it about Carlos without knowing what it means, so how the fucking hell did you know?"
Somewhere behind her, Carlos' screams shift into the unmistakable desperate sucking sounds of a drowning person, but they're muffled almost instantly by accompanying sobs. Mal feels Jay shift his weight, still covering her, but ready to fly back for Carlos as needed. She knows she needs to do the same, but Chad was far more interesting at the moment; especially when his body jerks at the sounds Carlos is making- like he'd wanted to run forward but caught himself at the last second.
"Chad?" Ben asks, but there's something behind his inflection that Mal can't figure out.
"Carlos," Evie murmurs, her voice hoarse and terrified. "It's ok…we're all here and no one…."
But her words are cut off by another frantic cry from Carlos, and Chad makes a sound that's part chuckle, part groan, and when Mal snaps her head back to him she sees a twisted sort of smile on his face.
"You're not gonna be able to talk him down," he says, and Evie lifts her head and glares without making eye contact.
"And how the fuck would you know that?" Jay growls, but Mal stays silent, eyeing him. She's started to make a connection, and she doesn't like the idea her brain is coming up with.
"Not like that you won't," Chad continues, ignoring Jay. "It's your voice. You don't sound like you…you sound like…her."
"What is he…?"
"Shut up Jay," Mal says, shifting her weight into a yielding posture.
"Chad?" Ben says again, a bit more insistently, and the twisting smile on the boy's face grows, pain and bitterness in his eyes.
"Well I mean," he says through another distorted chuckle. "I already broke through once so I guess I'm just par for the course."
And Mal absolutely loathes herself, but she heightens her yielding posture; feels Jay and Evie do the same behind her. She doesn't know how or why or when. But she knows what, and so she yields, but not without some resistance.
"If you're wrong," she tells Chad as he crosses the threshold into the room. "If you hurt him. I will end you."
"I'd expect nothing less from a villain," the boy says, but she can see in his eyes that he's yielding to her, too.
And so she nods, and in the space of a few breaths the dynamic has changed. Chad is crouching in front of Carlos, but off to the side, leaving space between himself and the wall. Mal can still see Carlos' face, and part of Chad's. Evie and Jay regroup around her instantly, but she holds up a hand to stop them before they start.
"Watch," she commands them shortly.
And so they do.
Chad
What are you doing? What in the name of all that is Good are you doing Charming?
Chad honestly doesn't know, but he ignores the screaming in his brain. Ignores the way Ben was staring at him with that damned pity look. Absolutely does not ignore Mal's warning though. Doesn't ignore the way she yielded to him, doesn't ignore the fact that he's treading on something sacred here, entering a territory that didn't belong to him. He idly wonders if Mal would have allowed something like this to happen a week ago, and instantly shuts down those thoughts. The answer was obvious enough.
Carlos was obvious enough, too, if you knew what to look for. Chad knew. The second he'd heard the scream; when he'd seen what was going on. The way the smaller boy had flinched and cowered at every syllable that either Evie or Mal spoke, but barely blinked at Jay or Ben or himself.
"Damn, Carlos," he sighs heavily as he crouches slowly a few feet away from the boy. "She did a number on you, I bet."
He keeps his voice low; just between them, but he knows he hadn't succeeded quite as well when he hears Jay hiss sharply behind him.
"Did he just…?!"
"Shut up," Mal snaps, and Carlos flinches, tucking himself tighter in the corner and whimpering something that sounds like an apology.
"Yeah, I know," Chad murmurs, lowering his voice even further. "You probably should be sorry. You probably did something real bad, huh?"
"Didn't mmmean…," Carlos whispers between his fingers, his eyes locked on the floor. "Di-di-didn't mean to! I'm ssory I did-didn't!"
He cringes, and Chad grits his jaw tight, takes a second to breathe and work the lump out of his throat.
"No, you probably didn't," he agrees softly. "It also probably doesn't matter much to her, does it?"
Carlos says nothing, just whimpers low in his throat before pressing his hands over his lips and hissing between his fingers. Chad frowns, afraid he'd done something wrong, but then Carlos shakes his head and makes another low hissing noise, and he realizes it's not anything angry- it's a signal to be quiet.
"Quiet?" Chad repeats carefully, trying to see past Carlos' hands to his face. "Why are we being quiet, Carlos?"
The boy says nothing, but Chad receives his answer anyway as Carlos seems to lower himself slightly, like he was ducking underneath something. A blow, maybe? Or…oh.
"Hiding?" Chad guesses, inching just a bit closer. "We're hiding now, are we?"
Carlos nods once, just a short jerk of his chin, but Chad understands instantly and switches gears.
"Is there room for me to hide with you?" he murmurs, and Carlos hesitates, his eyes flickering around to eye the corner he's tucked into.
"N-no," he says firmly, and Chad lets out a short puff of air.
"Yeah ok, it was a bit of a stretch."
"The hell are you doing, Charming?" Jay snaps sharply behind him, and Chad scowls angrily before remembering that he was the one who the outsider here, not Jay.
"It's not a panic attack," he forces himself to explain quickly. "At least, not anymore. He's kind of just…in between…in his mind, he's somewhere else, so none of this is registering to him."
"That makes zero sense," Jay deadpans, and Chad rolls his eyes.
"Maybe not to you," he snaps with a curl of his lip, but then he catches Mal's eye and his insult falters on the end of his tongue.
Chad glances at Carlos to see that he's stopped trying to muffle his voice, but he was still tucked way too tightly in the corner for his liking. A flicker of an image presses itself into his mind; remembering the way his mother had tucked herself against the counter as she cowered from him…. Chad shakes his head sharply and the image fades away, but the echo of it was still sitting right there in front of him.
"Ssorry," Carlos mutters weakly, and Chad rolls his weight forward to that he was kneeling just beside the other boy.
"Yeah, you've mentioned that," Chad replies, keeping his voice intentionally blank. "A few times…why are you sorry, Carlos? I'm not mad at you."
"Sssshe is," Carlos mumbles, his eyes on something over Chad's shoulder. "'I-i-if you're goooing to act like a ch-child, you can be tr-r-reated like one.' Tha-that's what she sai-sai-said."
Oh if only Lonnie were here, Chad thinks ruefully, but then he focuses on Carlos' words, and his eyes narrow briefly.
"Who said?"
He glances over his shoulder, but all he gets are suspicious looks and shakes of heads, though Mal's eyes flicker almost guiltily and he registers that she had been the trigger somehow.
"What did you say?" he asks her quietly, inching back from Carlos just a bit so his voice didn't carry.
"If you're trying to say that I…"
"No, but something you said reminded you of whatever it was that she said," Chad huffs impatiently, cutting across Mal's offense. "What did you say?"
"We were joking," she says finally, her expression steel as she glares at him. "He was being childish and I said…I said something along the lines of putting him in time out to-"
But at those two words, Carlos flinches back so hard he hits the wall with an audible thump and screams. The sound tears through Chad and he flinches a little himself, blinking as Carlos brings his hands up over his head, his fingers tearing desperately through his hair as he starts to choke again.
"And now we're back to the panic attack," Chad quips emotionlessly. But secretly he's a bit relieved. This he can handle, far better than the strange in-between the boy had been in before.
"I don't get it though." Chad hears Mal hiss in frustration behind him. "Cruella never…."
Chad pauses, and sees Ben start in the doorway. He shakes his head quickly, glaring pointedly at Ben. 'Not. Now' he mouths, and though Ben grits his jaw, he says nothing, and Chad turns his attention back to Carlos.
"Alright then," he sighs wearily, sinking back down to ground level. "I know you can hear me so it'd be nice if you could actually look at me instead of screaming, 'kay, Carlos?"
Jay growls a curse at him, but Carlos' cries instantly taper off, his head lifting from his arms minutely.
"That's better," Chad concedes, allowing just a hint of his suppressed emotion into his voice. "I mean, it's not great, but you know; I can work with it."
Carlos quiets completely, and though his breathing is still too fast and desperate, his eyes peek up at Chad from underneath his hands; and Chad can read all of the confusion and terror and pain written so plainly in that one glance.
"Yeah, I know," he murmurs quietly, working to keep his voice steady. "But there really is nothing to freak out over. You can breathe, right?"
Carlos' eyes flicker uncertainly, and Chad lifts a brow at him. The terror slips, the confusion giving way to frustration as Carlos struggles to take an even breath.
"Well obviously doing it like that isn't working," Chad retorts softly, rolling his eyes for the boy's sake. His illusion might have been damaged beyond repair for everyone else, but for Carlos at least, it was real enough, and Chad would hide behind that asshole-charade for as long as he could.
Carlos' eyes narrow at him, and he straightens just a bit, attempting another breath just to spite him. It's much better than before, but still not normal enough, and Chad lets his lips quirk upwards into a smirk.
"Try it like this," Chad continues, his mind working through the steps as he spoke. "Take a breath- slowly. Slowly, Carlos, slowly…."
Carlos makes a face at him, but does as he's told and manages the first breath in. Chad counts silently to four, then nods at the other boy.
"Alright, not bad," he mutters. "Now hold it…" he counts seven seconds, then guides Carlos through a slow exhale, counting to eight.
When he finishes, a bit of the death lifts from Carlos' face, his eyes more focused and his body still.
"Nicely done, Carlos," Chad says, still with a smirk, but his words are genuine and it must have come through because the boy relaxes even further. "Think you can do that one more time?"
Carlos blinks, and Chad takes it for a yes and carefully coaches the boy through another round of breathing. Chad watches the awareness come back into him about halfway through, and he quickly -but carefully so as not to startle him again- slides backwards and shoves himself to his feet, letting the rest of the VKs take over from there.
Chad slips backwards towards the door, ignoring Ben: 'What did you do, Chad?' and the others 'What happened?' 'Was someone screaming?' 'Someone was screaming, is everything ok?' and 'Chad, what happened?' 'What did you do?'
The VKs curl themselves around Carlos, all defensive, all protecting, their voices murmuring together in soothing rhythm to bring the boy all the way back to reality. Chad watches the remainder of the fear flicker across his face, then fade away as he takes in the faces of the VKs around him. Chad doesn't know why (lies…liar, his brain hisses at him. You know exactly why) but he feels a brief pang of regret; of jealously, almost…for not being able to fully share in the moment.
Mal lifts her head, and something strange and unreadable twists her expression as she stares at him. Chad tries to find his sneer but abandons the effort instantly. It's not worth it. Not right now. And then, Mal's expression clears, or rather, returns to neutral, and she nods at him slowly. Just once, and nothing more, but her meaning is plenty clear.
Thank you.
He almost laughs, but he thinks it might come out more like something else if he opens his mouth and so Chad just quirks his lips at her and shrugs a shoulder dismissively.
Just trying to stay alive.
He turns away before anything else can happen…before he breaks something breaks someone breaks himself he can't let anything else happen and why does it always…?
His thoughts are interrupted by the suddenly aching silence in the hall beyond the door, and he looks up to see the Fairy Godmother standing there, Ben and Audrey the only other people with her.
"Oh, you've got to be fu-"
"Chad," The Fairy Godmother says quickly, and he bites the inside of his cheek and grimaces sharply, shaking his head. "Would you kindly meet me in my office?"
Why does it always end like this?
[Unaddressed letter to Mr. Oscar, Isle of the Lost]
Carlos.
My last letter was too short. And strange, I'm sure. If you even got it, that is. I don't know what they're actually allowing through to the Isle but I thought it couldn't hurt to try. I haven't seen you since they closed the barrier, and I didn't want…I didn't want that to be the last you saw me. I added a picture, too, just in case.
I don't know what to say, can you tell? I hope…well. I hope you're safe. I hope your mother is well, despite everything. I hope she's letting you talk, and that maybe you could write back.
If I ever get the courage to send these.