Chapter 15 – Getting the Hook

-:-:-

Ben ended up making good on his promise, making a dedicated effort to lick every inch of salt off Chad's body until he was a moaning mess. The lingering pollen made everything more heightened, so Chad wasn't prepared for the tumultuous cavalcade of heat that followed Ben teasing his feet, licking up his inner thighs, lapping his torso clean. He took an especially long time cleaning off Chad's length, eagerly easing it into his mouth and swallowing Chad's release before he flipped the blond onto his stomach, parting his cheeks so he could lick that clean too.

Chad ended up coming twice, and Ben cleaned up both those releases too, losing himself once against Chad's thigh and pulling back when he was done to offer Chad a grin of pleased satisfaction, like he was celebrating for both of them.

It wasn't much of a surprise that they ended up sharing a shower afterwards, Ben insistent on washing Chad's curls after he'd brushed his teeth. They both felt a lot calmer and more in control when they exited the shower, and looked forward to returning to the rest of their day in high spirits, soft towels rapped around their waists as they pushed back into the main room.

Chad wasn't prepared for many things, but that said, the appearance of a guilty looking Gil and some other teen wearing eyeshadow and a spitfire expression seeming to wait for them was especially disorienting, because Chad knew he'd locked the door when he'd come in.

"I fucking knew it," the new guy snarled in a DunBroch accent, all dark hair and bright blue eyes and pale skin marred with an angry flush. "I fucking knew he was your slut."

"Watch it," Ben snarled, and then between one moment and the next he had a hand on the other teen's collar, holding him up just enough to force him onto his toes. "What we do in private is no one's business but our own."

"It is if ye involve Gilly," the new guy snapped, and belatedly, Chad realized this must be the Harry Hook he'd heard so much about. "Trying to seem generous and offering him a place to hide away from big bad me when ye really just want to add him to your orgy pile."

"Harry," Ben growled, shoulders tense and jaw tight, all the work Chad had done seeming to be for not. "I don't know what you're talking about, and even if I did, I don't see how this would help you." His tone was low and gravely, but he seemed more in control than before. "Honestly, I don't see how any of it would help you. Do you think if you throw a big enough fit they won't consider you for a marriage contract? Is that your plan? Are you running everyone off, including Gil, to save yourself?"

"Fuck off," Harry snapped, his hands curling around Ben's wrists. "If anyone's turning Gil against me, it's you."

"Let's pretend you were being entirely noble when you ran off those suitors," Ben said, proving how quickly that particular piece of gossip had gotten around. "What was your end goal? You'll barely touch the guy in front of others, how are you supposed to date him?"

At that, Harry somehow managed to flush darker. "I don't want to date him," Harry snapped, making Gil flinch beside him. "I'm not gay, unlike ye assholes-"

He cut off with a squawk when Ben shoved him back onto the couch, startled for all of a moment until Ben grabbed his legs, pushing Harry's knees up towards his chest and easing them wide.

"What the fuck are ye doing?" Harry asked, struggling against Ben's hold. "This is fucking war, ye-"

Ben interrupted him with a furious growl that made Chad shudder despite having already been thoroughly ravished that day, that made Gil shake despite not being the intended target. And Harry, who had been at point blank range, seemed to process it with a more pointed physical response, his head falling back with a moan and hips shaking as his hands seemed to freeze against his chest, useless.

"W-What?" Harry asked, seeming confused, but Ben merely let out another rumble that had Harry croaking, and belatedly, Chad realized the other teen was aroused, his interest pressing hard against the groin of his pants.

"You fight your instincts," Ben growled, lips pulled back in a frustrated scowl. "Why?"

"N-No." Harry shook his head, his fingers flexing uselessly. "Not my-"

"Show me," Ben rumbled, and as though on reflex, Harry rutted his hips forward as though presenting his interest to them. "Why do you fight?"

"I don't," Harry moaned, shaking in Ben's hold. "Please-"

"What?" Ben asked, seeming genuinely interested in Harry's response.

"Please, just…"

"Touch you?" Ben offered, making Harry shiver. "I thought you weren't gay."

"You're fucking making me gay and ye know it," Harry hissed, seeming half out of it. "This is some of your dumb beast magic-"

Ben let him go, and immediately Harry whined, one hand reaching out towards Ben before he could seem to help himself before he immediately snatched it back. He swallowed a croon, seeming torn with indecision before he ran a hand along his inner thighs, his feet still pressed against the seat of the couch, leaving him wide and vulnerable.

"Why do you fight what you want, Harry?" Ben asked, seeming conscious of the way Harry raked a flustered gaze over him. "Why do you throw yourself at all the princesses when even they know you're not interested? At least, not interested in them as you are."

"Fuck off," Harry whined, palming tentatively between his legs and letting out a soft gasp.

Instantly, Ben was leaning over him, one hand planted on the back of the couch so Harry could be partially boxed in, the other teen staring up at him with a flushed expression.

"Would you like to put on a show for us, Harry?" Ben asked, his tone unreadable. "Would that make you happy?"

"I don't- I don't want that," Harry spat. "I don't need it."

"Why do you think we'd judge you?" Ben pressed. "If this makes you happy-"

"It doesn't," harry hissed, but he was still stroking his groin, his hips shaking eagerly into the firm contact of his hand. "It doesn't, I'm not a whore."

"Is that what you think you are?" Ben rumbled, pressing his forehead against Harry's until the other teen was forced to look at him. "Is that why you lash out, Harry?"

"Shut up," Harry muttered, trying to avert his gaze. "Stop talking like ye know me."

"I do know you Harry," Ben countered easily. "I've known you since the first day. You're the one that's been fighting yourself." Ben lowered his voice, tilting his head so he could murmur directly into Harry's ear, though the other teen's panting wasn't quite loud enough to cover up his words. "You want nothing more than for Gil to take you against that bed right now, but you will never allow yourself that happiness."

"I'm not a fairy," the other teen hissed. "I like girls-"

"To dominate you," Ben hummed. "It's why you like Mal and Uma so much."

Ah, so Ben had met the others too. Chad wasn't surprised, even with Enchancia providing extra teens for the wooing events, there still likely weren't all that many.

"I don't," Harry insisted. "I don't-"

"You're soaking wet," Ben rumbled. "More than you have ever been, and that's from my voice alone. Imagine how satisfied you could be if you actually listened to yourself for once."

"That's not-"

"Show me," Ben ordered, pulling back, and Chad belatedly realized it was so they could watch Harry fumble for his belt, the other teen flushing dark as he undid his pants, shoving them open with a gasp as his soaked underwear was revealed, the wet material seeming to cling to his length.

"Ye fucking asshole," Harry snapped, shivering as he continued to stroke himself. "This is some beast bullshit-"

"Strip, Harry," Ben growled, and the other teen let out a low whimper before he did just that, not meeting their eyes.

Chad didn't realize the full implications of what was happening until Harry was actually naked in front of them, and to be fair he was very good looking – muscular and pale and so very fit – though that was slightly countered by the glares he kept shooting at them, as though he was rising to Ben's challenge rather than eagerly following his orders.

"Now what?" Harry drawled, trying to look like he was in control. "Ye gonna add me to your whore pool?"

"Get on the bed," Ben growled, and when Harry didn't immediately response, he cocked his head towards Gil. "Would you please pick him up?"

"Um- okay," Gil said, nervously moving to do just that until Harry let out an undignified squawk.

"Gilly," he hissed, and later Chad would dwell on how cute the nickname was. "Ye don't have to listen to him."

"I want to, though," Gil said. "Because he seems closer to making you happy than I am."

"Only for the moment," Ben allowed, following them over to the bed. "Harry, you will stay here and you will let Gil pleasure you the way you've always wanted. You'll be sweet and docile and do whatever he says, got it?"

"Fuck ye," Harry spat, flushing dark. "I'm not letting ye ruin my relationship with Gilly."

"I think you've already done that enough yourself," Ben muttered before turning his attention to Gil, ignoring the affronted squawks that followed. "Would you like to pleasure Harry? I'd understand if you wouldn't. He's been a brat lately."

Gil considered this with a frown. "I don't think Harry wants me to touch him," he said eventually.

"Do you want to touch him?" Ben pressed. "Because I think that's what he's more scared of, so he pretends he isn't interested."

"Is that true?" Gil asked Harry, perking up. "Do you want me to touch you, Harry? Because above everyone else- all those other people I asked out- well, I really wanted to ask you."

"Gilly," Harry panted, his length twitching against his stomach. "Ye can do better."

"You don't get to decide that," Ben growled. "Now, hands up on the headboard."

Harry shot him a weak glare but did as he was ordered, shivering under the combined weight of their gaze.

"Last chance, Harry," Ben said, his tone firm. "Do you want Gil to touch you?"

"Yes," Harry said, ducking his head almost bashfully. "Y-Yes, I do."

"Then you will do as he says," Ben ordered. "You will let him dote and touch as he will, and you will be good and keep your hands on the headboard until he says you can stop. Later," he continued, lowering his voice. "We can think of a way to punish your behavior. You have been unkind to all of us, Harry, and there must be consequences."

At that, Harry let out a whimper, though his legs parted somewhat tellingly, his length twitching against his stomach.

Ben turned to Gil. "Feel free to take as long as you want," he murmured, slipping his hand into Chad's. "We'll go ahead and give you some privacy. I'll leave my key by the door so you can lock up behind you."

"That's not necessary," Gil said. "Harry stole one already. That's how we got in here. I'm sorry about that and um- for how Harry's been."

"The only one who needs to be sorry for Harry's behavior is Harry himself," Ben said. "And he'll make up for that in due time."

"Have fun, Gil," Chad offered. "I hope you guys have a good time."

"Oh- oh, boy," Gil said, running a hand through his hair as he realized the implications of his situation. "Oh, man."

"Yeah," Chad laughed, letting Ben tug him back towards the closets. "That's the spirit."

They changed in their walk-in and came out to find Gil lavishing on Harry's nipples, the pale teen's legs hooked around his waist and letting out long whimpers with each teasing movement.

"Um," Chad began, but Ben merely tugged him out into the hallway as though everything was perfectly fine.

"Sorry," Ben said when they'd gotten a fair distance away. "I'm not entirely sure what happened, but my beast seemed to know what to do."

"Don't worry about it," Chad offered. "That seemed to be something that was in the works for a long time."

Ben sighed. "Harry's been a brat this entire trip. I guess I just lost patience with him."

"Well, I'm glad things will work out with him and Gil," Chad said. "Though they do need to have a lot of discussions about boundaries."

"We can help them with that," Ben decided in a quiet rumble. "I've heard positive reinforcement is an acceptable tool in these instances."

Chad shivered, wondering if lines were being crossed, or if it was perfectly respectable to work with unconventional methods for the sake of networking. "We'll play it by ear," he decided.

For whatever reason, this earned him a large smile from Ben. "You know, I can always count on you to support me."

At that, Chad's reflexive smile was entirely genuine. "It's my honor and pleasure," he said. "Now let's go get some food, those oysters didn't really hold me over."

"Yes," Ben sighed. "Food sounds amazing, let's do that."

With that, they moved on, acting as though everything was perfectly normal and there weren't two foreign teens getting jiggy in their borrowed guest room.

Chad supposed he'd done stranger things. That day, even.

-:-:-

They passed an amicable lunch in a seaside café, chatting light and easy and showing no obvious signs of distress at Harry's behavior – which was partially the point. It was why they ate in public rather than tracking down one of the private dining halls of Atlantica Castle. Ben and Chad needed to demonstrate that they weren't worried by Harry's accusations, and they got the benefit of eating some great seafood.

"Unfortunately, I still have meetings," Ben sighed as they returned to the castle. "See you at dinner?"

"Sounds good," Chad said, waving him off with an easy hand.

After that, it was easy for Chad to lose time shopping for secondhand books, and after he returned to the castle he found a private garden where he could work on his embroidery. He was finishing up a handkerchief for Jane, and he was really pleased with how all the blue and pink flowers were coming out.

He met Ben in the great hall for dinner, chatting with some of the Auradon contingent for once, the entire day seeming to be a wash in regards to wooing because of Harry's fit.

"And you're not bothered?" Aziz asked Chad, who was enjoying a hearty bowl of clam chowder.

"Nope," Chad replied with a shrug. "My grandfather also said a lot of mean stuff that wasn't true about me – I'm not going to start letting the lies get to me now."

He'd already done that once. It hadn't been fun, which was the grandest understatement he could think of.

"Hear, hear," Ben said, wrapping an affectionate arm around Chad's shoulder before giving it a tentative squeeze. "Now, how do you think I should apologize to Harry's parents?"

"I think by this point, they know their son's in the wrong," Aziz murmured. "You could say something along the lines of 'sorry for having a normal human reaction to your son's obnoxiousness' and they'd probably give you a clap on the back."

"Come to think of it, I'm pretty sure one of his sisters high fived me," Ben marveled, making the rest of their table laugh.

So maybe they hadn't messed things up as much as they feared.

-:-:-

Chad didn't see Gil or Harry again until late the next day, and while Chad had been a bit worried about this turn of events, he chalked it up to the two of them attempting to find their new balance as boyfriends. With how tightly Harry had been wound up, Chad didn't expect to see them for a while, or if he did, for it to be in private, so it was a bit of a surprise when Harry approached his and Ben's table at dinner the following day when the dining hall was awash with people.

Gil, of course, was forever waiting over his shoulder, and when Chad caught sight of him the other blond offered him a small wave before giving Harry, who seemed uncharacteristically reserved, an encouraging smile.

"Chadwick," Harry greeted, and Chad was pretty sure it wasn't his imagination that had the dining hall going quiet, everyone shamelessly eavesdropping on this interaction while Ben stared the Port Roylan teen down with a look of stern neutrality. "I have slandered your name unjustly, and while there is no excusing such behavior, I hope ye can accept this jacket as a token of apology." With that, he offered Chad the bundle of light blue fabric he had been carrying, something Chad had ignored up to that point, mostly out of confusion. "It cannot make up for the disrespect I have offered ye, but I hope it will prove that not all Port Roylans are um… impulsive idiots," he settled on with a wince, and across the room Chad was pretty sure a Port Roylan girl let out a loud cackle.

He wondered if that was Harry's sister. It made a lot of things make more sense.

Chad waited until he was sure Harry was finished and then slid to his feet so the other teen wouldn't be awkwardly hovering over him. He accepted the proffered bundle and took care to unroll it, revealing a light blue jacket in the same sailor cut as the one Harry himself wore. His had sleeves though, and was embellished with gold accents, showing off the colors of Sardinia in a tasteful fashion.

"I um- made it myself," Harry admitted, his cheeks dusted with a flush. "It's waterproof – got pockets in the inside for storing tools and such. I don't know how much you sail-"

"I don't," Chad said, running his fingers over the details – Sardinia's swords and shield embroidered on the shoulder copied from what must have been at best a three second glimpse at the sweater Chad had worn yesterday. That was- wow. "But I love it. I-" He wasn't wearing a blazer, fortunately, just a button up, so Chad wasted no time sliding into the garment, smiling wide at the perfect fit. "Thank you," he said, offering the other teen a fond smile. "I accept your apology, and am honored by your gift."

Harry didn't seem to know what to do with this information and settled for blushing wildly, trying to counteract that with a scowl. "It's a sailing jacket," he muttered. "Ye wear it on a ship."

"No offense, but it's now my jacket, and I will wear it wherever I want. Oh- look at all the pockets, Ben," Chad said, showing off the intricate internal storage system of the garment. "I can store all my projects in here now instead of carrying my satchel around."

"There's a big pocket on the bottom you could put your sketchbook in," Gil offered, earning an annoyed look from Harry. "The pockets are waterproof too."

"Oh, wow," Chad said, smiling at the wonderfully functional and tasteful gift. "Thank you, Harry."

"Fucking- ye do remember that I called ye a whore, right?" Harry sputtered, seeming to make a few distant Port Roylans despair.

"We all make poor choices when we're angry," Chad replied without hesitation. "I accepted your apology, therefor the matter is laid to rest. We're not going to let it hang over our heads just because you feel guilty." Chad went back to feeling out his coat. It was really nice, and it regulated temperature well, keeping him ventilated while still fighting off the minor chill that came from the ocean's breeze. "Though I appreciate you trying to commit to the full extent of your slight."

"I told you he'd like it," Gil chirped when Harry seemed at a loss for how to respond. "Thanks, Chad, we'll leave you to your dinner now."

"Bye Gil, bye Harry," Chad said, watching as Gil guided his flushing best friend away from the table and out of the dining hall.

Conversations seemed to pick up again after they left, though Chad was certain he didn't mistake the additional attention his new coat brought him.

"This is great," he informed Ben. "I have a pocket for my embroidery and I bet I could store snacks for you in this one and the big pocket could fit my sketchbook and my colored pencils – there's even a spot for my sword, which I don't need here, but maybe I could use it back in Sardinia when dad and I have to do all those fancy sailing ceremonies."

"I'm glad you like it," Ben said, his smile wide and entirely fond. "I suppose this is an acceptable apology."

Chad was pretty sure that if it wasn't, Ben would find a way to earn a more appropriate one from Harry later. After the way they'd parted yesterday… well, he knew there were more conversations for them on the horizon.

-:-:-

Said conversations seemed to happen that night – Gil and Harry accessing a secret passage that seemed to lead directly into Chad and Ben's room, the dark-haired Port Roylan leading the fray with a stubborn slant to his gaze.

For his part, Ben seemed to take their entrance entirely in stride, immediately abandoning his paperwork and crossing to have a sort of casual standoff with Harry in the middle of their sitting area, both hands lazily tucked into his pockets.

"Can't help but notice that you and Gil aren't officially dating," Ben noted in a lazy drawl.

Chad, who'd been curled up on the couch finishing up his latest sketch, said nothing, choosing to tuck his project safely out of the way before Ben and Harry started growling at each other again.

Harry made a show of rolling his eyes. "Ye know it's more complicated than that," he muttered. "I'm still part of the contingent-"

He cut off with a gasp because between one moment and the next, Ben was before him, hand curled into the collar of his shirt, making Harry's breath catch in surprise. "You're both part of the contingent," Ben said, his voice low, serious. "Either work together or claim him."

"Fuck ye," Harry snapped, twisting against Ben's hold. "You're not the damn boss of me-"

Ben growled and Harry whimpered, his knees seeming to collapse until his legs folded under him in a graceless pile, leaving the dark-haired teen to stare up at Ben with a distinct blush.

"You can't have it both ways," Ben murmured, stroking the side of the pale teen's face. "You can't demand Gil stay single while you try to scout the playing field. That isn't fair to him. You either need to claim him, or learn how to share him."

"I'm not doing that," Harry spat, hand curling weakly around Ben's wrist. "No one would care for Gilly as much as me-"

"That is where you are wrong," Ben said, tilting his head to the side in thought. "…and that is why you are scared. You know the moment you let anyone else into your relationship there's the potential that Gil might like them more than you. That Gil might care for them because they're not constantly fighting what they want in life."

"I'm not fighting," Harry snapped. "I have to be strong."

"Toxic masculinity is toxic for a reason," Ben drawled. "You don't have to fit some projection of what you think a leader should be just because your sisters are tomboys and you're afraid of getting singled out as the sensitive one. News flash, it doesn't matter how damn sensitive you are, that has nothing to do with your capacity to lead."

"Ye don't know anything," Harry hissed through clenched teeth. "Your natural beast bullshit-"

"Say you want me to strip you," Ben growled, the order seeming to rock through Harry with a shudder, the other teen biting at his bottom lip with a palpable look of want. "Say you want me to strip you out of your clothes and be in control."

"No," Harry murmured, shaking his head weakly. "No, I don't want that."

"You're hard," Ben pointed out, something they'd all ignored since Harry had fallen to your knees. "Soaking wet too. Do you want to come like this? Do you want to make a mess in your pants? Soil yourself because you have no control?"

"N-No," Harry gasped, his breath starting to come in shallow pants.

"Then say you want me to strip you," Ben muttered, his voice low, dark.

"S-Strip me," Harry said. "Please, I need-"

He moaned when Ben effortlessly picked him up and tossed him onto the couch, stripping Harry out of his clothes in short order while the other teen flushed and shivered. He let out a surprised cry when Ben dragged off his boxer briefs, tossing the wet material to the side until Harry was bare in all his glory, flushed and shaking and very, very hard.

"Do you like it when we stare at you, Harry?" Ben asked, his voice seeming to come in a purr.

"N-No," Harry whined, his legs shifting wider as a direct counter to this.

"You're lying," Ben surmised bluntly. "What kind of punishment would you like when you lie, Harry?"

"I don't- I don't need a punishment," Harry murmured shyly, as though his length wasn't twitching against his stomach.

"Another lie," Ben murmured. "Shall I decide a punishment for you? Do I have permission to do so?"

"F-Fine," Harry murmured, closing his eyes as another shiver gripped him. "But-"

He let out a soft sound of surprise when Ben tucked an arm under his thighs, pushing them up to his chest in one deft motion. He was allowed a second to process that before Ben's other hand descended onto his rear, giving Harry a firm spank that seemed to resonate through the room.

"That's one," Ben said, his tone firm. "Here's two." He spanked Harry again, the brunette's length twitching against his stomach. "Do you like that, Harry?"

"N-No," Harry said, shaking his head weakly. "I don't-" He let out a cry when Ben spanked him again.

"You need to be honest," Ben murmured. "Do you like it when we look at you?"

"No-" Spank, and Harry shivered, biting at his lip as though fighting to swallow down a moan.

Ben sighed. "Do you want me to keep spanking you, Harry?"

"N-No," Harry muttered, earning another spank.

"Does this get you worked up?"

"No." Spank.

Around and round it went until Harry looked fit to burst, tears leaking down the corners of his eyes and cheeks reddened from Ben's attentions.

"You look like you could use some help," Ben said, his chest heaving. "Would you like my mouth on you?"

"Y-Yes, please," Harry gasped, letting out a sound of relief when Ben finally released his legs. "M-Maybe ye shouldn't, though."

"Because you don't think you're worth it?" Ben asked, and after a tentative moment, Harry nodded. "I get to decide that. I want to do this, but if you're more comfortable with Gil, we can do that too."

"P-Please," Harry said, uncharacteristically bashful as he shifted his hips up hopefully. "Could ye-?"

Ben didn't make him finish the sentence, merely bending down and swallowing Harry in one seamless movement that had the dark-haired teen falling apart a few seconds later.

"Are you embarrassed by how fast you came?" Ben rasped when he pulled back, his lips wet and flushed.

"N-No," Harry insisted stubbornly, gasping when Ben reached down and gave his nipple a firm tweak.

"Okay," Ben said, sitting back and giving Chad and Gil a breathless look. "It's a work in progress, I guess."

-:-:-

The thing was, Ben wasn't wrong.

Harry and Gil ended up coming to their suite every night after that, and every night, Ben would have to break down Harry's walls in some capacity until he was ready to accept attention from Gil, who always waited for him patiently.

"He wants to be dominated," Ben explained to Gil as he made Harry clutch the top of the headboard, coaxing the pale teen to hold his legs up and wide, the rest of them refusing to give him any attention while he twitched hopelessly against his stomach. "He wants to be doted on and he likes putting on a show, but he's having trouble accepting these things."

"I bloody am not," Harry hissed, adding a few more minutes to his timer of them not touching him. He'd once earned an hour trapped in that position, staying terribly aroused the entire time while the rest of them carried about their own work, until he finally could no longer swallow his desperate whimpers.

"The more he's settled here, the more comfortable he feels in his skin out there," Ben continued when he had Harry curled in his lap, his fingers working in and out of the pale teen while the sailor alternated between snarls and whimpers. "So you're going to have to be a little demanding, Gil. I know it's not in your nature, but Harry needs it."

"I fucking don't," Harry snarled, earning another one of Ben's long fingers.

The set up a safe word the first night, a color system. Harry never used any of them, despite Ben checking in frequently. At his core, Harry just seemed to need to fight, and with his beast, Ben was immovable, meeting the furious force of Harry's passion head on and turning it as he would.

"I should- I should be taking care of Gil," Harry snarled when Ben guided the other blond through stretching Harry open.

"You are," Ben countered simply. "By allowing him to care for you, you're taking care of him."

"It's not the fucking same."

"It is," Ben murmured, voice tinged with a growl. "And you very much know it, sweetheart."

They'd learned after the second day that Harry responded well to pet names, and as such, Ben never stopped using them on him.

"I don't know if we're really helping," Ben admitted to Chad when they were alone. "When they get back out there it doesn't seem like we've made any progress."

"They still keep coming back," Chad pointed out. "Harry wouldn't allow that if he didn't want to be here."

"You raise a fair point," Ben hummed, aiming a fond smile at Chad.

"So," Uma would say on one of the rare afternoons she got to spend with Gil and Chad, her chaperones now watching her schedule much more closely to prevent her from casually shirking her duties. "Are you and Hook good or what?"

"I think we're getting there," Gil allowed with a flush. "We talked about boundaries and how he has to talk to me when he wants things, but that seems to go against every instinct he has, so it's a work in progress."

That seemed to be their mantra at this point, but it was very accurate.

"He's not dating you," Uma pointed out with an unimpressed look.

"Not yet," Gil said. "But we'll get there, I think."

"Don't let him take advantage of your patience," Uma observed. "It's not fair for him to make you stay chaste or whatever until he feels comfortable doing the dirty."

"Oh, we already do that," Gil admitted with a flush, making Chad almost choke on his lunch. "It's the other stuff he's struggling with. With the contingent and stuff."

"Yeah," Uma sighed, aiming an unreadable look off into the distance. "I think we're all having issues with that."

It always hurt Chad to hear the others refer to the envoy with such concern, because the summer would be drawing to a close soon and they didn't seem much closer to finding a long-lasting political union that would settle the minds of all the citizens of Enchancia and Auradon. He'd thought after the polyamory thing had come to light in Hanover that they might have made some progress, but last Chad heard from Aziz, nothing had really managed to develop.

"But fuck it," Uma continued suddenly. "I think maybe we're on our way to discovering a last-minute miracle."

"You really think so?" Chad asked, perking up with hope.

It was enough to earn him a small smile from Uma, which was essentially her equivalent of beaming. "Yeah, I really do, blondie," she said, finishing up the last of her dessert. "Now, are you sure you don't want to join me and Gil sailing with the others? There's always room for one more on the boat."

While Chad was reluctant to miss out on any free time with Uma, considering the fact that Mal, Jay, Carlos, and Evie would also be there was enough of a detriment in itself. He had to remember his place, and it was not there, where he could potentially make Sardinia look bad all over again.

He knew there was no harm in having friends, but with the trip so close to ending… well, it was better to be safe than sorry. Besides, Chad got the feeling sometimes that maybe Jay was flirting with him – but he was likely just misreading the situation, and Chad would hate to do something embarrassing for the sake of a non-existent romance.

"I appreciate the offer," he repeated for the second time. "But I need to check in back home while my dad has a break between meetings."

Thanks to the combined efforts of Ben and Lumiere, Chad just about always had an excuse prepared to duck out on his new friends, which he didn't necessarily like because that meant less of an opportunity to hang out with Gil and Uma, but the latter seemed to have realized Chad's pattern of avoidance and started setting up special get togethers with just the three of them. Hence their current picnic.

"Suit yourself," Uma muttered, not seeming entirely pleased with this. "Brunch at Marchal tomorrow? My treat."

"It's always your treat, though," Chad said, trying to swallow a pout. "You should let me take care of the tab for once."

"My kingdom, my treat," Uma countered with a grin that was all teeth. "Suck it up, buttercup."

"Aw, man," Gil said, a light flush on his cheeks. "I'm glad we're friends."

"Me too, Gilly," Uma said, adopting Harry's nickname as her own as she reached over and gave him a pat on the head. "Me too."

-:-:-

Endnotes:

Steadily inching closer to the sea three, let's gooooooooooooooo.

Next mid-week update will likely be on Thursday again, but I am getting better at knowing when that will be.

Story notes:

I feel like I've used this chapter title before but it still makes me smile so I have no regrets!

The idea that Ben has magic growls that make people aroused amuses me to no end, so of course Harry's going to be the only one he uses this super power on ;)

While it is mostly for the sake of plot convenience, I can't help but feel that maybe Harry had a hand in ensuring Ben got assigned the room that had a secret passage. Or maybe Ben was granted one as one of the more important visitors. Just- try not to look too deep into that detail.

Literally searched 'Denmark Brunch Restaurant' to get Marchal, as the Little Mermaid – and therefore this version of Atlantica – originated from Denmark.

Until next time :)