Chapter 18 – A Flash of Light

-:-:-

They spent the evening in the infirmary, Fairy Godmother giving Harry and Uma a magic boost while Chad prodded food into Gil's system, repeating the process on the others when Fairy Godmother got them into relatively stable territory. It was cute watching Gil fuss over Harry now that the prince was actually receptive to his attentions, taking them with fond looks whenever he wasn't exhausted.

"Your parents are going to kill you," Uma pointed out just to be contrary, or perhaps to see if she could goad some kind of response out of Harry.

The sailor gave her an unimpressed look. "My mother will be entirely unsurprised and she's the only one that matters."

While Chad had never met the fabled Queen Elizabeth Turner, he knew from Ben's stories that she was definitely a sight to behold. Ben admired her a lot, as did Lonnie and Ruby. Comparatively speaking, King William Turner was supposedly quite laidback, which made Chad wonder how Harry had gotten so mixed up in regards to his view on interpersonal relationships. His parents had been loving and supportive, so maybe it was the pressure of his position? Chad didn't know.

"I'm glad to see you guys," Chad said, because he found that much was true. "I'm sorry for how I left."

"You super don't need to be," Gil assured him, giving Chad's arm a few comforting pats. "Some of the Auradon kids explained how you don't really do public appearances. Which we already thought was the case since you were just a tagalong. I didn't actually know you were a prince until they were introducing you."

Chad paused, quickly replaying the entirety of his interactions over the course of the summer, and realized Gil was absolutely right.

"Oh man," Chad said with a pained sort of laugh. "We kept our identities from each other. I didn't mean to-"

"Hey," Uma interrupted. "We, of all people, get it. You weren't part of the envoy so you didn't want to confuse anyone. It wasn't until our parents started grilling King Adam that they realized you were actually the heir to Sardinia."

"Which is really pretty, by the way," Gil added. "Just like you."

At once, Chad felt his cheeks flood with a bashful warmth, but he knew Gil's words were sincere, just as they were for everything else.

"Sorry," Gil murmured with an embarrassed flush. "I couldn't help it."

"Do…" Chad chewed on his bottom lip in thought, trying to find the best way to articulate his questions. "Do you guys actually like me, or-"

"Yes," Harry said before Chad could finish with 'was it just a competition?' or 'did you just like how I treated you?'. "Fucking… I was a giant asshole to ye and still, ye were genuinely over the moon about the coat I made."

"It's a really nice coat," Chad said, thinking of the garment he had hanging in his closet, the one he hadn't risked touching again though he loved it very much. "And you made it for me. I know you had to, but that makes it even more special."

"That's just the thing," Gil cut in. "Harry didn't have to make it for you, nobody knew he could sew except me."

There was a drawn out pause where a furious blush spilled across the bridge of Harry's nose.

Chad tried to put the pieces together. "You mean…"

"Gil talked about the clothes ye designed," Harry muttered, his gaze stubbornly averted. "About your embroidery and- I dunno, it just seemed fitting."

"He'd only made stuff for me before that point," Gil informed Chad brightly. "See? Harry knew you were special, and he didn't do it because of Mal and the others."

"I know you don't understand it yet," Uma cut in. "But you're special, okay? At least to us."

"I'm sorry we didn't treat ye better," Harry offered. "We just wanted to be given a fair shot, same as everyone else. We didn't know about the secrets they'd kept."

"Okay," Chad said, because he believed that. "I um- I forgive you."

"You don't have to, though," Gil said. "You can think about it."

"You traveled to a completely unfamiliar kingdom on the farthest side of the continent from you," Chad pointed out. "You nearly depleted all your magical energy. That speaks for itself how sorry you are, and I… I'm grateful for it. I felt really lousy, after that ball."

"Ye don't have to," Harry urged. "We did that to ye. Had an envoy full of available people and we turned our gaze towards ye instead."

"For the record," Uma began. "Most of us thought you weren't included because you weren't a prince. And we thought that was stupid, because you're just as good as any of the others."

"Oh." Chad felt flushed all over again, but none of them disagreed with her, Harry and Gil offering small smiles of support when Chad turned his gaze towards them. "Thanks, guys. Um." He cleared his throat. "So, do you wanna have a sleepover in my sitting room? We could call it an early night – you've all had a pretty rough day."

Gil perked up. "I haven't had a land-sleepover in forever."

"And I've never had a sleepover," Uma drawled. "So sure, why the fuck not?"

Now that she'd caught Chad up on her past, he knew she likely hadn't been invited to many sleepovers because of her mother, and that just- it wouldn't do.

"I haven't had a real one either," he said, deciding to ignore all the times he cuddled with Ben. "So Gil and Harry will have to show us how it's done."

Harry managed a devilish grin. "It would be our pleasure."

-:-:-

Chad's father took time out of his day to help track down air mattresses and sleeping bags for Chad's sitting room – eagerly working with Captain Anozie to rearrange the furniture so they could create a nice blanket nest in front of the tv.

"Do you want a chaperone?" his father asked, making it very obvious that he didn't judge Chad's answer either way. "I trust you – and more than that, I don't think you need one, but if you would like one for your peace of mind, both me and Captain Anozie would gladly volunteer our services."

"Thanks, dad," Chad said, trying not to tear up all over again. "I think we're good, though."

"If you change your mind, call me," his father ordered before parting ways – though he refused to do so without getting in his evening hugs, murmuring in Chad's ear how much he loved and appreciated him, how very proud he was of him, before leaving them be.

"Your dad's really nice," Gil said as they settled down into their blanket nest – Gil and Chad urged to the middle by Uma and Harry. "I'm glad you have him."

"Me too," Chad said, letting his fingers curl between Uma's, because technically she didn't have any parents – just an uncle who acted as a guardian, but Chad didn't want her to feel left out. She deserved just as much as he did, if not more.

Chad tried to introduce them to Auradon culture with one of his favorite musical movies, but they all ended up drifting off to sleep about thirty minutes into things, allowing Chad to be lulled to sleep with familiar music and familiar friends by his side, which after the loss of Ben, was more than he could have ever hoped for.

-:-:-

Chad awoke safely curled up in Gil's arms, Uma seeming plastered to his back and Harry wrapped around Gil's frame, all of them huddled together and maybe that wasn't entirely proper, but it felt right.

Uma was the one to vocalize as much, happily nuzzling into Chad's shoulders.

"Shit, that's more like it," she murmured, struggling to full coherence. "I'll be honest, this was more than I hoped for swimming here, but it was this thing that I thought was so unachievable that kept me going when it seemed too much."

"Me too," Harry murmured somewhat sleepily.

"Guys," Chad said, because it was really all too much. He was happy to have them here and flattered by their attention, and he did care for them a lot, it was just all… muddled.

It was easy to talk about polyamory when he thought it wouldn't apply to him. Even with all his therapy, he never considered himself someone capable of winning that much love, so why bother to hope for it?

Now it seemed to just be dumped in his lap, and he didn't know if he deserved it. They hadn't known he was a prince, they didn't really know his backstory. He knew he should tell them about the full extent of his grandfather's abuse, he knew Uma would understand, it just- once it was said then it would be done, and maybe he wouldn't seem as nice to them anymore.

He knew that wasn't the case, he knew them enough to realize they'd support him no matter what, but maybe he wanted just a few more days to enjoy what he had while he had it.

"Don't worry, blondie," Uma said, bringing him back to the present. "This doesn't have to be complicated. We're all attractive, cool people. We can hang out and enjoy each other as friends, or we could hang out and try for something more – but that doesn't have to guarantee that things will end in marriage contracts. We're just people who are fortunate enough to care for each other, and while we've got the chance, we should embrace that."

It seemed perfectly simple when Uma put it like that.

"Maybe you could show us Sardinia," Gil offered quietly, smiling down at Chad. "Since you've explored so much of our kingdoms. And if um- we did kissing stuff…"

"Relax, Gil," Uma murmured, and though Chad couldn't see her, he could picture the small smile that tugged at her lips. "We'd be happy to be your audience."

"Yeah," Chad said, feeling his cheeks heat in a small flush because this- it didn't have to be complicated, and being trusted with their most vulnerable moments – that was a gift. "We would."

"Then let's enjoy the time we've got," Harry muttered, and then he was crawling over Gil because he wanted a chance to cuddle Chad too, something they all sort of laughed at him for but deep down, Chad mostly felt cared for, felt appreciated, which was something that hadn't come easily to him in a long time.

He was glad he could have it now.

-:-:-

Because of how greatly he had exerted himself, Fairy Godmother put Harry on mandatory bedrest for the following day. The Port Royal teen tried to pout over it, but the rest of them decided to take advantage of the opportunity this presented for a lazy day in. Gil was the one that carried Harry to one of Chad's guest rooms so the prince could have a proper bed, and after ensuring that he and Uma were properly cocooned (because she needed to rest too), they spent their day reviewing the different sights Chad could take them to when they were cleared for such things, the blond using the large tv to mirror what was on his tablet so he could show them the different restaurants and historical spots of Sardinia.

They watched movies and had the best Sardinian comfort food delivered, all of them agreeing it was amazing with so much insistence that Chad couldn't help but flush with happiness.

His dad and Captain Anozie checked in on them from time to time, usually with the food deliveries, and grinned at the seriousness with which Chad and Gil attended to the others. He was the one that introduced them to the video games Chad didn't even know he had (his grandfather would never allow him such frivolous hobbies), and they had a good time failing their way through what was likely very easy games. When night fell, Uma and Harry shared a bath, which Chad hadn't been sure about but Gil seemed to think it was a good idea so the prince followed his lead. For Uma, a bath made sense as she loved being submerged in bodies of water, and for Harry it was a logical choice because he still didn't quite have the energy for prolonged periods of standing, but they could have always freshened up in different bathrooms.

None of them seemed to want to split apart, though, so Gil lowered a grumpy Harry into the large tub next to Uma, who seemed to be savoring the scented candles and bath salts and bubbles, an amused grin tugging at her lips in the wake of Harry's scowl.

"What, Hook?" she drawled, folding her arms behind her head with a cocky expression, the princess stretching out as though she owned the joint. "Afraid you can't handle me?"

It turned out all of Harry's family had the nickname of 'Hook' due to the ceremonial weapons they used in battle, sort of a family tradition, which was why Chad had never heard of the brunette being referred to by his actual last name.

"Fucking fuck off," Harry muttered, flushing as he shifted to a different side of the large tub, his gaze steadfastly aimed away from her.

Uma perked up, something about his tone seeming to catch her attention, and her expression shifted into one of quiet interest. "Wait, is that what you're actually worried about?"

Chad shared a look with Gil, the two blonds near the shower while they undressed. Normally Chad wouldn't opt for something so bold, but he missed the casual intimacy he shared with Ben. He'd asked, and Gil had been more than happy to share a shower with him- a casual one, though Gil had already apologized in advance in case his hormones acted up. The idea that he might be aroused by Chad without the aid of special underwater plant pheromones left Chad feeling warm inside, nervous but excited, but that did leave Harry and Uma to their own devices, and in that moment, he could tell Gil was also wondering if they should intercede.

"No," Harry muttered, sinking partially into the bubbles. "I could handle ye, just-" He cut off with a flush when Uma shifted, the princess moving to box him against the side of the tub, something that made his cheeks color and even deeper shade of red. "Hey."

"Harry," Uma sighed, her gaze raking over him. "You've got to stop being so hard on yourself."

"What the fuck does that mean?" Harry snapped, shuddering when she seemed to settle herself on his thighs.

"I mean it's obvious that you like submitting," Uma said bluntly, earning a small noise of protest from Harry that she blissfully ignored. "But you feel bad about it. Why?"

For all the sessions he and Ben had with Harry back in Atlantica, Chad realized that they'd never actually asked the brunette for the reasons behind this internal conflict he seemed to carry around with him constantly.

Harry's jaw twitched from where he had it clenched tight. "I have to lead."

"You're not even the crown prince," Uma said, quirking an unimpressed brow at him. "Harriet has to lead – you have to support her, and also, what the hell does that have to do with your bedroom preferences?"

"Everything." Harry shook his head stubbornly, still not looking at Uma. "Harriet and CJ are both tomboys, they're both strong, I can't be- ye know, the sissy one."

There was a moment of silence where Uma took that in, and then she was shaking her head. "Being sensitive doesn't make you weak," she said, her tone hard, the princess ignoring the flinch that followed her statement. "Whatever the fuck you want to do in your bedroom is your business, and it doesn't reflect how you operate in world. You don't have to match your sisters' gruff attitudes or what the fuck ever just so people will respect you. Be a good captain, a good leader, and fuck everything else – those are the only things that matter." She gave him an odd look. "Your dad's not an aggressive asshole, why would you think he'd care if you weren't either?"

"I-" Harry immediately adopted an expression of unease, looking like he wanted to be anywhere but there. "They started talking when we were younger, about how- how it was like they had three daughters, ye know? How I'd um- never be a proper man."

"Who said that?" Uma asked, her tone sharp. "Who, Harry?"

"Just some of my dad's crew," he said, ducking his head. "It was back when I wanted to start learning to sew. I hid it, after that. I just- it felt wrong."

"Harry." Uma shifted her hands up until she could cup Harry's face between them, gently tilting his head back until he could get a look at her. "They never should have said that shit to you. Aside from it being damn wrong, a man's worth isn't measured by his hobbies or his demeanor, but in the way he treats others, and while you've been an ornery little shit to most, you also exhausted yourself sailing around the world just so you could apologize, and I feel like one of those substantially speaks to your character more than the other ever could." She allowed a moment for this to sink in, then shifted her hands so they could come through his dark locks. "The parts of you that are yours, Harry, the ones you genuinely feel, those are a gift, and no one with any decency would turn them away."

Harry stared at her with wide eyes, a distinct moisture building in them, like he'd never expected to be met with such an offering. "I don't want to fight anymore," he whispered, the words thick in his throat.

"Then don't," Uma ordered, shifting so that she could cuddle him close, the prince eagerly falling into her hold. "Just be you, and when the time comes, you and I can have a conversation with your parents, okay?"

"Okay," Harry murmured, sinking into her.

As much as they'd fought back in Atlantica, here, they seemed complete with the comfort of each other, and while it made a distinct part of Chad worry, he also felt a sort of weight be lifted from his shoulders, because another one of his friends had found their way, and Harry- he'd never leave Gil behind, no matter how well he and Uma worked together.

This was a good thing, and it was just the start of many more to come.

-:-:-

That night, they took fool advantage of Harry's bedrest and watched as Gil boxed him against the guest room sheets, Harry flushed but not nearly as tense as he had been back in Atlantica. Chad and Uma watched from off to the side while Gil and Harry traded gentle kisses, and when things progressed into something more heated, it felt more like a privilege than a scandal, Harry allowing them to see him at his most vulnerable as he gladly latched onto Gil, moaning and gasping out his appreciation, trading quiet conversation about how he loved the blond.

"So much, Gilly," Harry panted between kisses, his leg hooked around Gil's waist as they lazily rutted together. "I'm so sorry I didn't tell ye sooner. I wanted to date ye for years, I just- I was a coward-"

"They hurt you," Gil said quietly, cupping Harry's jaw with a gentility one wouldn't expect from him if they judged on appearances alone. "You didn't want to disappoint your parents, but you didn't want to let me go either."

"Never," Harry gasped, holding him close. "Gil-"

"I love you too, Harry," Gil said, and when they found their completion it wasn't a battle or a punishment, but an organic evolution that they'd both worked towards, something so beautiful it could only be art.

"You okay?" Uma asked Chad, meaning he must not have hid the subtle longing the image had inspired as well as he'd thought.

"I miss Ben," he admitted, feeling guilty at the small, painful twinge in his chest when he thought back on the easy affections they had once shared. Affections that Ben had thought he'd- he'd thought-

"You'll see him soon," Uma said, and even though she couldn't know that for sure, she seemed certain. "Trust me, it will happen."

"Of course it will," Harry gasped, the prince offering them a blissful smile while Gil stretched out on his other side. "With the way he stares at ye? It's not question."

"Ben doesn't stare at me," Chad murmured, wanting to bury his face in his pillow to hide the shy blush that followed at such a thought.

Harry opened his mouth, maybe to object, but Uma cut him off with a wave of her hand. "We'll get there later," she said somewhat mysteriously. "For now, let's clean up and cuddle."

"I can get behind that," Gil hummed with a contented grin, trading one last kiss with Harry before he moved to get them straightened out, and it was so thoughtful and easy, so perfect that Chad couldn't help but wonder how anyone could have ever expected Harry to take up a marriage contract without Gil. It was like they didn't know them at all.

-:-:-

While they'd had plans to leave early in the morning to get a taste for Sardinian culture, their day was somewhat set off course not long after breakfast when a blinding manifestation of light had appeared in the middle of the hall, fading away just as suddenly as it appeared to reveal the visage of Jay, Iago curled around his shoulders, both of them seeming to pulse with a latent red energy.

There was maybe a second of shock before Jay's eyes rolled back, his legs completely crumbling underneath him as he immediately passed out from the exertion of teleporting across the continent.

It was fortunate that Fairy Godmother was with them and hadn't teleported back home to check on Jane yet, because she was the one that gave him an emergency magical boost and put him into what she'd described as a healing coma, which involved him lying in bed with a lot of paper runes and enchanted candles spaced around him, allowing a constant thrum of the natural energy of Auradon to be slowly funneled in to replenish Jay's own reserves so he wouldn't die.

"Just when I think he can't get any more stupid," Uma complained, pinching the bridge of her nose from the hallway they'd been banished to. "He's probably spent the past week or so meditating to gather energy for this shit. Dumbass fucker."

"Is he going to be okay?" Chad asked, aiming the question at Uma while he twisted his hands together.

"Thanks to your Fairy Godmother, he should be fine," Uma said simply, her arms folded across her chest in a defensive shield while she seemed to stew things over. "He probably tried it before he should have. Jadir's a talented sorcerer but he's young, and even if his dad were to try and do this…" She sighed. "They probably caught onto his plan, so he had to jump the gun."

"Fucker always thinks he's invincible," Harry muttered, huddling into Gil's side, the other blond keeping an arm curled around his shoulders, holding onto Harry just as much as he was holding onto him. "This is our fault."

"It's no one's fault," Uma muttered. "Except for like, the guys responsible for connecting the communication systems between Auradon and Enchancia. Things would have been a lot easier if we could have called."

"Or if I hadn't run," Chad said, feeling miserable.

"No, hey- you had every right to do that," Uma said, uncrossing her arms so she could take her hands in his. "You felt embarrassed and betrayed, and that was after your past trauma was accidentally triggered. Retreating then made perfect sense, none of us begrudged you that. We just- we didn't want to end on that note." She sighed, pulling him into a half hug he eagerly leaned into. "I don't think any of us did."

Further conversation was interrupted by Chad's father strolling out of Jay's guest room, the king's brows pinched with worry. "He's going to be okay," he offered first, knowing it was what they needed to hear. "But he probably won't be conscious until late this evening or early tomorrow morning."

"Could we call his parents?" Chad asked. "I'd like to apologize."

"I will be contacting his parents," Chad's father said, approaching him with an expression of gentle support. "But as for apologies, you are the last one who needs to give them." He reached out and carded a hand through Chad's curls, something the blond leaned into eagerly. "This entire situation was a bit of a mess, sweetheart, but you are not the guilty party in all this. None of you are, really. You're young, and mistakes happen in your youth – it's just that when you're royal, those very understandable mistakes happen to have ramifications that are a bit more far-reaching." He sighed. "This entire envoy nonsense is preposterous, and that's not on any of you. It's a position our councils put you in, and rest assured, it's going to be something that we take care of. For now though, I'm going to reach out to Enchancia and see if we can arrange some sort of video conference with you and the other Enchancian heirs so that they can have a conversation with you without giving their parents heart attacks. Would that be alright?"

"I'd… I'd like that," Chad admitted, knowing now that he hadn't tried for such a thing himself because he hadn't thought they'd be interested in it, especially not after the spectacle he'd made of himself at the final ball.

But he should have known that all of them were too decent to do away with him over something like that, and that was a comfort as much as it was a fear, because that meant that um- the marriage contracts, the um- romance, all of that was still on the table, and Chad didn't know how he felt about it.

Or, he did, sort of, but he was afraid of that response.

"Good," his father said, giving him a soft smile. "Then that is what we'll do."

-:-:-

Endnotes:

Thanks for the feedback, team. The support is always appreciated :) Some fair points were raised, ones I don't necessarily disagree with, but I don't think they can be discussed definitively until the story is completed.

Story notes:

That's right, Harry's now the son of Elizabeth and Will Turner from the pirates of the Caribbean movies – Elizabeth holding her title as Queen of the Pirates, or in this case, of the privateers.

Let's be real, Elizabeth Turner wears the pants in the Hook household and literally no one will argue this, least of all her husband.

Until next time :)