Chapter 4 – A Royal Visit

-:-:-

"Are you packed?" Mal asked Chad Friday morning, and one would think they'd have this conversation at breakfast but no, she was in his bed, glaring down at him as though intimately aware of the plan he had in place to fake his weekend sickness.

"Um- yes," Chad lied, because saying otherwise would give himself away. "But I um- I don't feel so good-"

"You're fine and you haven't packed," Mal deduced with narrowed eyes. "Don't worry, I had Evie and Carlos throw something together for you. Jay?"

"Here!" Jay chirped, propped against the foot of Chad's bed with a grin.

"Get him ready and escort him to breakfast," Mal ordered. "He's going to go to that damn stupid castle if we have to take him kicking and screaming, except he wouldn't do that because it's rude, so-" She motioned for Jay to move in before she strolled towards the door. "Have fun."

"Jay," Chad groaned as the Agraben tugged him out of bed and towards his bathroom. "Jay, um- we could make a new deal? Like, we could- I dunno- have more cuddle time together? Secret cuddle time-"

"Mal will kill me if you miss this," Jay sighed before he marched them into the bathroom and deftly turned Chad's shower on.

"Um." Chad flushed dark. "I washed last night."

"I know you do evening and morning showers, Gus," Jay said. "Now, do you want company, or-"

"Company?" Chad squawked, trying not to flail in place. "I- why?"

"Because Mal ordered me to make sure you finished your morning routine without running away so…" Jay shrugged out of his shirt. "Company?"

"Um."

"I'll give you a handjob," Jay offered casually, making Chad want to melt into the ground.

"That's not the only reason I like you, you know," Chad murmured. "Just because we sometimes- you're a great guy-"

"Aw, evil," Jay groaned, and then he was helping Chad out of his clothes, coaxing the blond into the shower before following him in and pressing him against the wall – very much naked and yeah, he had scars, but those were like, the scars of adventure whereas Chad was just boring and kind of doughy and Jay didn't seem to care, happy to smooth his hands down Chad's fake illusioned muffin top. "Cutie," Jay murmured, and then he was beating Chad off, the blond eagerly rutting into his hand because he was only human and Jay was Jay, who would always be his kryptonite.

For now. Forever. And that was kind of terrifying.

And maybe Jay got worked up and maybe they kind of rutted together, Chad clinging to his shoulders until they fell apart, and then Jay was extra certain to make sure Chad was super clean until the blond could only whimper, happy and sated and a little overwhelmed.

"We can do that in the castle too, you know," Jay said with a wag of his brows. "Think about it."

"No," Chad groaned, except maybe he sort of did, which immediately prompted Jay to laugh at him.

But it was a nice laugh, not like Fritz's, so Chad didn't really mind.

-:-:-

The limo ride to Auradon Castle was not great, because Prince Benjamin was with them, being all perfect and charming and trying so hard to engage the others in conversation that only Evie and sometimes Jay actually indulged him in. Mal had wanted Chad to sit next to Prince Benjamin but Jay had been kind enough to curl an arm around Chad's shoulders in a sort of open claim, cuddling him close, and Mal allowed it with another generous roll of her eyes before prompting Evie to sit next to Ben- Prince Benjamin.

He was a prince. The prince. The most important one of all of them.

Chad had never attempted to seek him out despite sharing a few honors courses with Prince Benjamin, mostly because of his grandfather's strict rules, but even if those hadn't been in place Chad never would have dared to do such a thing. He knew he didn't have a lot to offer, and that was without the Gus-everyman disguise. As Chad he was still kind of pathetic, so it seemed like there was no point. There were princes who'd been trained to take over a unification of kingdoms at sixteen and there were princes who would be lucky to manage the composure to rule their kingdoms when the rest of their family died, and Chad was very much in the latter category.

He knew that in his bones, he just wished he could somehow communicate this to Jay and the others.

"Hey look, a fancy pants castle," Jay drawled as he pointed out the window. "It has towers and everything."

"What do people do with that much space?" Carlos asked, pressed against Jay's other side.

"If they're anything like Evie's mom, they go insane," Mal drawled, making Chad both curious and confused, which was entirely overwhelmed by the stricken expression that briefly flittered across Prince Benjamin's face.

"But that's not what we're going to dwell on," Evie chirped, stubbornly bright. "We're here to have a good time and focus on the positive things."

"Like beds," Jay said. "And- what was it, gray stuff?"

"I don't know how good something can be if it has 'stuff' as part of its official title," Carlos muttered, making Chad despair all over again because that was an Auradon national delicacy they were disparaging.

"Are you having a heart attack now?" Jay asked Chad, nuzzling his knitted hat.

"Always," Chad sighed. "All the time. Perpetual heart attacks."

"Yeah," Carlos said. "That sounds like the right response to hanging with us."

Prince Benjamin brought them in through the grand front doors while actual footmen unloaded their motley assortment of luggage to be transferred to some kind of official guest suites, and yeah, Chad's castle had footmen, but he'd never actually interacted with any of them. He hadn't earned that either, such privileges were for princes that worked hard and Chad tried, he just mostly came up short.

It felt weird to walk the large, open halls of the reception area, felt weird to be in the public places he rarely visited in his own castle. His grandfather had always told him that if he was allowed the privilege of visiting Auradon Castle, it was because he'd somehow, against all odds, earned the right to be introduced to the public as Prince of Sardinia. But that didn't seem to be happening anytime soon, and yet, here Chad was.

It made him feel terribly guilty so he huddled next to Jay, trying to take it all in since he was there while also leaving as small a footprint as possible.

Jay, with his wealth of empathy, was kind enough to laugh at him. "I don't know how you could be so against breaking rules when you hang out with rule breakers."

"You guys aren't rule breakers," Chad said easily while Prince Benjamin took them on a tour of his castle. "There's a difference between not falling into traditional Auradon architypes and actively breaking rules."

"You take that back," Mal hissed, aiming a glare over her shoulder to show that she had been eavesdropping on their conversation.

"No," Chad countered stubbornly. "Jay and Carlos both follow the rules for Tourney. You guys always go to your classes. Maybe you've bent the rules before, but it was always for a good reason, which makes you-"

"I swear, if you say good guys again-"

"Good guys," Chad finished, unrepentant, making Mal loose another frustrated growl.

"You are the only fucking person who can get away with that," she declared before stomping into the garden Prince Benjamin was showing them to.

It was a very nice garden. It made Chad wonder if it was anything at all like the one his mother had cultivated before she died back home. He really hoped it was.

"I don't know what you guys have against being nice," Chad offered Jay as they strolled past an ornamental fountain, Jay's fingers surreptitiously sliding into his own. "You're easily some of the nicest people I've met in all of Auradon."

"Yeah, but your standards are also super low," Jay said. "And we're not being nice. We have a business arrangement. Don't confuse that for kindness."

He didn't say it in a cruel way, more like a gentle reminder because he didn't want Chad to get hurt, which further proved how nice he was.

After a moment's consideration, Chad looked both ways, confirming that the others were a bit apart from them before he dropped his voice. "And what we did in the shower this morning?" he whispered. "You don't think that was nice?"

It was sort of cool to see Jay's cheeks heat in a pale flush, since it didn't happen all that often. "I think we can both agree I got something out of that."

"Debatable," Chad said, because he still didn't really get what Jay saw in him, but then again, Jay was unlike any person he'd ever met, so attempting to think like him was likely always bound for failure.

A beat, and then Jay's arm was wrapped around his waist, dragging Chad until he was flush against his side. Chad felt himself blush when Jay's moved to cup his cheek, drawing the two of them dangerously close.

"No debating about it," Jay murmured, tilting his head forward until they were separated by a few mere inches. "That's what we call a mutually beneficialarrangement-"

"Jay, stop flirting with your boyfriend and get over here," Mal ordered, making the two of them flail apart with a startle.

"Oh," Prince Benjamin said with a blink while they got their bearings. "Are you guys dating?"

Mal rolled her eyes. "As though Jay would ever be so straightforward."

"Or Gus lower his standards," Jay muttered, slipping his hand into Chad's again before tugging him forward, the Agraben's gaze studiously forward.

"Um," Chad said, taking in the first hint of self-doubt he'd ever heard from Jay with distinct confusion. "I'd be honored to-"

"Of course you would," Jay sighed, bringing them to a stop. "Literally no one else is nice to you. If the rest of those Auradon shitheads would give you a chance, you would be swimming in- Evie, what are they called?"

"Admirers?" Evie offered with a pinched look.

"No, I wouldn't," Chad huffed. "And even if I was, that doesn't change the fact that I like you, and not because you're nice to me, but because you're funny and sweet and naturally heroic though for whatever reason you refuse to acknowledge any of these things."

Jay spent a moment just sort of blinking at him. "Am I handsome too?"

"Yes," Chad said with a flush. "But I like that other stuff more."

"You mushy asshole," Mal complained, pinching the bridge of her nose. "You made my muscle all weak and sappy."

"No, he made Jay happy," Evie countered. "He's allowed to do that. We're allowed to have that and it's not going to get taken away."

"I'll believe that when I see it," Mal said, which seemed to explain a lot about her behavior because she seemed so certain that the world was working against her, and Chad made a note of that, realizing that maybe she needed as much reassurance as he did.

"Give us time," Prince Benjamin said, his voice gentle and reassuring. "We'll prove it to you, Mal. I know it seems too good to be true, but we will prove it." Before she could reply, his gaze shifted over to Jay and Chad. "And um- congrats you two, I'm happy for you."

"They're not actually dating yet, dingus," Mal muttered, crossing her arms with a huff.

"Hey," Jay said, leaning over to nudge Chad's elbow. "Would you um- you know, if you wanted- also, I want to argue the fact that you definitely would have a swarm of admirers – don't think I forgot about that-"

"Jay," Chad said, flushed but distinctly happy. "Yes, I would like to date you."

"Fucking score," Jay said, and then he was leaning forward and claiming Chad's lips in a clumsy kiss, but it was still really nice so Chad savored it, trying not to cry overwhelmed tears because he had a boyfriend and he wasn't even a refined prince – just a regular bookworm.

And, on occasion, even those could get the guy.

-:-:-

After that, Chad wouldn't say that things were necessarily easier, but at the very least they were more manageable because he had the distraction of Jay, who was actually dating him and not just as part of an elaborate scheme to humiliate Chad or something. He was pretty sure Mal and the others wouldn't go through that kind of effort just to toy with him – Marnie certainly wouldn't have given him a pep talk and dragged him into Prince Benjamin's limo unless that had also been part of a complicated trap, but Prince Benjamin didn't seem to be the type of person to stoop to such a thing, so Chad allowed himself the possibility for happiness.

Which only increased when Prince Benjamin brought them to Auradon Castle's world-famous library.

"Oh," Chad said, staring up at the rows of books that stretched up to the very high ceilings, a collection of literature compared to none all in one place, and his fingers itched to reach out and touch, to read, because for so long his only childhood companions had been the books his tutors allowed him. On occasion, his dad's head guard, Captain Anozie, would sneak him non-grandfather approved books so Chad could have some leisure reading, and each of those treasures Chad hid in his suite, cherishing them as much as he did any of the presents the good captain snuck him.

Fortunately, he wasn't the only one who seemed to be overwhelmed by the large library. For all her composure, Evie was openly staring, spinning in a slow circle as she took in all the books.

"Wow," she said, her hands pressing so hard against her thighs that her fingers pinched white. "There's so many, and they're all whole."

"Yeah," Carlos said somewhat distractedly. "I bet none of these are missing pages."

"Oh," Evie continued, pressing a hand to her mouth. "Ben, could we- would it be okay if we read some of them please?"

If Prince Benjamin had a schedule that they were diverting from he didn't show it, offering them a fond grin before motioning them on. "I encourage it. In fact, if there are any you want to borrow, just let me know. We're always happy to lend our books to an eager audience."

He wanted- obviously Chad couldn't take him up on that, it was too generous, but if he could just read part of something while he was here, that would probably be okay.

"What are you guys in the mood for?" Prince Benjamin asked, looking pleased.

"Hanoven Laws and Legislative functions," Evie said without missing a beat, making Ben's smile widen.

"Advanced chemistry or alchemy. Maybe physics?" Carlos said. "I'm trying to enhance my tech creating skills."

"And you?" Prince Benjamin asked when Chad had stayed silent.

"Um." Chad huddled closer to Jay. "Do you have the story of King Christopher and Queen Ella's romance?"

"Shouldn't you know that by heart or something?" Mal asked. "You're from Sardinia."

Chad ducked his head with an embarrassed flush. "My grandfather-"

"I bet he doesn't like you to have fun either," Mal snapped. "Are you fucking serious? He controls what you read too?"

Chad offered her and uneasy shrug, because his grandfather really only wanted what was best for him.

"You're from Sardinia?" Prince Benjamin asked, seeming uneasy. "I didn't know we had any Sardinians attending Auradon Prep."

Chad cleared his throat. "Most of them attend Sardinia Prep on Duke Francis' recommendation – it's more tailored to Sardinian politics."

Though it unfortunately limited the amount of Sardinian students that found callings in the United Auradon political system. Chad had voiced this concern once and got locked in a closet for a week for his troubles, so it wasn't a criticism he'd ever thought to offer again.

"But you didn't," Jay said, his brows drawn together in thought. "Why? Your dad progressive or something?"

"Or something," Chad allowed, tugging at his sleeve. "It was one of the reasons…" He trailed off when he remembered Prince Benjamin was right there, and cleared his throat again. "So um- do you have that book?"

Mal, of course, was undeterred. "What, was that one of the reasons why Fritz bullied you?"

"Sort of," Chad sighed. "They tend to think Sardinians are stuck up since most don't attend Auradon Prep."

"Wait," Prince Benjamin said. "You were the student that Fritz targeted for that attack? I'm so sorry about that."

Before Chad could mumble something out about how it wasn't Ben's fault, Mal cut back in with a glare. "It was more than just one attack, asshole. Fritz had been targeting him since Freshmen year and none of you Auradon schmucks did anything about it. Jay met Gus by freeing him from a closet Fritz had locked him in, which was apparently a regular thing for him."

"But it's not now," Chad said, ducking his head as a swell of humiliation ripped through him. "Because Jay is a hero."

"I see what you did there," Jay muttered, wrapping an arm around Chad's waist and dragging him close. "And I was just being decent."

"Which is a distinctly not evil thing for you to do."

"He bullied you?" Prince Benjamin said, seeming genuinely concerned about this. "But we have programs-"

"I tried those," Chad said, hiding his face against Jay's shoulder. "But Fritz had more connections than I did, so it didn't go well."

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence.

"This just proves that your culture is rife with classism," Mal muttered. "Despite what you said."

"Mal," Evie sighed, but did not argue with her.

"Auradon isn't perfect," Mal countered.

"Yes," Evie agreed. "But Ben is the one person trying to fix that, so maybe you should stop picking at him all the time. You're only proving Audrey right when you do."

"Like she'd change her mind if I was fucking nice," Mal snapped. "She was the one that introduced you to Fritz in the first place! She's just as rotten as some of the people on the Isle, but she gets to run free because she's a princess. If anyone should get to rule a kingdom, it's you. You actually give a shit about people. You're the one that organized the orphans so they could have some kind of protection for themselves. You're the one that took care of Carlos because you wanted to, and not because you had to. You're talented and poised and smart and she's just a dumb asshat."

"Mal," Chad said, flushing dark. "We all agree that Evie's the best, but maybe don't insult Prince Benjamin's girlfriend in front of him."

"Why?" Mal pressed. "It's not like you disagree. Was she ever nice to you?"

Chad winced, because on more than one occasion Princess Audrey had strolled by to watch Fritz torment Chad for what the prince assumed was for fun. He'd pled for help the first time, and ended with yet another hand shoving his head into the toilet. So no, she was not nice to him. Chad was pretty sure she was a bit of a sociopath, or just so twisted by the pressures of her position that she'd become something mean in her downtime in order to thrive as a perfect princess in public.

He didn't know the full specifics behind it, his grandfather didn't really allow him to read books on psychology.

"See?" Mal said when she caught his flinch. "What the hell do you see in her?"

"She's probably nice to him," Chad offered.

"I- I've known Audrey a long time," Prince Benjamin said, for once seeming uneasy, like he hadn't been expected for anyone to ask him about his relationship. "We work well together. And yes, she can be a bit intense, but she understands the duties necessitated by our positions-"

"So does Evie," Mal snapped. "And again, she's not an asshat." Before Chad could let out a groan of despair, Mal rounded on him. "What was your last interaction with Audrey like?"

"Um." Chad tried not to huddle into Jay like a giant baby but he definitely did. "It's nothing that can be proven."

"I'm getting real sick of those words," Mal muttered. "Was it bad?"

Considering the fact that Fritz and his buddies had stripped Chad of his clothes, doused him in paint, and made him have a frantic run of shame back to his dorm room while the lot of them laughed at his expense – yes, it very much had been.

"I don't want to talk about it," Chad murmured, ducking his head.

"Hey," Jay said, his voice soft as he cuddled Chad against him. "It's not going to happen again, okay? Fritz is gone."

"I know," Chad murmured, blinking rapidly when he realized a certain heat had built up in his eyes. "Thanks, Jay."

"You're welcome," Jay said, giving his knit cap another nuzzle.

"Do you even like her?" Mal pressed. "I'm not asking as someone who wishes the worst for her – though for the record, I do – this is a serious question."

"I- yes, of course," Prince Benjamin said, startled by the question. "We work well together and our parents really like each other."

"Not what I asked," Mal said. "Look, I'm not saying you should date Evie, but literally anyone else would be better. Like, Lonnie doesn't seem that obnoxious, she'd be a kickass queen."

"Princess Ruby's nice," Carlos muttered from where he was hovering by Evie's side. "And Corona's as close to Central Auradon as Ulstead and Auroria are."

"Options, Benjamin," Mal drawled. "You have them."

"I don't want to discuss this anymore," Prince Benjamin said with a shake of his head. "I appreciate your concern, but my personal life is none of your business."

"You don't believe us," Evie deduced, making Prince Benjamin sigh.

"I believe that there may have been some tension between Audrey and Mal," he allowed. "And perhaps a miscommunication between Audrey and Gus, but going against my own judgement without substantiated evidence goes against all of my training."

"Fair enough," Evie said, and then she was digging through her pretty, red purse. A beat later she pulled out what seemed to be a broken piece of a mirror, which made Prince Benjamin's gaze go wide before she held it up to him. "Magic Mirror, show me the last interaction Audrey had with Gus."

That was a magic-

Immediately, the surface swirled in a sort of fog until it revealed Chad stripped down and covered in paint and mud, in feathers and rotten food while a crowd of noble kids all laughed at his pathetic tears.

"Seriously, Gus?" Audrey giggled, leaning on Fritz's arm. "You thought Marnie would actually be interested in you? You're nothing but a know-it-all worm who never should have been admitted to Auradon Prep. The fact that you haven't taken the hint and gone back to Sardinia is staggering, but maybe this will teach you a lesson." She held up a familiar Taser, one that was just as pretty and pink as she was. "Hold him still, boys, let's see how well his dick conducts electricity."

"Fucking hell," Mal snapped as Evie cut the spell off. "What the actual fuck?"

"You have a magic mirror," Ben said, working through the same shock as Chad. On a distant level, he knew Evie dabbled in magic, he just hadn't realized she'd had the same scry powers as the late Queen Grimhilde. "You have a piece of the-"

"You think we wouldn't want to verify information for ourselves?" Mal asked. "We had to know if you were bullshitting us. This was the only reliable way we knew how."

"We could go to Fairy Godmother right now and she could confirm this was a scry and not an illusion," Evie said, her gaze locked on Prince Benjamin's. "This happened. Your girlfriend attacked a helpless scholarship student for no other reason than she could."

"It's okay," Jay murmured as he tugged Chad against his chest, the prince shaking as he tried to force back the bad memories, the pain and humiliation and mockery echoing in his brain. His grandfather had been so mad. Chad should have known that Marnie was too good for him. He shouldn't have been so needy. "It's okay, it's not gonna happen again. I enchanted emergency beacons for each of us – I can do that for you too, that way if anyone attacks you, we can come help you."

"You'd- you'd do- do that?" Chad asked, helpless tears pouring down his cheeks. "Jay."

"I've got you," Jay murmured. "We've got you. I promise, Gus."

"W-Why?" Chad asked, so very confused. "Why do you care when no one else did?"

"Because everyone else was fucking stupid, that's why," Mal snapped. "And we're not. Obviously."

"I…" Prince Benjamin looked entirely shaken, but Evie never backed down, looking perfectly composed with her shoulders held back, posture straight. "I um- I… I need to verify."

"Then pick a magic user and let's do this," Evie said. "Verify then do something about it, because that type of person doesn't deserve to be queen of Auradon."

"She doesn't deserve to be queen of a garbage heap," Mal sniffed. "But we'll take 'not queen of Auradon' for sure."

Chad wouldn't realize until later how much they were going to change, but apparently their harmless visit was going to alter things on a much larger scale than he anticipated, which wasn't all that great for the low profile he'd been trying to maintain.

And yet, it was happening, whether he liked it or not.

-:-:-

Chad wasn't sure how it happened, but somehow they ended up in King Adam's office with Queen Belle, Fairy Godmother, and Queen Snow White, who was also skilled with scry magic – an artform invented in Hanover – to verify Evie's findings. From what Chad could understand, Queen Snow had been used to substantiate some of the evidence that had been used to lock up prisoners on the Isle of the Lost, so this type of magic had been used before in a court of law.

"This is no small matter," King Adam declared when Prince Benjamin and Evie explained the situation.

"You don't have to tell us," Mal muttered, not one to back down from even a king, the king, because she had an absolute disregard for authority, apparently. "You're the one that created a school system where the political elite can torment your lower-class citizens without facing any kind of consequences."

"Mal," Evie said, her voice patient, quiet. "Let me handle this."

It spoke to how much Mal trusted Evie that she immediately settled down, letting Evie take over things from there.

"I realize this crosses boundaries you are not entirely comfortable with," Evie said. "But there is probable cause to allow for a scry that would hold up in a court of law. There are paint and food purchases, camera footage, and GPS tracking that show the position of the heirs in question, and that's for this one referenced attack. I didn't ask the mirror about other instances of bullying, of which I'm sure Fairy Godmother is certain has occurred."

"Without proof, it was one student's word against another," Fairy Godmother said somewhat apologetically.

"Considering how often Gus ended up locked in a closet, I think maybe you could have made a bit of an effort to investigate his claims," Evie said, as though Chad hadn't stopped explaining Fritz's attacks halfway through freshmen year, when he knew it would only make his situation worse.

King Adam scrolled through the tablet his assistant had given him full of the evidence Carlos had collected while Queen Snow was teleporting in from Hanover. "There's enough here to call for a scry," he allowed. "To confirm the validity, we will have Queen Snow enact the inquiry."

"That's fair," Evie said, even if her shoulders seemed to tense ever so slightly at having her integrity questioned. "She'll find the same thing I did."

That time, Chad hid his face against Jay's shoulder as he listened to that horrible memory get replayed in front of some of the most important people in all of Auradon, heard his screams and sobs when Audrey started tazing him.

"That's enough," the king said in a hard voice when Audrey went in for a second round. "Queen Snow and I will investigate further to completely establish what needs to be charged, but there's enough here to call for an emergency council session." He sighed, then added, "And for some emergency arrests." He turned his gaze towards Prince Benjamin. "I'm going to have Lumiere release a statement explaining your private breakup with Princess Audrey before this hits the media, block her number from your phone and make no efforts to contact her. We need to mitigate the fallout of this as best we can."

"Yes, dad," Prince Benjamin said, his expression serious, though there was a distinct sorrow in his eyes. Something strong enough that Chad wanted to apologize to him for the inconvenience. He knew Audrey's actions had brought her fate upon herself, same as Fritz, but it always hurt when a person you cared for wasn't who you thought they were.

"We can convene with a majority by tomorrow afternoon," Queen Belle said, her expression grave. "In the meantime, you kids keep a low profile here, okay? Please stay in the castle. And Gus, dear, you may contact your family, but please impress the importance of secrecy to them. Until we have your attackers in custody, it's important for as few people to know about this as possible. It will provide less opportunity for the offending parties to go underground."

"I- thank you, your majesty," Chad managed, his tongue thick in his mouth. "But um- Could- is there any way my name could um- stay out of any public announcements?"

"Of course," Queen Belle said, her tone gentle. "Your privacy will be respected. If you would prefer to remain unmentioned, that's what will happen."

"Thank you," Chad said, a wealth of relief filling his chest.

They were dismissed after that, Prince Benjamin leading them somewhat absently towards their guest suite, except they kept going deeper and deeper into the castle until they were definitely in the areas reserved for the royal family, and it was only then that Chad realized Prince Benjamin had taken them to his own personal suite.

"I um- have a couple of guest rooms," Prince Benjamin explained distractedly, motioning to their bags neatly arranged in the main sitting room. "I thought maybe you could split up – guys and ladies?"

"Sure," Mal drawled. "That's what you can tell your parents we did."

And then she led all of them into the nearest guest room, which happened to have a gigantic bed anyway.

Prince Benjamin followed them in as they set their bags down, watching how Jay maintained a point of contact between Chad and himself at all times.

It was Mal that broke the silence, aiming a wry look at Prince Benjamin. "You gonna ask Evie for the mirror piece? Because she can do it with any mirror, you know. She's talented like that."

"That doesn't surprise me," Prince Benjamin admitted. "I- no, I wasn't going to do that. I just…"

"You're shocked," Evie said, her tone gentle.

"Very," Prince Benjamin sighed. "I knew Audrey wasn't perfect, I knew she was stressed by the expectations her grandmothers forced onto her, I just didn't realize…"

"What lengths she would go to in order to find an outlet for her frustration?" Mal offered. "Yeah, that kind of shit surprises us too. Don't try to put rhyme or reason to it. She made her choice and it was a shitty one, but she gets to live with it, not you."

"Just." Prince Benjamin frowned. "I feel like I should have noticed something. That happened at the last Spring Ball, I recognize her dress. I was so distracted that I didn't even realize that she snuck off to do this."

"In um- your defense," Chad spoke up quietly. "People like that are trained to be very good at covering their tracks. You shouldn't beat yourself up for not thinking like her or suspecting her. She was trying to fool you more than anyone else."

"You shouldn't feel guilty for looking for the good in her," Mal offered in a rare show of empathy. "You were raised on fairytales and a world of heroes. You weren't trained to look for villains when you thought you'd already locked all of them up."

"That doesn't make me feel better," Prince Benjamin said, his gaze full of sorrow.

"Real talk – not a lot's going to make you feel better," Mal said. "It's something we deal with every day, except you can dump your surprise villain and create a distinct distance between you; we're stuck with ours whether we want it or not."

Chad tensed at that, frustrated and embarrassed and a little bit sad, wishing he could just know more. Had Mal's parents been cult leaders? Had she and the others been abused? Who were the villains they were related to?

Prince Benjamin sighed, and whatever Mal alluded to, he seemed to get it. "I'm sorry," he said, his voice quiet. "You just want to live your lives in peace, and still, people judge you."

"I don't entirely blame them," Mal said with a shrug. "I am an asshole. I was raised to be crafty and mean and vicious, and it never hurts to exercise a healthy amount of paranoia. That said, I don't know how they expect us to integrate into Auradon if they won't leave us the fuck alone until we actually do something evil."

"You wouldn't do that," Chad sniffed, rubbing at his cheeks to try and scrub away dried tear tracks. "You might be grumpy, but you're still really nice."

Mal sighed. "I think we've already proven how low your standards are."

"You literally just helped me confront the bullies that attacked me," Chad said. "You didn't have to do that. You didn't have to let me date Jay, and you don't have to cuddle Carlos after he has nightmares, and you don't have to give Jane compliments because you know it makes her feel better, but you do it anyway. All of those things are objectively nice."

"Well," Mal huffed. "Don't go spreading them around."

"Why, though?" Chad said. "You guys are great-"

"Because our reputations are like the one thing we have," Mal snapped. "If we get sent back to the Isle, being known as nice and kind aren't going to do shit for us."

There was a moment where Chad struggled to process what she said, even though in retrospect, it made perfect sense. "You're… from the Isle?" he said, suddenly feeling quite dumb.

Mal stared at him for a moment with wide eyes, then sighed, staring at the ceiling. "Whoops."

"Did you not know that?" Prince Benjamin asked, seeming boggled by this ignorance.

"Gus' grandfather keeps him in the dark about most public affairs," Evie said quietly. "He's had no idea who we are the entire time he's known us."

"Wait," Chad said. "There's- there are kids on the Isle? I thought they went to juvie."

"If you commit a crime, sure," Mal drawled. "But if you're born there, you're just kind of stuck there, or whatever."

That was… that meant-

"Oh, Mal," Chad said, feeling his eyes heat up all over again. "I'm so sorry."

"I- you're sorry?" Mal was too cool to sputter, but she did something close. "Do you not realize that we actively hid who we were from you so we could have one person who treated us normally?"

"I don't blame you for that," Chad said. "I also like being treated normally."

"Fucking hell," Mal muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Have higher standards for yourself."

Chad decided to ignore that, turning his attention onto Jay. "That's why you don't get Auradon culture. Why you didn't know how the buffet worked and why you think you have to be mean all the time." In retrospect, Chad felt remarkably stupid that he hadn't figured that out yet, but he pushed that aside so he could address Prince Benjamin. "You can't let them go back. That- they never should have been there in the first place."

"Gus," Jay said, his tone unreadable.

"It's a violation of civil rights," Chad said. "It shouldn't- who allowed for that to happen?"

"King Adam," Mal drawled.

Yes, Chad was beginning to understand why she didn't like him so much.

"I won't let them go back," Prince Benjamin said, his gaze locked on Chad's. "I won't. I'm going to get coronated and I'm going to completely overhaul our penal system into something more functional. Something that doesn't allow for innocent people to get hurt."

"Please," Chad said, knowing he was crying again as he hugged onto Jay. "Please."

There was an obvious hesitation before Jay dragged his hand down Chad's back. "So um- I'd understand if you didn't want to date me anymore."

"I'm not breaking up with you just because you had to grow up surrounded by criminals," Chad sniffed, tearing up just at the thought of it.

"What if my dad was Jafar?" Jay offered, making Chad pause as he placed the name.

"Like um- the ex-vizier Jafar?" Chad asked. "That guy from Agrabah?"

There was a pause, and then Jay huffed out a laugh, nuzzling the top of Chad's head. "You're so fucking cute."

"Jay," Chad whined.

"You are the only person who would refer to my dad like that," Jay said. "I feel like I should actually explain to you who he is."

"It wouldn't matter who he is," Chad said. "Because he isn't you and I care about you, not him."

"Gus," Jay said, and for once it looked like he was tearing up too. "Don't be stupid."

"You don't be stupid," Chad sniffed. "Why would his actions ever reflect on you?"

"Because… prejudice?" Jay tried.

"I'm not prejudiced," Chad huffed. "So um- tough shit."

That managed to startle a laugh out of Jay, who clung to Chad with a happy grin. "You busted out a curse word for me. I'm so proud."

"I've been told that serious conversations require serious wordplay."

"Ugh, stop flirting, you two," Mal huffed. "We get it, you're an actual fairytale romance."

"I don't think 'the villain kid shacked up with the bookworm' is exactly a stereotypical romance," Jay said somewhat hysterically.

"You're not a villain kid," Chad groused. "You're Jay, the Tourney player with a heart of gold."

"If we were on the Isle, I'd have to stab you for saying that."

"Well, good thing we're not there," Chad sniffed. "And you're never going to be unless you actually commit a crime, which you don't want to do so um- go you."

"Fuck it," Mal said. "Group hug everybody, Jay doesn't get to be the only one who gets cuddles."

"Yessss," Jay said, face lighting up when the others drew in.

"You too, Benjamin," Mal said. "Snap out of your royal guilt and cuddle, damnit."

"O-Okay," Prince Benjamin said, and then he was curling around Mal and Evie's backs somewhat tentatively, Carlos burrowing next to Jay, and it was all unquestionably strange, but it was also good, which was really the only thing that mattered.

-:-:-

Endnotes:

Thanks for the feedback, everyone! The love for Chad as Gus is greatly appreciated (and definitely imitated by one Jay, who is going to be the biggest simp ;D)

Story notes:

They didn't bother naming the captain of the guard in the live action Cinderella remake, so I named him after his actor. Hence, Captain Anozie.

Until next time :)