Chapter 6 – The End
WARNING – Non-graphic abuse in scene 3.
-:-:-
Going back to school was weird. After Fritz's expulsion Chad had been happy because his biggest tormentor was finally gone, allowing him to live in peace. Sure, some of Fritz's lackies had still been around, but without Fritz to organize them they mostly glared from a distance. There was still Marnie and her friends, still Audrey, still the people that had surrounded him at the Spring Ball, but they left him alone and that was all Chad had cared about, because he finally got the normal school experience.
Now he could walk the grounds of Auradon Prep and none of his bullies were present. There were no glares, at least not from that, there was no vague anxiety that this might be the day they decided to make up for Fritz's loss. Now they were just gone, and the only people that glared at Chad were the ones that were jealous of him dating Ben. As though Chad was the prince's hottest commodity.
In practical terms, that was likely Mal, who Ben seemed to greatly enjoy growling with, or Evie, who helped him plan things, or Jay, who was funny and played Tourney with him. Carlos was shy, but Chad was sure once he got more comfortable with their arrangement that Ben would love him just as much as the others did, which left Chad fumbling in their wake. Not that he minded, he was just happy to be involved. Happy to have partners that legitimately liked and cared for him and weren't using him just to get things or hurt him.
"Let 'em glare," Mal drawled, sliding the purple sunglasses Ben had gotten her up the bridge of her nose, looking like a true action movie hero. "They should be jealous. All they can do is a bunch of looking a whole lot of no touching."
"Agreed," Ben rumbled, wrapping an arm around each of their waists and nuzzling them close, Mal allowing it with a generous quirk of her lips.
That was another thing to get used to – the casual displays of affection. Chad had gotten used to holding hands with Jay sometimes and maybe a little cuddling, had gotten used to the others escorting him to his classes because they'd never really dropped that habit after Fritz had been expelled, but now he could offer his arm and Evie would take it, or hold out his hand and Carlos would thread his fingers through Chad's. He could trade out books from his locker and get a surprise hug from Mal, or sit down for lunch and get obnoxious kisses from Jay that Chad just about always laughed into because Jay had been his first, had been his hero, and Chad cared for him so very much.
And then there was Ben.
Before, they had shared classes but Chad had always ended up at the back of the classroom. Now Ben always saved a spot for him, and more than that, sometimes the brunette would hold Chad's hand or throw an arm around his shoulders. He would bump their foreheads together and discuss their assignments with Chad when they had free time, and if he was feeling particularly daring and the teacher wasn't paying attention, he would dart forward and press a quick kiss to Chad's lips.
It was entirely overwhelming, and were Chad not so good at school he would have been flustered. As it was he mostly tread the path of continued disbelief because that was Ben and Ben was kissing him.
"You know," Lonnie spoke up at lunch one day because now that Ben sat with them, they got a whole host of other people, like Aziz and Lonnie and Doug and Jane. "I can see why you broke up with Audrey. I mean, before all the criminal stuff came up. It's obvious you like them a lot."
"Yeah," Ben admitted, ducking his head bashfully. "I know I shouldn't do so much PDA, but um- just- it makes my beast happy."
"Hey, man," Aziz began with a grin. "You've got one of the hardest jobs in the kingdom. You may as well do what makes things easier for you."
"Besides," Lonnie cut back in. "It's super cute."
"You take that back," Mal huffed, like she wasn't sitting in Jay's lap at that exact moment.
"Never," Lonnie pledged, grinning when Mal and Jay struck a pose for her when she pulled up her phone to capture the moment.
"Text that to me, please," Evie said, smiling wide, and this was- this was Chad's. He got to have this. They actively wanted it.
It was a lot to wrap his mind around, but he was still glad for it.
-:-:-
So yeah, now Chad had to deal with the additional glares and a lot more whispers behind his back and way more people being nice to him than ever before, probably because they wanted an in with Ben or something, but all of that was manageable.
And then on Wednesday he got a message from his grandfather, which was less manageable.
"What is it?" Carlos asked as they worked on their homework together, Jay off in Prince Malvin's room working on some project for one of his normal classes. "You worried about the dinner tonight?"
"No," Chad said, which wasn't entirely true, he was worried about that, but it wasn't the entire source of his anxiety.
It was understandable to be concerned about a private dinner with the king and queen of Auradon, but Ben wanted them to have a chance to properly meet his parents without the chaos of emergency council meetings and potential arrests hanging over them. It was intimidating, yes, but that wasn't why a new layer of sweat had built up on the back of Chad's neck.
"I got a message from my grandfather," he explained, making Carlos tense. "He wants to meet with me tonight."
"Does he know you have plans?" Carlos pressed, his tone careful, gaze sharp.
It wouldn't have mattered either way. For Chad, the Duke always came first. "It's an emergency," Chad said, going with the familiar excuse. "Could you give the king and queen my regards?"
"Yeah, that's not happening," Carlos said, and somehow, someway, Chad found himself in Mal and Evie's room, the others rounded up in short order for some kind of emergency meeting.
"Guys," Chad sighed, trying not to twist his hands together because he really should be planning out how his conversation with his grandfather was going to go. "I appreciate you concern, but if my grandfather wants to see me, I have to go."
"You have your emergency beacon, right?" Mal asked, always one to cut straight to the point.
"I do," Chad said. "But we'll be meeting in the Sardinian summer house."
Mal gave him a look. "So?"
"So," Chad said. "If I activate it and you teleport in, regardless of what's going on, that would count as trespassing, and my grandfather would prosecute you-"
"Holy fuck," Mal said, dragging a hand over her face. "Seriously?"
"It's not like I'll need to use it anyway," Chad continued, even though he wasn't sure if that was true or not.
Evie, always one to suspect loopholes, considered him with a suspicious look. "Do you think there's a possibility, though?"
"Um." Chad gave in to the desire to start twisting his hands together. "I'm sure it will be fine."
"How about this?" Jay interrupted before Mal could start snarling again. "If you activate the beacon, instead of teleporting to you, we'll teleport you to us."
"Oh." Chad blinked, taking that in. "Yeah, that would work. And that wouldn't count as trespassing!"
Granted, Chad's grandfather would likely be mad at Chad for escaping the closet he was probably going to get banished to, but Chad could explain the situation with the others and maybe lay low at Auradon Castle for a week or however long he was supposed to stay inside. That way, they could all win. All Chad had to do was teleport back to the closet, empty out the bottles he would have been given to ration over his imprisonment, and stroll out of the closet as though nothing had happened. It was foolproof.
"Then we'll do that," Ben said, curling an arm around Mal's shoulders.
"Activate it if you're feeling threatened," Mal ordered. "Activate it if you think you're going to be threatened. Just- take care of yourself. We don't want you to get hurt."
"I'll be fine," Chad said, already feeling better about his meeting already.
Sure, his grandfather would likely be angry, but this time when that disappointment was over Chad would still have five partners and some friends to retreat back to, and that was more than enough for him.
-:-:-
Chad held onto that confidence up to the point where he was being shown into his grandfather's private sitting room, the one that didn't have any windows, the one that Chad was only escorted to when he really messed up, a place he hadn't been forced to visit since last spring.
The Duke was so angry that he didn't even wait for the guards to fully shut the door before he started growling at the prince.
"You foolish boy," his grandfather snarled, his polished cane clutched in both hands. "Your impertinence is unbelievable."
"I didn't mean to meet Ben," Chad said, understanding the gross violation that had angered his grandfather so. "Prince Benjamin, I mean. He kept dropping by unannounced-"
"Because you chose to keep company with his charity cases," the Duke snarled. "Likely hoping for a glimpse of that which you have not earned."
"I'm sorry," Chad gushed. "I'm sorry, but I didn't want to be rude-"
"So you were disobedient instead," his grandfather growled. "Daring to waste Prince Benjamin's time, and even worse, you have somehow wooed him, thus burdening the future of Auradon with your incompetence. The very gall of it, Chadwick. I thought you had restraint. I thought you had training, but no, even enchanted to be unremarkable your mother's whore blood runs in your veins, luring unsuspecting monarchs like a siren's call."
"I-" Chad felt his eyes begin to well up with tears, though this was a familiar diatribe, though he knew he'd done wrong. "I'm sorry."
"You will be," the Duke snapped, shifting his grip on his cane so that he held it by its middle, the solid brass handle wavering high the way one might hold a baseball bat. "First, you are pathetic enough to get legitimate heirs arrested, but now this? When we are done, you will end your correspondence with Prince Benjamin, you will stop associating with those wretched VKs, and you will hide back in the shadows where you belong."
Chad didn't know what would come next, so he was unprepared for his grandfather to swing the cane and hit him hard in the shoulder. Chad released a rough cry on reflex and jerked away, holding his hands up in a poor sort of defense.
"Hold still," his grandfather snapped before swinging again, the cane catching the end of Chad's hand and definitely jarring, if not breaking, a few of his fingers. Pain exploded through his hand, and some of them were angled wrong, and Chad was- he was confused, because he'd been bad before but he'd never warranted this.
The Duke hit him in the side, knocking Chad into a table, and finally Chad fumbled for his emergency bracelet, the small charm hidden among the other decorative pieces acting as an emergency beacon.
"Foolish," the Duke snapped, catching his shoulder. "Stupid. Stupid."
Chad activated the beacon and tried to cover his head, taking another blow to the rear, to the thigh while he cried out, his hands hurting, everything hurting-
Light, and then he was somewhere else, not that he could really see because he was crying so hard, everything seemed blurry and hot and his fingers were broken.
"That son of a bitch," Mal hissed, and then she was beside him, wrapping his good arm around her shoulder. "Gus?"
"He never- he's never h-hit me before," Chad gasped, holding up his injured hand. "Mal."
"Call the doctor," Queen Belle said, because this was the fancy dining room at Auradon Castle, they were having a fancy dinner and Chad ruined it by being a big baby and not taking the punishment he'd definitely earned.
"Sorry," Chad gasped, everything seeming to hurt. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
"You didn't do anything wrong," Queen Belle soothed, and then he was moving, being herded away, and he couldn't stop crying.
He was such a failure. He'd messed up so bad and now his grandfather didn't love him anymore. He should have just followed the rules. He should have been good.
Instead, he was just selfish. And now he'd pay for it.
-:-:-
Ben ended up carrying him to some sort of private medical facility inside Auradon Castle, likely intended solely for the royal family's use. Everything seemed to move by in a blur – a detective from the Inspectors' office meeting them while the doctor questioned him – both asking what had happened, where was he wounded, what was wrong.
Chad struggled to stop crying, holding up the hand with his broken fingers weakly, wrapping an arm around his waist.
"What were you hit with?" he managed to register through his blur of tears.
"Um- c-cane," he gasped. "My grandfather's cane."
They took some scans and had to remove his shirt to investigate the bruises already blossoming across his skin. It was times like this that he was glad the others had been kept outside, only Ben and Queen Belle remaining to keep him company.
Ben couldn't seem to stop growling, but he maintained some kind of comforting point of contact with Chad the entire time.
"It's okay," he soothed, nuzzling Chad's shoulder. "It's going to be okay."
"I don't- I don't think he loves me anymore," Chad croaked. "I messed up. I should have just l-listened."
"You didn't do anything wrong," Ben repeated, his voice firm. "The rules he made – those were wrong, Gus. They were unfair to you."
"But he's right," Chad moaned. "I'm dumb and useless and I shouldn't be w-wasting your time." He let out another weak sob that made his ribs hurt. "I got all those heirs arrested – if I'd just been better-"
"They got themselves arrested," Ben urged. "Their choices are their own. You didn't bait them. You didn't fail because they targeted you, they did. They failed at basic decency and are embarrassments to their station. All you ever did was try to learn the most you could. Tried to take advantage of your opportunity, which was what you should be doing." He gave Chad's good hand a squeeze, resting his head against Chad's shoulder like he was afraid he'd disappear otherwise. "If anything, your presence at the school – in the VKs' lives –has been a benefit to all of us. That makes you far from useless, and the fact that your grandfather can't see that, the fact that he would resort to this – that's a discredit to him." He lowered his voice, looking up at Chad with wide, soulful eyes. "And I'm so sorry, Gus. I'm sorry that you keep getting hurt because you are the last one who deserves it." He curled an arm around Chad's shoulders, soft and gentle. "None of you deserve it, and as my pack, I'm going to do everything I possibly can to protect you from now on."
"Ben," Chad gasped, the rate of his tears beginning to slow down. "Please don't- if you don't mean it long term- I know it seems good now-"
"I would ask you to marry me if I thought it wouldn't freak you out," Ben informed him, which was very accurate and also what. "I'll settle for asking you to be my Gentleman of the Court, though."
"But I'm nobody," Chad said, because he still couldn't believe it. Struggled to believe that maybe his grandfather was wrong, that maybe he was good enough for Ben and the others, that maybe he'd been that way the whole time.
"You're ours," Ben growled. "That's hardly nobody. You're at the top of your class, always eager to obtain new knowledge, and more than that, you are so breathtakingly kind and supportive that it staggers me sometimes."
"Ben…" Chad said, and it felt like a lot, but with Ben looking at him like that, maybe he actually could do this. "I um- I need to show you something."
It had to wait, of course, for his ribs to be wrapped and his fingers splinted, for the doctors to give him a clean bill of health before Queen Belle herded both of them into a private sitting room where the others were waiting.
"Space," Mal ordered when it looked like they were going to rush him. "Give him space, damnit."
Of course, she and Ben were the ones allowed to cuddle Chad, though Jay stubbornly settled down by their feet, letting his head rest against Chad's knee.
"Um," Chad said, fiddling with the necklace he usually kept under his shirt. "Ben, could you undo this, please?"
It took a bit, because the latch was complicated to ensure it wouldn't slip off on accident, but eventually Ben got it undone, breaking the enchantment and revealing Chad's true form in the presence of others for the first time in who knew how long.
More than one person blinked at him in wide eyed amazement, though it was a little encouraging to see a familiar blush spill across the bridge of Ben's nose.
"So um-" Chad swallowed. "This is what I actually look like."
"This was a stupid grandpa thing, wasn't it?" Mal asked, still seeming amazed.
"Yeah," Chad said. "But it was for good reason. He wanted to make sure I found people who loved me for me."
"Or," Carlos said. "He wanted to make it so you wouldn't have a chance at easily settling in. Since, you know, some nobles seem kind of shallow."
"You are so fucking pretty," Jay said, making Chad flush. "I mean, you were pretty before, don't get me wrong. I thought you were fucking adorable, but you are um- you're still-" He let his head fall onto Chad's knee with a low thunk. "Fuck, you're pretty."
"Eloquent as always, Jay," Mal said fondly before turning her gaze back towards Chad. "Though he's not wrong."
"Chad," Chad said, making them pause again. "It's actually Chad. Chad James."
Ben figured it out first. "The crown prince of Sardinia?"
"Yeah, that's um- me," Chad said, smiling bashfully. "Is that okay?"
There was a pause, and then Jay let out a small moan. "Shit."
"I think you have broken Jay's brain," Evie giggled.
"Aw, Jay," Chad said, reaching down to give the Agraben's heads a few pats. "Don't feel bad."
"You have been a prince this entire time," Jay groaned. "Why are you dating me?"
"Because you're the best?" Chad said, confused how this could be a conversation. "Jay, you're my hero."
"Yes," Mal hissed. "It really is a fairytale after all."
"And I didn't even have to lose my shoe," Chad said, and it didn't even hurt to joke about such things.
"Your grandpa," Ben cut in, suddenly serious. "Does that mean he's Duke Francis?"
"Yeah," Chad sighed.
About that time, a throat cleared from the front of the room, and they looked up to see Queen Belle and King Adam standing next to each other.
"That would explain why we're putting out a warrant for his arrest now," King Adam said. "He had you disguised?"
"For my protection," Chad said. "At least, that was what he said."
But he'd also wanted to replace Chad for a long time, so maybe he was just trying to keep him out of the way.
And then the king's words caught up to him. "Wait, how are you arresting him?"
"There was probable cause for another scry," Queen Belle explained. "We had Queen Snow perform it while you were in medical. An attack against one of Ben's partners is no small matter."
"And an attack against a prince is even less so," King Adam said. "The entire Sardinian government will have to be put under observation to see how such a thing was allowed."
"It was just my grandpa, sir," Chad said, fear spiking in his chest. "Please-"
"This isn't your fault," Queen Belle informed him gently. "But as King and Queen of Auradon, we must do our due diligence. We are required to launch an investigation, and if it as you say, it should be a short one."
"I… okay," Chad said, because rules were rules for a reason. He'd never really felt like a prince, probably because his grandfather didn't treat him like one, so it seemed strange to receive the privileges of one. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience."
King Adam's expression crumpled into one of anger. "The only one who should be apologizing for that is Duke Francis himself," he declared. "The fault is not your own."
"Now why don't you six rest up?" Queen Belle offered. "It looks like it's going to be another long week."
-:-:-
"First things first," Mal said when they retreated to Ben's suite once more. "Carlos-" She snagged the back of the young De Ville's collar, Carlos making a beeline for Evie and getting cut off with a small sputter before Mal was shoving him towards Chad's side. "You two are required to cuddle."
"Mal," Carlos whined, his cheeks flushed dark, but Chad was beginning to get the feeling that maybe he just felt the way Chad used to when he was with Jay, like maybe he wasn't good enough for Chad or something, and as such, Chad wrapped an easy arm around his shoulders, holding him close.
"I would be honored to cuddle you, Carlos," Chad informed him earnestly, and that was how Ben came to bundle both of them onto the couch, offering them nuzzles while Carlos shifted uneasily. "Nothing's really changed," Chad told him, hoping it would help, though it didn't really seem to.
Carlos winced. "You're a prince, and I was an asshole to you."
"You were just heartsick," Chad said, running his good hand through Carlos' curls and savoring the flush it earned him. "I get that now, and aside from that you're really smart and clever and talented and cute, and I'm lucky to date you."
Carlos paused for a moment, chewing at his lower lip. "For the record, your grandfather's a jerk."
"I'm beginning to see that," Chad admitted, getting a small grin from Carlos.
"Seems like we all have that kind of shit in common," Mal declared as the rest of them cuddled around. "Except for you, Ben, and don't you dare feel guilty about that."
"Please don't," Chad said, his eyes going wide at the implication. "Your parents are so nice, Ben, I'm glad you have them. I mean- not all your dad's policies are the best, but from a strictly parenting standpoint, he's good."
"I'll give him that," Mal decided. "Maybe not the best king, but definitely a good dad."
"And that should be celebrated," Evie said, giving Ben's flushed cheek a kiss.
"I love you guys," Ben said, and then his gaze went wide in the next moment, like he hadn't meant to say that. "I mean- please don't freak out."
Mal recovered first, slipping into her usual expression of cockiness. "You heard the man, Carlos. No freaking out."
"Fuck you guys," Carlos grumbled before burying himself into Chad's good side, but he didn't run, he stayed, and moreover, he sought out Chad for comfort, so maybe things really were looking up.
Chad could only hope.
-:-:-
Fairy Godmother ended up having their homework delivered for the next week of school so they could hide out while the media went crazy, having a field day in the wake of an entire government needing to be investigated. One of the good things that came from the ordeal was a surprise visit from his father and Captain Anozie, the former of which looked so very distraught when Queen Belle guided him into the library where the lot of them had been taking a break.
"Kit," he said, switching to Chad's childhood nickname before his expression crumpled, his gaze fixed on Chad's finger splints and the arm sling that kept his shoulder immobilized. "Sweetheart, I'm so sorry."
"Dad." Chad was still kind of shocked the king was present, let alone not like, super depressed at the mere sight of Chad, but he was there and he was crowding close, running a hand through Chad's curls. "Are you okay?"
"Am I- Kit," his Chad said. "How can I be okay if you're hurt? I- I'm so sorry," he repeated, falling to his knees beside where Chad was resting on the couch. "When your mother died I felt like such a failure, and I thought- I didn't trust myself, didn't trust that I would need to do what was necessary to keep you safe, so I let your grandfather take care of things. And I thought- the disguise and the fake identity – all of it, I thought it was too much, but if it could keep you safe..." He closed his eyes with a shudder, his gaze welling up with unshed tears. "Fairy Godmother has informed me of the trials you have already suffered, and knowing how that man enabled all of it- there's no excuse, Kit. I failed you, but I'm going to spend the rest of my life trying to make things up to you."
"Dad," Chad croaked, feeling his eyes well up with tears. "I'm sorry."
"You did nothing wrong," his father rushed to say, giving Chad's elbow a comforting squeeze.
"I mean- if I'd been better-"
"You are already the best," his father insisted, his words so earnest that Chad couldn't help but believe them. "Kit, there is nothing in the world that could justify your grandfather's treatment of you. There is nothing you could have done to warrant such a thing, and from now on things are going to be different, okay? You don't have to hide who you are anymore. You're not going to wear secondhand clothes and I'm going to give you a stupidly big monthly stipend-"
"I don't need money," Chad croaked, tears escaping from the corners of his eyes. "I just want you, please. Can- could I call you now?"
"You're going to get more than calls, sweetheart," his father said, reaching over to give his good hand a careful squeeze. "Every family day, weekend visits, holidays – all your extracurriculars-"
Chad shuddered, feeling his cheeks flood with an embarrassed warmth. "I um- I don't have any because of the bullying."
"But you're going to have them," Mal snapped, unable to hold her silence any longer. "Next semester, you're going to take whatever you want and no one's going to fuck with you or they'll have to deal with us."
Chad's father blinked at Mal with wide eyes, likely surprised by the petite young firecracker whose mouth was fouler than her angelic looks would suggest.
"Dad?" Chad spoke up. "This is my girlfriend, Mal. Um." He cleared his throat and motioned to the others. "Actually, these are all my partners."
"Oh," his father said, blinking in confusion. "I'd read about that, but I thought- well, there could always be more than one Gus."
"Not for us," Mal said, crossing her arms with a fierce scowl.
Strangely enough, this was enough to make Chad's father smile, something very fond and wide. "I would hope not. And I hope there's plenty of room for a Chad in your heart too."
Mal shot him an unimpressed look. "What do you take us for, idiots?"
"Certainly not," his father laughed, and it was- yes, it was good. It was definitely everything Chad needed in life.
-:-:-
They ended up having lunch all together in the sunroom – Ben's parents making time to join them to catch Chad's father up on everything. Queen Belle even had a course catalogue brought in so they could help Chad pick out his extra classes for next semester, and the others had fun chiming in with their suggestions for what he could take.
"I like the thought of maybe doing Tourney," Chad admitted. He'd never played the game before because his father thought it was too dangerous, but it would be nice to share an activity with Carlos, Jay, and Ben, especially when Jay seemed to love it so much. "If that's okay."
"You'll have to wait until the next fall semester since the season's almost done," Ben said, his brows furrowed in thought. "But you could take Swords and Shields as a spring credit."
"Sardinia is known for our swords and shields," his father offered as his own show of support, referring to Sardinia's official emblem. "We could schedule you some trips back home so you can pick up the basics with Captain Anozie."
"That would be amazing," Chad admitted with a happy flush. When he'd approached his grandfather to learn the traditional trade of the Sardinian royal family, his grandfather had insisted such things were too dangerous for him. It had made Chad feel even lower than before, because he was being excluded from something he should know, like he wasn't good enough to possess such knowledge.
So he'd have Swords and Shields with Jay and Carlos and a sewing class with Evie and an advanced government functions class with Ben that he hadn't been able to take before because it was only for royal heirs and Gus hadn't been one of those (it had actually cut him off from a lot of the classes he'd wanted to take, so he was glad he didn't have to do that now).
"Wow," Chad said when they were done, unsure of what to do with so much happiness.
"You deserve this," Evie reminded him gently. "Come on, let's go finish scheduling the rest of your father's visits here and your visits back home."
They did that because they had the time for it, and then maybe Queen Belle suggested they run some practice drills on the back lawn so they wouldn't get 'rusty', and Jay showed Chad the basics of Tourney and Chad wasn't quite a natural but he had a lot of fun. It was even better with his father and Queen Belle to cheer them on, and even more fun when Mal insisted on getting in on the action for the express purpose of tackling Jay and no one else.
"Mal," Jay groaned the second time after she knocked him off his feet.
"You have to be prepared at all times, Jadir," Mal cackled before she went off to bother Carlos with excessive tickles, because now that she could be affectionate with her partners in public, she did so frequently.
"Do you think I could be a cheerleader?" Evie asked when they were taking a water break.
"We know there's a vacancy with Audrey gone," Mal said. "I don't see why you couldn't be allowed a chance."
"I'll talk to Eleaci," Ben said, referring to the heir of Prydain, Chad thought. "She's on the cheerleading team."
"We have so many options now," Mal giggled.
"And two princes," Evie hummed, resting her head on Mal's shoulder.
"Look, I'll be honest," Mal said. "I'm less interested in that and more interested in how good their taste is."
Chad cleared his throat. "I, for one, am grateful for your good taste," he said, feeling a pleased flush spread over the bridge of his nose.
"Flatterer," Jay said, taking the opportunity to pull Chad into his lap, like he'd gotten over the prince thing after all. "Shit, man – how did assholes like us get something like this?"
"By not being assholes," Ben growled, one arm looped around Carlos while he nuzzled into the part of Jay's neck they'd discovered was sensitive. "You're wonderful and you're pack, and I will hear no slander against you."
"Mushy," Jay grumbled, and it was probably natural for Ben to follow that up with a determined kiss that left Mal catcalling with some delighted cackles.
Yes, this was- it was good.
Chad worried, of course he did, for what the next week would bring him. Going to school as himself, with the world knowing about his grandfather's abuse, dating these five wonderful people and having an actual relationship with his dad. All of it was new and anxiety-inducing, but through it all he knew he'd have these people, his people, and that kept it from being scary.
"Oh man," Chad gasped, wiping at his eyes again when he found them welling with happy tears. "This really is ours, isn't it?"
It was Mal that answered him, the purple-haired teen slipping her hand into his own and giving it a comforting squeeze. "Yeah, blondie," she said, giving him a wide, comforting smile. "This is ours, and not a damn person in the world is going to take it away without a fight, that much I can guarantee."
And since it was Mal, who had already faced worse odds and come out on top, Chad believed her, because Mal Bertha didn't do a damn thing she did not desire. And somehow, she desired Chad.
Which meant he must be something special after all.
-:-:-
Endnotes:
Thank you guys for the love and feedback this fic received! I wasn't expecting much of a response as I considered it one of my smaller, less exciting stories, and seeing your continued support as this story was updated was awesome. If you're looking for more Descendants works, my next fic will be a Ben-centric quick and smutty two parter that is just plain dumb fun.
Story notes:
Just about every one of Chad's casual Descendants' outfits have a shield emblem with a sword inside. I decided that was Sardinia's crest rather than Auradon Prep's, hence Sardinia's emphasis on swords and shields combat.
-:-:-
"I want your symphony, singing in all that I am. At the top of my lungs, I'm giving it all back. So I lay my head back down, and I lift my hands and pray, to be only yours I pray, to be only yours I know now, you're my only hope." – 'Only Hope' by Mandy Moore.