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Doug rechecked his watch as he waited outside one of Auradon Prep's many classrooms. Evie was currently in her Auradon History class, which was typically for first-year students at Auradon Prep. Given that the Isle didn’t exactly teach this history in their schools, Evie was stuck taking it now.
He peered into the door’s window. The class was still going on- some teachers really like to hold their students until the very last minute. Doug usually wasn’t this antsy about walking to Chemistry class with Evie, but he had something else on his mind today.
Beastgiving was coming up, a holiday that prizes a family feast of sorts. Evie and her friends had never taken part in this holiday before, and Doug got permission from his family to invite a few extra guests this year. No, it wasn’t a date, it was just to make sure their first Beastgiving feast was a good one, and to make his slightly less dreadful.
Ever since Ben’s coronation, he and Evie had been hanging out a lot, as friends/lab partners/study buddies, whatever you want to call it. Of course, his heart still beats a little faster when they are together, and his palms a little more sweaty, but she obviously didn’t feel the same. He actually quite enjoyed being Evie’s friend. She was funny, intelligent, and so eager to learn about life in Auradon.
Finally, the bell rang, and he stood up straight, waiting to see her blue hair through the crowd walking out the door.
“Hey!” Evie chimed, finding Doug in the flock of students. “Ready for Chemistry?”
“Of course,” he smiled. “How was history?”
“Less boring than usual, actually,” she explained. “Beastgiving traditions are pretty interesting.”
Doug nodded as they walked. “I actually was gonna talk to you about that. My family always has this huge dinner- all my uncles and their families included. I was wondering if you wanted to come to eat with us.... and Mal, Jay, and Carlos too if they want....” he rambled. “Or if you want to avoid the holiday, that’s cool too! Or if you want to just come for dessert! Or if-“
Evie laughed, cutting him off. “Aw, that’s really sweet! We already accepted Ben’s invitation to eat with his family though,” she expressed. “But, joining you guys for dessert sounds fun! I’ll bring pie!”
Doug smiled, happy she wanted to come with him. “Yeah, that sounds great!”
"Are you sure you don’t want to come?” Evie asked, almost begging her friends.
“Evie, you’ll be fine,” Mal reassured her. They had just finished a terribly filling feast with Ben and his family and were hanging out in the castle before dessert.
Evie, however, told Doug she would stop by his place. She was a little worried about meeting his family, given the backgrounds at play.
“Are you nervous about your big date?” Jay teased, causing Carlos to chuckle.
“I told you, it’s not a date,” Evie repeated. “He invited all of us!”
“But he mostly just wants you to go,” Carlos added.
Mal smiled at her friends. It wasn’t often that Evie was nervous, but she understood. She was even nervous to eat with Ben’s parents that night, and she had already met them, and they were actually dating. Not to mention that their parents weren’t direct enemies.... so yeah, Mal could imagine that Evie was feeling a lot of pressure. They had only been in Auradon a few months now, and Mal even felt that pressure herself. It’s like if they made a single mistake, they’d be sent right back to the Isle of the Lost.
“E, if anyone can do this, it’s you,” Mal encouraged. “You’re so polite and charming; they’re gonna love you. Everybody loves you!”
Evie smiled, “Thanks, M."
She said her goodbyes to her friends and made sure to thank Ben and his parents on the way out, leaving one of her pies behind. It would have been rude to come empty-handed.
Evie eventually arrived at a quaint cottage in the woods- much bigger than she expected- with another pie dish in her hands. She took a deep breath before knocking on the door.
Thankfully, Doug answered and greeted her with a huge smile.
“Evie!” he exclaimed, “Come in!” Doug showed her inside and took the plate from her hands. She looked beautiful, as always, and her dessert smelled amazing. Although, he did recognize the faint smell of cinnamon coming from the dish, but didn’t have the heart to say anything. He must've forgotten to mention that in their previous conversations.
Doug immediately introduced her to his Mom, Dad, and younger sister Darcy, who was insanely starstruck to be meeting her. She couldn't believe that someone as cool as Evie was friends with her "nerdy" brother, as she put it. She wore a neat green dress, very Auradon, but Evie could tell she had tried to add a little edge to her outfit with accessories and sneakers, which made her smile. Darcy reminded Evie of her friend Dizzy from the Isle.
Doug’s dad was exactly what she expected, short and dorky, but incredibly kind. His mom, on the other hand, was not what she expected. She was tall, with long brown hair, and was wearing a gorgeous sparkly gown. Doug didn’t really talk about either of his parents that much, but they seemed nice from what Evie could tell.
Evie also learned a little bit about Doug's older brother Derek, who played R.O.A.R. professionally and unfortunately had to miss out on the holiday. She mentally made a note to tell Jay later, as he would be very interested in talking to Doug about it.
After she met what felt like a thousand more people, the group finally announced it was time to sit back down at the large, rectangular table. Evie was surprised that she had been accepted so quickly, at least it seemed that way. Coming to Auradon was a struggle at first, getting judged by everyone she met. Maybe, people were finally starting to realize that she and her friends weren’t so bad after all.
It was still intimidating, though, being with Doug’s family. Luckily, Snow White had left after dinner, so she didn’t have to face that quite yet. She was happy to be sitting between Doug and Darcy, whom she was both very fond of.
Everyone laughed and cheered as the adults began to serve the pies, one by one.
“Look at this glorious pie that Evie brought,” Doug’s mom boasted. “What kind is it?”
“Apple,” Evie smiled as the room grew tense. She realized her mistake as soon as the words left her mouth. How had she not recognized the issue sooner? It wasn’t like she made an apple pie on purpose, but that was the recipe she knew best. It was her mother’s favorite fruit.
Doug felt the room freeze, too, as he looked over at Evie. She looked absolutely mortified.
Luckily, Darcy, Dopey, and his wife took a slice on their plate. Whether it was just to be nice, Evie wasn’t sure, but she appreciated it greatly.
“Anyone else?” Doug’s mom asked the rest of the table.
After a moment of silence, Grumpy chimed in. “You want to serve us apple pie from the Evil Queen’s daughter?”
It was times like this when Doug wished some of his uncles were better at reading the room. His heart ached as he looked over at Evie again, embarrassed that she had to put up with this when he invited her here. She looked back at him, upset and clearly speechless. Doug was glad she wasn’t retaliating, though, as he was fighting off the efforts to do so himself. A fight with Grumpy never ends well.
“I’ll take some too,” Doug added, serving himself a slice.
“But Doug-“ Darcy chimed, trying to warn him. It was too late, though, he had already taken a bite.
“This is really good, Evie,” he said, smiling at her next to him, as the rest of the table slowly began to eat the pies on their plates. His family agreed.
“Thank you,” she whispered to him, grateful to have him on her side. She noticed the watchful eyes on her, though, probably to make sure her pie wasn’t poisoning Dopey’s family.
It wasn’t, of course, but to her surprise, Doug started coughing, his face getting red and splotchy.
“Doug? Are you okay?” Evie asked, worriedly, ignoring the whispers around her.
Doug’s mom and dad immediately shot up. “There’s cinnamon in this!”
Evie nodded confusedly and watched them fluster around. “Doug’s allergic to cinnamon!” She finally heard someone exclaim.
Her face fell instantly. Without a second thought, she ran to the kitchen, asking the family members that followed for certain ingredients to mix together. Quickly enough, she had a remedy, and she rushed back to Doug.
“Drink this,” she urged, shoving the cup in his face. The family members that had crowded around him seemed wary, but Doug took it from her immediately, drinking every last drop.
Evie watched his face intently as he started to regain his normal breathing. She let out a sigh of relief and sat back down. She didn't even notice there had been a knot in her stomach until it had disappeared. For a second, she found herself thinking about what her life in Auradon would be like without him as a friend... and it didn't feel right.
Doug finally looked over at her,” Thanks,” he smiled softly, still stabilizing his allergic reaction.
She only heard murmurs around her as everyone returned to their original seats as she continued to focus on Doug. Many were thanking her, admiring her speed and calmness in handling the situation, while others were still questioning her motives.
“Oh, Evie, thank you!” Doug’s mom exclaimed, running over to hug her quickly. Evie wasn’t expecting it, but she smiled nonetheless.
“I’ve learned a thing or two about potions in... um... chemistry class,” she added, awkwardly. It wasn’t a complete lie, she had learned a lot about elements in her chemistry class, but she also knew a lot about potions from her mother.
“Well, I’m glad you were here to help,” she exclaimed. “And I’m glad you and Doug were partnered together in class- he hasn’t stopped talking about you since you came to Auradon Prep.”
“Mom...” Doug groaned in embarrassment from his seat.
Evie laughed. “I'm glad we were paired together, too.”
After things had died down and everyone began to disperse around the house, Evie followed Doug outside to sit on the front steps. They sat in silence for a moment, as Evie reveled in the night’s events. Those who were uncertain about her had begun to come around, complimenting her pie and first aid abilities.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were allergic to cinnamon?!” She finally questioned, almost angrily.
He shrugged, the corners of his lips turning slightly upwards, “Never seemed relevant.”
Evie sighed and rolled her eyes. “Well I’m glad you’re okay-“
“Thanks to you,” he interjected with a smile.
Evie smiled as well, before shoving him playfully. “But don’t you ever do anything like that again, okay? I’ll never forgive you if I have to have Chad as my lab partner.”
He laughed, agreeing that he wouldn’t purposefully eat cinnamon for her again, though he was sure he would never have the chance.
They sat there a little longer, taking in the sights and sounds of the forest around them, before heading back inside. Evie was sure to say goodbye to everyone, thanking them for having her.
She thanked Doug last, giving him a quick hug before heading back to the dorms with a smile on her face.
“I like her,” Darcy marveled, walking up next to Doug as they made sure Evie made it to the car they called.
Doug smiled down at his younger sister, thinking about his actions that night and the hug he'd just received. "Me too."