Archive of Our Own

Doug knew she was worried about what their day would hold, and he was too, a little. But he also knew that he wouldn’t be anywhere else. He lifted their hands to place a kiss on hers in the heart-shaped hole of her leather gloves. “Of course... you don’t need to keep thanking me.”

“I know,” she sighed softly, holding onto his arm with her other hand. But the uncertainty of everything he would see was causing her stomach to twist in knots. They had been walking around the Isle for a little while, her showing him around the main streets, even Evie’s Alley. There was light activity, and most who recognized her had been friendly (by isle-standards), but she still didn’t know who she would run in to.

She could see the castle in the distance now, looking much different in the isle's new daylight glow. The black bricks were worn without the shine from freshly fallen raindrops. The pit in her stomach grew with each step that neared the doors, feeling a new sense of vulnerability with the uncertainty of her mother’s behavior. The last time they spoke, Evil Queen had seemed to be holding a grudge against Evie for leaving her alone in the castle for so long.

“Whatcha thinking?”

Evie realized they had stopped walking a few steps away from the door, and Doug was looking worried that she had stopped responding. Of course, her natural response was to say nothing was wrong and that everything was fine, but it was far from believable, given the circumstances.

She shrugged and sighed, drumming her fingers against his jacket, “Just not sure what you’re about to see...”

Doug nodded. He quite literally had no idea what to expect, except a potentially hostile welcome, though he was sure Evie wouldn’t bring him if it weren’t safe.

He held up his pinky finger. “Okay, let's make a pact... Since we both don’t know what will happen, let’s promise that no matter what, it’s not going to change anything. I, Douglas, promise that I’m not going to judge you for anything your mom says or does.” Doug continued when he saw a light smile on Evie’s lips. “If you accept this pinky promise, you are promising not to judge me about anything that’s said about my parents or how badly I might embarrass myself.”

Evie’s smile grew as a breathy laugh escaped through her nose. She gladly joined fingers with him, using the physical promise to pull him closer so she could press a soft kiss to his mouth. “I love you no matter what,” she promised. “How did you get so good at this?”

“It’s not the same, but I spent some time convincing people that I’m not like my parents...” he admitted, thinking back to when he first started at Auradon Prep, and everyone wondered how the son of a mindless dwarf has gotten into such a rigorous school. “I’ve made a lot of pacts.”

“Well, I’m grateful that you’re here,” she cooed, straightening herself up and doing a little shake of her arms to get her nerves out. “Ready?”

Doug squeezed her hand and nodded in response as they walked the rest of the steps to the front door.

Evie was surprised that her mother had done some cleaning since her last visit. Things were still scattered here are there, but there were less dust and cobwebs on the furniture.

Walking into her childhood house with Doug, she had never felt more vulnerable. She might as well have been standing naked in the middle of the Isle Market on its busiest day. The uncertainty of it all was stressful, but she was fully prepared to make a hasty exit if need be.

Doug was pretty sure he blacked out when he stepped foot into the Evil Queen’s castle, nerves absolutely taking over his brain, and who knows what taking over his body. If you had told him a few years ago that he would be introducing himself to his family’s mortal enemy as her daughter’s partner, he would not have believed a single word. It's not like his side was completely innocent either, as his relatives had been responsible for EQ's downfall. It was complicated, to say the least.

But he managed an introduction, and although she didn’t exactly welcome him with open arms, it was going relatively smoothly.

“This is one of my favorite meals on the Isle,” Evie shared through bites of the carryout dinner. Auradon restaurants were now delivering to the Isle, which was certainly the talk of the town.

The Evil Queen nodding in agreement. “The flavor is like... sour... but in a good way?”

“That’s the lemon,” Evie smiled. “Easily one of the best flavors of Auradon foods!“

Doug smiled at the two of them. He felt a sense of relief seeing them get along; he knew how much it meant to Evie. And there were some similarities between the two that Doug found endearing, like how Evie became intrigued by Lemon flavored foods after coming to Auradon. And the way they both scrunched their nose and tilted their head when they were confused or curious.

Anything that connected the Evil Queen to Evie calmed his nerves, strangely. It made her seem more human and less like the villain he had heard about for so many years as a child.

Evie continued to tell her mom about the Auradon bakery that makes her favorite cupcake, topped with lemon icing that she swore was to die for.

“They have great apple pie too,” Doug added, “Evie tells me yours is hard to beat, though.”

Evie looked at him next to her and smiled, happy he was doing so well in this interesting situation. She was sure her mother was not expecting the son of a dwarf to compliment her apple pie recipe. “Remember when I brought it to your house,” Evie laughed, Doug joining in after her.

“That was a mess,” he recalled. His extended family hadn’t fully trusted her at first, and well, Doug was allergic to the cinnamon it contained. “Though it was delicious.”

The Evil Queen watched her daughter closely. She was laughing in a way she’d never seen before, cheeks full, mouth wide, eyes squinted, her sing-song voice chorusing through the room.

She used to scold Evie for doing so; smiling that wide would cause wrinkles, especially when her eyes squinted like that. She expected her daughter to look goofy with her face all scrunched up, but she was... even prettier, her pearly white teeth on full display.

She’d never seen her this.... happy.

The Evil Queen didn’t know what she expected when she agreed to let Evie bring her significant other to dinner. She hadn’t spoken to Evie in months, and her guest happened to be the offspring of multiple families who indeed hated her guts. And rightfully so, she reckoned. She had done plenty of bad things in the past. She began to wonder what they were like now.

“So, tell me about your... extended family,” The Evil Queen grinned, as politely as she could muster.

Evie was surprised, and if Doug was, he barely let it show. She didn’t think they would breach this topic so soon, though it would be hard not to. The elephant in the room had been taking up the empty seat at the table.

Doug told Evie’s mom about his family, siblings mostly, and some cousins. He wasn’t sure how much to say, but he noted that they were doing well.

EQ absolutely hated to admit it, but she enjoyed having her little "Evilette" back under her roof... if she could even call her that anymore. The years without her and her gang making noise throughout the castle were... lonely.

“When do I get to see this place of yours?” She questioned, taking another bite of her food.

“Um...” Evie started, not sure what to tell her. She didn’t know if she wanted her mother to come to see her home yet, unprepared for the critiques that were sure to slip out. Plus, she didn’t want her mother to overstay her welcome. “I have a lot of younger VKs staying there right now... it’s a bit of a mess.”

It wasn’t a complete lie- most of the VKs had been accepted into the dorms now, but she still had a few at her house, including Dizzy and Celia.

The Evil Queen nodded. The barrier was no more, but she had yet to venture across the bridge, even missing the celebration that occurred in its absence. Parties weren't of her interest when they weren't about her (though she had thought about going... for Evie).

Her daughter's visit the week before had started rough, but she soon realized she would lose her again if she stuck to her old ways.

"Well, it would be nice to see it one day... and get a tour of Auradon." 

Evie pondered the statement for a moment, looking for the sarcasm in her words, but it wasn't there. "Yeah," she carefully agreed, eyeing Doug for his approving reaction. "That would be nice."

“I’d say that went pretty well,” Doug beamed as he shoved one hand in his pocket and let the other find Evie’s back as they strode into the night. The sun had just barely ducked under the horizon, so a soft purple still hung below the stars.

“Me too,” Evie grinned, feeling much better than she had before. She stopped when she noticed how breathtaking the sky was. “We've never had this nice of a view,” she marveled, remembering the gloomy clouded sky she used to see out her window.

Doug turned to see her enthralled by the sunset and gently kissed her cheek. “Where to next?”

Evie pondered his question for a moment. She didn’t want to stay out too long after dark, but an obvious place she had forgotten popped into her mind. She quickly mentioned the hideout to him and began to lead the way.

Doug was sure he knew what place she was referring to- where Mal had returned to just before Cotillion. Evie mentioned the abandoned loft they had turned into their home away from home a few times before.

When they arrived, Doug watched Evie with furrowed brows as she searched for a stone. “Do we need helmets or something?” He asked, noticing the Danger: Flying Rocks sign that hung above them.

Evie snickered, deciding to answer his question by showing him. She finally found a rock big enough to do the trick, and she swung it towards the sign.

Doug’s eyes widened as the gate to the stairs lifted beside them, an effect of the rock hitting the warning sign. “Whoa,” he breathed, “Did you make that?”

Evie shrugged like it was nothing. “It was a group effort, but mostly Carlos and I. It kept us safe...”

Doug nodded in awe, noting how cool the system was before Evie grabbed his hand to lead him up the stairs. They slipped in behind a canvas curtain, spray-painted with “Get Lost” and “Stay Out” in Mal’s fashion. The other side revealed an open space, walls covered with more of Mal’s graffiti, and rooms scattered with mismatched furniture. There was a couch, a table and some chairs, and a few rooms off to the side that resembled bedrooms. One bed was easily identifiable as Evie’s given the bed's neat making and the blue and red decor surrounding it - and the giant painting of her on the wall above it.

“Jay always knew where to find the best furniture,” Evie explained, looking around the place. “We’ve also taken a lot of our old stuff back to Auradon, but it looks like I left a few things...” she noticed as she walked over to the makeshift desk she used to make her clothes at.

Doug wandered around, taking a mental note of everything he’s seen of Evie’s life on the Isle. He already considered her one of the strongest people he knew, but the visit today solidified that. The way she and her friends had built themselves a second home was genius, though he hated that they had to in the first place.

Things were better now; he knew that. They had all grown so much and were even working towards mending their strained parental relationships, as evidenced by their time with the Evil Queen. Doug smiled as he watched Evie flip through the contents of her old desk. “Find anything good?” He asked gently, sitting down on the hard, springy mattress on which she used to sleep.

“Not really,” she responded, turning her attention back to him. “Dizzy saved most of my sketches and gave them back to me already.”

Doug offered his hand as she walked towards the bed, and she gladly took it and sat down next to him, their knees bumping against each other. “Thanks for showing me around today,” he smiled, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. She smiled as she nuzzled her head on his shoulder.

“I do have one question, though...”

“What’s that?” Evie asked curiously.

“Do you think Mal can paint one of those in my room?” He teased, pointing to her face on the wall.

Evie laughed as Doug enveloped her in a bear hug, the two of them falling back on the mattress. Though it wasn’t a soft landing, they chuckled nonetheless, laying there for a moment in each other’s arms.

Evie watched Doug’s chest rise and fall as their breathing and laughter slowed. She smiled contently to herself, cozying her head under his arm, thinking how far she’d come since she last laid on the lumpy mattress.

“Can’t say I miss this bed,” she admitted, shifting her body, thankful for the larger, softer bed and everything she now had in Auradon.

Doug squeezed her shoulder as they sat upright again. “You ready to go?”

Evie nodded, looking around one more time, wondering what they could do with this place now. Perhaps they could fix it up for someone else to live.

Evie stood up and led Doug back down the stairs, feeling complete as they stepped in the dim-lit pathway towards the bridge. She silently laughed to herself at how nervous she had been earlier, knowing full and well that Doug was accepting of whatever life she had before. Her mom seemingly accepting her new life was the icing on the cake, and not running into any of her old flames was the cherry on top.

Doug noticed Evie’s smirk as he looked over at her in the moonlight. “What’s that for?”

Evie refused to hide her flirtatious smile now as she approached a familiar corner. “There’s actually one more place I think we should go...”

Doug’s eyes scanned the area as he followed Evie off the main road down an alley, trying to stifle his nerves since Evie didn’t appear to be bothered by the dark alleyway and the opaque tunnel they ended up in. “Where are we?” He whispered as they stopped at the part of the tunnel where there was just enough light from outside peeking in for him to make out the expression on her face... and boy did he like what he saw.

Evie’s bright red lips curled into a taunting grin as she softly cornered him against the curved concrete wall, slipping one hand behind his neck. “We...” she spoke slowly as her other fingers danced up his torso, pausing when one finger reached his chin, “are at the best spot in the Isle for... this.”

Doug wasted no time wrapping his arms around her waist when Evie captured his lips with hers. She smiled into the kiss, giggling softly at his eagerness as she slid her hand around from his chin to meet her other one, tangled in his hair.

Doug’s hands slowly wandered into the heart-shaped pockets on the back of her skirt when they stopped to breathe, Evie quickly pecking his lips again before resting her forehead against his.

“Should’ve let you take me here a lot sooner...” he whispered teasingly.

She chuckled, bumping their noses together as she lightly nibbled his bottom lip. She hadn’t been down this tunnel in years, too many unpleasant memories with toxic people surrounding it. Until now, when she could create new ones, amazing ones, delighting in the sensation of kissing her "true love" on the Isle. She never thought she’d see the day.

“You alright?” Doug asked quietly upon noticing her lost in thought.

Evie nodded, a subtle smirk across her lips. “Never better.”

Doug smiled back before pressing soft kisses around her face. Evie hummed contently as his lips reached her neck, pulling herself closer to him when she heard something snap.

Their eyes flew open immediately at the sound, verifying they both had heard the same thing- they weren’t alone.

Evie turned her head away from Doug’s panicked face to look down the tunnel, her hands falling to his shoulders.

She didn’t see much at first, but slowly, the outline of a figure grew closer; whoever it was cleared their throat. “Funny seeing you here...”

Evie tensed; she recognized the creepily raspy voice. It was Clay Clayton, the exact person she was hoping to avoid this entire time. Just the sound of his voice made her skin crawl.

She slowly peeled herself away from Doug, almost wishing they had just gone home. She knew exactly what Clay was referring to. In fact, the last time she saw him, they might have been in this same spot together.

Evie put on her sickly sweet smile, though she wasn’t so sure he would be able to see it. “Something tells me this isn’t a coincidence.”

“You’re not accusing me of following you, are you?” He asked back, his tone dripping with sarcasm. It was disgusting.

She thought back to where it all started: her previous relations with Anthony Tremaine, Clay’s right-hand man. He was the more attractive of the two, and when Evie heard her first year at Dragon Hall that he had a thing for her, well, she thought that was it. He wasn’t a prince, but those were hard to find on the Isle, and she presumed Lady Tremaine’s grandson would be enough status to please her own mother.

Of course, that’s not how things turned out. She quickly learned he was only interested in her for one reason, allowing Clay to start rumors about how “easy” of a good time she was. Thus, her reputation was born, and Clay came after her every chance he could get.

Luckily, Auradon had saved her from being trapped in that pattern, and she learned that she had experienced love with Mal, Jay, and Carlos all along. Then came Doug, and he always made her feel loved. His hand on her back reminded her that she was okay.

“Doug, this is Clay Clayton. Clay, this is Doug, my-“

“I’ve heard the rumors," he snarled, "but I never thought you were the type to settle."

Doug felt the heat rising to his cheeks, the blatant disrespect causing fumes out of his ears. He looked at Clay in confusion; he seemed to be all bark. He was built like Ben, not very muscular but was also much shorter. Doug could possibly take him, not that he would, though, or need to. Evie was fully prepared to shut him down.

“You do know a lot about rumors,” Evie smirked. “Now, if you’ll excuse us, we must go. I’d say it was nice to see you, but...”

Doug couldn’t help but laugh in surprise at Evie’s cold shoulder. He hadn’t seen her tell anyone off like that in a long time. His hand flicked a quick wave toward the darkness of the tunnel as his other was pulled toward the dim street lights by Evie.

“Don’t think you’ll need to worry about him anymore...” Doug started as he caught up to Evie’s quick steps.

“I sure hope so...” Evie trailed. “He’s one of the people I hope stays living on the Isle.”

They walked in silence on the Isle streets for a moment, finally nearing the bridge to Auradon. There were still remnants of confetti and streamers from when the barrier came down.

Doug wasn’t a hundred percent sure about the situation, so he just nodded, but he knew enough about Evie’s past to put some pieces together. Doug could tell she was still a little shaken about their recent encounter, though, so he finally spoke. "Do you want to talk about it?”

Evie sighed, letting out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding and shrugged as she fiddled with his fingers in her hand. “Not much to talk about... I just didn’t really know my worth before I came to Auradon... so all that just brought up some not-so-great memories...”

Doug nodded in understanding, wrapping his free arm around her and rubbing her back for support. He hated how she used to think about herself, mostly from her mother’s teachings, and he never wanted her to feel like that ever again.

Evie sighed lighter this time, leaning in the crook of his neck, the refreshing scent of everything good and loving and warm flooding her soul. No longer should the be Isle a place of terror and fear, but a place of hope and rejuvenation, she would make sure of it.

She tilted upwards to look at him and couldn’t help but smile. He had that effect on her. "Thank you for today," she murmured, kissing his cheek before resting her head again. "It means the world to me."

Doug knew he was blushing when a broad smile snuck upon his face. He kissed the top of her head, rocking them both slowly. "You mean the world to me," he said cheesily, though he meant every word.

This time, Evie was the one to blush, cheeks darker than the red on her lips at the corner of her smile as she faced him. "Oh, really? Tell me more," she teased, stretching her arms over his shoulders and locking her hands behind his head as she captured his lips. 

Doug's arms wrapped around her waist. Smiling against her lips, he mumbled, "Have I told you today that I love you?"

Evie snickered as she pulled away, pretending to ponder his question. "I'm not sure... maybe you should say it again..."

He whispered his favorite words in her ear as he kissed the side of her head, continuing to sway in the moonlight.

Evie looked out across the bridge, the water under it twinkling with the reflection of the mainland's city lights. She turned behind her to admire the lights of the Isle as well. It had changed immensely in such a short time.

For a moment, she wondered if she would ever live on this side of the bridge again. She finally settled on the fact that it could be a possibility, somewhere out in the future.  Looking back at Doug, she figured he wouldn't need much convincing, but she wasn't done with Auradon just yet.

She quite literally could have stood there with him looking out across the water for eternity, but the ache in her feet from the cutest shoes she wore to impress her mother was becoming too much. They were not her walking heels.

Doug looked confused as she untangled herself from his arms. 

"My feet are killing me," she reassured, kissing him quickly. "Let's go home."

He happily agreed.