Work Text:
It's early on a Saturday morning that the girls dorm room is buzzing with energy. Evie quietly works at her desk, and the other three all sprawled out on the beds. Carlos is sat on Evie's bed, various flyers and a laptop surrounding him. Jay lounges on Mal's bed with a half-asleep Mal draped across him. The gentle sound of Evie's sewing machine thrumming is drowned out as Carlos's excited chatter fills the space.
"There's gonna be 30 puppies!" Carlos exclaims as he taps the laptop screen.
Jay nudges Mal's shoulder and smirks down at her, “I count 31.”
Mal rolls her eyes playfully and snuggles closer into Jay.
Carlos frowns and shakes his head. He looks back at the laptop and hums considerably.
"I'm sure Ben said 30," Carlos's eyes widen and he scratches his neck, "I'll have to recalculate just in case, and-"
Jay chuckles and waves his hand, "Relax ‘Los, you're totally prepared."
Carlos shakes his head and returns his gaze to the laptop. "No way! There’s tons to know if I’m gonna be really prepared. I’ve already learned some really cool stuff though! Did you know a dog's sense of smell is approximately 100,000 times better than ours?!"
"You won't have any sense if you don't shut up!" Mal grumbles and pulls the blanket higher.
Jay tugs it back and pokes Mal's arm. She lets out a low hiss and scratches Jay's stomach in retaliation.
"Ignore her, man, Mal's just grumpy cause she can't go back to sleep," Jay teases in a sing-song voice.
Carlos puts his laptop down and leans forward with a teasing grin. "Hey, Mal, did you know the tallest dog is 44 inches?"
Mal mutters something barely audible and keeps her eyes tightly shut.
"So, we'd need 10 of you to measure up." Carlos carries on, smirking as she growls at him.
"Shut it, dog breath," Mal tosses her pillow at his head.
Carlos narrows his eyes, staring defiantly back at Mal as his hand clutches the edge of his pillow. Mal grabs Jay's pillow, her arm raised to strike again.
"Children, behave," Evie chastises without looking up, "or neither of you will go to the pet shop."
Mal scoffs and dramatically clutches her heart, "Aw, I can feel my heart breaking."
Carlos levels her with a pout and folds his arms, looking at Mal with wide eyes.
Jay shakes his head and bumps Mal’s shoulder with a cheeky grin.
“Maybe they have dragon toys.” Jay taps his finger to his chin. “A nice squeaky toy should calm our Mallie right down.”
Jay is chuckling as Mal whacks him with his pillow and gnaws at his shoulder. He easily flips her over and teases his fingers over Mal’s hips.
“Jay, I swear to Hades if you-”
Mal is cut off by her own gasp as Jay rolls his eyes and swoops down to press his lips against hers. Mal’s hands tangle in Jay’s hair and she yanks him closer, smiling against his lips when he groans.
Carlos watches them with a soft smile, glancing over to the desk to find Evie watching with a similar expression. Jay whispers something in Mal’s ear and her entire face flushes violently. Carlos tears his gaze from the pair and crosses the short space to the desk. Evie puts down her work and greets Carlos with a warm smile.
“You aren’t joining the horndogs, then?” Evie asks with a teasing smirk.
Carlos shrugs and sits beside her. “Thought I’d see how your designs were coming along.”
Evie holds up her latest creation: a light blue collared, sleeveless denim waistcoat with tiny silver studs around the collar. She gives Carlos an expectant smile, looking to him and back to the waistcoat seemingly in deep thought.
“I feel like there’s something missing.”
Carlos hums thoughtfully and tilts his head to look at the design more. "May I?"
Evie smiles nodding eagerly as she hands him the waistcoat. Carlos runs his fingers over the seems, studying the fabric carefully before his gaze flits to the various threads and patterned fabrics covering the desk. He picks up a navy fabric with lilac swirls and holds it against the waistcoat. Carlos nods once and hands them both to Evie.
“You can create a bigger patch to put in the middle,” Carlos suggests softly, gaze locked on his hands. “I think a star would look good.”
Evie’s smile lights up her face and she claps her hands excitedly. “Yes! Carlos, that’s perfect!”
She leans into Carlos’s space, close enough for the sweet scent of caramel to surround him and kisses his cheek, her thumb tenderly brushing over the spot.
“You’re so good at this,” Evie says, the pride clear in her voice.
Carlos scratches the back of his neck. “Not as good as you.”
Evie uses her finger to tilt his chin up and waits until Carlos’s gaze drifts up to speak. Her voice is as warm as her smile: “You have an eye for fashion! I love how you can tie up my loose ends with your brilliant ideas.”
Carlos’s cheek flush under his freckles, but he soon tugs his lip between his teeth in a show of anxiety that Evie catches immediately.
“It isn’t something to be ashamed of,” Evie presses on and gives his hand a squeeze. “You’re not her Carlos. Having a great fashion sense doesn’t make you a bad person.”
“I know, I just-” Carlos says slowly, then bites harder on his lip, hissing when the metallic taste hits. “I don’t want-”
Evie gently reaches up and soothes her thumb over his lip, she leans in placing a feather-light kiss over the mark. Carlos pulls back quickly and gestures weakly to his lip. Evie rolls her eyes and leans in again, kissing him slow and languid. Carlos hums against her lips, shuddering when Evie soothes her tongue over the cut.
“Trust me, baby, you could never be like her.”
Carlos blushes even more at the pet name; he always does no matter how many times Evie uses it. There’s something about the softness in her tone and the warmth in her smile that makes Carlos’s stomach flutter.
Evie takes Carlos’s silence as permission to continue, tracing her hand up and down his arm as she speaks.
“You can do anything you set your mind to, whether it’s fashion related or not. If you believe you can do it."
Carlos sniggers softly, “Careful, Eves, you're starting to sound like one of Fairy Godmother's motivational posters."
Evie gasps, pointing at him dramatically. "Don't get sassy with me Carlos!"
He mimics drawing a halo above his head and nods.
Evie shakes her head and presses on: "I’m always going to be here to cheer you on and remind you just how fantastic you are.”
A wide grin curves across Carlos’s lips. “I’ve always wanted a personal cheerleader.”
Evie scoffs, her eyes narrowing playfully.
“And I wouldn’t mind seeing you in the uniform,” Carlos husks coyly and gives her a teasing wink.
It’s Evie’s turn to blush, her cheeks stained a deep scarlet as she tries to regain some composure. Carlos chuckles as Evie shoves his shoulder mumbling “shut up” under her breath. He bumps Evie’s shoulder, smiling when she bumps back harder.
“Thanks, Evie.”
She gives his shoulder a little squeeze and stands up spinning around to face the beds. Evie’s gaze softens when she takes in the sight of Mal and Jay asleep in a mess of tangled limbs, both shirtless and their hair deliciously mussed.
“We should wake ‘em, right?” Carlos sighs, resting his head on Evie’s shoulder and snaking his arms around her waist.
Evie hums softly, swaying slightly in his arms. She shakes her head and gently whispers, “Maybe in five minutes.”
---
Carlos leads the way down the street, his fingers interlaced with Evie’s and their hands swinging as they walk. Trailing behind them is Jay with a still half-asleep Mal perched on his back. There’s a comfortable silence between them, only broken when the pet store is in Carlos’s sights.
“We’re here!” Carlos exclaims, bouncing on the balls of his feet.
“I see that, Pup.” Evie laughs softly, dropping his hand to playfully push him towards the door.
Mal snorts, suddenly full of energy as she scrambles off of Jay’s back and nods to Carlos, “You better get in before it’s all gone then.”
As soon as they get through the door Carlos grabs a shopping cart, already zooming down the first aisle before the others have time to blink.
Jay shakes his head and races after him, leaving the girls to slowly navigate their way after them.
The pet store has a large front with at least 5 different aisles in each direction. It takes several minutes for the girls to locate Carlos, groaning in sync when they see the cart already has items in it.
Carlos spins around as they approach, holding two different squeaky toys.
“I can’t decide which one,” he pouts, holding them up to emphasise. “The squeaky burger or the squeaky donut?”
“Get them both.” Mal shrugs and reaches into the cart, pulling out a bright yellow twisty rope for inspection.
Evie giggles and turns to face Carlos with a smirk. “Are you sure the dogs need all of this?!”
Mal sniggers, teasingly waving the toy in Carlos’s face. He rolls his eyes, plucking the toy from Mal’s grasp and putting it back in the cart. He turns to look at Evie again with more of a pout than before.
“I need to make sure they have enough choices. You don’t want the dogs to hate me, do you?” Carlos asks, batting his eyelashes dramatically.
Evie shakes her head and ruffles Carlos’s hair, “No, of course not!”
He grins and kisses Evie’s cheek before going back to shelves to weigh up more options. Mal leans over one of the nearest bins, picking up infinitely more toys and tossing them in the cart with Carlos’s choices.
“Hey, M, why don’t you go find Jay?” Evie suggests with a warning look.
"Last I saw he was having a staring match with one of the snakes," Carlos remarks, waving his hand in the general direction.
Mal gives them both a mock salute and walks around the corner to find Jay, exactly as Carlos had said - with his face pressed against a large glass cage.
She creeps over to him as quietly as she can, leaning in to shout, "You can't steal a snake!"
Jay jolts, cursing loudly and bumping his head against the glass.
Mal cackles grinning smugly as Jay whirls around to glare at her.
"You're such a little shit Mal Bertha!" Jay hisses, still rubbing his head.
Mal flashes him a sickly sweet smile, "I love when you talk dirty to me, Jaydore ."
Jay scowls and gives Mal the finger, rolling his eyes when her smirk doesn’t falter.
Suddenly, a twinkle flashes in his gaze, his lips curling up as an idea begins to unravel. Mal narrows her eyes and starts to walk away, glancing at Jay over her shoulder with a suspicious frown. An all-too innocent smile curves across his face and Mal has no time to prepare as Jay sprints past her, his chuckling ringing in her ears.
Mal races after him with a growl.
Jay comes to a stop and stands beside Evie, smiling when the tiny ball of purple rage rounds the corner. She skids to a halt just in time to avoid a shopping cart to the shin.
Evie raises an eyebrow, gaze drifting from Jay to Mal. "Not causing trouble, are we?"
“We would never, Princess,” Jay assures her with a dramatic hand over his heart.
Evie hums her disbelief and shakes her head, sharing a knowing smile with Carlos. His grin widens and he reaches into the cart retrieving a handful of dog toys.
“Look at all the cool things I found!”
“Is that all?!” Mal scoffs, lips curling into a teasing smirk. “I thought you were buying the whole shop.”
Carlos shakes his head, letting the comment roll off of him like hot butter. He turns to Jay and eagerly displays the toys in his hand.
Jay claps him on the shoulder, "That's awesome, man!"
He plucks a toy chicken leg from Carlos's grasp and gives it a tight squeeze. Mal scowls at the shrill squeak it elicits. Jay flashes her a wolfish grin and takes a step towards her. He squeaks the toy again and again, a squeak for each step he takes towards Mal.
"Get that thing away from me or I'll shred it," Mal growls at him, starting to ever so slowly back away.
Jay shakes his head, growl spurring him on as he squeaks the toy relentlessly.
"Dude, c'mon-" Carlos starts exasperatedly, words cut off by another squeak.
Evie sighs loudly and moves to Carlos's side, gently pulling him closer as Jay advances on Mal, squeaking with each step. Mal whirls around racing away with Jay hot on her heels. The sounds of squeaking and Mal's cursing echoes around the store.
Carlos looks to Evie his eyes wide and then he's cracking up, clutching his chest as he laughs with his whole body. Evie can't fight her own smile, though it's mostly from Carlos's reaction ; the way his eyes crinkle and his body shakes from the force of his angelic laughter.
"Oh yeah, you better run!" Mal bellows from several aisles over.
Evie groans, burrowing her head into Carlos's shoulder. He chuckles lightly patting her head, the commotion around them quickly increasing in volume.
There's more squeaking, and Carlos and Evie have little time to prepare as Jay comes barrelling past them, tossing random toys behind him in a mad panic. Mal advances on him, wielding her own chicken leg toy. The glint in her eye is deadly, her eyes their most vibrant shade of green.
Mal catches up to Jay in seconds, leaping up to smack the back of his head with the chicken leg. Jay yelps and stumbles at the impact, toppling to the floor and taking Mal (and a display of cat toys) with him.
Carlos sniggers looking at them briefly before shaking his head and pushing his cart around them, pointedly ignoring their groaning. Evie rushes to Mal's side and gently helps her to her feet.
“Honestly, M, why are you like this?” Evie shakes her head, her lips quirking upward as she brushes some dirt from Mal’s shirt.
Mal shrugs her shoulders, still smirking despite her disheveled appearance. Evie rolls her eyes and gives Mal’s shoulder a playful shove.
“Aren’t you going to help me up too, Princess?” Jay asks, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
“Sorry, babe ,” Mal kicks his shin and drapes an arm over Evie’s shoulder, “she’s with me.”
Evie bumps her hip with Mal’s as they walk away. She’s giggling as she mouths an “I’m sorry” to Jay, but the smile on her face shows just how unapologetic they both are.
Jay is up on his feet in seconds, limping to catch up with the girls and making sure to ruffle Mal’s hair even more when he’s near enough.
Carlos has already paid when they eventually find him, struggling to carry his arm of overflowing bags towards the exit. Evie is by his side in an instant, plucking some of the bags from his grasp and effortlessly balancing them in her own. Carlos lets out a loud sigh of relief, kissing Evie’s cheek softly as a reward.
“Thanks for helping, Evie.” Carlos says pointedly, glancing over his shoulder and narrowing his eyes at the other two.
Mal smirks back at him, slowing her walk and dragging Jay with her, not that he’d complain. Jay catches on and instantly slows down to match Mal, the two of them taking dramatically long steps. Carlos rolls his eyes and turns back to Evie, his gaze instantly softening when she flashes him a warm smile.
Evie and Carlos are broken out of their spell as Mal and Jay race past them. Mal snatches Jay’s beanie, waving it teasingly. Jay launches at her, grabbing Mal and slinging her over his shoulder, quite literally kicking and screaming.
“Can’t take them anywhere, can we?!” Evie whispers to Carlos, the amusement clear in her tone.
Carlos chuckles and leans in closer. “No, I don’t think we can.” He puts a hand on Evie’s shoulder, “And, uh, don’t look now, but I’m pretty sure I just saw a snake pop out of Jay’s hoodie.”
“To the left a bit,” Evie instructs, carefully watching as Carlos moves the sign closer to him.
Carlos and Evie had spent weeks preparing for their booth, most of those spent coaxing and teasing Mal into painting their sign. The rest had fallen into place with Evie doing most of the event organising and Carlos researching everything there is to know about dogs. Evie roped Mal and Jay into running their own booth, and between the four of them they’d managed to set almost everything up.
“...And done! This looks amazing, Pup.” Evie gushes, clapping her hands and stepping back to admire their bright sign and the neatly arranged flyers.
Carlos leans against the side of the booth, looking up with a shy smile. “You think so?”
Evie opens her hand and makes a come hither motion, smiling as Carlos sinks into her arms. She cards her fingers through Carlos’s curls, her other hand settling on his hip.
"Of course I do," Evie utters softly, pressing a kiss to his forehead. "We're going to have the best booth and everyone is going to want to give us all of their money!"
Carlos chuckles quietly. “You really think we can beat Mal and Jay’s dunk tank?”
Evie scoffs and pulls back, lifting Carlos’s chin with her finger. “Not with that attitude we won’t,” she teases, poking his chest. “Honestly, though, who can resist playing with puppies?”
“True.” Carlos starts to smirk,wiggling his eyebrows suggestively, “though I wouldn’t say no to seeing Jay get all wet.”
“You’re terrible!” Evie giggles, smacking Carlos’s shoulder.
Carlos shakes his head and points a finger at Evie. “Don’t go acting all innocent, Princess, I know you’re itching to see him shirtless too.”
Evie clears her throat, turning before Carlos can see the pink in her cheeks. She steps around the side of the booth, picking up the checklist and trailing her finger down.
“Have you set up the beds?”
“You watched me,” Carlos states matter-of-factly.
Evie shushes him and looks around, “Did you finish arranging the toys?”
Carlos rolls his eyes, bending down to pluck a small toy from the basket nearest him. He tosses it right at Evie’s head, where it bounces off with a loud smack.
Evie gasps, dropping the clipboard and narrowing her eyes.
“Oops,” Carlos remarks through a chuckle.
Evie takes a step closer, slowly advancing on Carlos with a challenging smirk. She grabs the offending toy, then quickly strikes out with it.
Carlos dives out of the way just in time, narrowly avoiding the toy by a millisecond. Evie's eyes widen and her smile instantly fades, her hand clamping over her mouth.
Fairy Godmother stands in front of the booth, her face reddening and her hands on her hips. Her dress is noticeably splashed, which can only mean...
Carlos stifles a giggle, biting his lip to suppress a smile.
“What in heaven are you doing?” Fairy Godmother snaps, shaking her head as she looks at them. “Honestly, between the four of you-”
“I am so sorry, Fairy Godmother.” Evie exclaims, flashing the woman an apologetic smile, “we were just-”
“Testing Evie’s aim,” Carlos supplies without missing a beat.
Fairy Godmother and Evie both turn their glares to Carlos, arms folding scarily in sync. He scratches the back of his neck and flashes them a crooked smile.
“For the puppies. We were practicing our throws for this afternoon. You’re always telling us to be prepared Fairy Godmother,” Carlos explains, firing off the words with ease. “We’re just trying to spread some of that goodness, like you suggested.”
Evie’s lips curl upward, her eyes twinkling as she turns her gaze towards the older woman.
Fairy Godmother exhales slowly, her eyes narrowing slightly as she clears her throat. “Right, yes, of course,” she says cheerily with a smile that doesn’t reach her eyes.
“If you don’t mind, Fairy Godmother, we’d like to finish organizing.” Evie gives the woman a nod and moves back to Carlos’s side, linking his arm and guiding him to the puppy creche they’d set up earlier.
Once they’re out of Fairy Godmother’s earshot, Evie smacks Carlos’s shoulder, chuckling despite the action. Carlos clutches his sides, swaying into Evie as his laughter bubbles over.
“Did you see her face?” he squeaks through his giggles.
Evie shakes her head dramatically. “I was too busy fearing for my life!”
Carlos tilts his head and furrows his eyebrows. "Oh yeah, I'm sure Fairy Godmother is making preparations to ship you back to the Isle."
"Shut up," Evie hisses, giving his shoulder another playful shove.
“That’s not very ladylike, best be careful or you’ll get a detention,” Carlos teases in a sing-song voice. “We wouldn’t them to tarnish your perfect record, would we, Princess?”
Evie’s cheeks flush a deep pink and she huffs, folding her arms. “Just because I’m not getting detention every week like you three.”
Carlos holds his hands up in mock surrender. “It wasn’t my idea to put the stink bombs in Chad’s locker.”
Evie hums her disbelief, giving him an affectionate sarcastic smile. Carlos can't help but grin back, picking up the clipboard again and putting on a faux serious expression.
"C’mon, Your Wickedness, we still have to set up the treat station."
“Then I must fetch the items at once,” Evie says, adopting the same tone, “Your Horribleness.” She gives him a small curtsy, smirking at him when he giggles.
Evie steps closer and gives his shoulder a squeeze, her voice soft and warm, “I’ll be back as quick as I can.”
Carlos nods and gives her an easy smile, he squeezes her hand as they part and moves back to the booth. He leans against it and pulls his phone out, flicking through his contacts until he finds the right one.
To Baby Dragon:
What the hell did you do to FG? 😂
Carlos's phone chirps and he bites back a laugh at the typical Mal-like response.
From Baby Dragon:
Nothing you can prove.
Carlos starts to type a response, stopping at the sound of a throat being cleared. He slowly looks up to one of the event organisers, Avery, standing before him. Carlos recognises him from one of Ben’s council meetings. Avery is a tall man with icy blue eyes and a scowl to match. He was always very vocal during council meetings, ready with a list of reasons to stop more VKs from coming to Auradon. The sight of the man’s strained smile sets Carlos’s teeth on edge, his shoulder’s tensing as the man steps closer.
“I wondered if I could have a word, Mr. De Vil,” Avery says, lips curling downward as he lingers on Carlos’s surname.
“Uh- sure.”
Avery folds his arms and tilts his head in a disapproving manner, “Listen, we appreciate the effort you put in but we can take it from here.”
Carlos’s lip pulled in a confused frown. “But we’re nearly finished. Evie just went to get the treats. It’s no trouble.”
“Look, man,” Avery sighs and steps closer to Carlos, his voice lowering. “Do you really think having you around is going to give this booth the right kind of attention?”
“What does that mean?” Carlos growls, his hands balling into fists.
Avery clenches his jaw and shakes his head. “Do I need to spell it out for you?! You’re not welcome here. There’s already rumours spreading about your participation. It’s starting to worry people, knowing you’re around.”
Carlos stiffens, his feet rooted to the spot as he stares back.
Avery glares at him like he’s dirt, his voice dripping with disdain: “The people of Auradon need to feel safe and they aren’t going to if Cruella De Vil’s protege is hanging around them while they play with puppies , of all things.”
“I’m not like her,” Carlos whispers, shaking his head at the tremble in his own voice.
“You’re not welcome here,” Avery repeats firmly. “I don't want you making our guests feel unsafe, let alone hurting the animals!"
Carlos shakes his head frantically, his eyes stinging with unshed tears.
“It’s bad enough we have to deal with your lot being here in Auradon You’re not ruining another special day for us,” Avery snarls and roughly shoves Carlos’s shoulder. “Do us all a favour and stay away from this event.”
Avery has stormed off before Carlos can fully process his words. Carlos clenches his eyes shut, desperately trying to hold back the tears. He can hear people around him talking louder and louder until the words blur together. He can feel the tears falling, white hot against his cheeks.
He can’t do this. He can’t be here.
This was a mistake
He can’t-
They’ll never be accepted
Carlos starts to back away, his tears falling harder and faster now and he stumbles back. He shakes his head, steadying himself as he forces his feet forward - and then he’s running.
He can hear Evie’s concerned voice calling after him, but all he can do is run. Running until all the voices, all the faces fade into the background and only the sound of his own shallow breathing remains.
When Carlos finally stops, he’s at the edge of a wooded park on campus. He barely notices as he sinks back against a tree, feeling the bark dig into his spine. He sinks down, crumpling in a heap with his head buried in his hands. He fists his hands in his hair, tugging hard as the sobs consume him.
---
It isn’t clear how much time has passed, how long Carlos has been sitting there or how he managed to stop crying. Had he fallen asleep? Maybe. When he finally opens his eyes it’s to the sound of rustling, Carlos slowly looks up to see Mal sprawled on the grass in front of him, wafting a bag of chocolate candies in front of his face,
“Thought that’d get you to look.” Mal laughs in victory, flashing him a smug smile.
Carlos stares blankly back at her, head tilting with a confused frown.
Mal leans closer and tosses one of the candies into Carlos’s lap, nodding when he starts to unwrap it.
“E panicked when she couldn’t find you.”
“So, she sent you to spy on me?” Carlos bites back, the words coming out snappier than he intends.
Mal rolls her eyes and nudges Carlos’s foot, “I don’t need to be sent anywhere.”
Carlos narrows his eyes at her and shakes his head, his arms folding as he gives her an expectant look.
“You wanted to know what happened with Fairy Godmother, right?” Mal leans closer, a teasing smile curving across her lips.
He slowly chews on the candy, but offers no verbal response, simply staring back at Mal with an unreadable expression.
Mal nods her head, a mere glimmer of concern in her gaze to betray why she’s actually come to find him before her smirk is back in full force.
“Jay wanted to test the dunk tank, and he kept bothering me about my throwing skills,” Mal grumbles dramatically and shifts closer to Carlos, stage-whispering her words like she’s telling him a secret. “I saw FG coming and, to shut him up, I threw the ball, cut him off mid sentence, and timed it to splash her, too. She was so mad! It was hilarious.”
Carlos laughs weakly and shakes his head. “She wasn’t happy when Evie smacked her in the face with one of the squeaky toys, either.”
Mal cackles loudly, her nose scrunching as she snorts out her laughter. Carlos gives her a small smile, feeling his body start to relax at Mal’s amusement.
“I wish I’d have seen her face,” says Mal, “fucking priceless.”
Carlos nods his head, his smile widening as he fondly remembers Fairy Godmother’s unimpressed expression.
“So, uh- where’s Jay?” he hesitantly asks, his hand scratching at the base of his neck.
“I left him when FG mentioned the word ‘detention.’” Mal shrugs, picking her nails. “Think he’s with E”
Carlos hums and lets his gaze drop to his own hands, his fingers wringing together as he avoids her eye. Apparently his silence was enough permission for Mal, and she bumps his shoulder only stopping when he looks back up to glare at her.
“Now you’re telling me what happened.” Mal says, her voice leaving no room for argument.
But Carlos is just as stubborn, his arms folding across his chest. “Nothing happened.”
“Bullshit.” Mal growls and mirrors Carlos’s posture, repeating the words firmly. “Tell me what happened.”
Carlos shakes his head, his retort cut off as Evie and Jay come into view, approaching them with matching concerned expressions. Evie drops Jay’s hand once they’re close enough; her gaze settles on Carlos and she instantly drops to his side to pull him into her arms.
“I was so worried about you,” Evie whispers into his hair.
Carlos ducks his head, letting it rest against Evie’s shoulder as he whispers a soft, “I’m sorry.”
Evie shakes her head and rocks them slightly, gently shushing Carlos and letting them both be comforted by the tender touch. Mal leans back to give them space, smirking when she takes in Jay’s still dishevelled and damp appearance.
“Well, thanks for abandoning me,” Jay growls and gives her foot a harsh kick.
Mal smirks at him and leans back to rest on her hands. Jay continues to glare at her, making sure to shake his wet hair over Mal in protest before sinking down to sit opposite her.
“Hey, I thought you were behind me.” Mal shrugs and flashes him an innocent smile.
Jay scoffs loudly and folds his arms. “You were off before I was out of the tank!”
Evie pulls back from Carlos to shoot a disapproving look at Mal and Jay, effectively shutting them both up. She nods, satisfied, and turns back to Carlos, her features softening considerably.
“Are you okay? I came back and you were gone.” She takes his hand and interlaces their fingers. “What happened, Carlos?”
“It isn’t important.” Carlos shakes his head adamantly.
Jay leans forward and lets his hand rest on Carlos’s knee, tracing their initials on the spot. “If you’re this upset, I think it is.”
Carlos bites his lip and exhales slowly, his gaze flitting between the three of them, unsure who to focus on.
Evie’s soft voice brings Carlos’s attention back to her, her hand warm against his: “Jay’s right, if something has upset you, it is important. You can tell us anything, you know that.”
Carlos looks up at Evie, his eyes brimming with fresh tears and his lower lip starting to tremble. Evie cups his face in her hands, tenderly brushing her thumb against his cheek. Her heart breaks as Carlos sniffles and more tears trickle down his cheeks.
Evie catches Mal’s gaze, seeing her own fiery glint matched in Mal’s emerald green eyes. Her gaze flits to Jay and his helpless expression, his gaze lingers on Evie as he gives her a small nod.
Bringing her attention back to Carlos, Evie swallows the anger she can feel brewing and does her best to keep her voice quiet and calm: “Who hurt you?”
Carlos runs a hand through his hair and closes his eyes. He takes a few small breathes and when he speaks, he doesn’t dare open his eyes, blocking out everything else as he tries to focus on Evie’s touch and all of their presence.
Jay’s hand still traces his initials on Carlos’s knee, and Mal shifts closer, letting her leg press against Carlos’s.
They all listen as he explains what happened with Avery, the things he said and how he all but banned Carlos from participating in the event he’d worked so hard to help make a success. When he’s finished, it’s silent, his words lingering in the air until a growl cuts in, causing him to open his eyes.
“I’m gonna fucking destroy him!” Mal declares, already starting to get to her feet.
Carlos frantically shakes his head, trying to grab at her thigh to pull her down. “Just leave it, Mal!”
“Like hell I will! He has no right to say that shit to you!”
“She’s right, ‘Los” Jay adds, his fist clenching so tightly, his knuckles crack. “It’s time for less talking and more punching.”
Mal nods at that, pushing Carlos’s hand aside to stand up. She helps Jay up as Carlos and Evie get to their feet.
Carlos looks to Evie, and then back to Jay, his expression pleading.
Jay stills and feels his resolve crumbling, dropping Mal’s hand and stepping back toward Carlos, who holds a hand out as if to tether him. Jay’s about to say something to Mal, but she’s already committed to her anger.
“Fine! I don’t need your help!” Mal spits at Jay, her eyes flickering dangerously as she stomps off.
Evie steps to block Mal’s path, taking her by the wrist and pulling her back.
“Let go, E, you can’t stop me!” Mal tries to shake her hand off, turning her glare onto Evie.
“Come with me,” Evie says firmly, giving Mal no chance to escape, and pulling her away from the boys. “We need to talk.”
As soon as they’re out of sight, Evie drops Mal’s arm, turning to face the ball of purple rage. Mal throws her hands up, Evie’s silence riling her up even more.
“What the hell, E?! You can’t stop me from defending Carlos. This isn’t right!” Mal rages stomping back and forth. “You don’t get to be angry at me for-”
“I’m not angry at you.”
“I’m allowed to be angry and-” She spins to face Evie, coming to a halt as she registers Evie’s words. “Wait, you’re not?”
Evie shakes her head and steps closer. Mal raises an eyebrow, still huffing loudly until she notices the smirk curling across Evie's lips.
"You're right, M, Avery can't get away with treating Carlos like that." Evie explains with barely controlled anger. "So, I need you to come with me, to show him exactly who he's messed with..."
A wicked gleam shows in Mal's eyes, her smile truly evil. She nods her head eagerly, her lip tugged between her teeth and her eyes taking in every part of Evie's demeanor. From the pursed lips to the way Evie's head is held high, an impish twinkle behind her eyes that Mal has definitely missed seeing.
"Lead the way, Princess."
Evie slings an arm around Mal's shoulder, guiding her back through the quad, their heads held high and a new layer of confidence radiating off of them in waves. Evie's smug smirk spreads wider, the heat of Mal's lust-filled gaze fueling her every step.
They find Avery by Evie and Carlos's booth, chatting to Chad of all people. Mal clenches her fist and instantly feels Evie tensing, her pace quickening so Mal has to jog to keep up.
Evie storms over to Avery, her hands slamming into the stall. "How dare you tell Carlos not to participate in the event!"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Avery answers immediately, almost mechanically so.
"You're a terrible liar." Evie's eyes narrow. "Did you really think we wouldn't find out?" She takes a small step closer. "That we wouldn't notice how upset Carlos is?"
Avery shakes his head, holding up his hands in a placating way. "I'm simply trying to protect the people of Auradon. Something you wouldn't understand." He curls his lip and adds pointedly, “How could you?”
Evie takes another step closer, the ice in her tone enough to rival Elsa: “You don’t know anything about us.”
“Carlos wouldn’t hurt a fly, let alone a puppy! Anyone with half a brain knows that!” Mal exclaims, folding her arms and jerking her head meaningfully towards Chad.
“Right, well, if you’re finished wasting my time, I have business,” Avery states snootily, attempting to brush past them.
Evie moves into his space, speaking in a low tone, “You’re not going anywhere.”
Avery pales and takes a small step back, pointing his finger towards her, “You’re going to need to calm down.”
“Do not tell me to calm down,” Evie snarls, jabbing her finger back towards him. “Now, here’s what you don’t understand: Carlos is one of the most kind-hearted and compassionate people you will ever meet-” Her hands ball into fists. “-and he has worked too damn hard on this event, not to mention building a relationship with all the dogs from the shelter, for someone like you to try and take this away from him because you’re too narrow-minded to give people a chance.”
Avery narrows his eyes and scowls at her, shaking his head. “Oh, don’t worry, I’m not planning to give either of you the chance to ruin this day. You’re all just a bunch of lowlifes.” He glances at Mal as he says the last bit.
Mal moves forward, only stopping when Evie holds up her hand and steps closer to Avery, lips curving into a devious smirk.
“I’d be very careful if I were you. We were hand-picked for this event, you know--by the future king himself,” Evie informs him with a challenging look. “He likes to give us an outlet for our special skills, so we don’t get… bored.” She holds out a hand as if to inspect her nails. “We were always bored on the Isle. It gave us a lot of time to learn things, like… how to make our own clothes, which moulds are safest to eat, how much blood the average human can afford to lose before they die… you know, all the same stuff you learned in school.”
They can see the fear creeping into his features. Evie’s smile gets wider. She leans in closer, her jaw clenched and her eyes almost pitch black. “Then again, maybe school here is different, and it’s like I said… you don’t know anything about us.”
She steps back and gives him a toothy grin. “Maybe I can tell you more about the Isle sometime, but for now, I’m going to make sure Carlos is ready for the event while you-” Evie tilts her head and narrows her eyes at the man. “-find something to do besides bullying people just trying to do their jobs here. .”
“I wasn’t-”
“Oh, I’m not finished.” Evie warns firmly, a cutting chill in her tone. “If you’re so bored, you can’t think of anything else to do, I’d suggest you take notes on how well Carlos handles the puppies tomorrow--that way you can write a very detailed letter to the shelter recommending him for that part-time job opening. You know, as an apology for today.”
She doesn’t wait for a response, giving Avery one last disgusted look before turning on her heel and marching away with her head held high.
Mal stares wide eyed and her jaw practically to the floor, her eyes instantly darkening at the way Evie sways her hips.
“Did you - uh - did you really learn that much about human anatomy in Isle school?” Chad asks, his voice barely louder than a whisper.
It’s the first thing he’s said and it makes Mal cackle, grinning wickedly as she races after Evie, leaving Chad and Avery quaking in their boots.
Evie stops to lean against the wall as Mal approaches, smirking as she tugs her closer. Mal puts her hand on either side of Evie and leans in to capture Evie’s lips in a bruising kiss. A moan follows, neither sure which one of them it belongs to. Mal nips at Evie’s lip, and pulls back to trail her lips down Evie’s neck.
“I love seeing your protective side,” Mal husks, pressing kisses from Evie’s neck to her jawline. “Pretty sure Chad crapped himself too.”
Evie giggles softly, tilting her head to give Mal more access and growling out “Well, no one gets away with hurting what’s mine.”
Mal lets out a choked, ragged breath pulling back as she looks at Evie with a lust filled gaze. “I’ve missed your wicked streak.”
In one quick move, Evie spins them around, pressing Mal against the wall and letting her fingers tangle in purple locks. Mal tugs her lip between her teeth, biting down hard as Evie’s silky voice husks in her ear: “Oh, you ain’t seen nothing yet.”
The event is in full swing when Evie eventually makes her way to Mal and Jay’s dunk tank. She carefully navigates her way around the groups of people, instantly spotting a flash of purple amongst the crowd.
Mal’s face lights up as Evie approaches beckoning her closer with an outstretched hand. Evie allows Mal to pull her close, pressing a kiss to her cheek as she sits in Mal’s lap.
There’s a swarm of people around the booth, all watching in anticipation as Mal plays with the foam ball in her hand. Opposite Mal, perched on a seat up high is Jay, his smile all too smug as he stares down at them.
“If you’ve come for a show, babe, you’re out of luck,” Jay hollers teasingly, and nods his head to Mal as he adds, “This one hasn’t managed to dunk me yet.”
Evie giggles, bumping Mal’s shoulder playfully. Mal smirks and slowly throws the ball up, catching it and repeating the action a few times. She gently taps Evie’s thigh and stands up, letting Evie take her seat.
Jay wiggles his eyebrows and leans forward. “Y’know what they say, 8th time’s the charm.”
Mal rolls her eyes and steps up to the plate. She spins the ball in her hands slowly, sizing up the target.
“Just give up now, babe,” Jay jests, teasingly wiggling in his spot, “better to save yourself the embarrassment.”
Evie chuckles, shaking her head. “I wouldn’t be so sure Jay.”
He waves his hand and leans back lazily in his seat. Mal walks back and forth, glaring at him but the grin on her face shows there’s no real malice there.
Jay exhales loudly and throws his hands up. “C’mon loser, I’m getting old he-”
The rest of his words are lost as Mal brings her arm back and launches the ball at the target quick as lightning. Jay shouts as he plummets into the tank, sending water flying in all directions. Evie’s gasps are heard over the crowd and Mal’s rewarded with the sound of her melodious giggling.
When Jay resurfaces, he’s spluttering, met with loud chants of Mal’s name and raucous clapping. He slowly clambers out of the tank, shaking his hair like a dog. A pool of water forms around him as he makes his way back towards Mal and Evie. He runs a hand through his soaking wet hair, pushing it out of his face. Mal smirks at him and raises her eyebrow expectantly.
“You’re such a bitch!” Jay exclaims through his laughter.
Mal shrugs her shoulders and flashes Jay a wicked smirk.
Evie giggles as Jay trudges over to them, pouting as his clothes stick to him, squelching everytime he moves.
“Drowned rat is a good look on you,” Evie teases, tugging on a strand of Jay’s hair.
Jay hums softly and steps closer, his eyes full of mischief. “Oh yeah? How about a cuddle then, Princess?”
Evie holds up her hands and starts to back away, grabbing Mal’s hand and pulling her along. Jay lets out a playful growl, and then Evie and Mal are taking off in a sprint, giggling as Jay races after them.
“You can run, but you can’t hide!” Jay cajoles after them.
He reaches Evie first, pressing in for a tight hug from behind and dragging his soaked hair along her neck. Evie squeals and squirms, batting him away with an unimpressed pout.
Jay launches at Mal before she can make a run for it, draping his arms around her and wringing his shirt so it drips down her back.
“You’re a dead man!” Mal growls, squirming in Jay’s hold.
Jay laughs, his warm breath ghosting over Mal’s neck, his arms tightening around her as he walks them over to Evie’s booth. Evie laughs softly and leads the way around the booth, a dazzling smile taking over her face. They all come to a stop, their grumbling and giggling catching in their throats as they take in the sight before them.
Carlos sits cross-legged on the floor, his angelic smile radiating like sunshine as he plays with every puppy around him. He’s clad in the fluffiest white onesie with floppy black dog ears on the hood and a pattern of bones and paw prints scattered in red and black along the body. Puppies of all shape, size and colour are flocking toward Carlos, who looks like an AK at Christmas time.
Evie snaps a picture, holding her hand to her chest and sighing dreamily. The sound catches Carlos’s attention and he looks up with a wide smile. It’s almost certain that if Carlos had a tail, it would be wagging in full force.
“You’re here!” he exclaims, beckoning them over with an eager wave of his hand.
Jay drops down next to Carlos and tugs at one of the onesie ears, laughing at the blush spreading across Carlos’s cheeks. “This outfit is really something, Pup.”
Carlos ducks his head, mindlessly stroking one of the many puppies perched in his lap. “Evie made it for me,” he says almost shyly.
“And you look even better than I imagined!” Evie claps her hands, voice oozing with pride.
Mal leans forward to catch Carlos’s eye, flashing him a teasing smirk. “Yeah, I almost didn’t notice you in there with all the other puppies.”
Carlos rolls his eyes but can’t stop the smile from creeping back in. He shifts and tugs his hood higher on his head, smiling in full force when a ball of cream coloured fluff licks his hand. Carlos scoops the puppy into his arms, cradling him and giggling as the dog nuzzles into his arms.
They sit in a comfortable silence, all with adoring expressions as they watch Carlos interact with every dog he can reach. Even Mal doesn’t hide her grin when Carlos get to his feet to show them all the tricks he’s been teaching the puppies.
“So, what’s this I hear about you threatening to drink Avery’s blood or something?” Jay asks suddenly, turning to Evie with a raised eyebrow and a mischievous smile.
Evie laughs and shakes her head, looking back to Carlos and feeling a rush of pride. She turns back to Jay and nods her head towards Carlos, saying simply, “He’s worth it.”
Jay hums his agreement, grinning when he sees a tiny grey and white speckled puppy peeking out from Carlos’s pocket as Carlos sneakily feeds it treats.
“I was right, there’s definitely 31 puppies here,” he whispers without tearing his gaze from Carlos.
“Well, there’s no way Carlos isn’t leaving today without at least 5 of his ‘friends,’” Mal sniggers and bumps Evie’s shoulder, smirking as she leans in. “We better get saving for that starter castle, E.”