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Chapter Text

If you had asked the Harry Hook from 7 months ago where he would be that next summer, he would've said anything that made sense to an Isle kid.

Cooling off with his crew in the ocean. Dueling with Gil or Uma. Sparring with the other members of the crew. Collecting protection fees. Messing with the other inhabitants of the Isle.

Those all made sense to Harry 7 months ago.

What wouldn't have made sense was him being in Auradon. Going to school. Being away from his father. Being free to choose between the Isle and Auradon.

And yet here he was.

Harry laid back on the beach just within Auradon Prep's borders. He would've gone to the beach just beyond the boundary of the school but he knew someone was following him and he didn't wanna risk losing his place.

He rested his hook on his forearm, taking it off as he did so. He picked it back up around the bend of the metal with one finger and started spinning it around said finger.

"Come on out, ya brats." Harry said. A rustling came from the bushes at the edge of the beach and a few boys came out onto the beach. Maybe 6 or 7 of them.

Harry was slightly worried, but he didn't show it. He was good at hiding his emotions. As a child, his father always told him the importance of learning how to fight against a group. So he learned on his dad's old crew.

First he started with just one person, usually one of the crew's kids. Once he got good at that he began to fight against the crew, one on one. Then one on 2. He kept gaining until he could fight against 5 people at once and win.

However, his father and everyone else on the crew and Isle in general had a rule for fighting. If you ever think you'll be fighting more than 5 people, bring backup.

And Harry didn't have backup.

"Hey, pirate." One of the boys said.
"Harry Hook, at yer service. And...you are?"
"Chad Charming. And this-" Chad gestured behind him to his group. "Well this is my group. And you see. We aren't too happy with Ben's decision. The VKs, as you've dubbed yourself, shouldn't be here. And we're here-" A guy behind him cracked his knuckles. "To prove it."

The group advanced on him.

Harry hardened his expression and pulled out his sword, praying to whatever god existed that he could get out of this.

...

Harry ran through the grounds of Auradon Prep. He had managed to escape Chad (insert Harry's new internal monologue about how he hates all Chads now) and his group but he knew that they would be hot on his tail.

He had nowhere to go. Uma, Gil and Harry all lived in a cave close to the woods but Uma and Gil were gone for the summer. Plus he didn't wanna be given away.

He and Mal's gang still weren't on the best of terms even though they had saved Auradon from Audrey. It also wasn't because the gangs still existed, that was frowned upon here. It was simply because Hook had hated them and gave them no reason to like him.

Even so, Mal and the rest of them owed him favors. But Mal was on "queenly" business in other parts of Auradon with Ben. Evie was visiting her step-sister, Snow White, for a couple of reasons that she wouldn't share with anyone. Jay and Gil were on that 3 month trip to...god knows where. That left...Carlos. Who owed him a favor or two that he could call in.

He sprinted toward Carlos's dorm and knocked quickly, hearing footsteps running around near him. The door opened and his head snapped toward the front.

"Hook?"
"Hey, De Vil. Calling in my favors." Harry said. The adrenaline finally dropped and he swayed in the doorway. The last thing he remembers is a very confused Carlos catching him before he hit his head on the ground.

...

Harry woke up in a bed, he didn't know who's. He reached out to the nightstand to grab his hook but found it wasn't there. He was all alone in the room.

Harry sat up in bed only to wince and lay back down. He looked at his side, his shirt covered in blood. He lifted it up to find that someone had bandaged it.

A knock came at the door.
"Hey, Hook. How are you?"
"I've been better." Carlos laughed at the sarcasm.
"Yeah, I figured. I brought you food, figured you'd be hungry."
"You figured correct, sir!" Harry said with his usual bravado.
"Alright then. Here you go." Carlos set the plate down and left the room again.

This time Harry got a chance to look around. He couldn't find his hook nor his sword yet, but he couldn't care less at the moment. When he finished he pushed back so he was resting against the headboard.

Carlos came back a few minutes later, this time with fresh clothes. Harry took a closer look and smiled.
"De Vil-"
"Yes?"
"Are...are those from my closet?" Carlos shrugged in response.
"The key was in your jacket. Figured you'd be more comfortable in your own clothes."
"Maybe later, not enough will power to change right now."

Carlos shrugged in agreement, setting the clothes on the nightstand and leaving yet again.

Chapter Text

"Well. You're all set to go whenever you want." Carlos told him.
"Beautiful. Then I'm out. See ya around De Vil." Hook got up and grabbed the door handle, fully intending to leave.
"Carlos." Carlos said. Hook stopped. He turned around to look at the boy. Carlos wouldn't make eye contact, choosing to keep his eyes on the floor.

"You gotta speak up, love." Harry said, the nickname rolling off his tongue with him barely thinking of it.
"Carlos. De Vil is my mother's name. I'm not my mother." Harry stood stunned. He remembered the old Carlos, the one from the Isle. The one who wouldn't have stood up to his mother no matter the cost.

He smiled softly, nothing like his usual manic grin. He looked the boy up and down before landing on his eyes.
"No you are not." He said softly. Carlos blushed at the tone. "Harry. No more Hook, Hook's the old bat. Unless I'm captain, nobody's callin me Hook." Carlos smiled softly.
"Ok. By Harry."
"See ya later Carlos." Hook left with a grin.

...

'Later' turned out to only be a couple of hours when lunch rolled around. Carlos was sitting alone at the table he usually sat at with the rest of his friend group.

Harry snuck up on him and slammed his hands down onto the table. His gaze turned from his usual cocky smirk to one of concern as Carlos flinched, hard.

"You al'ight, love? You look like you've seen a ghost." Harry slid into the seat opposite Carlos.
"Yeah, fine."
"No offense, darling, but I call absolute bullshit."
"What do you want, Harry?"
"Where's me hook and sword? I've forgotten to ask before I left ya."
"Oh. Uh...they're safe. Just...missing for the time being."
"You lost my damn hook?" Harry's voice slightly rose.
"No, no! Of course not!" Carlos began to shrink. Harry grew concerned for the second time. In the back of his mind he knew he was gonna remember that but for now he wanted to make sure the boy was alright.

"Then where are they?" He asked, much quieter than before.
"I...please the fifth?"
"The hell does that mean?"
"No clue, heard some weird place called America, and they have some law called The Fifth or something and it basically means you don't have to say anything. I have no idea, gotta look into it more." Carlos rambled.
"America?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah."
"They sound like idiots. Whatcha up to?"
"Nothing right now."
"Great, you can go get my hook and I'll come with ya." Harry said. Carlos sighed and stood.

...

"Here you go."
"Love...this is bent to shit."
"Wow, really? I didn't notice, thought that's how it was meant to be." Carlos rolled his eyes.
"And...the sword?" Harry asked. Carlos pointed toward a table that sat next to a furnace of some sort. Harry's dented, but less bent than the hook, sword lay on it, the handle half missing and the gems from the side burnt to a crisp.

"Carlos?"
"Yeah?"
"You got 30 seconds. Explain, run, hide. I don't care. If I don't find a reason not to in 30 seconds, your ass is dead."
"After your fight with Chad you must've bent your hook and sword. I knew I could fix them so-" Carlos ended with a shrug and turned the furnace on. "Place is about to get hot, might wanna take off that jacket." He called over his shoulder.

"Ya could've, I don't know, just not." Harry said. He didn't wanna take of his red coat just yet, so he didn't.
"I am going out of my mind without something to mess with and fix. I could make something else but I wanted the fix to mean something. Hence the stealing."

"Jay taught ya well."

Harry watched as Carlos stuck his sword into the furnace. The boy was silent as he worked slowly and methodically. Harry could see Carlos pull up a picture on his phone, look at the handle of the sword and sigh.

"Gotta get that-"
"Whatcha need, 'Los?" Carlos seemed startled at the question.
"I didn't think you were still here."
"I can get whatever ya need, love."
"No, I couldn't ask that of you-"
"Do it. Ask." Harry teased. He could've sworn he saw the look in Carlos's eyes change from defensive and guarded to something softer and almost...sweeter.

"I've got a list, if you don't mind." Carlos said, turning the end of the sentence into a question.
"Not at all, love." Harry smiled.
"I wish you'd stop calling me that." Carlos sighed.
"How about...doll?"
"God no. I'm not an object."
"Well then. Something more fitting anyways, doll doesn't suit ya. What about..." Harry trailed off when a list was handed to him along with a rather large wad of cash.

An idea crossed Harry's mind. He smirked as he rolled the name around for a moment. He liked how it sounded in reference to Carlos.

"Thanks, pup." Harry said, grabbing the list from Carlos's hands. He scanned the list, turning and walking out of the workshop.

Had he not turned, he would've seen the way Carlos's eyes widened at the pet name. He would've noticed the very obvious blush on the boy's face. And, had he stuck around longer, he would've definitely heard the slight squeal that came from the boy.

...

Harry came back with a backpack full of things Carlos had asked him to get. It ended up being more than what Carlos had given him, but he payed for that himself. He pulled about 5 bucks out of his wallet to pretend like Carlos had given him more than what he needed.

Harry did a quick check to be sure that he had everything that Carlos asked for before knocking on the workshop door.

The door swung open quickly and Harry had to take a step back so he wouldn't get hit with it. A sword was leveled to his nose. Harry went cross eyes staring at it. He looked at the person holding the sword.

Carlos wore a wide smirk, one that Harry used to use a lot on the Isle, but his eyes told Harry that this was all for fun. Harry decided to play along, holding up his hands in a mock-surrender.

"Oh, no. Stop. You shall hurt me. I want to live." Harry said sarcastically. Carlos snorted in amusement. He lowered the blade to Harry's chest and turned it so his hand was palm down instead of up.

"Gonna need a better reason then that, love." Carlos drawled, in a cheap imitation of a Scottish accent at the end. It was so bad, it sounded more English than Scottish.

So why did Harry's heart race hearing it?

"Well, other than being devilishly handsome and having the items you asked of me-" Harry gave a small side step and got closer to Carlos. "It would be homophobic of you to kill me." Harry whispered.

Carlos's eyes widened in recognition. He laughed and stepped back, tossing the sword to his other hand and handing the handle to Harry.
"What's this?"
"Your sword." Carlos said. Harry looked at it skeptically.
"I thought you needed stuff for it?"
"Nope. Just to get you outta here."

Harry dramatically placed a hand over his heart.
"How dare you." He gasped.
"Just take the damn sword." Carlos laughed. He tossed it toward the pirate who caught it with ease.

A closer inspection led to more emotion than he thought himself capable of.
"'Los...this is-"
"Do you not like it? I can change it, I just-"
"Carlos. I like it." Harry continued examining the sword that looked almost identical to his father's sword. He had grown up with pictures of it but had never seen the real thing. And now it felt like he had the real thing in his hands.

"How did you-" Harry began to ask.
"We have the real thing. In the museum. I asked the guards if I could take a few pictures of it out of the case. Apparently saving everyone from a sleeping curse has some pull around here." Carlos joked, gesturing for Harry to come inside.

"But how'd ya know I wanted it?"
"Figured as much since you had something that looked close, but not quite."
"Well it's amazing. Thank you." Carlos whipped around when Harry thanked him. On the Isle, a simple thank you could be interpreted as weakness. If anything, they would thank people as a joke after stealing something. But it was almost never sincere.

"You're welcome." Carlos said with a smile. Something twisted in Harry, happy that he had gotten the boy to smile at him.
"But now, about me hook-"
"Ah. That. Working on it right now." Carlos used a pair of tongs to pull the hook out of the furnace.
"Mind if I stay?" Harry asked.
"Go for it." Carlos said. Harry took off his jacket and hung it on a jacket hook.

...

Harry had been silent for a good long while. He knew it was probably suspicious but he didn't care. He had some shit to figure out. He had been watching Carlos try to figure out how to bend his hook back for the past hour. Nothing he did ended up turning out correctly and he was getting increasingly frustrated.

Harry smirked. Carlos looked cute when he was mad. But Harry didn't want him to completely lose faith in himself, so he walked up to the bench. Placing both hands on Carlos's shoulder, he turned the boy around to face him.

"Pup, ya gotta calm down." He said. He could see a small blush form on the boy's face at the nickname.
"You try it then!" Carlos said. He stepped aside and smirked as Harry walked toward the furnace.

Harry pulled the hook out with one pair of tongs and, using another pair, gave a quick bend to the metal. He pulled the end of the bend out just a bit further to create the point of the hook. Lastly he took a bit of leather from the bench and began to smooth out the edges.

Harry had found a while ago that leather works best. It starts to create the shine that he liked on the metal and it is much easier to work with in terms of heat.

A quick polish and sharpen with the sander and he was done, tossing it in the air and grabbing the handle bit. He turned around to find a very angry Carlos.

"How in the fuck-"
"Ya think this is the first time I've bent me hook out o shape?" Harry asked with a smirk.
"So you've..."
"Absolutely destroyed this hook many times. At this point fixing it is second nature. It ain't my first rodeo."
"So...you could've fixed the sword too then." Carlos said, his shoulders sagging slightly. Harry rushed to correct him.

"Hell no! Never bent that sword in me life, I'd have no clue how to fix that. Especially to the degree that you did. Thing doesn't look even close to what it was." Harry said hurriedly. Carlos's face brightened and Harry felt proud of himself again.

"Thanks, Harry. I needed that."
"It's true. Never met anyone who can do the things you do. Absolute genius, you ARE-" Harry got cut off with a running hug. He smiled and was just about to return the hug when Carlos pulled away.
"SORRY! Oh god, I'm so sorry!"
"'S all right, pup."

And for once, he meant it

Chapter Text

Harry couldn't sleep. He couldn't manage to stop thinking about the other day. Sitting in Carlos's workshop. His new sword, that just so happened to not be broken in yet. He was becoming restless thinking about it so he stopped trying to sleep.

He threw on a pair of sweatpants and an old t-shirt that had too many rips to be considered decent for public wear but was just fine for workouts. He grabbed his newest sword, still in the sheath, and headed out toward an open field

...

Harry set his phone and water down on a big rock before walking out to the field. In all fairness he hadn't even really discovered it. Jay had taken Gil on an adventure date and the two ended up sparring in this field. Gil had then told Harry about it and it had become Harry's place to be alone without being fully alone.

If he were to focus on the view he'd be able to see just how pretty it really was. The mountains that made up the border of another part of Auradon lay just about a hundred miles away. Part of the Enchanted Lake was on the left of the field, the lake that Ariel and Eric had their moment in to the right, and dead in the center was the bay.

A few baby pine trees grew in the open space and they slightly irritated Harry.
"To hell with it." He said. His first swing with his sword chopped down a baby pine tree. And again. And again. And again.

He soon fell into a rhythm that kept his mind off things.

swing
chop
turn
swing
chop
step
swing
chop
turn
carlos
swing
chop
step
carlos
swing
chop
turn
carlos
swing
...well shit.

Harry stopped his movements, sweat dripping down his forehead. He glared at nothing in particular, storming over to his water bottle and downing half of it.

"God damn it, pup." He muttered.
"Uh...what?" Carlos asked.
"Nothing. What do ya want? How'd you find this place?" Harry asked.
"Uh...Jay told me about it. After one of his adventure dates with Gil." Carlos said carefully.
"And Gil told me about it after that date. Well then. Looks like we both use this place." Carlos nodded in agreement. Harry picked his sword back up to continue, only to find that all the baby trees in the clearing were gone.

"Well. That's unfortunate." Harry said softly.
"Wait..."
"What, pup?"
"Where'd Dude go?"
"Dunno. He might've gone to the lake."
"Yeah but...which one?"
"Enchanted one probably. Closest." Harry walked over to the Enchanted Lake, Carlos close behind.

Sure enough, Dude was paddling around in the Enchanted Lake, happy as a clam. Harry got an idea and took off his shirt and shoes.

"What-uh-what are you doing?" Carlos stuttered, looking away. Harry climbed up to a rock in just his sweatpants.
"I, dearest, am going for a swim. Ya can join me if ya want." He jumped in, purposefully making a huge splash.

When he resurfaced a couple feet away he could hear Carlos calling his name. A quick look around showed that he was at the gazebo and Harry was far enough away that Carlos couldn't see him.

He went underwater and swam just toward the edge of the gazebo so Carlos couldn't see him. Another breath and he swam right up to the edge, grabbed Carlos's wrist, and pulled him in.

Harry laughed as Carlos came up for air, struggling to swim. Harry grabbed Carlos so he wouldn't drown.
"Here. Tread water, like this." He showed Carlos how to do what he meant. Soon enough Carlos was floating all on his own.
"How do...how do I swim?" Carlos asked breathlessly.
"Use your arms. Close to ya. Then open them." Harry demonstrated quickly. Carlos did the same. "And then kick your legs at the same time. Yep, yep. NOPE NOPE NO." Harry saw Carlos swimming towards a super deep part of the water.

Carlos began to panic, kicking and flailing. Harry swam over to him quickly and grabbed him bridal style, carrying him out of the water.
"I'm sorry, Harry. I'm so sorry."
"Hey, it's ok. You're ok."

Carlos dropped his legs to the ground but stayed in the hug.
"Thank you."

Harry's heart melted

...

The next few months went by easily. Harry and Carlos tried to pretend they didn't have a routine, but both knew that they did. Harry would annoy Carlos at his workshop for a few hours, Carlos would do the same at lunch, both would go to the Enchanted Lake to either talk or teach Carlos how to swim, and then repeat.

Until Uma got back.

When she returned from her trip to Ariel's kingdom she had thousands of stories to tell. And Harry had his own stories, but ones which he preferred to keep to himself.

"Ok, what's up with you?" Uma asked him.
"What are ya talkin about?" Harry asked incredulously.
"Since I've been talking to you I can tell that something's off. Not in a bad way, but there's definitely something different." Uma said.
"I still have no clue what you mean." Harry said, looking back out the window. Uma gasped and when he looked back he could see her eyes light up and a triumphant grin spread across her face.

"You like someone. Don't you?"
"WHAT? No! I don't-"
"OH MY GOD YOU DO! Who is it?"
"If you can guess I'll tell you." Harry said sarcastically.
"Ok, so...can I ask some yes or no questions first?"
"Go for it."
"YES! Ok...is it a girl?"
"What part of me makes you think I'm straight?" Harry asked.
"HA! Gil owes me 30 bucks and a coffee. Ok, so it's a guy?"
"Yes, it's a guy. You can Gil were taking bets on my sexuality?"
"Yeah. He thought you were bi but you're way too fruity for that." Uma laughed. She leaned back into the corner of the couch and placed her feet up.
"Yeah, Gil's always been a bit oblivious."
"You got that right. Hmmmm...VK?"
"How'd you know?" Harry sat up in his chair.
"I didn't until just now. So...not Gil cause you probably would've done something about it by now."
"No, not Gil."
"And...not Jay? Am I right?"
"You're right."

Uma's face brightened way more.
"You like CARLOS?" Uma squealed.
"God damn it...yes, ok! Yes! I like Carlos. At least I think I do. I'm not entirely sure, but I think so." Harry said. He leaned back in his chair, sliding his hands down his face in exasperation.

"So then tell him."
"Nope. Good bye. I'm leaving." Harry got up to leave the room.
"HAVE FUN, LOVER BOY!" Uma called, cackling all the while. He flipped her off and closed the door, running into someone as he turned around.
"Shit. I'm so sorry, mate." Harry apologized, looking at the person.

"You're good Harry." Carlos smiled.
"Oh! Hey, pup! How are ya?"
"Pretty good. Was that Uma in there?"
"That it was, she's back."
"And why, pray tell, were you flipping her off?" Carlos snorted.
"She said some...stupid stuff to me."
"Such as?"
"Making fun of me."
"Ah. Yes. The stupidest of all sins." Carlos teased.
"Let's go, pup. Uma's pissing me off and she's been back for all o 10 minutes."

Chapter Text

Gil had also come back from his summer trip. Apparently the Core Four wasn't back yet though because Jay was currently at the Isle of the Lost.

"Oh my god guys, Jay is the sweetest guy ever! Holy shit, the whole trip was so fucking cool!"
"And rainbows came down from the waterfall and unicorns burst outta the fucking clouds!" Harry said in a sickeningly sweet voice. He clasped his hands together and brought them to his cheek. Uma did the same and the two skipped around each other in circles, laughing the whole time.

"Oh Jay, you're so amazing! We could just stay here forever!" Harry made his voice more high pitched and airy.
"Of course, my darling. Anything for you." Uma bowed.

Gil snorted at the display.
"Well. That was...interesting." A different voice said. Three heads snapped to the doorway, staring at a boy with bleach-blonde hair.
"Hello, pup. Enjoy the show?" Harry asked. Carlos snorted and tilted his head.
"If that's what you're calling it then sure. I absolutely enjoyed the 'show'." Carlos joked.
"I feel offended pup." Harry said.
"Good. Suffer." Carlos replied, walking further into the room. Harry could see Uma's smirk but ignored it for now.
"Whatcha need, 'Los?"

Uma walked over to Gil and whispered something in his ear.
"WHAT?" Gil shouted.
"What?" Carlos asked confused.
"Nothing at all, De Vil. Continue." Harry could see Carlos wince at the last name.
"Wanna get outta here?"
"Sure. Yeah, let's go." Carlos said. The two walked out of the room.

Uma waited until the door was closed before absolutely laughing her ass off. Gil did the same.
"Oh my mamma, he's whipped."
"More than Mal ever was-" Gil trailed off into giggles.

...

"They don't seem to like me much-" Carlos said nervously.
"Don't be dumb. Uma's fine with ya, she's just hella protective over her crew. You should've seen her when Gil and Jay left for their trip. The two weren't even together yet and she gave Jay the whole 'keep him safe or i will commit unspeakable atrocities against your bloodline' speech. It was great." Harry said, remembering the look on Jay's face after Uma walked away.

"I remember, Jay was traumatized when he got back to our dorm." Carlos giggled.
"Oh no, poor Jay." Harry said sarcastically.
"Think Evie and Mal could get away with the same speech to Gil?"
"Possibly. Depends on the intensity."
"They probably wouldn't make the speech anyways, Jay was always the heartbreaker on the Isle, not Gil." Carlos said.
"Yeah, that's true." Harry replied. The two walked in a comfortable silence, the sun setting behind them.

Somehow the two reached the open field that Harry practiced in. Carlos laughed, stopping Harry and himself.
"What is it, pup?" Harry asked.
"Betcha I can reach the big tree first!" Carlos shouted, taking off in a dead sprint. Harry laughed in disbelief.
"Oh no you don't-" He muttered, taking off after Carlos. He gained ground and was closing in. With a small jump he tackled Carlos to the ground. The two rolled around in the grass, Carlos trying to get out of Harry's grip and Harry fighting to keep Carlos there.

The two finally landed in a position where Harry was above Carlos, pinning his hands down with his own and keeping his legs in place with his knees. Carlos was laughing loudly, Harry doing the same.

As their laughter died out the reality of their position set in. Harry was straddling Carlos's lap and their faces were literally inches apart. Both boys were breathing heavily.

Neither one felt that they could move. Harry kept looking at Carlos's face. Carlos's eyes kept going up and down. Finally Harry coughed and rolled away onto his back. Carlos stayed where he was.

The sun had finally set and, since they were a good distance away from Auradon Prep, the stars showed brightly against the deep black sky.
"Could never see this on the Isle." Harry whispered in awe.
"No we could not. Did you know that the stars make shapes sometimes?"
"No, I didn't." Harry admitted.
"Yeah! See, there's the big dipper over there. 4 stars make up a square, see it?"
"Yeah, I do."
"And then there's the handle off to the side, see it?"
"Yup. That's cool!" Harry said sincerely.
"There's others too but that's the most basic one and the one that sticks out the most." Carlos explained.

"What are the other ones?" Harry asked. Carlos lit up and began talking enthusiastically about the constellations. As he spoke he kept moving closer and closer to Harry until the two were practically cuddling.

That's how they spent their night, talking about constellations and falling asleep under the stars.

...

The next morning Harry woke up to a soft morning sunshine falling through the leaves of the trees. He tried to sit up but a weight on his left side stopped him from doing so. Looking over at his shoulder he found the source of the weight.

Carlos

He was using Harry's shoulder as a pillow, sleeping with his face toward Harry. He looked almost...peaceful, a sight rarely seen on the Isle so he wanted Carlos to stay as peaceful as possible. Without moving the left side of his body, Harry pulled out his phone.

...

The Sea Three

harry hooker: GUYS!

what's my name: yes oh whipped one?

harry hooker: excuse me!

purest boi: i mean-

harry hooker: irrelevant. i haves issue

what's my name: do you need a tissue?

harry hooker: get fucked by chad. CARLOS FELL ASLEEP ON MY ARM AKDBEIENIENRJEJ WHATDOIDOWHATDOIDOWHATDOIDO!!

purest boi: he's brocken. someone get the emo-jis

what's my name: 🖤🖤😭😭🥺🥺💔💔🥺🥺🥺🥺💔💔💔😭😭😭🖤🖤🖤😭😭👈🔫

purest boi: a perfect performance by uma, 10/10 would recommend

harry hooker: i hope your food is always just a little bit too hot

what's my name: *le gasp* to your own captain. how dare you

harry hooker: WHATDOISAYWHENHEWAKESUPHESGONNABESOCONFUSEDWHATIFHEHATESMEWHATIFHENEVERTALKSTOMEAGAIN?

purest boi: quick, someone get the english

what's my name: literally just don't bring it up? like if he does then you can say that you didn't wanna wake him up so you didn't move or something. but don't be the first to bring it up, that's gonna make it weird for him

harry hooker: i fucking love you. OH SHIT HES WAKING UP!!!

harry hooker had gone offline

purest boi: what are we gonna do with him?

what's my name: nfi gilly. nfi

Chapter Text

Harry watched as Carlos's eyes flew open in a slight panic.
"Shhh, you're alright, pup. You're alright." Harry's whispered. Carlos held onto him like a lifeline.

Against his better judgment Harry took his left arm and wrapped it around Carlos, keeping him close.
"I'm so sorry, Harry." Carlos whispered.
"Always apologizing over nothing. It's fine, 'Los, really. Although if you apologize over something you can't control again I will get Uma to hunt your ass down." Harry joked.

"Yeah, ok."

...

"Hey Harry?"
"Yes, pup?"
"Can I ask you something?"
"Depends on what it is."
"Way to make me feel better." Carlos gave Harry a shoulder check. The two were on Carlos's couch in his dorm watching a show called Ever After High. It was on Netflix and neither had seen it before so it was something to do.

"Im sorry, pup. Go ahead. Ask me." Harry said, shifting his body so he was sitting cross-legged on the couch facing Carlos.
"Ok. Uh, this is kinda weird for me."
"What is?"
"Usually I tell Jay about this stuff first, but uh, here goes nothing."
"Pup, you've got nothing to worry about. If it really means that much to you I won't make fun of you for it. I promise."
"Ok, cool. Uhm...I think...I mean...it's complicated-"
"What if I turn around, would that help?" Harry asked. He had done the same when Uma and Gil had come out to him. Apparently it had helped a lot, because while he was never nervous about telling people his sexuality he knew others were.

"Yeah actually. It would." Carlos admitted. Harry lifted his legs and spun 180° to face the other way. He heard Carlos take a deep breath.
"I think...I think I wanna start using he/they pronouns?" Carlos made it sound like a question.
"Ok. Which one do ya like more, he or they?" Harry asked. He wasn't a complete monster.
"Uh...doesn't matter to me, whichever is easier." Harry turned around and gave a smile toward Carlos.
"Sure thing, pup. Can I tell anyone else about this?"
"I mean...it depends, will they be accepting?"

"Will they be accept...'Los. Half our crew uses different pronouns then the ones their parents think they should use, both Uma and Gil are some form of queer, I'm pan, and you think they won't be accepting?" Harry laughed and sighed at the same time. "Ah, pup. You really need to learn about the diversity of pirate culture." He said.

...

The Sea Three

harry hooker: heads up, carlos uses he/they pronouns. get it the fuck right or perish

what's my name: no, im gonna misgender them on purpose. the fuck you think i'd do?

purest boi: alrighty then, whipped

harry hooker: also, don't tell him i told you this, but they seems to really hate being called de vil so maybe start calling him carlos

purest boi: awwww. you do care

what's my name: how sweet. alrighty then, carlos it is

harry hooker: thanks gays

what's my name: *guys

harry hooker: did i stutter

harry hooker has gone offline

...

private chat with what's my name

what's my name
oh gilly!

what's up, uma?

what's my name
plan's in place with *insert vomiting sounds* mal's gang?

oh yeah. they ain't getting outta this

what's my name
sick of harry's bullshit. let's get the asshats together

Chapter Text

Uma and Gil both sent texts to the Sea Three group chat, faking a whole interaction with each other about their parents wanting them back on the Isle and them going together for safety.

The two crossed the road to the Isle and headed toward their ship, where they planned everything.

When they arrived they found they were the last to do so. Jay was sitting on the edge of the boat rail messing with something on his phone. Evie and Mal had their backs turned to Uma and Gil, talking about something in a huddle.

"Gil! Hey!" Jay slipped down from the railing effortlessly and pulled Gil into a hug. Evie and Mal turned around just as Uma averted her eyes to give the two some form of privacy.

"Have you two finished? We have business." Uma said. Gil pulled away from Jay sheepishly.
"Yeah, we're good. Thanks Uma." Gil said happily.
"Good. Now then. Why'd you call us here, Uma?" Mal said.
"Because, Mal. We happen to have information and we want you to help us out." Gil said. He was always good at balancing out Uma's temper and Mal's impatience. The thing that he couldn't balance out was their non-existent filters.

"What is it, doll?" Jay asked smoothly.
"Harry likes Carlos." Uma said plainly. She watched as different reactions rained across the board. Jay seemed confused, Evie's eyes lit up like a kid on Christmas and Mal just looked pissed.

"Im sorry, what kind of game are you three playing here?" Mal crossed her arms and gave Uma the death glare.
"The only 'game' I wanna play is getting them together or figuring something else out." Gil responded coolly, moving closer to Uma to show where his loyalties lie.

"Harry has literally never shown any interest in Carlos before this. What the fuck is he on?" Great, Jay was angry too.
"No clue. And quite honestly, I have no clue why he likes them but he does. I don't wanna see Harry hurt." Uma said sincerely. Gil's eyes flicked toward her in warning. She gave him a look that read 'oh please' before continuing.
"So are you gonna help us figure out if Carlos likes him back or do we have to do everything ourselves?"

...

(I know that I've previously stated that Carlos's pronouns are he/they. However in this particular storyline only Harry Gil and Uma know about it. Mal Evie and Jay don't, so for this section I am using exclusively he/him for Carlos)

Later that night Mal, Evie, and Jay were sitting in Jay's dorm playing Mario Kart. They heard a click from the lock and a quick bit of conversation.
"See ya la'er, pup."
"Bye pan simp."
"How DARE Y-" The door closed in Harry's face and Carlos died laughing.

"Hey 'Los. How was your break?" Jay asked easily. Mal and Evie were much worse at hiding their intentions so they didn't ask.
"It was good. Little bit boring but uh, good in the long run." Carlos replied. Dude hopped up in the bed and curled around himself. Jay could swear he saw that dog smile as he did so.

"Was that Hook outside?" Evie asks. To make it seem more like she doesn't care she purposefully runs into a banana peel on the game and makes a bunch of 'are you kidding me' noises.
"Oh! Uh, yeah. It was." Carlos purposefully avoids answering why Harry Hook was walking him to his dorm.
"Why was he here?" Mal tried and failed to restrain her anger but she couldn't help it.
"Calm down, Mal. Jeez. You'd think he gave me a black eye and broken rib with that tone you have." Carlos was still deflecting and starting to get a bit defensive due to the interrogation.
"Carlos, we just-"
"Forget it. How was your summer? What happened?" Carlos seemed desperate to change the topic so everyone collectively moved away from the subject for now.

"Well me and Ben had to try and convince the other areas of Auradon that having the Isle borders opened was a good thing. Didn't help that we broke up halfway through though." Mal said casually.
"Hold on. I need deets. Now." Evie demanded.
"Yeah. Ben figured out he's somewhere on the aromatic spectrum. We still had to keep up appearances throughout the summer, but the second we got back Ben told his parents we broke up. They got pretty pissed but he told them that adopting was an option especially now that all the orphan VKs are being sent here for the foster system. His parents are fine with it now but man, can they get angry." Mal laughed.

"Mal if he hurt you-" Jay started.
"He didn't. I was gonna break up with him anyways."
"Why were you gonna do that?" Carlos settled onto the corner of the couch, bending his legs and putting his feet in front of him on the cushions.
"More into girls then guys anyways. Didn't wanna lead him on too much, ya know?" Mal smiled at Carlos.
"AYYYYY, same!" Evie said excitedly. Jay and Carlos gave each other knowing smirks as Mal and Evie laughed.

"Well...as long as we're coming out-"
"Carlos. Love. We've all known that you're about as straight as a circle." Evie joked.
"No, it's not that. I mean...that too but that's not what I was gonna say. I think...well not think, I know-"
"Oh just spit it out already, Car. You're killing me here." Jay called, swerving his control for Mario Kart and successfully passing Evie.
"I wanna start using he/they pronouns!" Carlos blurted. Three heads snapped towards him. Everyone felt a buzz and Carlos pulled his phone out of their pocket.

Mal, Evie and Jay all looked at each other then back at Carlos. Again. And again. Carlos laughed at something on their phone softly before typing out a reply and putting it away again.
"Uh. Guys?" Carlos asked hesitantly. Nobody responded.

Nobody knew how to make him feel accepted

Carlos was visibly crushed, making himself smaller by the second. After a good few minutes of silence Carlos got up.
"Well. Uh. I'm gonna go. Yeah I'm just gonna go." They grabbed his bag, took their keys for the dorm from the table next to the door and opened it up. With one last look toward his friend, Carlos left the dorm for the night.

"Fucking hell-" Mal started.
"I didn't mean to-" Evie trailed off.
"We fucked up." Jay said simply. And they had. All three of them knew how it felt to not be accepted.

And they just made Carlos feel like they weren't accepted

...

Uma and Gil were having a Just Dance battle in the cave the Sea Three stayed in. Harry was making snacks and such for the movie night.

Harry's phone buzzed on the island that they had put in in the kitchen. It continued buzzing which meant someone was calling him.

He picked it up to look at the contact name.

pup

Carlos was FaceTiming him. He swiped to answer the FaceTime and set the phone up on the counter.

"Hey pup! What's going on?" He asked while opening a bag of chips.

'Um. It's a long story.' Carlos said.

"Well lucky for you I've got time." Harry replied, pouring the chips into a bowl and grabbing a smaller one for dip.

'In a minute. First off...can I come in?' It took a minute for Harry to register what Carlos was saying. The first thing Harry's mind latched onto was the fact that Carlos sounded and looked like he was 30 seconds from crying. The second thing was the words.

"Come in, wha-Holy shit. Hang on-" Harry left his phone where it was and sprinted out of the kitchen area, past the Just Dance battle in the main room and into the entrance hallway. He rolled open the rock door that they had camouflaged.

"Hey Harry." Carlos said, his voice wavering on the edge of tears.
"Pup? What happened to you?" And with that Carlos broke down crying. If it hadn't been for Harry they probably would've fallen onto his knees. Luckily Harry caught them in a hug. The two stood there, Carlos clutching onto Harry's shirt like a lifeline and sobbing into his shoulder.

Uma and Gil must've heard the crying because the two came racing out of the cave as well. They looked at each other and then back at Harry and Carlos before joining in the hug.

...

A good while later they had all gotten Carlos to come inside, grabbing their bag and putting it somewhere safe and making him sit on the couch.
"Carlos?" Uma asked gently. She had forced Harry and Gil to go get everything else Carlos would need from the storage area a couple miles away.

Carlos didn't answer, simply humming in recognition of the question.
"Can you look at me?"
"MmMm." Carlos said, a very clear no.
"Alright. Wanna tell me what happened?" Uma tried.

"Uh. Well after Harry walked me back to my dorm Mal, Evie and Jay were there. They kind of...interrogated me, I guess. On why Harry had walked me back. I didn't want to tell them so I asked to change the subject. And somehow we ended up having a mini coming-out session. Mal and Evie told us that they preferred girls over guys. And I told them that I wanna go by he/they pronouns. Harry told you, right?" Carlos looked over at her in a slight panic.

"Aye, he did. And don't worry, I support you fully. Anyone gives you trouble you send em to me, got it?" Uma said to try and lighten the mood. Carlos laughed softly. Mission success. "What happened after that?"

"Well. The didn't really say anything. They just sorta stared at me. Then Harry texted me a weird meme that he thought I'd like. When I looked back up from my phone they were just kinda looking at each other then at me. But they still didn't say anything even though I talked to them. And uh...yeah. It didn't seem like they liked it so I just left and came here." Carlos finished.

As they were finishing explaining, Harry and Gil had come back and were listening to him. Uma stood up from her crouched position.
"So we're killing someone? Got it, got it." Gil said calmly. Carlos cringed. Gil never got mad, but when he did it was that calm mad where you could tell he was really pissed.
"Let's not, maybe. First thing's first. Carlos? You're staying with us tonight. We'll figure something out in the morning. Now. I believe I was kicking your ass in Just Dance." Uma turned to Gil with a wicked grin on her face.

Carlos spent the night with the Sea Three, laughing and smiling, cheering for whoever he wanted to win. The four of them played games and ate absolute garbage and stayed up all night.

Just so Carlos would feel better

...

what's my name has created a group chat with harry hooker, purest boi, dragon child, fashion queen and thievery

what's my name: what did y'all do

thievery: how are they?

harry hooker: oh besides crying in our place cause they felt like you didn't accept him? perfectly fine.

fashion queen: shit

purest boi: unless you can find a way to apologize, he stays with us

Chapter Text

Carlos sat with Uma, Gil and Harry in the common area. Uma was laying on a couch and taking up the whole thing. Gil was sitting on the floor with his back to the couch Uma sat on. Harry was sitting on a table with one foot up. And Carlos was in the window seat, one leg close to them and the other resting on the remaining space of the seat.

"I'm thinking of changing my hair but I don't trust anyone in Auradon to not fuck it up, ya know?" Uma grabbed one of her teal braids and messed with it a bit.

"You know. Dizzy does hair. She's Evie's, Mal's, Jay's and my stylist. Plus she's been getting people from Auradon as clients as well. She's hella good." Carlos said.
"Who does she do from Auradon?" Gil leaned forward, closer to Carlos.
"Uh....a few peopl. Ben, Jane, Audrey, Lonnie, and that's just people you know." Carlos said.
"Really? Knew that kid was good but didn't think she'd make it very far on the Isle." Harry was slightly surprised.
"Yeah, she finally got out from under her grandmother's thumb. Hey, did you know she does Loralai and Ace?" Carlos said happily. They were always ready to promote Dizzy.

"They don't trust anyone, how the hell did Dizzy manage to get them as clients?" Uma said shocked. And she had every right to be. The children of Mother Gothel and The Queen of Hearts didn't trust easily. But they were...some sort of item on the Isle. Ace trusted Dizzy once and suddenly both were clients for life.

"No fucking idea. But she did. Guess Loralai loved Ace's new look." Carlos joked. All four burst out laughing. And that's how Mal, Evie and Jay found them. Dying laughing, spread out across the common room.

"Alright, dog boy. You might've just convinced me." Uma snorted.
"See. With any luck your new look will get you a girl too." Carlos giggled. Harry laughed loudly.
"Yeah, Uma. Say a certain...pink haired princess who just so happens to be the daughter of, let's say, Sleeping Beauty?" Harry teased. Uma turned bright red.
"I will kill both of you, and have no trouble doing so." She groaned, flipping her head so it was turned towards Mal and her crew, who had just been standing there in shock.

"'Los. We got company." Uma informed him. They sat up in his seat to see who it was. When they caught sight of Evie's signature blue hair his legs fell from their position and their body twisted to be a bit more guarded.

"Hey, guys." Evie tried to break the tension.
"Evie. Any reason you're standing there looking like you'd rather be run over by a bus?" Harry asked.
"We wanted to apologize." Mal blurt out.
"For what?" Gil asked innocently.
"For making you feel like we didn't accept you, Carlos." Jay started, looking Carlos in the eye.
"It wasn't our intention, we just were caught off guard. To be honest I was trying to find the right words to apologize for fucking up in the past." Evie continued.

As Evie and Jay were talking, Mal had slowly been walking over toward Carlos. She sat down next to them.
"And honestly? I was trying to remember when we went from being able to read each other's minds to not having a clue about each other's lives. I felt bad that I had no clue and couldn't find the right words to make sure you felt comfortable." Mal said, looking at their face. He looked up at her with tears in their eyes.

"I forgive you guys. Just...don't do that again. Or I will sic Uma on you and have no guilt." Carlos joked. Everyone's posture relaxed. Mal surged forward to give them the biggest hug.
"Deal." Uma said from her spot. Jay and Evie got closer to Carlos as well. Mal let him breathe, choosing a chair to sit in. Evie did the same, giving Carlos a hug before sitting in a rocking chair next to Mal's. Jay gave Carlos a quick pay on the shoulder and a smile. He walked over to Gil and sat down next to him, Gil's head instantly finding its way to Jay's shoulder.

"Now. What was this I head about a certain daughter of Aurora?" Evie asked. Carlos snorted, Gil gave a surprised laugh and Harry burst out laughing.

"I'm committing arson on this fucking school and leaving you all inside." Uma said with no real heat behind her words.

...

Carlos and Harry laughed with each other as they headed to Carlos's dorm with supplies for a new project involving the 3-D printer.
"Did you see Audrey's FACE when she saw Uma's new hair?" Carlos giggled.
"Aye, she looked like a little lovesick puppy."

"At this rate we're gonna have to ask them out for each other."
"That's...not a bad idea with the rate this is going." Harry replied sincerely.
"Meh, already scheming with Jay. So if you do you're on your own. unless you get Gil to help." Carlos said.
"I'm scared to ask-"
"Mal and Evie. Duh." Carlos said like it was obvious, and to be honest it mostly was.

"Yeah, that's fair. Uh. 'Los?"
"Yeah?"
"Your door's open." Harry stated. And it was. The door to Carlos's dorm was cracked slightly.
"Not again." Carlos groaned.
"Again?" Harry was confused.

Carlos shouldered the door open.
"Chad." They said annoyed.
"Uh. I knocked." He said stupidly. Carlos sighed.
"You need to stop breaking into my dorm." Carlos said. They held out his hand expectantly.

"Chad, was it?" Harry asked.
"Yeah. Who wants to know?"
"Harry Hook. I believe I owe you something."
"Which is?"
"A decent hookin." Harry held his arm up.

Carlos twisted their body quickly, catching Harry's hand halfway on its path downwards.
"Not worth it, Harry. Chad, I need my key back." Carlos said. holding his other hand out for the key. Chad groaned and placed it in their hand. On his way out he grinned smugly at Harry.

"I still have the chance to let him hook you, Chad. I suggest getting the fuck out before I decide it's worth it." Carlos called out. Chad's smirk dropped and he ran out of the room. Carlos's death glare was replaced with a smirk of their own as he let go of Harry's wrist and walked over to the shopping bags.

"You should've let me hook 'im." Harry said, falling back onto Carlos's bed.
"I should've. But I don't want you to get in trouble." It was half the truth. Carlos didn't want Harry to get in trouble, but they didn't specify why.

And for good reason. Over the summer, Carlos had figured something out. Harry's kindness to him could've been a one time thing, but it wasn't. He hung out with them, kept him company. The two had spent countless hours just talking. Learning about each other.

And over the weeks, Carlos had fallen for him. They didn't quite know how. Or when. But one day it had just...happened.

"Whatcha doin, pup?" Harry asked. Carlos tried not to blush at the nickname, as they tried to do every time.
"Uh, I got a new lock for the dorm. Just until I can make the new one. Don't want Chad to get in anymore." Carlos said. Again, a half truth. Jay and Gil so often used the dorms for...dates...that Carlos wanted to make a better lock so that he wouldn't be able to get in if Jay was using it for a date.

"I see. Is that the project with the printer?"
"Yeah. Gotta figure out how to code it right though." Carlos said. They pulled up the blueprints he'd been working on and plugged them into the 3-D printer so it could start printing the lock.

In the meantime they unscrewed the regular door handle/lock combo from the door and screwed in the new one, without a keyhole and instead with a passcode. He sent a quick text to Jay.

...

designated favorite child: new password for the dorm lock is 3862

thievery: password?

designated favorite child: yeah, Chad got in again. making a better lock right now but i got rid of the keyhole lock so Chad can't get in without the password

thievery: ah. makes sense. oh, btw, on a date w/ gilly, so ya might not wanna be at the dorm 2night. if ur gonna have something printing i'll leave it tho

...

In reality, Carlos groaned in disgust.
"What's up, pup?"
"Jay and Gil are on a date. I've been informed because they're coming back here."
"Well if that's the case, you can stay with me in the cave. Uma's out for the night though, not sure if that's a deterrent." Harry offered.
"That's fine. Sounds awesome! Lemme pack a bag real quick." Carlos said happily. They grabbed a black backpack and packed a change of clothes and some other things.

"Let's go!" He said. The two walked off toward the cave, laughing and talking all the way.

Chapter Text

Carlos laughed at Harry's inability to survive on his own. They pulled out his phone and opened up their texts with Uma.

...

designated favorite child: um, where you keep everything in the kitchen?

what's my name: fridge is hidden in the wall, it's at the left end of the kitchen. cabinets got dry ingredients. far right end of the kitchen cabinets have plates, bowls, cups. drawers under the plates has utensils

what's my name: why you ask?

designated favorite child: harry can't cook for shit

what's my name: don't i know it. why you with him?

designated favorite child: gil and jay are having 'date night' in our dorm. which means they're gonna be making out and having sex all night

what's my name: no...other reason?

designated favorite child: uma...what are you talking about?

what's my name: carlos. tell your mother. now

designated favorite child: you have to promise not to tell anyone else.

what's my name: i promise, child

designated favorite child: i kinda sort maybe not so slightly like harry

designated favorite child: k, that's all, byeeeeeeeeeeeee

...

Carlos stood up from his seat, slipping their phone into their back pocket. He went over to Harry struggling to light the stove. They placed a hand on his bicep to indicate that he should stop. Harry froze, looking anywhere but Carlos.

"Harry. Can I try?" Carlos asked.
"Yeah. Yeah, uh, go for it." Harry said. He left the kitchen area to sit at the island. Carlos looked in a couple of the cabinets and the fridge, finding enough stuff to make chicken tenders and fries. He set to work, setting everything up.

"Come here." Carlos said, gesturing with their finger. Harry walked over to stand right behind Carlos.
"What?" Harry asked. Carlos stepped aside.
"Grab the chicken. Dunk it in the egg mix, then the flour, then the second bowl off egg, then the breading." Carlos ordered. Harry followed the instructions.
"Ok-"
"Now plop it in the oil. Careful, it's hot." Carlos laughed as Harry got splashed with a bit of the cooking oil.
"FUCK!" Harry yelled.
"Ok, here we go. Carlos said between giggles. "Here, lemme see. I can get it out." They suggested. He expected Harry to simply get closer so they could use a cloth to clean it up. But instead Harry grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled it off, handing it to a very flustered Carlos.

"Whatcha gonna do, love?" Harry asked. Carlos about died.
"Go get another shirt on, I'll get the oil stains out." Carlos said. Harry shrugged.
"Imma use the bathroom too, while I'm there. Don't die." Harry joked, walking off to his room.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, Carlos received a call.

From Uma.

They answered it and propped it up, continuing to make the chicken tenders.

'Hey, 'Los. Harry around?'

"Oh my god, Uma, I think I'm gonna die. He just took off his shirt! How am I supposed to deal with this!!"

'Oh my GOD! Did he actually? Oh you poor unfortunate soul.'
'IS THAT CARLOS?' Another voice called from offscreen.

"Who is that?" Carlos asked. Harry came in just as pink hair came into frame on the screen.

'HI CARLOS! And hi Harry! How are you guys?'
'Babes, you're very loud.' Uma laughed. Harry and Carlos gave each other knowing smirks.

"'Babes'? Uma, are you on a date? Is that why you're not gonna be here?" Harry laughed.

'Yeah, we are. It's new though, we don't wanna tell anyone until it's more...official, ya know?' Audrey said

"Our lips are sealed." Carlos said, making a zipping motion with his fingers across his mouth.

'Thank you guys! See ya later!' And with that, Uma hung up the phone.

Carlos finished up the chicken tenders and pulled out some frozen fries to make as well.

...

"Oh my god, ya suck at this!" Harry laughed. Carlos had tried, and failed, once again to catch a fry in their mouth. The two were continuing Ever After High and joking around.
"Dear god, Daring is worse than Chad! And that's saying something!" Carlos complained.
"Meh, personally I think Duchess is the worst but ya know. Personal preferences."
"Yeah, you right, you right." Carlos agreed.

"Hey, we should play truth or dare!" Carlos suggested.
"What's that?"
"So basically I ask 'truth or dare'. You pick one or the other and your either have to do the dare or answer the question truthfully!" Carlos explained quickly.
"Alright, sure." Harry said.
"Ok! Truth or dare?" Carlos asked.

"Uhhh...I guess I'll go with dare." Harry asked.
"I dare you to...hmmmm...try to lick whipped cream off your nose!" Carlos said, running to grab the whipped cream. Harry smirked.

"Ok! Ready?" Carlos said. Harry tilted his head back and Carlos sprayed the whipped cream onto his nose. "Go!" He shouted.

Harry stuck his tongue out, unknowingly showing off his tongue piercing, before licking the whipped cream off his nose easily. He lifted his head and used his sleeve to wipe off the excess and smiled at a very flustered Carlos.

"Truth or dare?" Harry asked.
"Uh. Truth." Carlos replied.
"What do I ask?" Harry said after a moment.
"Anything goes, really."
"Ok. You had your first kiss yet?" Harry asked. This in turn only served to make Carlos blush even more.
"Uhm. No. I mean, everyone else from the Isle has, but I was never that...popular or well liked. So it never really came up." Carlos said truthfully.
"Huh. Really?"
"Yeah. Wasn't, ya know, exactly anything anybody offered. Not exactly safe to get attached on the Isle."
"Yeah, I remember. But you want to have your first kiss?"

"One question at a time, Hook. Truth or dare?"
"Let's go truth."
"Have you had your first kiss? Though I can probably tell what the answer is." Carlos joked half-heartedly.
"Yeah."
"With who?" Carlos asked, now genuinely curious.
"Depends on if we're talkin men or women." Harry responded casually.
"Let's go men first."
"That'd be Gil."
"Really? Wow, how'd that happen?"
"Got excited. And drunk. And we were celebrating. And I have no clue. Afterward he was super awkward around me. Tried to tell me that he didn't mean it. Good thing it didn't mean anything for me either."

"What about women?"
"Now, and your gonna hate me for this. But Mal." Harry said, cringing as he said it.
"Im sorry, MAL?" Carlos said, a wide smile coming to his face.
"Yeah. Heat of the moment make-out session. Lasted all o 5 minutes, we both hated it, so nothing ever came outta it."
"No wonder Mal doesn't like you." Carlos said in shock.

"Yeah yeah, truth or dare?"
"Dare." They said boldly, trying to dodge the question.
"I dare you to tell me if you want your first kiss." Harry said smugly.
"You little shit." Carlos's jaw dropped.
"Dare's a dare." Harry smiled.
"Fine. Yes, I want my first kiss. But I wouldn't know with who, so it doesn't matter."

...

Later that week, Mal, Evie, Jay, Carlos, Uma, Audrey, Ben, and Gil were all having a sleepover in the cave. Evie shot up in her seat, scaring everyone.
"WE SHOULD PLAY SPIN THE BOTTLE!" She called out. Jay and Gil cringed, Audrey and Ben looked like they were gonna be sick but everyone else seemed down.

"Rules!" Evie said, grabbing a half-empty soda bottle and placing it in the center. "Just a kiss, no make-out sessions yet. If you don't wanna, you gotta tell a secret. If your partner doesn't want you to, you gotta take a shot. Discuss with partners!" Evie said.

After a quick discussion everyone decided that they were fine with it, provided everyone understand that nothing was to come from it. Everyone made a better circle around the bottle.

"First spin decides first up." Evie declared, and the bottle spun. Eventually it landed on Harry, who in turn spun the bottle again. It landed on Gil.
"We meet again, Gil." Harry laughed.
"So we do." Gil responded. The two gave each other a quick peck on the lips before it was done.

Gil spun the bottle, this time landing on Uma.
"Must be my lucky day." Gil joked. The two gave each other the same quick peck. Uma spun and landed on Audrey. This kept going for a while.

After Audrey kissed Uma, she landed on Mal. Mal landed on Harry. Harry landed on Evie. Evie got Jay, and Jay got Audrey.

"Make out time! Again, partners. Discuss." Another quick discussion. Turns out everyone was fine with it again.

"Quick rules. Has to be at least for 5 minutes. You can go into the other room for privacy, but we're timing it. Marks are optional, but you gotta tell us if you're leaving em before you go into the other room. No leaving marks on taken people, unless said taken person gets their partner." Evie said. "Spin for first."

The bottle landed on Carlos. Just their luck. He took a deep breath and spun the bottle, praying to god that they were a naturally good kisser.

It landed on Harry.

Fuck.

A small series of giggles broke out between Uma, Audrey, and Gil.
"You leavin marks, Hook?" Uma asked between laughter.
"I get the option to tell a secret, right?" Carlos blurted out.
"Really? Don't wanna make out with anyone?" Jay teased.
"Not particularly, no."
"That's fine. That's why we gave the option. What's your secret, 'Los?" Gil said sympathetically.
"Uh. Ok. Surprisingly, not even you guys know this." Carlos said, gesturing to Mal, Evie and Jay. "But I can make really good drinks."

"Wait, what?"
"Yeah. And not just alcoholic drinks either, though I'm pretty good at those too." They replied.
"Wait. So like a bartender?" Evie clarified.
"Yeah, I guess."
"Which means you DO drink! You told us you didn't!" Jay exclaimed, pointing a finger at Carlos. Harry snorted from his spot besides Carlos.

"Well...yeah? You really believed that I didn't drink?"
"Prove it. Make the drinks next week."
"Well. Alright. I guess so." Carlos agreed. The game continued like normal, everyone much happier now that they had the promise of drinks next week.

...

designated favorite child: hey

harry hooker: hello pup

designated favorite child: can you go with me to the store? i gotta get stuff for the drinks in a few days

harry hooker: yeah, course. later today? after classes since i know you love doing that

designated favorite child: you have remedial goodness today anyways. we'll go after school

harry hooker: fine fine. later pup!

...

Later that day, in Remedial Goodness, Harry was on a roll. While the other VKs couldn't seem to get the right answers, Harry and Uma had gotten a tip from Mal and Carlos.

"Just pick the one that doesn't sound like any fun." They both had said. Harry knew that both didn't necessarily agree with the goodness classes, but they were a graduation requirement for all of Auradon Prep. The rules had been extended to everyone after a...certain situation with a princess.

"You come across a building full of dangerous magical objects!" Fairy Godmother said animatedly. "Do you A) Leave it alone and call a trusted adult? B) Take what you think looks cool and leave? C) Let a villain know where it is? Or D) Keep all the magical objects for yourself?" She continued trying to be cool for everyone.

"A. Leave it alone and call a trusted adult." A familiar voice said.
"Carlos! Everyone, this is one of the original students from Remedial Goodness. Any advice for the class, Carlos?"

"You're not gonna like it." They teased, walking towards the front of the room.
"I'm sure she'll get over it." A feminine voice called out from the back. A quick check confirmed that it was Jane.

"Pick the one that doesn't sound like any fun. It might not seem like it now, but that's the right answer." Carlos informed everyone. A chorus of 'ohhhhh' s were heard around the classroom.

"Thank you for that. Maybe now we can start getting them outta their habits." Fairy Godmother whispered to Carlos.
"No problem. Hey, can me and Jane leave campus? We're planning for homecoming and want to go get some sample decorations and deserts to be approved." Carlos explained.

"Of course! And thank you for reeling my daughter in a bit. Even though you two didn't last, she's lucky to have you as a friend!" Fairy Godmother said.

...

Jane and Carlos walked around the downtown area, looking for themes for the homecoming dance.

"Hey, aren't kids coming from other schools too?" Carlos asked.
"Yeah. The high schools from Cinderellasburg, East Riding, Camelot Heights, South Riding, Towering Heights, Charmington, Olympus, Neverland, Wonderland, Lone Keep, and this is the first year the the Isle of the Lost is joining." Jane rattled off from memory.

"Wow."
"Yeah. So we gotta come up with the theme now because even though it's a month and a half away, everyone needs to know the theme so the dress makers can get started." Jane said.
"What about the Isle?"
"What about them?"
"There's no dress makers on the Isle. We never had any homecomings. In fact, the school is mediocre at best." Carlos informed Jane.

"Oh dear. I'll see what I can do about that!" Jane said happily.
"Bring it back, tiger. Theme." Carlos reminded her, effectively keeping Jane on track. The two wandered around a bit longer, eventually deciding to get lunch while they were out.

Chapter Text

"So. How's life been?" Carlos asked, glad to have a chance to catch up with his friend.
"Oh, it's been good. Actually, and don't tell anyone I told you this or I'd get killed, but I'm seeing someone." Jane said, a wide smile spread across her face.
"Oh my god! Jane, that's amazing! Who is it? Are they treating you right? How long have you been together? I have SO many questions!" Carlos rambled.

The pair had broken up solely because Carlos realized they were gay. Jane had taken it amazingly well and the two had been best friends ever since. It was comforting to know that they were still on good terms, and were even able to joke about the relationship. However, both had a strange obsession with setting the other up.

"Ok, ok! One at a time! We're gonna wait on telling everyone who we're dating but we are telling people that we're taken. Yes, they are treating me right. We've been dating for about a month and a half now." Jane answered happily.

"Jane, that's seriously awesome. I'm so happy for you!" Carlos said sincerely.
"Thanks, 'Los! Now. Are you seeing anyone?" Jane asked, flipping the script 180°

"No, not right now." Carlos answered.
"Carlos. You can't lie to me." Jane said, taking a sip of her drink.
"Well..."
"I KNEW IT! Who is he?" Jane yelped.
"I'm not dating anyone!"
"Fine. Do you have a crush on anyone?"
"Uhm..."
"Ah. There it is." Jane said. The two finished up and waited for the check.
"Well. Uhm. No?" Carlos was so bad at this.
"Who is he?" Jane asked like a mother would, handing her card to the waitress.

"Harry Hook." He muttered.
"HA! I knew it! Anyone else know?"
"Just Uma and Audrey."
"How come they knew before me? I'm your loyal ex girlfriend!" Jane teased.
"Yes I know, darling, but Uma's scary. You're not. And she asked. And then she called me and I ranted to her about Harry and Audrey was right there! By the way, did you know that those two were dating?"
"Oh yeah, I've known that Audrey and Uma were together. They go through me for requests to leave campus." Jane said smugly.
"I hate you."
"So. You gonna do anything about it?"
"Nope." They said, standing up. Jane did the same and the two went back to shopping for samples.

"How dare you. You know what. No. Either you do something about it before the end of the week or I will." Jane threatened. Carlos froze.

"Jane, please don't! I like what I have with Harry, I don't wanna fuck it up! Please. I know he won't like me back. But I'd rather have him in my life then have him avoiding me!" He pleaded.

"He won't ignore you, stop being dramatic. Come on. Oh, and I'm going to that movie thing you guys are having in a couple days. Perfect time for me to do something about it!"

...

"Heya, pup! Ready to go?" Harry asked.
"Yep! Let's go!" Carlos was trying not to act suspicious. But Harry could apparently read them like a book. Either that or he sucked at hiding their emotions.
"What's wrong?" Harry asked almost immediately.
"Why would anything be wrong?" Carlos said in a way too high pitched voice. Harry smirked.
"What happened?"
"Jane." Carlos said reluctantly.
"Your ex?"

"Not like that." Carlos rolled his eyes.
"So then what?"
"Well...she currently has a partner and she's now harassing me to find a boyfriend. She told me I have until the end of the week to do something about it or she'd do something about it." They groaned. Harry tried and failed to hide his laughter.
"So...you're screwed?"
"Yeah."
"Hey. Worst case scenario you get someone to pretend to date you to make her happy."
"Yeah, maybe." Carlos thought for a moment, hesitant to say anything. The two reached the store. While Harry was going straight for the alcohol aisle, Carlos grabbed his sleeve and walked toward the actual food aisles.

Harry raised an eyebrow but said nothing, allowing himself to be lead.
"Would you?" Carlos asked hesitantly.
"Would I what?" Harry replied. Carlos scanned the bottom shelf for what he needed.
"Pretend to date me? Just for a bit?"
"Oh. Yeah, course pup." Harry replied.
"Really?" Carlos asked, way too excited for their own good.

"Yeah. If it'll get Jane off your back. Then we can fake-breakup, pretend to be on bad terms for a bit and Jane'll stop harassing you to get a boyfriend." Harry explained. Carlos nodded, surprised that the other had the whole thing all planned out.
"You'd really do that for me?"
"O course. You got your crap?"
"Just need the alcohol." He replied, heading over to the alcohol aisle and grabbing what was needed before heading to the register after.

...

Carlos was in the cave, finishing the drinks. He placed the two coolers with pour spouts on the counter of the island and the cooler with a ladle on a table next to it.
"So. How far we going with this whole 'fake dating' thing. You got any lines I can't cross?"
"Um. I mean. I don't really care. Long as you don't cross any of your lines then I'll be fine."
"Sweet. Let's get Jane off your ass."

Harry allowed everyone in.
"Hey guys! So the two coolers that have the pour spout are alcoholic and the one with the ladle isn't." Carlos explained. They could feel Harry behind them and wondered what he was up to.
"Yep. And all snacks are on the island, as per usual." Harry placed both of his hands on the outsides of Carlos's shoulders. Jane raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

Everyone raided the kitchen for drinks and food. They saw three coolers, all named. One was labeled 'Apple Pie'. One was labeled 'Jungle Juice'. And the last was called 'Island Dream'. The first two were alcoholic. The last one wasn't.

"Holy shit, 'Los! This apple pie stuff is amazing!" Mal called out. Evie leaned over her shoulder and took a sip from the cup as well.
"How does it taste exactly like it?" She marveled.

"And how are there no fuck ups in the jungle juice? Usually the pour spout get clogged, I-" Uma laughed.
"Easy. Take part of a shaker for margaritas, the strainer part. Just put it over the spout so it'll pour." Carlos laughed. Harry smiled softly at them.

This was gonna be fun

Chapter Text

Everyone eventually filtered into the main room. Audrey and Uma sat together on the couch. Gil and Jay sat with their backs against the wall on the floor. Mal and Evie sat together on a comfy chair. Jane took a spot with her back ti the side of Mal and Evie's chair. Harry sat on the last available couch spot.

Carlos looked around for a seat and found they were all taken.
"'Los!" Harry called, waving them over.
"What movie we wanna watch?" Mal called out. A multitude of different responses rang out through the air.
"Tangled?" Carlos asked softly. Only Harry heard.
"What about Tangled. Never seen it." Harry said a bit louder while smiling down at Carlos, who had taken a seat on the floor by Harry's legs.
"Yeah, I could go for Tangled." Jay agreed.
"Why not? It's a good movie!" Evie complied as well.
"Tangled it is!" Mal said, scrolling through Disney + to find the movie.

...

The movie had reached the Kingdom Dance song. Mal, Evie, Jay, Ben, Jane and Audrey all stood up with matching smirks. They looked at each other before staring at Carlos.
"What?" Carlos asked defiantly.
"Come on. You are baby." Jane laughed, grabbed their wrist and forcing him to stand. She spun them around twice, spinning him in and out quickly so they spun out of control towards Jay.

Jay successfully grabbed him by the arm and waist with a wide smile. The two mimicked the dance on screen, laughing the whole time. Eventually everyone else paired up. Just before the part where they would spin out and switch partners the Sea Three stood.

Uma looked toward Ben and Audrey, who were dancing closer to her. Ben seemed to understand because he gave a quick nod. Gil was watching Jay and Evie dancing and Jay winked at his boyfriend. Harry was staring at where Mal and Carlos were. Mal gave him a smug smirk, and at that moment the spin out part happened.

Uma was there to catch Audrey, Evie spun into Ben and Gil took her place, and Carlos spun right into Harry's waiting arms.

...

Movie night was a disaster. Everyone called the two out on what they were doing. They decided on the fly to fake a huge fight in the bathroom about their "relationship" before pulling a huge "breakup" in the middle of it. And Harry and Carlos had been avoiding each other ever since.

Now Carlos was in an outfit consultation with Evie, wanting to be doing anything but.
"'Los, baby, I know you're upset right now. And rightfully so! Harry had no right to do that to you! But now we have homecoming soon. So. The theme is 'Starting Anew'. Don't ask why, it's above me."

"Interesting. Imma have to kick Jane's ass later. For more things than one."
"Fine fine. Now. I have a couple of designs for a suit already-"
"Actually, Evie. I had an idea, if that's ok with you. Can you keep it to yourself though? I wanna surprise everyone if you're chill with it."
"Of course, 'Los. I miss when you trusted me with everything. Go for it."
"I kinda sorta wanna wear a dress to hoco-"

Evie's jaw dropped open. A few seconds later her mouth widened into a huge smile.
"Yes. 1000% yes. Give me a week to come up with a design."
"Thanks, Evie. I was actually gonna see Dizzy about a new look, too. My hair feels dead and boring."
"Give me 30 seconds, I'll call Diz right now."

...

Five minutes later Evie and Dizzy had coordinated on a dress and hairstyle for the day of.
"Ok. You, my friend, need to grow your hair out for the next month. I'll give you better products to use than your 8 in one shampoo-conditioner-body wash-dish soap-car oil-toothpaste-lotion combo." Dizzy listed, making Evie and Carlos start to laugh.
"Stop frying your hair off with the at home bleach. Leave it alone." She threatened.
"Ok, ok."
"Day of hoco you go to Dizzy first. Then come to me." Evie demanded.
"Got it. God damn, women are scary." Carlos joked, their voice heavy with sarcasm.

...

Carlos and Harry still haven't interacted much, even a month later. They had agreed to milk the "bad terms" bullshit until homecoming.

But that doesn't mean they didn't text.

Every day the two texted constantly. Weather it be for homework help, venting, joking around, facetiming each other whenever they could, even hanging out once or twice at the enchanted lake.

Carlos didn't tell him what they were planning for homecoming.

The day of, Carlos woke up at exactly 7:30 am, brushing his hair and teeth, getting dressing in a basic t shirt and jeans before heading to Dizzy's temporary studio. Conveniently, it was right next to their workshop, so they could pick up the item that Evie had asked for.

8 am and Carlos walked into Dizzy's studio. He placed their things on the table at the front and sat down next to the stuff. Dizzy walked in two minutes later.
"CARLOS! You listened to me!! I don't have to kill you!!"
"Yep. Thankfully."
"Ok, lets get started!!"

...

"What do you think?" Dizzy asked, turning him around.
"Woah." They breathed softly.

His haircut was completely different, more of a clean look rather than the messy boyband style. Their curls were back, clean and pretty. A small shaved design was on the side of his head. But most importantly, their hair was nothing like their mother's. It was dyed back to his natural black, with their signature shade of red expertly blended in as highlights.

"I know. Now if you want to keep this hairstyle you can come back in about...8 weeks. If you wanna let it fade out then go for it."
"No, I. I love it. It's beautiful." Carlos stammered. He felt...not handsome, that wasn't the right word. They couldn't tell what the term was, but whatever it was, he felt it.

"That took a while, damn. Ok, now to Evie my friend!" Dizzy said. Carlos smiled widely, paying before heading out to Evie's mansion.

...

"CARLOS HOLY SHIT! Honey, you look AMAZING!! Dizzy did so good!!" Evie shouted. Doug laughed, nodding in agreement.
"Thanks, Eves. Yeah, she did great. I got you the things you wanted?"
"YES! Ok, can you stay here for a moment? Me and Doug have to set up the dress lockers and send out the emails." Evie said.
"Yeah sure! Take your time!" Carlos replied, making themself comfortable.

Evie and Doug had grown so much that they couldn't send the dresses out themselves. So they set up a new system. They had ordered lockers that could fit the dressed and would send out emails to their clients with the number and code for the locker that help their specific dress. It was a much more efficient system.

45 minutes after that, the pair returned.
"Ok! Oh my god, this is so exciting. I can NOT wait to see you in this dress!!" Evie squealed happily. Carlos laughed.
"It's gonna be a...weird experience for me, but I'm excited!"
"As you should be! This is gonna look SO good! Now, first things first." Evie said, rustling around on her desk and pulling out a piece of fabric.

"How do you feel about a corset?"

Chapter Text

It took over an hour to get the dress all sewn up with the item that Carlos had made, and then another 30 minutes to get Carlos into the dress. It was an intricate black and red pattern, clearly Evie style, with a bit more of the VK flair. The dress was black and red, completely different from anyone else's outfits yes similar to the darkness of the VK's signature styles.

If he was being honest, the dress was much more comfortable than they thought, even with the corset. He could easily move around, despite the heels that Evie had chosen to match. The dress had a slit down the right side so the heels would be easily visible. It also came with pockets, a fact Carlos was very excited over. Lastly was the accessory that Evie had insisted on, and the one that Carlos wasn't too sure about.

"Carlos, you're already wearing the rings!!" The rings in question were the accessory that Carlos had made, a dark black metal with red chains connecting each one. "This just...gives you a bit more confidence so you can rock this dress the way we all know you can!"
"Is it enchanted?"
"...maybe."

Evie held up the gold headpiece. It looked like an Ancient Greek style crown, designed to look like leaves and vines.
"Evie, why?"
"At least try it on?"
"Fine, fine! I'll try it!" Carlos took the crown and put it on so part of it rested on their forehead. "Like this?" He asked, turning to Evie.
"Yeah, exactly like that!" She confirmed. They turned to look in the mirror for the first time of the night and was stunned.

The entire look was dark and edgy in a way that matched every other VK outfit. Auradon had the bright and preppy aesthetic, not Isle kids. And Evie was right, Carlos absolutely killed the entire look. The gold crown only added to the entire vibe instead of making it look stupid.

"Wow. I look-"
"Not ugly. I know. Now, you wanna keep the crown, yes or no?"
"YES! Yeah, it...yeah."
"Perfect. Now, we have about an hour. You are gonna help me get into my dress, and we're gonna drive over there. Sound good?"
"Yep!"

...

"Nope nope nope. I can't do this." Carlos said, turning around to leave. The trio, Carlos Evie and Doug, were of the last 3 to arrive. Which means they would be announced last. And due to rules, Evie and Doug would be announced first. The single parties would be announced separately after Evie and Doug. But Carlos would still be last.
"Yes you can! You look amazing. You've got this sweetie." Evie turned to say just before she and Doug walked out to the party.

...

"And lastly, Carlos De Vil." The person called. Carlos took a deep breath, stepping out to the homecoming party. A chorus of gasps and "woah"s could be heard from the crowd as Carlos walked down the stairs. Evie pushed through and met them halfway.
"Look at you go, 'Los! You look amazing!!" Evie said, linking their arms and leading him to their friend group. Jay and Uma gave approving nods, Mal look impressed (though for what Carlos couldn't tell), Gil gave them a comforting shoulder bump, and Harry...Harry's reaction was interesting. He was staring at Carlos with his jaw dropped and an expression that Carlos couldn't quite read.

"Carlos you look amazing!" Uma called, stepping over and giving Carlos a hug. "And do you see Harry's face? He's loving this" Uma whispered in his ear. She stepped back to give them space, soon replaced by words of encouragement from the Core Four.

"Thank you guys! I'm gonna go grab something to drink, anyone want anything while I'm over there?"
"I'll go with you!" Gil said. He playfully held his arm out for Carlos to grab. He received a shove in return and the two walked off to retrieve drinks for everyone.

Harry's eyes refused to leave Carlos's form until they were gone from sight.
"You are. Absolutely whipped." Uma laughed. The rest of the group laughed as well.
"Who wouldn't be?"

...

The good and bad thing about having VKs in Auradon for homecoming was the moral clash. Auradon was very much so the "preppy-pretty-pink-princesses" that Mal thought they were. The Isle was more...well it was more "its not gonna kill me, so why not". That was why most people from The Isle had a tiny bit of a drinking problem.

Which is what led Carlos and Audrey to be drunk close to the end of the party. Someone had spiked the drinks.

The two were being loud and dancing happily with the lightweights of Auradon. Uma and Harry were watching closely to make sure they didn't get hurt. The pair stumbled closer to them.

"Hey, Uma." Audrey slurred.
"Harry!" Carlos said, entirely too loud.

"I'm gonna get her to bed. You good dealing with Carlos?" Uma asked him.
"Yeah, should be." He replied, carefully studying them to make sure nothing went wrong.
"If you're not you can always ask Mal or someone for help. See you tomorrow." Uma called, leading Audrey away. Harry could hear the pirate captain sigh in exasperation as her girlfriend started giggling.

"Harry, wanna dance!" Carlos whined.
"Not right now, 'Los. Later, ok?" Harry promised. Carlos pouted but agreed anyway. "Wanna go to bed, pup?"
"With you?" Carlos asked hopefully. Suddenly Harry was very aware of himself and the situation.

A drunk Carlos, and the rest Mal's gang watching over him closely from behind him. Harry sighed, knowing how this would turn out.
"Sure, love. Let's go." Harry placed one arm around Carlos's shoulder and helped them toward the castle/school.

...

Harry knew that Jay was following the pair but he didn't care. It wasn't Harry's dorm after all. They reached Carlos and Jay's dorm.
"Can you wait here, love? Just for a second."
"Hmph. Be back soon." Carlos complained.
"Of course, darling." Harry kissed his forehead, causing them to giggle softly.

Harry quickly walked over to where he knew Jay was.
"Hey Jay. Question. What's the code to your room? Gotta get Carlos in."
"They're drunk, Hook. Are you out of your mind?"
"Relax. I'm not gonna let anything happen. I'm not gonna elaborate, but I would never do that to someone. I just have to get him asleep and this is the fastest way to do it."
"Fine. The code is 3862. I'm gonna circle around and be back in 15 minutes. I swear Hook, you try anything-"
"Relax. I won't. If I'm not gone, feel free to kick me out of the room." Harry said, walking back to the dorm.

...

Harry had successfully convinced Carlos to change into something more comfortable than a dress with a corset. He had also gotten makeup wipes from the bathroom (though why they were there he had no clue) and was able to take off the makeup. Harry figured a shower wouldn't be the greatest idea considering how drunk Carlos was. Plus he had also already tried to convince Harry to change with him, so it wasn't a good idea for more reasons than one.

With about 5 minutes left, Harry's last goal was getting Carlos into the bed.
"Come on, Carlos." He called. Carlos came out of the bathroom and sat down on the bed.
"You're the best friend ever, you know that Jay. Almost makes me rethink my crush on Harry." They gasped. "Don't tell Harry I said that." He whispered.

Harry had frozen in shock. Carlos shut his eyes and swayed softly before hitting the bed, already asleep. At that moment Jay came into the room.

"Thanks, Hook. You good?" Harry coughed before replying.
"Uh, yeah. Yeah, I'm good. See ya, Jay." And Harry ran

Chapter Text

Carlos woke up with a groan. As usual, getting that drunk came with a massive hangover. They made their way to the bathroom, promptly throwing up in the toilet. Jay came rushing in as quietly as possible. He saw what was going on and pulled out the ibuprofen and a glass to fill with water.

He placed it on the counter for when Carlos was ready for it and went out to go get some breakfast and coffees.

The first thing Carlos did was rinse out their mouth. Then he turned on the shower. The third thing they did was take the ibuprofen. Lastly, they stepped into the shower and tried to remember the previous night.

As hard ad he tried, they couldn't remember what happened past about midnight. Which, considering how much the remember drinking, was an impressive feat.

When they stepped out of the shower, Jay was back with breakfast and a coffee for him.
"Ugh, thanks Jay. God, next time I go get a drink, please kill me. The two laughed and went to get ready for the school day.

...

Harry wasn't in class. Which was odd, considering that today was when they were gonna end the whole "pretend bad terms" thing. But Carlos didn't think too much of it. After all, he might have a hangover too. That charade ended when Fairy Godmother came into the room.

"Ah, Fair Godmother! What can I do for you?" Professor Cinderella asked.
"Oh, don't mind me. I just came to let you know that Harry Hook is going to take a little bit of time back home. He's going to go to school on the Isle for now." She said cheerfully. Carlos's head whipped to Uma, who was already glaring at them.

The class ended and Carlos sprinted to their bike. He had gotten a new one after the pirates crashed their last one. He sent off a quick email to Fairy Godmother, keeping it as vague as possible. They then sped off toward the Isle.

...

Harry wasn't coping well. Spending less and less time with normal people, and barely showing up to classes on the Isle. He couldn't figure Carlos out, so he decided to just not. After all, that's what his father did more often then not. Avoidance was a genetic trait, it seemed.

He had just grabbed supplies for the week and now he was heading to a cave on the less populated side of the Isle. This was Ace's territory, wild and forresty, but he knew it pretty well. And the two were good friends, so he had permission to be here.

Perhaps I should back up. Ace, daughter of the Queen of Hearts, Uma, daughter of Ursula, and Mal, daughter of Maleficent, used to be very good friends. Best friends, in fact. Nobody except them quite knows what happened, but one day the three divided the Isle. Uma had the docks and shore, Mal took the city, and Ace claimed the forrest. Harry had accidentally trespassed on Ace's territory a few weeks after it had happened and he was almost killed. He had befriended Ace and from then on was able to be in all three territories.

Back to now, he hiked through the slightly overgrown path he had carved years ago. Nodding to the guards that protected Ace's territory, he worked his way back to his cave.

He made it down to the rocky cliffs. Now came his favorite part. He grabbed the vine he made some years ago and gave it a tug, testing that it was still sturdy. when he found it was, he secured the supplies and swung down from the cliff to the cave. He put his supplies down and made sure everything was where it's supposed to be before he climbed back up the cliff and headed toward Ace's command center/castle.

...

Carlos knew that Harry was able to go in Ace's territory, everyone did. So that's where he figured he was. The problem was sneaking in. And they weren't good at sneaking. So naturally he got caught.

And that, cowards and bitches alike, is how Carlos ended up in Ace's castle awaiting judgement. Ace walked in, wearing an outfit similar to her mother's dresses but more practical than a dress. She took the crown off the seat and put it on, sitting in the throne and practically radiating power.

"So. Carlos De Vil. Why the hell did you think sneaking in was a good idea?" She asked. And Carlos knew he was screwed. Those who met Ace never met anyone else ever again, let alone hear her talk.
"I'm sorry, Ms, but I needed to come see my..." They trailed off. Carlos wasn't sure what he was to Harry, so they couldn't say anything definitively. He knew that they wanted to be something more to Harry, but he didn't think Harry wanted that. But they also couldn't be sure.

"Hey, Ace, I'm ba-" Carlos looked over to find...Harry. He smiled, wincing slightly at the black eye that they had sustained during his capture. "Shit."
"Harry! You know him?" Ace asked, smiling.
"Uh. Yeah. Also, he/they pronouns for them."
"Oh. My apologies, Carlos."
"Ace, can you let him go? Please?"
"Meh. Why not? Guards?" Ace called. The ropes around Carlos's wrists and ankles were cut. Carlos looked at Ace, who gave a nod of approval. They ran toward Harry and crashed into him. He could feel Harry's arms hesitantly wrap around his waist, returning the hug.

"Ace, I'm gonna go get them cleaned up. I'll be back soon." Carlos heard from behind them.

...

Carlos was still semi in shock as Harry grabbed some stuff from, what he assumed was, the bathroom. So...he just met THE Ace, heard her talk, and survived, all because Harry asked her to let them go? The concept was currently to much for Carlos's brain to handle.

"'Los? Did you hear me?" Harry asked again.
"Hm? Oh, sorry. No."
"Ay, mo dhia. Ok. I'm gonna clean up those cuts, alright?"
"Ok." Carlos allowed Harry to clean up the cut on his cheek and forehead, the whole time listening to mumbling. Some of in in Scottish, which Harry's father and siblings had taught him as a first language.

"So. Why the fuck are you here?" Harry internally cringed at how angry he sounded. Carlos visibly recoiled, their cheek now being just out of reach.
"I-I wanted to see what was going on, I-" Carlos shook his head, trying to clear their thoughts. He could feel themself start to choke up and tears began to form in their eyes.

"No no, don't you dare cry right now, what the hell are you doing? He's gonna think something bad happened, you need to stop it." He thought. Their body, stupidly, decided not to listen, a single tear rolling down his cheek. It stung a little bit when it hit the cut.

"Fuck, pu-Carlos I'm so sorry. Damn it. I didn't-" Carlos sobbed, the weight of their name hitting him full force. Harry didn't call them pup, or even 'Los. It shouldn't have been as upsetting as it was, but to Carlos it meant everything. He would've given anything to hear a nickname, even one that wasn't specific to them.

Now that he had started, they couldn't stop crying. Harry stood in front of him, not sure what to do.
"You ok?" Carlos threw themself forward, wrapping his arms around Harry's neck and their legs around his waist. He buried their face into Harry's shoulder and cried.

Harry stood frozen for a moment. Then he did three things at once. One, he moved closer to the counter so that Carlos could sit on it while still hugging Harry. Two, he wrapped one arm around Carlos's waist and the other went to his hair. Three, he started whispering apologies to Carlos.

After a moment Carlos spoke.
"Can-" They trailed off, not wanting to sound stupid.
"What is it, pup?" Carlos smiled softly, having gotten his way without saying anything.
"There it is."
"What, 'Los?"
"The-The nickname." Carlos said softly.
"Oh. Yeah." Harry coughed and subtly moved his hand away from Carlos's waist, causing both to pull away from the hug.

"Why'd you leave?"
"Uhm." Harry sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "After what happened, I didn't think you'd wanna see me. And ya know. Auradon was yours first so-" Harry trailed off with an exasperated laugh.
"Wait. What happened?" Carlos asked.
"What happ-oh shit. Do you not remember?"
"No. I, uh. I was kinda drunk, though you probably know that. I dont remember much past midnight."
"Oh."
"Can you. Tell me what happened?"
"Uhm. No."
"Harry. Please don't do this. I'm sure whatever I said I didn't mean. But you gotta tell me what I said or did."

"Uhm. Well. I guess you must've been super drunk because while we were at the homecoming you asked if I would go to bed with you. Then after I got you into your room, you tried to convince me to change with you."

Carlos's face was turning more and more red as Harry spoke.
"Oh my god, Harry, I'm so sorry. I didn't-"
"Oh don't apologize yet."
"There's more?" Carlos groaned and put their head in his hands.

"So. I guess you thought I was Jay and you told me-you told me you have a crush on me." Carlos's eyes widened behind their hands. A small whine was forced out.
"Harry, I'm so-"
"Is it true?" Harry interrupted.
"What?" Harry took a deep breath before replying.
"Is it true?" He asked again.
"Why. Uh. Why do you wanna know?"
"Because my response is gonna depend on what you say." Harry answered truthfully. Carlos took a deep breath of his own, picking up their head to find that Harry had gotten so much closer.

"And what if I said it was?" He whispered softly. Harry grabbed their chin with his thumb and pointer finger, lifting his head subsequently.
"Then I'd do this." Harry connected them into a kiss. Carlos's eyes widened almost comically so before they melted into Harry, kissing him back. Carlos smiled into it before Harry pulled his head back.

"Carlos, I've liked you for so long it's not even funny. And I really hope that you weren't kidding when you said it was true because-"
"Just shut up." Carlos laughed, grabbing the back of Harry's neck and kissing him again, happy that his feelings would no longer have to be hid.