Archive of Our Own

Carlos lets out a deep sigh and kicks at a loose stone on the ground. It flies high into the air, bounces off a tree, and lands back in front of his feet. He sighs again.

“What’s with all that sighing?” Dude jumps out of a bush, shaking invisible leaves off his pelt. “Let me tell you, it’s getting real annoying!”

Carlos sighs again, more dramatically, just to make a point, and lets himself fall down on a log. Dude jumps up next to him and gives him a quizzical look. Carlos leans his chin on his hands and starts making little circles on the ground with the tip of his boot.

“You really wouldn’t get it, Dude.”

“Try me.” The dog lies down, one paw coming to rest on Carlos’ thigh and looks up at him, waiting.

Carlos looks at Dude’s black button eyes and is overcome with fondness for the small creature. He gives him a small smile and ruffles his head.

It’s not that he doesn’t want to talk about it. He just feels stupid feeling all gloomy and sorry for himself. He should be happy, for his friends, for every kid from the isle, for how everything turned out better than he would have ever dreamed - but all he feels is being left out.

And again, it’s stupid. But ever since the barrier came down, so many things changed. For one, Ben and Mal have to travel more frequently for the odd political reason, ensuring the rest of the country that yes, pulling down the barrier was the right choice and yes, they want to keep it that way. And when they have a few moments to spare, they spend them with each other. Evie and Doug, since they finally used the L-word, are barely seen without the other, making goo-goo eyes at each other. And even if Jay hasn’t admitted to anything yet, everyone suspects something is going on between him and Gil. Well, Carlos knows for a fact that something is going on between the two ever since he walked in on them during a make-out session in their dorm. Jay made Carlos swear not to tell anybody, and Carlos respects that, even though he isn’t sure why Jay is making such a big fuzz of it. Jay must know that none of the VK’s care who he dates as long as he’s happy. Maybe he needs some time to come to terms with it himself.

Then - the worst part - he and Jane broke up. It’s not that Carlos is too sad about it, but it still stings, in some way. They both found they work better as friends. Carlos realized, not long after the barrier came down, that he loves Jane, he really does, but he loves her the same way he loves Mal or Evie. Since their talk he had some time to mull it over, and he found that he admires Jane, just like he admires Evie, for her kind heart and generosity. In some way, he got a bit blinded by it, thinking he felt more when he actually wanted to be like her. Maybe it’s a VK-thing, maybe just a Carlos-thing, but Jane was the very first none-Isle-girl he befriended, and somehow that muddled some things in his head. He is glad, though, that they are still friends. Carlos is not a dating-expert, but he knows from hearsay that most relationships completely dissolve after a breakup. Saying that, he and Jane do not spend as much time together as they did before. She really came into herself, Carlos observed, and she was spending more and more time with her friends from cheerleading, Lonnie, and even Audrey and Uma. As a friend, Carlos is really proud of her being so much more outgoing and enjoying herself.

So, while Jane is seen more often with her squad or attending the odd committee and the VKs are glued to their significant others, Carlos feels like the odd-one out. He misses his friends. There is no other way to describe it. He sometimes wishes everything would go back to normal, before the barrier came down, before Mal and Evie and Jay got involved with someone. Not that Carlos doesn’t want them to be happy, he just doesn’t want to feel like a third wheel every time he meets up with any of them.

Dude is still looking up at him expectantly. Carlos sighs again, which pulls a groan out of the dog. Carlos laughs and scratches Dude behind the ears, as a peace-offering.

“I’m fine,” Carlos says. “I just feel a bit gloomy today.”

“You’re not saying,” Dude says, turning his head into Carlos’s hand. “Wouldn’t have guessed.”

“Dude, really, it’s fine. I don’t want to talk about it right now, anyway.”

“A-ha!” Dude jumps to his feet and wags his tail in a triumphant manner. “I knew something’s up! Come on, tell me!”

“I said, I don’t want to talk about it.”

“But you’ll feel better. Come on, you can tell old Dude.”

Carlos gives Dude a calculating look. He could tell the dog everything, but at the same time he knows that Dude can’t keep his mouth shut. Carlos loves Dude, but the dog never knows when to shut up, no matter how often Carlos has to tell him off.

“Sometimes,” Carlos says, scooping Dude up in his arms and standing up, “when someone says they have a problem and don’t want to talk about it, a friend should just leave it at that and wait for the time their friend wants to talk about it.”

Dude gives him a blank look. “So, I have to remind you to talk to me until you do?”

“No! That’s the exact opposite of what I just told you!”

Dude tilts his head to the side. “I mean, I don’t get why you don’t wanna talk, but okay. I’ll wait.”

“That’s what I’m talking about.” Carlos smiles at Dude and scratches his chin. “Good boy!”

He puts Dude down again and they resume their walk. They make their way out of the forest and back to the dorms. Carlos hopes Jay and Gil decided to make out in Gil’s dorm this time. All he wants right now is make himself comfortable in his bed and play video games until dinner time.

They cut across the expansive lawn behind the castle. As the sky is rather gray today, there aren’t a lot of students milling around like they usually would. Carlos, for once, enjoys the quiet and sticks his nose in the air; it is thick with the smell of rain. He increases his pace, just in case. He forgot to bring an umbrella.

He stops dead in his tracks when a familiar voice rings across the lawn.

“Oi, pup!”

Carlos slowly turns towards the voice, his shoulders tensing instinctively. “Harry.”

Harry Hook, who is sitting under a sycamore tree, smirks at Carlos. He shuts the book in his hands and jumps to his feet. Before Carlos can run, Harry is already sauntering towards him, smirk growing ever wider the closer he gets.

Carlos is frozen to the spot, unable to move, like a deer in the headlights. Out of all the things that make Carlos’ life difficult, the absolute worst thing is currently making his way over to him, grinning like the cat who got the cream, and all Carlos wants is to turn, run to his dormitory, and hide under the covers.

Harry comes to stand right in front of Carlos, leaving way too little space between them. The pirate never knew what personal space was, Carlos muses - and it is not helping with the incessant thumping of Carlos’ heart.

“Hello, Carlos,” Harry purrs. “What yer doin’ out here?”

It has been a long time since Harry actually scared Carlos, but the ever-present flirtatious look and voice does not help Carlos to form a coherent thought.

“Walkies,” Dude says in Carlos’ stead.

“Yes, we went for a walk.” Carlos mutters, averting his gaze from Harry’s intense one - which was maybe not the best idea, because Harry is so close all he can do is stare at Harry’s chest, and the damn pirate is wearing a sleeveless shirt with way too many rips in it. It’s more rips than shirt. Carlos sometimes wonders whether Harry actually cuts more holes in his clothes just to showcase his toned body. He swallows when Harry switches the book he is holding from his left to his right hand and Carlos watches his biceps work.

He quickly looks up again to see Harry watching him with interest. “And you?” Carlos says quickly. “What you’re up to?”

Harry holds up the book - it’s on navigation - and Carlos remembers that Harry has been taking navigational classes at Auradon Prep. Not that Carlos knows Harry’s schedule or anything.

“Some readin’,” Harry says, flipping the book open again and dog-ears one of the pages. “There’s a test coming up.”

“Oh,” Carlos says, intelligently. “Good luck, then.”

Harry purses his lips and leans closer. “Say, don’t yer wanna help me study? I hear yer a good student.”

Carlos leans back a bit, but makes himself keep eye-contact. “I don’t take navigational classes, I don’t think I’ll be much help.”

“Hm.” Harry leans back again, and Carlos notes he looks somewhat disappointed. “Pity.”

“Isn’t Gil taking that class, too? I bet he’ll love to study with you.”

Harry doesn’t say anything. He just looks at Carlos with an unreadable expression. The silence between them stretches for longer than Carlos feels comfortable with and he begins to shift. Carlos has to admit, he does not necessarily dislike Harry looking at him, but these days he doesn’t know what to make of the pirate.

Suddenly, Harry’s gaze shifts, and the smirk is back again. “Well, I’d like to stay ‘n talk, but Uma needs my help.” He winks at Carlos, then turns and throws up a lazy hand. “Later, pup.”

Carlos watches Harry amble towards the dormitories until he disappears inside one of the doors.

“You know, I do like butts, and sometimes I like sniffing them, but isn’t it considered rude by humans to just look at them?”

“Dude!” Carlos gasps and shoots his dog a glare. “I thought we talked about this!”

“About sniffing Harry’s butt? I don’t think we have.”

Carlos growls and stomps down the lawn towards his own dorm. Dude cackles and skips ahead.

The absolute worst thing about Carlos’ situation is the massive crush he managed to develop for a certain pirate with a default flirtatious demeanor and a fable for ripped clothes.

Carlos can’t really pinpoint the exact moment, but it must have been during the time Audrey tried to take over Auradon and the VKs had to work together with Uma’s crew. It did not escape Carlos that this was also Jane’s birthday and he still feels horrible about it - but all in all, all he feels is horrible about this stupid crush.

Carlos makes it to his room - thankfully, Jay and Gil are not there and in the middle of some private time - and he walks over to his bed and lets himself fall face-down into the cushions. Dude settles into his dog-bed when Carlos groans into the cushion.

“You are being way too dramatic about this,” Dude says.

Carlos turns to stare at the ceiling. “No, I’m not.”

“Are, too. Remember, I can’t lie!”

Carlos rolls his eyes and turns his back to Dude. He knows his dog is right, but at the same time, how is he supposed to not be dramatic about this?

Yes, it all started with saving Auradon together. It was then that Carlos realized that Harry, like Uma, really cares for his friends and just wants the best for them. He was also privy to observing a more sensitive side to Harry when it came to Uma or Gil. Being on the opposite sides for so long, Carlos had never considered Uma and her gang as being just as human as he and his friends. Besides, for the longest time, the older boy had somewhat scared Carlos, and he had tried his best to keep out of Harry’s way.

This all changed with the VKs coming to Auradon and Carlos learning to stand up for himself and his friends. Then the barrier came down, and the kids from the isle got a new chance in life. Uma and Harry had been more reluctant to come to Auradon, but with Gil’s enthusiasm and Ben’s coaxing they eventually enrolled for classes, and Carlos got to see another side to Harry. The pirate was quick to learn, and quite smart, and he threw himself into his studies with more passion than Carlos would have thought. Carlos came to admire that side of Harry, too, that passion he had for becoming a proper navigator.

And before Carlos knew it, he began to admire a bit more than that, catching himself pondering the exact shade of blue Harry’s eyes are, or how nice and strong his arms looked. It was after waking up from a very vivid dream of Harry sunbathing with nothing more than his left-hand hook that Carlos knew he was done for.

This realization made it harder to be around Harry. Not just because Carlos was absolutely mortified what his brain conjured up during the night, but also because Harry is a natural flirt. It keeps feeding into Carlos’ stupid crush, even though everyone knows Harry has only eyes for Uma. He practically worships the ground she walks on - although it is becoming more and more clear to Carlos that Uma is not so much interested in any male pirates. But that isn’t stopping Harry, it seems.

In any case, Carlos’ crush on Harry is just that. A crush that won’t be reciprocated. Carlos is trying hard to get rid of it and instead become a better friend with the pirate because, after all, he did come to care for him. Carlos does manage to have actual conversations with Harry (and almost swoons every time Harry starts talking about his dream to sail the seas, with that child-like twinkle in his eyes), but when Harry ambushes him unexpectedly, it is hard for Carlos to keep a straight (ha) face.

Carlos makes a disgruntled noise and jumps up from his bed. He does not feel like doing anything anymore, but he does feel like finding some peanut butter cups in the kitchens. Chocolate may not solve his problems, but it’ll definitely make it easier.

~*~

The next day Carlos is sufficiently distracted from any thoughts concerning Harry as he rushes from classroom to classroom. Midterms are coming up and the teachers think it necessary to assign even more homework than usual. And one would think the people on the isle are cruel.

Finally, he makes it to the end of the school day. He rushes to his locker to deposit his books to make it in time for turney practice. When he rounds the corner, he is surprised to see Mal’s locker thrown open and someone who is definitely not his purple-haired friend rummage through it.

Carlos stalks up to the person and plants himself in front of them. “Hey, what do you think you’re doing?”

Out of all people, Carlos would not have expected Harry to pull his head out of the locker. When he spots Carlos, he immediately grins. “’ello, pup.”

Carlos is momentarily perplexed, but he quickly shakes himself and gathers every inch of self-control. He pulls down his brows in what he hopes is a disapproving and somewhat threatening look. “What the hell are you doing in Mal’s locker?”

Harry bursts out laughing when he sees Carlos’ face. “If yer tryin’ to look scary, yer failin’ miserably.”

Carlos pulls a face when Harry actually has to steady himself against the locker from all the laughing.

“Oh no,” Harry says, thrusting out his bottom lip in a mock-pout. “Have I insulted the lil pup?”

“Oh stop it,” Carlos says. He has to fight hard to keep the blush from crawling up his neck and into his face. Even though Harry is currently mocking Carlos, that pout is actually really cute. “I’m not the one vandalizing someone else’s locker.”

Harry holds up his hands. “I’m not vandalizing. I actually got permission, yer see.”

Carlos raises en eyebrow. “Permission for what?”

“Permission to borrow lil purple queeny’s notes.” Harry turns back to Mal’s locker and picks up some notebooks. “She said I could borrow her math notes for me next test.”

This takes Carlos aback. He didn’t know Harry and Mal were on the kind of speaking terms where she would borrow him her notes. Then again, he does not see a lot of her these days. The thought that Harry possibly gets to talk to her more often than Carlos gives him an unpleasant feeling in the pit of his stomach.

“Ah, there it is!” Harry holds up a notebook triumphantly.

Carlos eyes the heap of books and other miscellaneous things. “Good, great, well done, now put everything else back where you found it.”

Harry groans, pockets the notebook, then starts picking up Mal’s stuff to put it back. Carlos decides to stay and watch, just to make sure that the pirate really does only take the math notebook. Not because Harry is wearing really form-fitting ripped trousers or anything, not at all.

“Yer don’t have ta play the guard-pup, yer know,” Harry says with his head inside the locker.

Carlos leans against the locker next to Harry and lets his eyes wander, just for a second. “I know. I just thought I’ll keep you company.”

Harry huffs something Carlos can’t understand. Or maybe his brain short-circuited somewhere between Harry bending over for a stack of books and a pencil case.

Damn, he’s such a bad person. Carlos has to mentally slap himself and tear his eyes away from Harry. He decides to stare straight ahead, keeping his eyes fixed on the middle distance.

Harry throws around books for about two more minutes when he suddenly makes a surprised noise. Carlos does not dare to look in his direction and just asks, “What is it now?”

From the corner of his eyes, Carlos sees Harry re-emerging from the locker with something in his hands. “How interesting.” He shakes that something and it makes a rattling sound.

Carlos sighs. “If it’s one of Mal’s collection of artsy pen’s I’d strongly advice you to-“ Carlos can’t even finish his sentence when he hears the distinct plop of a lid being opened.

He whirls around to Harry. “Seriously, leave it!”

However, Harry is not holding some fancy pens. In fact, he is holding a clear plastic container with some cookies in it, one of which is currently making it’s way to Harry’s mouth.

“Dude, seriously? You can’t just eat something you found in Mal’s locker!”

“Oh, she won’t mind if one wee biscuit’s missing, will she?” Harry says with a wink and bites into the cookie.

Carlos rips the box from Harry’s grasp. “But you don’t know how long they’ve been in there! Mal tends to-“

The words die in Carlos’ throat. He looks from Harry to the box of cookies in his hand. A horrible realization dawns on him.

These are the leftover love-spell cookies.

“Are these walnuts? I love walnuts.” Harry says, munching happily on his cookie. “A bit stale, though.”

Carlos looks up at Harry in horror. He immediately swats the cookie from Harry’s grasp and stomps it to bits on the ground.

But is is already too late. Harry swallows his bite of cookie before he complains, “Oi, I was eatin’ that!” Harry looks up at Carlos, his brows furrowed in anger. “Why the bloody hell are…you…erm…”

Harry blinks several times, starring intently at Carlos. Then, his face softens, and the frown is replaced with the most adoring gaze anyone has ever directed at Carlos. “Have you always had those amber flecks in yer eyes?”

Carlos feels all the blood drain from his face.

Harry takes a step towards him, one hand coming up to cup his jaw. “I could get lost in them, Carlos.”

The way Harry puts so much passion into Carlos’ name makes Carlos go weak in the knees. He is unable to move, unable to look away from the soft blue eyes directed at him. Harry takes another step towards him, leaving only an inch between them. He is so close, Carlos can feel the heat radiating off the pirate, smell the salt of the sea on his skin. It is intoxicating, making Carlos’ head spin.

“My lil pup,” Harry whispers, angling Carlos’ head upwards and bending down slightly.

When Carlos realizes that Harry is about to kiss him, he jolts out of Harry’s grasp and jumps out of his reach. The pirate actually pouts at him. It does not help to calm his hammering heart.

Carlos swallows, hard. He takes a deep breath to calm his nerves, then throws his own books in Mal’s locker.

“We need to go,” Carlos says, determined. He throws the door closed and shuts the cookie box, both with more force than necessary.

Harry seems to perk up at Carlos’ words. “I’ll follow you anywhere, love.”

Carlos does cringe a bit at the nickname. Carlos doesn’t trust his voice, so he just turns on his heels, trusting that Harry in his current state is true to his words. As he stalks down the corridor, he can hear the distinct heavy thumping of boots behind him.

This is not good. Hell, it’s a complete disaster. He needs to do something, and fast, before Harry decides it is a good idea to serenade him, like Ben did back then with Mal.

“Wait for me, my love!” Harry shouts after Carlos some way behind him. A few students turn curiously, and the heat rises in Carlos’ cheeks.

Carlos whirls around, stomps back to Harry and puts a hand over his mouth. Harry stops in his tracks, his eyes bright and laughing down at him.

“Keep your mouth shut, okay?”

Harry, oh so gently, pulls Carlos’s hand from his mouth and holds it between his own. “But Carlos, how can I be silent when I want te shout yer name to the world?”

Horrified, Carlos rips his hand from Harry’s grasp and puts it back over Harry’s mouth. “No one’s gonna shout my name to anyone, got that?” Harry nods, but he looks sad about it. “Let’s just, get out of here and…you know, take care of this.”

Harry’s eyes sparkle, and Carlos does not want to know what is going on in that pretty head of his right now. He does make a zipping motion over his mouth when Carlos releases him, though.

Carlos decides that he needs help. He pulls out his phone and dials Mal’s number.

“Emergency meeting at Evie’s place. Now!”

~*~

“Who is stupid enough to eat some cookie they found in a locker?” Mal asks for about the hundredth time. She is pacing up and down the sitting room, her arms crossed over her chest and brows furrowed in dismay. She may sound angry, but it is obvious to Carlos she is blaming herself for the whole situation.

Evie gives her best friend a judgmental look. “And how often have I told you to clean your locker? And by the way, why did you keep the cookies in the first place?”

“I don’t know!” Mal throws up her arms. “You know, between being the future queen and trying to protect Auradon from crazy sea-witches and bitter exes I kinda had other things on my mind!”

When Jay starts cackling, Carlos swats Harry’s hand away from his hair. Ever since the damn cookie Harry has been glued to Carlos’ side. When they entered Evie’s place and Carlos sat down on the sofa, Harry had practically sat in his lap. It took Carlos a lot of strength (Jay decided to keep laughing at him instead of helping) to push Harry away from him. The pirate was not happy about it, but then he decided playing with Carlos’ hair was just as good for him.

“I cannea help myself,” Harry sighs. “You have the softest hair in the land.”

Carlos stares at Harry’s big, adoring eyes while Jay falls off his chair from all the laughing. Even Evie has to hide her smile behind her hands.

“It’s annoying, stop it,” Carlos says, the heat rising to his cheeks.

“Oh, I would never want that, love,” Harry purrs. He pulls up his legs and sits cross-legged, fully facing Carlos now, and props his head in his hands. “Then I will adore you from afar.”

If ‘far’ means two inches away from Carlos’ face, then he does not want to know what Harry currently thinks ‘close’ means.

Carlos swallows and resolutely looks away from Harry. “Yeah, whatever.”

“I think I will burn these, just in case,” Doug pipes up. He picks up the box of cookies Carlos deposited on the coffee table. With a chuckle and an amused exchange of looks with Evie he disappears into the kitchen.

“I am so glad this is so entertaining for you!” Carlos bursts out. “It’s not like I asked for this or something!”

Mal actually stops in her pacing and gives him an odd look. “It could be worse.”

Carlos gapes at her. “What could be worse than this?” He frantically motions in Harry’s general direction, who just sighed like a lovesick teenager.

“For one, the potion could have gone off, like bad medicine, and none of us wants to think what that would have entailed. Or, the potion could have gained potency from lieing around for so long and you would have to deal with a much worse lovesick Harry.”

“M, are you trying to tell us this is not worse than what Ben went through?” Jay managed to climb back onto his chair, his face tear-streaked from all the laughing. He nods towards Harry who is currently poking a finger into Carlos’ cheek. Carlos feels too tired to do anything about it.

Mal watches Harry poking Carlos in the face for several seconds before she shakes herself and turns towards Evie. “E, can you…?”

“On it.” Evie jumps to her feet and walks over to Harry. “Hey, Harry, how about we go and get something to eat?”

Harry shakes his head, his eyes never leaving Carlos. “I’d rather stay here an’ count Carlos’ freckles. And name each and every one of them.”

Jay explodes with laughter and even Mal can’t hold back a bark of laughter. Carlos feels like crying.

“This one, right under his left eye, is Carlos 2.” Harry sighs, then points at a freckle that seems to be right on Carlos’s nose. “And this one is Carlos 3.”

“Not very creative,” Carlos says petulantly while his friends keep cackling like hyenas.

Evie clears her throat and gently puts her hands on Harry’s shoulders. “But I know that Carlos is getting really hungry at this time of the day. How about we go and get something for him?”

Harry whirls around to look at Evie. “I cannae let that happen!” He jumps to his feet, then grabs Carlos’ hands and looks intently at him. “I won’t have yer starve on me!”

He stalks off after Evie, but right before he leaves through the door, Harry turns one more time, throws his arms out theatrically, and says, “I’ll be back, my love!” He throws a kiss in Carlos’ direction, then the door closes behind him.

Jay springs to his feet and motions as if he wants to catch a fly right in front of Carlos’ face. “Here.” He holds his fist out to Carlos with a massive grin on his face. “You might want to keep this kiss for later.”

“Oh shove off!” Carlos thumps Jay in the arms and lets himself fall into the cushions.

“I’m sorry Carlos, but this is just too funny!” Mal sits next to him, wiping the tears away from her eyes.

“I am glad my pain is entertaining to you.”

Jay sits on the armrest and playfully bumps his shoulder into Carlos. “Aw, come on, you don’t actually mind, do you?”

Carlos just glares at him. Jay winks mischievously.

Mal puts a soothing hand on Carlos’ shoulder. “It’s not that, believe me. It’s just so weird seeing Harry all love-dovey and so…out of character? It’s like he’s a completely different person!”

Mal, once again, manages to hit the nail right on the head. That first instance of Harry focusing all his attention on Carlos was nice and all (okay, it was, like, really nice), but the longer Harry is under the love spell, the less he seems to be himself. Carlos may like the attention of the pirate, but he much prefers Harry as himself than whatever the love spell is doing to him. And if Harry calls him ‘love’ one more time he might actually consider stabbing the guy with his own hook.

Carlos sighs. “We need a solution, and fast. I mean, what if someone finds out Harry’s under a spell? What if Uma finds out?”

Jay actually seems to consider this while Mal just waves him off. “It’s not like we’re still enemies.”

“You think she’ll be happy about this or what?”

“That’s not what I’m saying. I’m just saying you’re kinda freaking out more than necessary.”

Carlos can’t believe what he’s hearing. “You do know we’ll get in big trouble if Fairy Godmother finds out?”

“And we can’t just bake anti-love-potion cupcakes because you don’t have your spell book anymore,” Jay points out.

“See? Even Jay agrees with me! This is serious!”

Mal rolls her eyes. “We don’t need cupcakes. All we need is some water.” She stands up and puts her hand on her hip. “Some enchanted lake water.”

~*~

Carlos stands at the edge of the platform, eyeing the lake doubtfully. “Are you sure this is going to work?”

Mal rolls her eyes. “I told you, it worked on Ben! It’ll work on Harry no problem.”

“What’s going te work on me?”

Harry, who has been glued to Carlos the entire trip to the lake - Carlos tries really hard not to think about Harry slinging his arms around him when he jumped on the bike behind Carlos - looks at Mal with a frown. “I thought we were going te have some alone time.”

“You are,” Evie pipes up and sidles up next to Harry. “We just want to make sure our Carlos is in safe hands.” She smiles sweetly. Carlos gets the impression she is enjoying herself way more than she lets on.

Harry slings an arm protectively around Carlos. “There is no place safer than in me arms.”

Carlos actually wants to gag. This damn potion is turning Harry more and more into a carbon-copy of some male bodice-ripper protagonist, the kind of books Mal likes to read even though she would kill you before admitting to it.

He takes a step back from the water, inevitably dragging Harry with him. They may want to throw Harry in the lake, but he would like to stay dry throughout this, thank you very much.

Mal comes up behind them and squishes her way in between Carlos and Harry. “I heard that there are wishing rocks down there.” She indicates the lake and bats her eyes at Harry. “Ben says if you find one for your true love you will get your happily ever after.”

Mal just about finished her sentence when Harry dives into the lake, not even taking off his shoes or jacket. Carlos gasps when some droplets hit him.

“That actually took no effort at all,” Evie says, gaping at the spot Harry just disappeared from.

Jay comes up to stand at the platform edge, pouting down at the lake. “I really wanted to throw him in.”

“So that’s it?” Carlos asks. “That’s going to cure him?”

Mal nods. “It basically washes away the spell.”

“You saw Jane using that water on Ben when Audrey turned him into a Beast, remember?” Jay says. Carlos only remembers too vividly. For some reason he just feels doubtful this’ll work. He can feel a small twinge of disappointment in the pit of his stomach. He squashes it down immediately. He may really like Harry, but he likes the real Harry, not the soap opera version of him.

The four of them stand by the lake, and wait. And wait. And wait some more.

Fear is gripping Carlos at the back of the neck. “Harry?” His eyes frantically search the lake’s surface. “Harry? Come one, this is not funny!”

“Er, do we actually know if he can swim?” Jay says tentatively.

Before anyone can say anything else, Carlos disregards any desire of not getting wet and jumps after Harry. The shock of cold water only lasts for a second. He holds his breath, searching frantically around him for the pirate. The problem is, and Carlos did not think about this, that he is basically blind under water. Everything is blurry and looks the same - no chance of even getting a glimpse of Harry’s dark clothes among the rock and mud bed of the lake. Carlos pushes himself off the ground and breaks through the water’s surface, gasping for air.

It is the exact moment he remembers he cannot swim. And that his boots are kinda heavy.

Carlos splashes around, thrashing his feet around frantically to stay afloat. His wet clothes and boots drag him under, and the more he trashes his arms around, the more water he swallows.

“Help!” he manages to cry out between waves of water in his face.

He can hear the panicked voices of his friends all jumbled up through the water in his ears. None of them can swim, either. At this moment, Carlos believes he is a goner.

Carlos’ head dips beneath the water’s surface, the sounds getting farther away with every inch he’s dragged to the lake’s rocky bed. Suddenly, two strong arms grip him around the waist and he is pulled back to the surface.

Carlos coughs and hacks and spits some water, then takes a few steading breaths. When the water finally clears off his eyes, Harry’s worried face is only inches away from his.

“Yer alright, pup?”

For a moment, Carlos can’t speak. His throat burns and the stormy blue eyes of Harry momentarily make his mouth go dry, despite all the water he just swallowed. Harry has his arms around Carlos, his grip strong, keeping them both afloat. Something in the back of Carlos’ mind chastises him for not considering that Harry as a pirate is most certainly able to swim, but Carlos cannot quite care when he is currently in Harry’s arms and something has shifted. Harry’s eyes are bright and clear, the worry behind them genuine - no trace of the lovesick, potion-ridden Harry.

“’m fine,” Carlos whispers, not daring to speak any louder into the small space between them.

Relief washes over Harry’s face, and he smiles - genuinely smiles, it is so sudden and beautiful, Carlos’s forgets how to breathe. Harry unwinds one arm from around Carlos and raises it out of the water. He gently wipes some stray strands of hair out of Carlos’ face, with much more gentleness than Carlos would have ever thought the pirate to be capable of. “Yer had me worried there for a sec.”

Carlos, completely overwhelmed by the whole situation, only manages to breathe out a weak laugh. Harry locks eyes with him for a long moment, then he dips back into the water and grabs Carlos around his waist and under his knees. Carlos shrieks and throws his arms around Harry’s neck when the pirate comes up again and carries Carlos, bridle-style, back to the platform.

The three VKs are relieved to see both alive and well, but as soon as Harry puts Carlos down on the platform, Mal makes an angry face and scolds them. “Don’t scare us like that!”

Evie comes up to Carlos and puts a hand on his shoulder. “Are you alright?”

“We’re fine, don’t worry.” Carlos gives his friends an apologetic smile. “I promise I won’t go swimming again. Or learn how to swim first.”

Jay is about to say something when he and the girls jump back with a cry of dismay. Harry, who is still in the water, is shaking the water from his hair like a dog, spraying everyone in his immediate vicinity with tiny droplets. Carlos brings up his hands but it is completely useless, given how water-logged he is anyway.

“I found this for you.” Harry reaches into his pocket and procures a small, shiny crystal rock. Carlos looks from the rock back to Harry - and realizes with horror that his face has melted back into complete love-sick mode. “Why don’t you make a wish, my love?”

Carlos looks from Harry’s face to the rock and back again. He scowls, takes the rock, and throws it in a high arch back into the lake. “Guys, I don’t think it worked.”

~*~

“I don’t understand! The lake should have worked!” Mal is pacing up and down Evie’s sitting room and frantically waving her arms around. She keeps on muttering things under her breath.

“At least we now know that the potion gets more potent over time,” Evie says. She gently puts her hands on Mal’s shoulders and guides her to the biggest, fluffiest armchair she owns.

Jay lets himself fall down on the sofa next to Carlos with a big sigh. “This is bad.”

“Tell me about it.” Carlos is rubbing a towel through his hair. Evie used Carlos’ need for dry clothes to give him a set of her newest collection to try on. They fit, like they always do, perfectly. Carlos isn’t so sure about the dire lack of his favorite color scheme, but he does appreciate the dark blue shirt and trouser-combo - mostly because they are dry.

Evie plants herself in front of everyone and puts her hands on her hips. “No time for despair! We haven’t tried everything after all.”

She throws a meaningful look in Mal’s direction. Mal furrows her brows and sinks deeper into her chair. Carlos knows exactly what Evie means. They will have to get the spell book back and bake the cupcakes after all.

“How about a little break?” Doug comes into the sitting room, Harry hot on his heels, with a tray full of teacups and cookies.

Mal pouts. “We don’t have time for that, Doug!” she says, but she doesn’t make an effort to get up and even accepts a dainty cup and saucer with the tiniest cookie perched on the rim.

“There’s always time for a wee cup,” Harry says, somewhat sassily. He makes his way over to the couch and shoves himself in between Jay and Carlos. He presents Carlos with the most tacky cup Evie owns, with two little cookies decorating the saucer and a dark amber liquid sloshing inside the cup. He gives Carlos a big, goofy smile, and says, “I made this one meself, just for you, my love.”

Carlos accepts the cup with a forced smile. Harry looks overjoyed when he takes a sip and hums in appreciation. However, the mere sight of cookies makes Carlos feel a bit sick to his stomach, so he transfers them discreetly onto Jay’s saucer the moment Harry is distracted by Doug handing him a cup of tea.

Jay, who often forgets any issue at hand as soon he is presented with food, munches happily on his cookies. “These are good,” he praises and steals more off the tray.

Doug visibly brightens. “I made them myself!” he says proudly.

As if this statement was some kind of call for battle, Harry swiftly turns to Carlos, notices the obvious lack of cookies, and quickly says, “But I made the tea, and not just any, I mixed it meself! You like it, don’t you, love?”

Carlos almost spits his tea back into the cup. He starts to hate the nickname more and more by the second. But Harry is looking at him with such big puppy-dog eyes, and Carlos, who learned he cannot resist dogs and puppies in general, makes an effort to swallow the liquid and smiles at Harry. “I do, thank you, Harry.”

It is not a lie, the tea is really good. Carlos has no idea what kinds of teas Evie posses that Harry mixed together into this, but he does appreciate it. Harry’s face lights up, brighter than any lamp in the room, and Carlos is momentarily blinded. He quickly looks away and downs the rest of his tea.

“Yer want more? I’ll make yer more!” Without even waiting for Carlos to reply, Harry has snatched the cup away from him and runs back into the kitchen.

There is a moment of thoughtful silence. Everyone - apart from Jay, who has taken hold of the plate of cookies - is contemplating their next step. Carlos feels very, very tired. The sun is slowly setting, painting the room in all shades of orange. The day felt longer than usual, the panic around the love-spelled cookie derailing Carlos’ usual routine. He really wishes the lake would have worked, then they could all just go home and forget what happened. Or at least try to. Carlos isn’t sure he will ever forget Harry’s gaze on him when he saved him in the lake. He’ll probably dream about those stormy-blue eyes for weeks.

With a bit more force than necessary, Mal puts down her empty cup and stands up with purpose. “Okay guys, we need to move. Evie, you come with me to Fairy Godmother. Carlos, I’m sorry to say I will have to tell Ben about this.”

Carlos waves her off. “Whatever. He won’t tell anyone anyway.”

Mal smiles. “No, he won’t.” She turns to Jay and Doug. “You two will have to play chaperon. I don’t really trust Harry alone with Carlos.”

“Hey, I can look after myself!”

“I know that, but I kinda like Harry to be in one piece next time he sees Uma.”

Mal flashes her teeth at him and Carlos rolls his eyes. “You know what, I need to walk Dude, so I’m going, too.”

Jay, startled by the announcement, drops the last cookie into his crotch. “Don’t tell me you want to leave us alone with Harry!”

Evie gets up from her chair, drops a light kiss on Doug’s cheek, takes Mal by the elbow and throws a sweet smile in Jay’s direction. “You can babysit Harry for half an hour, can’t you?”

Doug, ever wanting to please Evie, nods furiously. Jay looks at Carlos, pleading with his eyes.

“I just need to clear my head for a bit,” Carlos says under his breath. “I’ll be back as quickly as I can.”

Jay seems to understand the silent plea Carlos does not dare to voice out loud. He nods, once, then gets up and purposefully walks to the kitchen, grabbing Doug by the scruff of his shirt and dragging him along. “We’ll see what he’s up to.”

~*~

Dude is skipping ahead of Carlos. He probably spotted a rabbit or bird to chase after. Carlos doesn’t bother running after him. He feels too lethargic, anyway. He is dragging his feet along the path, leaving long trails of turned up earth behind him.

He cannot stop thinking about what happened in the lake. For a moment, it felt like Harry was back, free of that damn love potion. For a moment, Carlos felt hopeful Harry felt the same. The way he had looked at Carlos, walls down and eyes honest, Carlos was almost certain his crush was not unrequited.

At the same time, he wondered how he was privy to such a private moment. On the isle, it meant suicide to show real emotions, to let anyone see what was under the surface of snark and malice. Now that they were living in Auradon, Carlos and his friends somewhat mellowed to the general expectation to have genuine emotions in front of others, but old habits die hard, and Carlos only lets his guard down in front of Mal, Evie and Jay (and Jane, she will always have a special place in his heart).

They had always been at war with Uma’s gang, which meant their only interactions had always been deeply antagonistic. Even though Harry flirts with everything that has two legs, his way of going about it always had something menacing about it. Carlos never liked it and always made sure to make a wide berth around the pirate whenever they crossed ways. Harry’s jaw was always set in a severe line, the eyeliner hardening his eyes. Even his smile reminded him of a shark about to devour its prey.

All this sort of dropped from Harry’s face when the love spell took hold of him. However, Carlos likes to think of the doe-eyes and pink cheeks as the exact opposite of the extreme - just as scary, if in a different way. It also felt just as fake as the constant glaring, which is why Carlos cannot take it seriously (despite knowing that anything the love spell conjures up isn’t real anyway).

But in the lake - Carlos kicks at a loose rock and catapults it into the nearest bush - the lake felt different. There was no barrier between him and Harry, no mask of sneer or senseless love-sickness, just Harry looking at Carlos with a bare face. The emotions behind his eyes felt real, the small smile oh so gentle.

With Harry’s arms around his middle, Carlos desperately wanted to believe that the spell was broken, that the emotion behind it had been real. For a moment, hope was making him dizzy, and when Harry brushed his fingers across his forehead, Carlos was ready to kiss him.

He can feel the blood shoot into his head just thinking about kissing Harry. He stops dead in his tracks, hides his face in his hands, and lets out a garbled cry.

Within seconds, Dude is back at his side. “I think you need to scream a bit louder, the school can’t hear your despair from here.”

Carlos glares at Dude. “Are you having fun seeing me suffer?”

“No,” Dude says truthfully, then sits down and regards Carlos with a tilted head. “I just think you are being as dramatic as always.”

Carlos regrets telling Dude about the whole love-spell-cookie-affair. “Oh come on! As if having Harry throwing love spell induced goo-goo eyes at you isn’t the one situation to be a bit dramatic about!”

“You like it.”

Carlos lets his hands fall to his sides and opts not to reply to that.

Dude huffs. “I’m really not trying to be mean. I just think, you know, you are looking at this the wrong way.”

Carlos furrows his brows. “I don’t know what you mean by that.”

“Maybe there is more to this love spell than you think.”

Carlos looks down at Dude, who for once makes a completely serious face. At least as serious for a creature who is basically incapable of facial expressions. “What more could there be to it?”

Dude thumps his tails against the ground in an impatient manner. “Just use your brain. How did the love spell end for Mal and Ben?”

When the penny drops, Carlos can’t help but let out a bitter bark of laughter. “As if! You do know Ben was into Mal way before he even got to see the cookie?”

“I know that perfectly well,” Dude says, his tail thumping becoming more aggressive. “Maybe it’s the same with Harry.”

“Dude, please, that’s ridiculous. Why would he like me?” The thought creates a sinking feeling in his stomach, and Carlos needs to sit down on the nearest log for a moment.

Dude jumps up to sit beside his friend. “You seriously need to stop putting yourself down. You sound like you’re unlovable. Which you are not. Just putting it out there. And remember: I can’t lie!” Dude looks really proud of himself for saying all that. He sits up straighter and regards Carlos with eager eyes.

Carlos smiles and relents, scratching Dude behind the ears. “I’ll give you that, you make a sound argument.”

For a moment, Dude just hums his appreciation with closed eyes, leaning into Carlos’ touch and wagging his tails against the log. Carlos’ heart swells every time Dude being just so completely and utterly content with himself and the world. It makes Carlos forget all the troubles of the world for that brief moment of feeling the fur beneath his fingers.

When Carlos retracts his hand Dude almost topples over. He catches himself, shakes out his fur, then turns to address Carlos again. “I don’t think you actually have been looking at Harry before today.”

With this cryptic statement, Dude jumps off the log and into the next bush. Carlos looks after him, his mouth open to retort something, but his brain cannot quite comprehend the meaning behind his dog’s words before it is too late to reply. He pouts at the space where Dude disappeared, then reaches into his pocket and fishes for his phone. He has one missed call from Mal and a text from her and Evie.

Got the spell book, meet us in the kitchen asap

~*~

Carlos wishes Doug and Jay had kept Harry busy for longer than that one walk. For a moment, he considers leaving everyone to what they are doing and going back to his dorm, to where Dude is sulking in his bed (Carlos does not like to bring Dude into the kitchen after that sausage disaster a few weeks ago). Actually, he could do just that. Evie and Mal are busy pouring over the spell book and throwing ingredients into the bowl while Jay is pretending to help them by juggling baking trays behind their backs. Carlos is sitting, somewhat lost and forgotten, on the counter and suppresses a yawn.

Well, not entirely forgotten. Harry is sitting right next to him, swinging his feet and ‘accidentally’ bumping into Carlos every now and then. He is humming some sea shanty under his breath and seems altogether very content. Admittedly, Carlos finds it quite soothing. He can feel himself becoming drowsy, his eyes becoming heavier by the minute. It’s been such a long day.

“Oh hey there, yer tired?”

Carlos closed his eyes for just a second and somehow ended up leaning against Harry. He jumps back upright and rubs his eyes. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine,” Harry says, smiling brightly at him. Damn, Carlos knows that smile is fake, but it is still nice. Harry pats his own shoulder. “Yer can rest, if yer want.”

“No, I’m fine.” Carlos shakes himself.

Harry purses his lips. “Then let me walk yer to yer dorm. Why’re we here anyway?” Harry turns to look at Mal, Evie and Jay, who are currently tussling over a bag of chocolate chips Jay does not want to give up. “They seem to get on well without us.”

“Yeah, like they always do.” Carlos throws his hand over his mouth. He did not mean to say that. Being tired apparently makes him say things he likes to keep buried deep down.

Unfortunately, Harry did catch that and slowly turns to Carlos. “Sorry?”

Harry’s face suddenly turned very serious. Once again, Carlos wonders whether the faulty love spell grants Harry some kind of lucid moments within the pink-colored smog - but that can’t be, because then he would not focus his attention on Carlos like he does right now. Harry’s eyes are fixed on Carlos, his brows slightly furrowed. Carlos swallows.

“I mean, they don’t need our help. You’re right. But I am really hungry and the others are so nice to make some special cupcakes for me and I bet you’ll like them, too, I’d really like for you to try them, do you like cupcakes, have you ever eaten one, I mean?”

Carlos stumbles over his own words and as soon as he realizes he is rambling, he knows Harry won’t buy it. Of course, when Carlos looks up from his fumbling hands back at the pirate, his brows have climbed lower and he looks displeased.

Harry looks at Carlos for a long moment before he says, “I don’t think that’s what yer mean.”

Does this damn potion make him especially astute or something? The normal Harry would definitely have left it at that, even though when it was s obvious Carlos was lieing through his teeth. Carlos wishes he didn’t have such a big mouth every time he got tired like that (and hungry - he realizes he hasn’t eaten anything since lunch).

Carlos purses his lips and averts his gaze. He stares hard at his feet, trying to determine what to tell Harry. He gets the impression that he won’t be satisfied with a half-lie, but Carlos feels in no way comfortable discussing the issue right here with his friends baking cupcakes across the room. In the end, he decides to keep quiet.

Carlos can feel Harry’s heavy gaze on him, which does not make it any easier. He keeps his eyes resolutely on his feet. He doesn’t know what’ll come out of his mouth if he looks at Harry right now.

It feels like an eternity before Harry sighs heavily, raises a hand and ruffles Carlos’ hair. Carlos flinches and almost slides off the counter. Harry sighs again and removes his hand. “Yer don’t have ter tell me, pup. But yer can always talk to me, ‘kay?”

Something in Harry’s voice makes Carlos look up - which was a huge mistake. Harry is looking at Carlos with nothing but sincerity. His attention is solely focused on Carlos - and just like in the lake, his eyes are clear and his walls are down.

One corner of Harry’s mouth twitches, then his eyes wander to Carlos’s mouth and stay there. Helpless, Carlos watches as Harry raises a hand and cups his jaw, circling the thumb across his cheek.

“I’ll always be here for you, love,” Harry says, with so much conviction it burns right through Carlos’ heart.

Carlos’ breath hitches in his throat. It’s too much.

He shakes Harry’s hand off and jumps off the counter. “I gotta go.” Without waiting for a reply Carlos runs out of the kitchen. He doesn’t stop until the cool autumn air hits his face and he finally feels like he can breath again. He leans against the castle wall and gulps for air.

What the actual fuck was this? Why is the potion making Harry look so real but at the same time so fake? How is it that Carlos has the feeling Harry is being more genuine when in fact everything the potion does is manufacture feelings which aren’t there in the first place? How on earth did Harry see right through Carlos’ lie?

Carlos buries his face in his hands and groans. This is just too much for him. This must be the worst day in his life so far.

“Hey ‘los, you okay there?”

To Carlos’ relief it is Mal and not Harry. He doesn’t think he could handle another dose of love potion-induced sweet-talking right now.

“’m fine,” Carlos mumbles and lets his hands fall to his sides.

Mal raises an eyebrow. She crosses her arms and leans on the wall right next to him. “You just bolted out of the room like someone set a pack of dogs on you - well, before you knew dogs were cute and all.”

He can’t make himself laugh at that, and he also cannot make himself lie to Mal. He is too tired and confused and somehow some very ugly feelings he tried to suppress for the last few weeks are finally rearing their heads.

Carlos let’s his head hang and purses his lips. “It got a bit much.”

“I know,” Mal sighs. “Harry really is a handful, and the potion doesn’t make it any easier.” She laughs and bumps her shoulder into Carlos’. He tries to huff a laugh, for her sake, but it comes out somewhat pitiful.

“Hey, don’t worry, we’ll fix this. If you need more time, just stay here, we’ll take care of the rest.”

“It’s not like you need me anyway.” Carlos can’t stop his mouth saying the words before his muddled brain can think better of it. He wants to facepalm, but his hands just hang useless at his sides.

He is acutely aware of Mal’s shocked gaze. She is usually not the fastest when it comes to picking up on underhanded meanings, but being with Ben must have taught her a thing or two.

“Is that what you really think?” she says quietly.

“Well, too many cooks and so on, right? You don’t need me to finish those cupcakes.”

“But that’s not what you meant.” Of course Mal wouldn’t fall for Carlos’ feeble attempt at avoiding this. She pushes herself off the wall and stands right in front of Carlos. “Is this how you feel?”

Carlos sighs. In for a dollar, in for a penny.

“No. Yes. I don’t know.” He scratches the back of his head and tries to avoid Mal’s intense gaze. “I don’t feel useless or anything. It’s just that I feel…lonely, sometimes. You guys always hang with your boyfriends and girlfriends, and that’s totally fine, I really support all of you, no question, but sometimes I feel left out and like a third wheel and I know it’s stupid and all but I can’t really help it.”

Carlos remembers that breathing is a good idea and stops in his rambling. Mal’s gaze has shifted to utter shock. She stares at Carlos, speechless for the first in a long time. Carlos instantly feels bad.

He quickly adds, “It’s okay, don’t worry, I’m just tired and overreacting. We can talk about this later, or not at all-”

Mal grabs him by the shoulders. There are tears in her eyes, which effectively make Carlos shut up.

“I am so sorry I made you feel this way,” she says, her voice thick. “I had no idea. I was so focused on being the future queen, I…” She swallows.

“It’s fine,” Carlos says quickly. “You have a lot on your plate, my problems are not impor-”

“Don’t you say that!” She shakes Carlos once, one tear rolling down her cheek, but her voice is firm. “We are family, Carlos, we should be able to talk to each other. And there are no big or small problems, and definitely not more important ones. Whatever it is, you can tell me, you can tell us, okay?”

She stares at Carlos until he nods. Mal sobs, then envelopes Carlos in a hug. “I’m sorry, Carlos. I really am. I never wanted to make you feel like you don’t belong.”

Carlos tentatively wraps his arms around her. Even now he is surprised to find that he is taller than her, something that feels at odds with how he feels on the inside. He hugs her more tightly and buries his face in her hair.

“Thanks.”

They stand like this for a bit longer, until the wind picks up and Mal shivers.

Carlos lets go of her. “Let’s get back inside.”

“Are you sure? We can take care of Harry and you can go and get some rest.”

Carlos shakes his head. “I’ll be fine. We’ll see this through together.”

Mal gives him a calculating look. “You really don’t have to torture yourself.”

Carlos sighs. “Is it that obvious?”

“Sadly, it is, for anyone with eyes, at least.”

Carlos sags a bit. “I think I just have to make sure, for my own sanity.”

Mal inclines her head, then smiles at him. “You won’t have to do it on your own, at least.”

She takes his hand and together they make their way back to the kitchen.

~*~

Harry almost pounces on Carlos the moment they enter the kitchen. Jay is just about able to pull him away and stop him from running his hands through Carlos’ hair. When Mal gives him a warning look he actually stops trying to attach himself to Carlos’ side and opts to look at Carlos with big puppy-dog eyes, similar to the ones Dude likes to give him when Carlos leaves him alone for too long.

Evie has, during their absence, put the cupcakes in the oven and is currently preparing the icing. Carlos thinks its unnecessary, but when Mal asks him to help her, he does not have the heart to refuse her.

When the cupcakes come out of the oven Jay makes it his job to cool them down by fanning a tray over them (“That’s how they do it in that baking show, you know, that fancy one!”). Eventually Mal shoos him away and pushes a piping bag into Carlos’ hands. It doesn’t take long to turn into a competition between the four, seeing who can pipe the perfect swirl without getting any icing on the sides. Weirdly enough, Jay wins.

Throughout the whole process Harry is uncharacteristically quiet. He is, however, glued to Carlos’ hip, following his every move and cheering him on during the piping-contest. Carlos can feel Harry’s eyes on him, big and round and so not Harry-like, but it is still difficult for him to ignore the pirate. Carlos focuses all his attention on piping the icing, ignoring the fact that soon Harry will stop looking at him like a love-struck idiot.

At this point, Carlos is not sure how to feel about it.

“Done!” Jay throws down the piping bag and looks at his creation with satisfaction. “Now they’re ready to be eaten!”

He takes one of the cupcakes and is about to bite into it when Evie darts forward and pulls his arm back. Jay glares at her. Evie gives him a meaningful look.

“Jay, why don’t you let Harry try a cupcake first?”

Jay looks sourly at her, then holds the cupcake out to Harry and grumbles something under his breath.

Harry takes it but immediately shoves it into Carlos’ face. “I want you to have the first one, love.”

Carlos, for once, planned ahead. He takes one of the cupcakes he decorated - the prettiest one, just because - and holds it up for Harry. “I made this one just for you. Won’t you try it?” He puts on a pout and puppy-dog-eyes for good measure.

He didn’t have to try so hard. Harry’s smile suddenly becomes radiant. He nods enthusiastically, puts Jay’s perfect creation down and gingerly takes the cupcake from Carlos’ grasp.

Carlos can feel the collective bated breath when they watch Harry take a bite and chew on it with a blissful face.

Carlos doesn’t know what to watch out for. He expects Harry’s face to suddenly falter, for the love-sick radiance to drain from his face, like the sun setting. The constant smily-face is concerning, but Carlos cannot deny it was a nice change seeing Harry smile for such an extended amount of time.

It was also nice to have Harry’s attention focused solely on him, to have him around the whole time, to see him happy, to feel like he matters to the pirate…

Carlos has to mentally slap himself. He wants Harry, but he does not want a fake or forced version of him.

As soon as Harry swallows his bite of cupcake, Jay comes up to him and grabs him by the shoulders. “How do you feel, mate?”

Harry gives Jay a confused look and shrugs his hands away. “Fine?”

Harry turns to Carlos, takes a step towards him, and holds out the cupcake with a twinkle in his eye. “It’s delicious. It’s like tasting your love.”

Carlos does not have to turn around to know that the blood completely drains from his friend’s faces. He suddenly feels like his knees are about to give out.

Within seconds Jay grabs Harry while Evie and Mal drag Carlos to the other side of the kitchen.

“This is bad,” Mal mutters. “This is totally and utterly bad.”

Carlos lets himself be manhandled to a chair and pushed into it. He does not have the strength to resist, let alone say anything. He blankly stares at the wall in front of him.

“Let’s not panic,” Evie says, but her tone betrays her words.

“I think a bit of panic is kinda allowed at this point!”

“But it’s not gonna help us! Think of Carlos!”

Carlos gazes up at Evie. “Do you think he’s gonna be like this forever?”

Evie looks helplessly at Mal, but she is already pacing again. Evie puts a hand on Carlos’ shoulder and tries to give him her best encouraging smile. “It’ll be alright, I promise.”

Suddenly, her face lights up and she waves Mal back. “We can still try the wand!”

Carlos hasn’t thought of that. He hopefully looks up at Mal, but she shakes her head. His stomach drops. “I know what you both think, but if the lake and the cupcakes didn’t worked, the wand won’t make a difference.”

“We can still try! The love potion obviously gained potency or something, and-“

“Evie, trust me, the wand will be just as useless.”

“Then…maybe we did something wrong with the cupcakes? Maybe one of the ingredients wasn’t the right one? Maybe we made a mistake?”

Mal sighs. “We checked a hundred times, and besides, the recipe is not that difficult. The cupcakes should have worked.”

Defeated, Evie lets herself fall into the chair beside Carlos. From across the room, Harry waves at Carlos with the half-eaten cupcake in hand and a wider than possible smile on his face.

“This is bad,” Evie says.

Carlos doesn’t know what to feel or think. Does this mean Harry is damned to follow Carlos like a puppy for the rest of his life? Will he be cursed with that lovesick face forever? Will Carlos murder him someday because he won’t stop using pet names? Will Carlos eventually walk the plank out of his own free will?

Will Harry be forever poisoned with artificial love?

They all fall silent. Jay has a hard time keeping Harry away from Carlos, but he manages to distract him with more cupcakes. However, it does not seem like a bigger amount of anti-love potion fixes the problem, either.

Mal keeps pacing, chewing her nails and muttering under her breath. Evie has apparently completely given up and instead has put a soothing hand on Carlos’ shoulder.

Carlos doesn’t know what to do. He keeps staring at nothing in particular, trying not to think about a future where Harry is constantly following. Maybe, just maybe, the potion will eventually fade? Maybe he just has to work it out of his system, like a bad flu or something?

Carlos is about to suggest locking Harry in a room an turning up the temperature to make him sweat it out when Evie clears her throat.

“There is one thing we can still try.”

Mal abruptly stops in her tracks. She and Evie exchange looks. Something passes between them, some kind of silent communication Carlos was never privy to, and Mal instantly gasps and shakes her head vehemently.

“No, that is out of the question. No way, E!”

“Do you think I like the idea? Do you have a better one?”

Mal draws a breath to retort something, but comes up empty.

Carlos looks between the two, annoyed that he can’t keep up. “What? What is it, Evie?” When Evie looks at him, biting her lip and hesitating, he groans. “Just tell me, it can’t be worse than that.” He indicates Harry, how is currently blowing kisses in his direction (and Jay catching each and every one of them, which annoys Harry a lot).

Evie looks back at Mal, who throws up her hands in defeat, then turns slowly back to Carlos. “A kiss.”

Carlos blinks. “What?”

“A kiss,” Evie repeats. “It might break the spell.”

Carlos keeps blinking at her, trying to take in what she suggested - what she really suggested.

When the penny finally drops, he jumps up from his chair, the blood rushing to his face. “You are saying true love’s kiss, right? Are you actually insane?”

“Am I? Really, Carlos?”

“No one is in love with anyone in this room?!”

At this, Mal raises an eyebrow and Evie sighs. “Carlos, you are wearing your heart on your sleeve, you know that, right?”

He can feel his face heat up and he looks away from his friends. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“No offense, but you have never been good with hiding your feelings, especially when you like someone,” Mal says.

Carlos shuts his mouth tight before he can say something rude. He stares at the floor, trying to will the blood rushing to his face rushing back to the rest of his body while he can feel Mal’s and Evie’s eyes boring into him.

Eventually, he says quietly, “But I’m not in love with him.”

“But you do like him. A lot,” Evie says gently, taking one of his hands between her own. He looks up into her kind eyes, an understanding smile on her face. “And maybe that’s enough.”

When Carlos does not respond, her face changes and she stands up to envelope him in a tight hug. “You don’t have to do this, you know?”

“Yeah, we will find another way. Definitely,” Mal adds. “We faced worse.”

When Evie lets go of him Carlos starts pacing and chewing on his bottom lip. He has no doubt his friends will do anything to make Harry normal again, but who knows how long it will take? They can’t risk parading Harry around in this state any more than necessary, and even if this is technically Harry’s own fault, Carlos still does not want to face Uma’s wrath…

He abruptly stops in his tracks. “I’ll do it.”

“Are you absolutely sure?” Mal comes up to him and puts a hand on his shoulder. “You really don’t have to.”

Carlos squares his shoulders. “It’s our best shot. And if it doesn’t work, we can still try something else.”

Carlos holds Mal’s intense gaze until she is satisfied and gives him a curt nod. She cranes her neck around Carlos’ shoulder and belows, “Hey Harry, come over here for a second!”

While Carlos agreed to this, it is still going way too fast for him. Suddenly, Harry is standing right in front of him, with a pleasant smile and some wayward icing on his lips. He cocks his head to the side, like a curious bird, regarding Carlos with an intensity which suddenly feels way to much. The others are standing around them, waiting.

“Can you, er, give us a minute?” Carlos says, his voice climbing up three octaves toward the end of his sentence.

“Of course,” Evie says and she and Mal promptly drag a protesting Jay out of the kitchen. Before Evie closes the door behind them, she ducks her head through the door and says. “I wouldn’t worry too much if I were you.” She grins, winks, and disappears.

Carlos has absolutely no idea what she means. He has the strange feeling she knows something else, something beyond his grasp, but it doesn’t matter now. All that matters is Harry and trying to cure him from this Hades forsaken love potion.

Carlos turns back to Harry, who is still looking at him and smiling. He looks so innocent, so gosh-darn naive, it makes something in Carlos’ blood boil and at the same time make him shiver uncontrollably.

It’s not like Carlos has never kissed anyone before. He shared kisses with Jane. Sweet, innocent kisses. With Jane, he had been nervous, the palms of his hands sweaty and his knees wobbling. Looking up at Harry now, the knot in his stomach tightens until he feels like throwing up. This feels monumental, bigger than himself, and he has no idea why. Harry’s face softens, his head cocked to the side with a questioning look in his eyes. And there is still that damned smudge of icing on his lower lip. Carlos hyperfocuses on it until all he can see is Harry’s lips.

“Is everything okay, Carlos?” Harry’s lips are moving, the voice coming out concerned. Carlos can only imagine the look in Harry’s eyes, but he doesn’t dare looking up. If he does, he will loose his nerve and run for the hills.

Carlos doesn’t respond. Instead, he takes one breath to steal his nerves, forces the screaming in his head to shut up, then swiftly throws an arm up and around Harry’s neck and pulls him down.

Harry gasps in surprise with the motion. Carlos uses the moment of confusion to kiss him, but he miscalculates their height difference and only reaches Harry’s bottom lip. The icing smears across his own lips.

Before Carlos can try again, he makes the grave mistake of looking up. Harry’s mouth hangs open, his eyes staring down at Carlos with an unreadable expression. Carlos swallows, then licks his lips. Harry’s eyes follow every motion, from his adam’s apple bobbing, to his tongue wiping away the icing. Carlos feels hypnotized, unable to move and look away from Harry.

When Harry looks into Carlos’ eyes, there is something else there, something Carlos has never seen in the pirate’s eyes. Harry cups Carlos’ face in one hand, a hand softer than Carlos would have expected, then draws a thumb over Carlos’ lips. His heart stutters in his chest. Then Harry draws Carlos towards him.

Harry’s lips are soft, and oh so gentle. Without him meaning to, Carlos closes his eyes and starts moving his lips. Harry immediately responds, his other hand coming up to curve around Carlos’ waist and pulling him in more closely. Carlos gasps when their chests meet, and Harry uses the moment to lick inside his mouth.

Suddenly they are kissing like they are drowning. Like they are facing the end of the world. Like they are the last two people on earth. Like nothing else matters. Carlos would, in hindsight, cringe at the sappy thought running through his brain, but in his current situation, with Harry’s hands running through his hair and kissing him so intensely, Carlos can think of nothing else. He grabs Harry’s shirt with his free hand, twisting his hand into the fabric like he has to hold on for dear life. He tugs at Harry’s hair and he gasps, making Carlos’ toes curl in his boots.

For a moment, Carlos doesn’t remember why they are kissing. The only thing that matters is that he has Harry right here with him, licking his way down his throat and peppering his jaw and neck with kisses, sending shivers down his spine before Harry dives back in, reclaiming his lips.

It’s just like and so much more than what Carlos imagined. He wishes they could stay like this forever.

Eventually, they have to come up for air. Harry does not let go of Carlos, though. He tugs him close, bringing their foreheads together, sharing the air between them. Carlos uses his hand on Harry’s chest to push the pirate away from him, enough for Carlos to properly look at his face. Harry’s lips are kiss-swollen and his hair disheveled; it makes something in the pit of Carlos’ stomach jolt and flood his chest with a warm, molten feeling.

But what completely defeats him is the look in Harry’s eyes. They are focused on Carlos as if he was the most wonderful thing since Christmas and the destruction of the barrier combined. They shine brighter than the stars, filled with so much wonder and love and…

Love.

“Shit!” Carlos pushes Harry away from him with a bit too much force than necessary. “Shit, shit, shit!”

Harry stumbles backwards against a table. “Oi, what the-?”

“Of course it wouldn’t work!” Carlos starts pacing, unable to quell the panic rising up and into his throat, making him sick once more in a very different way. “Why would Evie think it’ll work? Why did I think it’ll work?”

“Carlos…”

“The lake didn’t work, the cupcakes didn’t work…”

“Carlos.”

“So why should one measly kiss work to break this stupid love spell?”

“Carlos!”

Harry grabs Carlos and spins him around. “Carlos, yer need to calm down!”

Carlos, who didn’t register that he was tearing at his hair with both hands, drops his hands and shrugs out of Harry’s grasp. “I need to calm down? Do you even know what shitty situation you got us into?” Carlos laughs bitterly. “Of course you don’t, you’re still under a spell!”

Something crumbles within Carlos when he thinks of the kiss just moments ago, and he suddenly feels very tired and defeated. He leans against the table, rubbing a hand across his face. “I think we need to go and get Fairy Godmother.”

“No, wait!” Harry is on him again, getting a hold of both Carlos’ wrists and forcing him to look up at the pirate. “Please don’t get her!”

“But it’s our only-“ Carlos stops in the middle of his sentence when he sees the look on Harry’s face. There is panic written all across it. He refuses to meet Carlos’ eyes, just as if…

“Harry.” Carlos’s voice is foreboding. “Is there something you have to tell me?”

For the fist time (there seem to be a lot of these in the last few hours), Harry seems unable to say anything, his eyes darting from side to side, as if unable to decide on what to say, and biting his lower lip.

Carlos waits, his gaze focused on the fumbling pirate in front of him. Then, without warning, Harry blurts out, “I was never under a spell.”

The admission hangs heavy between them.

“What,” is all Carlos can say in response.

Harry lets go of Carlos and takes a few steps backwards, his hands raised in surrender. “Please don’t freak out.”

Carlos, unintentionally, takes a step towards Harry.” What do you mean by ‘never under a spell’?”

Carlos must have, after all, inherited some of his mother’s traits, because Harry swallows and continues to back away when he sees Carlos advance on him.

“The cookies didn’t work,” Harry says quickly. “I think they were too old ter work.”

Carlos cannot believe what he is hearing. “You knew about the cookies?”

Harry bumps into the kitchen island and quickly runs around it in an attempt to put something between him and Carlos. “I overheard Mal and Ben talking about them.”

Something in Carlos snaps. This whole day has been one roller coaster of emotions, and it only know occurs to Harry that he was never under a spell in the first place? Did he think it was funny to play with Carlos’ feelings, to string him on for a whole day and watch him squirm?

The utter betrayal flares up in his chest and Carlos jumps over the counter in a fit of anger. Harry yelps and backs into the cabinet behind him, but Carlos has his hands on either side of Harry before he can escape. He glowers up at Harry.

“And why for Hades sake did you think it was a good idea to eat a bunch of potentially lethal love cookies and then pretend to be in love with me?”

“I never said I pretended.”

Carlos pauses. When Harry’s admission catches up with him, his eyes go big and he averts his gaze to the floor. Harry bites his lips. “I thought they would help me ter…but then they didn’t work and I thought, maybe they don’t work when…” Harry swallows, but let’s his explanation hang unfinished between them.

Carlos keeps staring at Harry, who refuses to meet his gaze, but he also does not attempt to run away. It feels like ages until Harry sags against the cabinet and sighs. “I did not plan for it ter go this far. ’m sorry, really. I shouldn’t have done it. I shouldn’t have kissed you. That was unfair. I mean, I never assumed, I just got caught up-”

“You know Harry, I have half a mind to wear your skin as a coat.”

Harry’s eyes snap up to Carlos and he visibly shrinks back. Carlos uses the moment to surge up and catch Harry’s lips in a searing kiss.

Harry makes a surprised sound and doesn’t move until Carlos takes pity on him and breaks the kiss. Harry looks at him in confusion, but his hands have already come up to rest against Carlos’s hips. Carlos smirks and snakes his arms around Harry.

“I won’t let you get away that easily,” Carlos says and nips at Harry’s jaw. “But right now, I want you to shut up and kiss me again.”