Chapter Text
Jay knew how this looked, he really did. But he wasn’t some fangirling freak sobbing over a celebrity and swearing that one day he’d have his babies. Carlos wasn’t even technically a celebrity, just a dancer who posted videos on Auratube. He was just…a fan.
At two am, the week before finals, when Jay was watching a hip hop video posted in 2012, he reached the conclusion his friends had been pushing him towards.
“Well, fuck.”
Jay didn’t even like dance. He wasn’t a dancer himself though he knew a few party tricks. There was just something mesmerising about the way that Carlos’ body twisted, pulsing to the heavy beat as though the song itself was a part of him. God he was just beautiful. It wasn’t the dancing, it was the boy, Jay would have watched him for hours if he had a cooking channel or even if he just had dozens of ‘haul’ videos.
Carlos’ videos were decently popular, and even if people didn’t love him, they knew of him. But not always for the reasons one would have thought.
“Maybe he wants to make a name for himself? Not live in his parent’s shadows?”
“Maybe… but the whole thing is still super weird.”
Jay didn’t have to hear any more from the two girls sitting near him at breakfast to know that they were gossiping about Carlos. Exquisite, mysterious Carlos.
See, parentage was something very important to the people who lived in Auradon, even back on the Isle of the Lost. When meeting anyone for the first time you would open with your name and close with your parents’ names.
It could be anything from,
“My name is Maddy, my mother was the maid who discovered Aurora’s body.”
“Hi! I’m Gavan, my father was the guard charged with looking after the crown before Eugene Fitzherbert stole it.”
to,
“My mother is the Fairy Godmother.”
“Mal, Maleficent’s daughter.”
But Carlos was famously tight lipped about his lineage. Even Jay, who was the son of Jafar spoke up about it, Carlos even withheld his last name from any videos or public social media. Jay was a little curious, he was only human (unlike his half-fairy friend), but he was more focused on those beautiful brown eyes and rounded lips than the people who raised the dancer. Whatever, maybe Carlos was ashamed of his background-character parents or worse. But Jay was sure he’d remember someone like that from the Isle. But he’d been a different person back then; dating anyone at all wasn’t really a consideration, regardless of gender. No one looked at anyone like that, but coming to Auradon when the next generation was given a second chance? It was like all of Jay’s natural but long dormant romantic notions had appeared from nowhere and punched him directly in the face. And maybe in the passing months, something more than distant admiration had developed towards the teenage dance prodigy.
The first dozen videos had all been dances, so by the time Carlos posted a video of him being interviewed after winning a talent contest or something; Jay was just itching to know him, his personality and the sound of his voice. And honestly, he had thought Carlos was a lot younger than he was, prior to seeing that. Jay didn’t have to open that video next, the autoplay function changed to the interview after his dance finished. It was an old one, but Carlos hadn’t posted anything new in almost a month.
“So how does it feel to come first at only age 16?”
Carlos laughed and Jay’s heart stuttered. “Incredible, I still can’t believe it happened to me, and I want to thank my fans on Auratube for believing in me and encouraging me to enter, I would never have even attempted the competition without their support.”
“So at almost a million subscribers, your fanbase is growing way out of control, and with good reason. How long have you been dancing?”
“Ever since I could remember, at least ten years.”
“Well we can’t wait to see what you do next, Carlos, good luck.”
So yeah, that’s why Jay was capitally screwed. He’d fallen head over heels for an Auratube dancer who he only knew from obsessively watching his videos end to end.
“Hey Jay!” Evie chirruped from his doorway and Jay looked up, glad for the company, it was sometimes a little rough being alone in a two person dorm.
“Hey E, what’s going on?”
“Oh Mal wanted me to tell you that Ben told her that Jane told him that…”
“Hey!” Jay barked good-naturedly. “One more time without all the unnecessary padding.”
“Fairy Godmother needs to talk to you.”
“Dammit. What did I do? I swear I didn’t do anything this time.”
“Nah, I think they want to put the new kid in your dorm?”
“I thought they didn’t put anyone here because of,” Jay coughed, making his voice high pitched and breathy. “My ‘anger and violence issues’ that ‘could be a problem for those raised in Auradon’”
“I’m only telling you what I heard, now go talk to FG.”
The walk to Fairy Godmother’s office was spent analysing all of the things Jay had done this week. He’d made Chad do the cinnamon challenge, but that was tame compared to last week, when he had done the ghost chilli challenge himself. And it was all in good fun anyways, they were friends. Maybe it had been the yelling at Doug fiasco. But in his defence, he had made Evie cry.
The office door was slightly open and inside, Jay could hear Fairy Godmother talking softly and gently to another student, a younger male probably. Jay knocked once and pushed the door so it swung open. He met the headmistress’ gaze unfalteringly, so he missed the white and brunette head of curls whip towards him before looking away.
“Hello, Jay, nice of you to join us.”
Jay took a seat without breaking eye contact. A voice that sounded suspiciously like his father’s whispering for him to not show any weakness or guilt.
Don’t admit to breathing.
“Now this is Carlos.”
Jay’s head turned so fast and so hard that he could practically feel the whiplash develop. Carlos. His Carlos. Well, Jay took a deep breath, not his. But that Carlos anyways. Beautiful brown eyes that appeared to be glaring at Jay with more detestation than the ex-thief thought was possible for someone whom he had never met before. Must be some confusion. Jay shot the boy a glowing smile then turned back to FG.
“So? Why do you need me here?” Jay asked.
“We thought your dorm would be a good location to place Mr D-Carlos in.”
Jay was so pumped up over the idea that he would soon be sharing a room with Carlos that he missed the near-slip with the name, and how putting fragile Carlos with brutish Jay seemed like a good idea to anyone. And he also missed the incredible flinch that ran through Carlos’ lean, dancer body.
“For real? That sounds awesome…” Carlos probably wouldn’t like living with a gushing fanboy, so Jay would maybe tape down his extensive knowledge of Carlos’ choreography. “It’s a little hard to live alone, for an extrovert like me.” He tried to shoot Carlos a quick smile but it still seemed as though the other boy was attempting to melt Jay’s face with his eyes alone.
If looks could kill? Jay would be six feet under. And he still had no clue as to why.
“Well, you can go off to tourney practise, we’ll let Carlos settle in and you can also be his buddy, show him around. Though…” Fairy Godmother trailed off as she peered at a printed sheet. “You two aren’t sharing many classes. Play nice Jay.” Jay shook her hand and pushed in his chair, trying to remember everything from Remedial Goodness 101, he wanted to leave a good impression since Carlos seemed to be against him already. Maybe he was against VKs? Jay hoped not.
With that thought in the front of Jay’s mind, no matter how hard he attempted to fight it down every time it surfaced, it wasn’t a mystery as to why Jay played as hard as he did. An hour into the three hour practise, even Chad and Ben were glaring at Jay.
“Dude what is up with you?” Chad asked, shoving ineffectually at Jay’s shoulder.
“Sorry, just a little…tension with someone.” Jay answered sheepishly, not returning the gesture as he knew that Chad would be more than a little bruised already from Jay’s plays.
“Jay you’re playing like a VK. Worse than your first time on the field. Is this about exams next week?”
He wasn’t wrong, Jay shot a rueful look to where the player who had been controlling the dragon cannon rubbed his arm from where Jay had actually shot a round of ‘dragon fire’ back onto him.
“You only play like this when something is really bothering you.” Ben chimed in.
Jay relaxed as the team surrounded him, each with their own words of comfort to offer. They all had a right to be angry but none of them even raised their voices.
“Maybe you should go lift some weights, go for a run or use the punching bag. I mean the stuffed one, not your tourney team mates.” Ben said strongly, trying to joke but it was clearly not a suggestion.
“Sorry, guys, I swear I didn’t mean to take out any frustration I had on you. Are you all okay?”
“See you tomorrow Jay,” Chad said as a way of farewell, covering for him from the few more irate team members as Jay took off at a sprint towards the weight room.
When Jay arrived back at his bedroom, his mind was blissfully blank. It wasn’t as though his brain usually functioned super well but after a punishing workout session, Jay could only think about the slightly ticklish feeling of sweat droplets down his neck, passed the neckline of his tourney jersey and right along his spine. So, if anyone was wondering, that was why he totally forgot that he had a roommate.
“Uh…hi.” Carlos said tersely.
Jay froze with his shirt off, one arm still halfway inside the sleeve. “Carlos. Hi.”
“Jay. I just wanted to tell you that I didn’t like ask to be put with you or anything. And I’ll stay out of your way if you’ll be kind enough to stay out of mine.”
“Wait, what?” Jay said, now shirtless and gasping at Carlos. “Why? What did I fucking do to you, we just met!”
Carlos gaped like a fish at Jay. “You don’t remember?”
“Remember what?”
Carlos got up, angrily stalking over to Jay. “Never mind. Just stay the hell away from me.” He all but yelled right in Jay’s flushed face.
Jay was stunned into silence as he watched Carlos leave, moving awkwardly, almost pained while carrying what looked like a camera bag.
“Well, fuck.”