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Jay was the most popular one out of the quartet of VKs. It was common knowledge.
Mal just flat out scared people, she was one of the very few people left who had magic and knew how to use it. It would have been a little scary even if she hadn’t been the daughter of one of the most feared fairies of all time.
Evie was pretty and smart. That was flat out intimidating. She was talented and could cook and was singularly the trendsetter for the entire student body, her ability to multitask made even the highest achiever feel inadequate.
Carlos was quiet, nurturing. He ruined the curve of his tests and even though he was sweet and generous, he wasn’t super outgoing so even though he was friendly, one wouldn’t generally consider him one to fit into the mould of popular.
So that just left Jay. Tanned, athletic, flirty Jay. Tourney MVP on his first game, raised cheerleader’s vitals to the same level as if a celebrity had just walked up to them, it was an easy conclusion.
So Jay, son of the ex-Vizier of Agrabah was unofficially crowned as reigning favourite VK.
That lasted for another month after the coronation anyways.
People didn’t seem super surprised when the four Lost Ones chose Good over Evil. For them it seemed like a natural thing, an easy path as Good was clearly better in every conceivable way. But no one once considered that the fact that Mal chose what she’d learned in a month over what was essentially sixteen and a half years of brainwashing was nothing short of a straight up miracle.
But Mal had Ben. And Evie had never really been evil, just vain. Carlos hadn’t really been evil either, just abused and clever.
But Jay? He’d had thievery woven into his blood since the day he could walk. When Jay first learned to make a fist, it was to close that fist around other people’s things. The second thing had been how to use that fist to beat off anyone who caught him.
After the Maleficent fiasco, Fairy Godmother had put the barrier back around the island and life continued much as before.
That started with the weekend tourney games. And that was, as they say, the beginning of the end.
Jay was carded within the first quarter and benched for the rest of the game after only spending two minutes on the field after half time. Use of excessive force.
This was followed by a week of detention, which meant Jay missed his homework time block before tourney practice. The lack of homework lead to more detentions and eventually Jay wasn’t allowed to play tourney until his grades improved.
As one would expect, this put Jay in a foul mood and the walking-around-glaring thing he had started doing wasn’t really helping his reputation. And no one even knew about the pile of worthless trinkets shoved under his bed.
Within a month Jay had been dethroned as the most popular villain kid, he’d been booted out and Carlos had meekly taken his place.
King of the new generation, poster boy for the Royal Proclamation of Reformation. Ben dragged him around to meetings of evidence of how well his idea had worked, and proof that he should be allowed to bring even more evil children over.
The worst thing was that Jay couldn’t even feel angry; infamy hadn’t changed Carlos a single bit. Except the person picking up his slack on the tourney field was now a very eager Chad Charming, ready and willing to slide his way into Carlos’ spotlight, instead of an overprotective Jay.
Carlos offered every night to help Jay with his homework, staying up until Jay had returned from detention with coffee and sharp pencils. Jay turned him down every time but Carlos, faithful as ever, never stopped trying.
And now it was nearly fucking Valentine’s Day. And as the champion of the Children of the Damned, Carlos was practically drowning in the love.
Letters pushed under their bedroom door after lights out to the sound of high pitched tittering.
Sonnets pouring out of his locker by the dozens every time Carlos opened it. Yes, that included the one time he’d forgotten something and went back only five minutes later.
Red roses pressed between the pages of his textbooks whenever he leant them out to anyone.
And it was driving Jay fucking crazy.
Because hey, who wouldn’t want Carlos? He was dedicated and kind. No, the issue was that Carlos accepted every card with a surprised blush, reading them and saving every single one. Carlos’ study desk in their room was heaped with misshapen red paper heart-shaped cards and flowers in varying states of decay.
Carlos was painfully absent that afternoon, off begging Mal for an anti-wilting spell. He’d been asking all week but Mal kept saying that messing with the natural flow of life and death – especially for as something as trivial as roses – was really not going to happen, not on her watch.
“Hey Jason.”
“Radley, you know, my name is just Jay, it’s really not short for anything.”
“Okay.” The boy said dubiously, clearly not believing Jay, and since they’d been arguing about this for weeks, it wasn’t really a surprise. “And let me guess, you also still don’t have a last name?”
“Dude!” Jay said, suddenly irate, “Did Jafar have a godforsaken last name when he tried to take over Agrabah? No. So why would I need one?”
“Woah, Jay-man. Why are you so upset today?”
“No reason.” Jay said glumly, the anger subsiding in the wake of downright sadness.
“Would it have anything to do, perhaps, with the fact that Carlos’ neck is all smeared with lipstick?” Radley asked almost innocently, and Jay was suddenly furious again, too angry to see through the ruse.
“His neck is what?” Jay made a move to stand up from where he had crashed on the edge of the quad after running from Carlos’ valentines. But honestly, he had no idea where he would have gone if Radley hadn’t yanked him back down into a seated position.
“Jay, breathe, I was totally kidding. But this is about Valentine’s Day?”
“So many people want him to be theirs.”
“Jay you’re his best friend, can’t imagine why though, you’re a total downer. Even if you asked him platonically, he’d say yes in a heartbeat.”
“That wouldn’t be fair to him. It’s not his fault I didn’t realise how he…how he was…Carlos until it was too late. On the Isle it was just us, then I was the It Boy, and now everyone wants a piece of Carlos-flavoured pie and I can’t even be mad. Who could possibly blame them?”
Radley was the only student aside from Mal and Evie who knew a thing about Jay’s crush. Mal and Evie figured it out and Jay had grudgingly told Radley after the boy yanked him aside one day and declared the two of them friends. Not that the other VKs aren’t awesome, but you need more backup. And Jay had just gone along with it like a balloon tied to a runaway horse.
“Did you just call Carlos a pie?” Radley said, puzzled.
“Who called me a pie?” Jay’s head swung around so fast he almost got whiplash and saw Carlos standing there, looking adorable as ever and slightly awkward.
“Wasn’t talking about you, we’re talking about Carlie.” Radley lied smoothly, really it was unnerving for an AK to fit in so well with the children of the countries most feared villains, even reformed ones.
Jay was thankful, how was he supposed to form words, let alone a lie when Carlos was standing there looking more desirable than the Cave of Wonders.
“Oh.” For a second, Carlos looks downtrodden, “Jay, I wanted to ask you if you needed help with your homework?” Same offer as every day and Jay opened his mouth to turn him down, same as every day.
“Yep, sounds awesome.” Radley interrupted fluently. “Jay can’t get any more detentions, he’s got to be free on Sunday.”
“V-Valentine’s Day?” Carlos stammered out, looking stricken.
“Yep, if you get a detention, your date will slaughter you, Jacob.”
“My full name isn’t Jacob!” Jay yelled after the retreating red cape.
“So you and, uh, Radley Hood?” Carlos said, looking a little nervous.
“Don’t worry Carlos, you’ll always be my BFFL. Radley’s great though.” Jay said, unsure as to why this appeared to be unfamiliar territory for Carlos, Jay’d been friends with Radley for weeks now.
“What’s a biffle?”
“Best Friend For Life, BFFL.”
“Okay, so what subjects are you struggling with?” Carlos went into study mode as they approached their room and Jay just raised a single eyebrow in response.
“Okay!” Carlos said, laughing now, “Let’s just take it from the top.”
“Class, please hand in the essays I asked you to write over the week.” The English teach began, and for the first time Jay didn’t want to sink down into his desk and onto the floor.
“Chad?”
“Evie?”
“Ruby?”
Jay was a teensy bit offended that the teacher didn’t even bother calling his name. But for the first time he had done what he was supposed to do. So he got up, feeling the class watch him as he made his way to the front, three written pages in his grasp.
“Excuse me, uh, sir.” Jay had never really gotten the teacher’s name.
“What is it Jay?”
“You didn’t call me.” With that, Jay put his essay on the rechronicalisation of Cinderella on the pile and went back to his seat.
The rest of the day went much the same, and yeah, Jay’s maths solutions were mostly wrong but his workbook, with diagrams and doodles that showed that he had attempted the work.
It was refreshing, honestly, and Jay was sure that nothing could bring down his mood. That was until he saw Carlos, staggering under the weight of his text books, with Chad’s arm wrapped right around his waist.
The dark fabric of the Prince’s sleeve reminded Jay of Ursula’s tentacles, dragging Ariel under the ocean and far into the depths of the sea to sign away her voice, and her life. And Jay was about to march over there and rescue his Carlos, he had always fancied himself a bit of an Eric type, when Carlos leant into the touch. This was worse than anything. Chad? Chad Charming? Nope.
There is a third part to stealing that most people wouldn’t think about with Jay’s size. Step one, steal the item, step two, hide it on your person. But before Jay hit his growth spurt it had been important, before it was replaced with a ragtag mix of flips and street fighting. Running away. Once you had your hands on what you wanted, you needed to bolt. Jay hadn’t needed to use that in a while, not since he bulked up enough to make his victims run. But he needed it now.
Jay ran.
Later that evening, Jay was using his newfound free time to cut into his immense backlog of homework when Carlos stumbled in, clutching the side of his ribs.
Jay stood up and quickly moved Carlos to his bed, fluttering like a mother hen in the sight of being unable to do a single thing.
“Carlos! What happened?”
“If I say nothing, will you drop it?” Carlos said, and that was the boy Jay knew and cared about, he didn’t want to raise a fuss, even if he was unable to walk without wincing in pain.
“Tourney game, occupational hazard I guess.”
“Shut up, no one ever gets hurt beyond bruises, not even when I’m on…was on, defence.”
“Fine, a member of the other team said he’d heard about me and asked me out…on a date. For Valentine’s Day, you know?” Carlos got out as Jay lifted up his shirt, trying not to be distracted by the sinewy strength as he looked at the way the ribs jutted out from his chest, searching for obvious breaks. Chad’s hand across Carlos’ waist made a lot of sense now.
“And I said no, but he kept insisting so I uh…I told him I was already seeing someone.”
“Smart move, especially with douches who refuse to take no for an answer.” Jay forced himself not to think about Carlos feverently declaring a relationship with Chad.
“Then he was marking me in first quarter and he got a little…rough.”
“I’m going to kill him.” The most terrifying part of that statement was how calm and smooth Jay’s voice was, as if discussing Radley’s obsession with Tala again.
“Jay please don’t.” Carlos knew the threat was serious, “It’s just bone bruising, but I’m sorry anyway.”
“What on earth do you have to apologise about?”
“He told everyone what I told him about dating someone and now the tourney team thinks we’re together. I couldn’t correct them because that idiot was right there!”
Jay’s brain flatlined. Somewhere in his mind, a bunch of miniature Jay’s threw their papers in the air and began running around screaming in panic.
“What?” Jay said quietly, voice dropped two octaves.
“I told him you were my boyfriend and I couldn’t see him because you were taking me out on Valentine’s Day. I just wanted to tell you so you can tell Radley, so he doesn’t get upset or something. Pleasedon’tbemad.”
Eventually Jay’s disconnected wiring sparked to life again, and he looked at Carlos. “Tell Radley what? Why on earth would he be angry? Carlos, I’m not mad, just take a deep breath, and tell me what you’re on about.”
“What if Radley hears about it and thinks you’re cheating on him?” Carlos said slowly, in the same voice he used to explain advanced trigonometry. Gentle, patient, slow.
“Uh no? For Radley to think that I’m cheating on him we would actually have to be dating?” Hang on. “You thought I was dating Radley?”
Carlos was looking at Jay in shock, as if the idea of Jay and Radley not dating (and no, just no) had honestly never even occurred to him. “You’re not?”
“He’s got a weird thing for Tala. And even if he didn’t I wouldn’t touch that with a ten foot pole.”
“So all that stuff about Valentine’s Day?”
“He was just being an idiot.”
“Oh.” Carlos said blankly. Then he grinned, “So you don’t mind that people think we’re together?”
“Nope, you’re way out of my league, why would I mind, and if it keeps pushy assholes out of your face then I’m more than happy to lend myself to you.”
“I’m way out of your league? Do you own a fucking mirror?”
“Oh come on Carlos, most of the school. Scratch that, most of Auradon wants to either be you or be with you. I’m a VK who can’t get his head screwed on straight.”
“It is screwed on straight; it’s just so far up your ass that you can see your own oesophagus.” Well that was new. “You deserve people in my perceived league.”
“Prove it.”
Suddenly the atmosphere in the room went from friendly banter to thicker than sludge.
Carlos moved up into Jay’s space so quickly that it felt like one second they were sitting opposite and the next second their mouths were touching. Time stopped going so fast and seemed to almost freeze as the two of them kissed.
Jay moved to pull Carlos closer to him when his strong hands closed around Carlos’ aching ribs. They sprung apart as Carlos cried out in agony.
“Oh my god, Carlos, I’m so sorry.”
After a few deep breaths, Carlos regained his composure and tilted his head to the side, stretching out his neck. “I don’t want any more damaged ribs next time, so why don’t you make it so that I don’t have to say a single thing to make it clear that I don’t want a date?”
Jay blinked, blind sighted by the sudden surge of confidence as he latched over Carlos’ pulse point on his neck, drawing back to reveal a purpling bruise. Jay kissed the mark softly before cupping Carlos’ face in his arms, the happenings of the last few minutes catching up to him in a dizzying rush.
“You better get to planning, I told everyone we’re going on a date on Valentine’s Day and I don’t like lying.”