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Carlos lets his head thunk against the metal behind him. It’s the second time this week that the Gastons had shoved him into a locker and slammed it close before Carlos could even realize what was happening. They snatched his homework and cackled as they ran, leaving the younger boy behind to mumble the periodic table to help fight off the panic in such a tight space.
It’s okay, Carlos thinks in between calcium (an alkaline earth metal with an atomic number of 20, meaning it has two electrons in its outer shell) and scandium (a transition metal with an approximate weight of 45 amu), Evie always comes looking for me, she’ll know to check the lockers when she can’t find me. Unless…Mal found her and is dragging her off to be thrown into the ocean. Or pushing her off the roof of Bargain Castle. Or drowning her in-.
“Ah!” Carlos shouts as the locker door swings open and he crashes to the ground. He lands painfully on his shoulder, but that’s perfectly fine! An acceptable trade for his freedom and the dim lights in the hall.
It takes him just a moment to catch his breath, he had done very well of not hyperventilating, and Carlos looks up. Evie found him much faster than he expected, he had planned on being in the locker for at least another 10 minutes, how did she-.
Carlos is eye-level with torn and ratty jeans, instead of the navy blue skirt he has come to know so well. He hasn’t moved from the ground, but when he finally reaches the face of his savior, Carlos hops up and glares.
Of course, Jay isn’t withered by his annoyance, just grins and raises an expectant eye brow. “I know Hell Hall sucks, but the locker isn’t an exactly an improvement.” His dark hair is messy and untamed, even under his red beanie, and he’s watching Carlos brush himself off as if it’s newest form of entertainment.
“What do you want?” The glare doesn’t leave Carlos’ face. “Shouldn’t you be chasing after Mal, planning on setting the school on fire?”
Jay shrugs. “What makes you think we haven’t already planned that out?” He’s silent before laughing at the look on Carlos’ face. “Kidding! As if we would waste our time with this place,” he rolls his eyes as if his disgust for the school wasn't obvious enough.
“That doesn’t answer my question.” Carlos tries not to fold in on himself, but Jay is a hell of a lot stronger than he is, even if Jay is…well, as non-threatening as he can be at the moment. “What are you doing here?”
He closes the locker Carlos was just stuck in and leans against it. “I saw the Gaston doofuses toss you in.” And he says it as if his explanation makes sense, like it’s obvious.
Which it is so not.
“So?” Carlos pushes.
“So,” Jay mocks, “I came to rescue you.”
“But why?” There’s no logic in any of this. Jay is a thief, not one with a heart of gold, just a thief. He’s selfish and cunning, quick and careless. Why in the hell would he stop by to help?
Jay leans closer, one foot braced against the locker in the most nonchalant, relaxed pose that Carlos envies. “Because,” he sings, “I want something from you.”
Oh. Carlos nearly sighs at the fact that things are starting to make sense again. Still, this is the son of Jafar, he knows better than to let his guard down.
“And what do you want?” Carlos almost snaps back but loses his courage before the words even form in his mouth. “The Gastons took my stuff, and even if they didn’t, you could steal anything from me.” Maybe it’s a bit of a blow to his self-esteem to admit it, but there’s no point in hiding the obvious truth.
“Well,” Jay pauses, like he’s not even sure what he wants. “It’s not something you have, like an object. It’s more of a…service.”
“Like, you want something built?” Carlos scrunches his face. “Because I need time and I can’t guarantee I have the parts to even make it.”
Jay scoffs. “No, man. Like, you do something for me.”
“That’s what a service is.” Carlos rolls his eyes but stops at the scowl Jay gives. Right, don’t be a smart ass with people who can shove you back in the locker they saved you from.
“That’s not what I mean,” Jay huffs. “It’s like…” He grins in a way that paralyzes Carlos, even when Jay creeps closer, “a physical thing you do for me,” he says softly and runs a hand down Carlos’ arm.
Oh Hell Hall no.
On top of being a thief, Jay has a bit of a reputation for other things. Carlos may be younger, but he’s smart enough to be in the same class with all of the older kids, he knows Jay has charmed his way into the skirts and pants of many of their classmates. He’s heard the rumors, seen the hickies.
And Carlos is no stranger to flirting either, though his record is much less impressive than the boy who is still standing too close to him. The way Jay is looking at him right now is very similar to the look Ginny Gothel gives him when she wants Carlos to do her homework or Harriet Hook when they’re partners for lab experiments in Weird Science.
So he knows he’s being used, but it doesn’t stop his heart from pounding when someone looks at him with heavy eye lids and little smiles, like…like he’s desirable.
It doesn’t take long for Carlos to come to his senses and step back, practically tripping on his own feet. “Well, uh, that’s nice, but I’m not r-really… I ca-can’t- I’m not interested, I mean, I don’t know.” The words tumble out of his mouth until Carlos jumps at the wall touching his back.
Jay hasn’t moved from his spot on the other side of the hall, just grinning like he’s trying not to laugh. “Chill out. You don’t even know what I’m asking for.”
True, Carlos may not know the specifics, but helping him out of a locker one time is not some sort of down payment for him to interact with Jay’s dick.
“Look, we’ll keep it a real private thing between you and me. No one else knows.” The tone of Jay’s voice says the secrecy is for his peace of mind, not Carlos’. “We can even make it a, you know, arrangement.”
He must be out of his damn mind.
“What are you talking about?” Oh damn it, puberty. Right now is not the time for his voice to crack so pitifully.
Jay moves slowly, like Carlos is about to bolt (which, he is). “Dude, you’re tiny. Like, you get thrown into lockers every week and kids are always stealing your lunch. You get chased, you get beat up, people take your shit. Aren’t you tired of it?”
Really, Carlos has accepted his lot in life. Being in school with the older kids makes him a target, he’s not shocked to be picked on. He gets by just fine with running and hiding.
But Jay is right to an extant. He would like for things to be different.
“So what if I am?”
Jay grins, takes another step. “Notice how nobody messes with me?”
“Yeah,” Carlos cuts him off before Jay can continue. The food chain of Dragon Hall is quite simple: people like Jay and Mal - stronger, louder, more influence - sit at the top. People like Carlos and Evie - quiet, meek, with a desire to be invisible - rest at the bottom, underneath the feet of the kids at the top. “You’re bigger. It makes sense for people to not go after you.”
“No shit,” Jay doesn’t look happy at being interrupted, so Carlos stays silent. “But if I say not to mess with you, people won’t. I can get both of the Gastons off your back, Gil too if he starts in on it. I can make sure people lay off.”
Carlos hesitates. That would be nice. Better than nice. It would take care of most of his problems.
But everything comes with a price. One he wasn’t willing to pay.
“Don’t say no,” Jay protests to his head shake. “Just…give it a few days. Consider the rest of the week a freebie, no one bothers you. And then, well, if you like it, which you will,” he guarantees with a grin, “you can pay me back.”
“What’s the catch?”
“No catch,” Jay holds his hands up. “I promise, no one touches you this week. And if you want to keep it that way, then we can talk.”
He doesn’t understand any of this and if Carlos doesn’t understand it, he can’t control it. “Why me though? Why not make this offer to someone else?” Not that Carlos finds himself ugly, but there are many more attractive students who would be more receptive to Jay’s offer. Hell, there are students who would give it up to Jay for free. The dark eyes and charming smile make him, well, handsome, even Carlos can admit.
The thief looks away. “Because you’re the only one who can give me it.”
“Give you what, exactly?”
“Carlos!” Both boys jump, turning to the end of the hall where Evie is rushing toward them, grabbing Carlos’ arm as soon as she reaches him. “I’ve been looking for you! What’s going on?” She narrows her eyes at Jay, who sticks his tongue out.
“Sorry, princess,” he gives a mock bow, “I had to steal him for a bit.”
She rolls her eyes before turning back to Carlos. “Are you okay?”
He nods. “Yeah, I’m fine.” A little shaky and confused, but he isn’t prepared to share the day of weird events quite yet.
“Good.” Evie relaxes. “Let’s go home.”
“Don’t you wanna buy me dinner first?”
“Not you!” She snaps and tugs Carlos along, back toward the doors of their school.
“Bye princess,” Jay blows a kiss to her and his eyes bore into the other boy. “Bye Carlos.”
The walk to school the next morning is uneventful which is eventful in itself.
He and Evie walk together everyday, a small comfort to each other between any wannabe villain in the making.
Not that Carlos and Evie are obsessed with being good or anything equally ridiculous. Evie has her mind set on marrying a prince and Carlos cares about getting his chores done and creating something new. Morality just isn’t on the list of things to consider. “We’re neutral,” he had told Evie one day in his tree house, “right in the middle.”
The same could not be said for their classmates. From Clay Clayton pushing people around just for fun to Uma tripping other students, walking into school every morning is a hazard in itself. CJ Hook likes to pull Evie’s blue curls while the Gaston twins made a habit of shoving Carlos backwards down the concrete steps.
But not today. None of the other students move toward him or Evie. It was rare, but not impossible, to get through the schoolyard unscathed. Mornings where a fight between Harry Hook and some unlucky bastard distracted everyone else, or just Carlos being quick enough to hide behind others, meant they were safe until they reach the school doors.
But this is unlike anything in the past. He and Evie aren’t ignored, several glares are thrown at them. A couple of students whisper and point, but Evie doesn’t comment on it, so neither does Carlos.
The two of them are noticed, but not chased.
It’s unsettling.
They make it through the sidewalk, up the steps and almost into the doors before Carlos finally notes Jay leaning against the wall.
He never stops talking to Mal, who stands beside him looking pissed off as usual (and Carlos takes a moment to thank the wrath of Mal for feeling so normal on a morning that is so not), but Jay’s eyes flicker over to Carlos for the briefest of seconds.
Honor among thieves, Carlos muses as Evie, unaware of the safety he has, drags him to class.
Jay kept his word.
How terrifying.
“Hey Carlos,” Gil chirps at noon. “Can I have your lunch money?”
Carlos stares. “Why?”
Gil shrugs. “Uma said I had to. I think it’ll impress her and Harry.” He grins, like the thought of pleasing a malicious sea witch and a crazy pirate is everything he could have asked for.
Neutral, Carlos thinks when he looks at Gil. Neither good nor bad, just wanting to fit in.
Still, he says no. If it were anyone else, Carlos probably would have just given in, but people who are neutral just aren’t as scary as the people who want to impale him with a sword.
“Please, Carlos?” Gil whines. “I know you need it for lunch, but I’ll pay you back tomorrow! Oh, hi Jay!”
Carlos jumps around to find Jay leaning against a locker, glaring at the pirate. “You won’t pay him back at all,” Jay sighs. “Gil, do you remember what I said this morning?”
“That you hope we’ll have mashed potatoes for lunch today?”
Jay hangs his head and Carlos can almost laugh at the frustration. “No, the thing about Carlos?”
“Oh yeah, no one is suppose to bother him for the rest of this week.”
“And what are you doing right now, Gil?”
“I… Am I bothering him?” He turns to Carlos. “Am I bothering you?”
Carlos scuffs his shoes against the ground, two big guys focusing on him does not usually end well. “Uh, you’re asking for my lunch money. So…kind of.”
“Aww, man,” Gil groans and rubs the back of his neck. “I’m sorry, just Uma and Harry said to and I want them to know that I can follow orders…”
“Then follow this order,” Jay snaps. “Tell Shrimpy and Eyeliner if think they can challenge me, they should do it themselves. Not their lackey.”
“Right-o!” Gil chirps. “Sorry again, Carlos,” and he scurries off.
“So,” Carlos turns to Jay fully. “You made an announcement this morning?”
Jay shrugs. “I wouldn’t call it an announcement. I told a few people to get the word out.”
“What word?”
“That Carlos de Vil is not to be bothered,” Jay quirks a brow, “or did you miss that whole conversation with Gil just now?”
Ignore the bait and the stupid smile. “Why?”
“Because I said I would. So you know what you’re getting out of this.”
“Out of what?”
“Out of this deal or whatever,” Jay straightens up. “Come on, today has to be going pretty well for you, right? No one picked on you this morning and no one has messed with you in class, did they?” Carlos shakes his head. “Gil is the first person all day to bother you, right?” He nods this time. “It’s been pretty good, hasn’t it?”
It’s been…different. But a good different, Carlos supposes.
“What do you get out of all of this though?”
Jay grins, but it’s not arrogant and self-assured, Carlos notes. It’s small and twitchy.
“How about you meet me after school tomorrow, by the same locker, and we’ll…work out the details.”
“I can’t,” Carlos answers quickly. “I have to walk Evie home.”
“Blueberry can’t handle herself?”
Carlos crosses his arms. He’s not budging when it comes to his only friend. “There’s safety in numbers.”
Jay pulls back at his answer, studies Carlos for a quiet second as if the response surprised him. “Well then… I’ll meet you at Hell Hall.”
The last place he wants Jay is in his house - the thief had no problem voicing his desires in a school hallway yesterday, who knows what he’ll do when they have actual privacy - but at least Carlos can lock his door and hide if things turn for the worse.
“I’m not saying yes.” It’s a risky response, denying Jay, but he’s been nice so far and Carlos has to know if this entire allusion shatters with the slightest crack.
“You will.” Jay says softly.
The afternoon and the next day follow in the same pattern. No bullies touch Carlos or demand anything from him, very few kids mock him in gym. He isn’t shoved in a locker after school.
It’s unusual, but Carlos doesn’t mind if it becomes the norm.
“Hey, has anyone been bothering you lately?” He asks Evie as they walk down an alley side-by-side.
“You mean, more than usual?”
“Actually, like, less than usual.”
Evie isn’t a big target for the students of Dragon Hall, which is weird for a new student. The boys don’t usually pick on girls too roughly, but even other females tend to stray away from her. It doesn’t mean Carlos isn’t worried for his friend though.
“Well, walks to and from school have been nicer. No one picks on us in the schoolyard,” Evie answers after considering his question.
“And when you’re in class?”
“Maybe a little less,” Evie guesses. “Not less often, but less severe. Like Mal just told me to move today in class instead of pushing me out of the way.”
Evie brings in a new aspect Carlos hadn’t considered before: herself. He had noticed that no one bothered her when they walked together yesterday and today and he’s grateful for whatever safety he gave her indirectly. But for her to have better treatment even when they were parted… It makes it harder to reject Jay’s offer.
He drops Evie off at her door, waving shyly at the Evil Queen. She scares the hell out of him, but she also seems to appreciate how Carlos looks out for her daughter. Despite his small stature, she allows Evie to go more places when he accompanies her.
On the front step of Hell Hall, Carlos reaches for his science book and makes it through a whole page before a shadow obstructs his light.
“Are you actually reading in your spare time?”
“Uh, yeah?”
“Man, you really need me then. How are people not kicking the nerd out of you on a daily basis?”
“Because they need me to do their homework sometimes.”
Jay laughs and shoves his hands in his pockets. “So have you…thought about my offer anymore?”
“No,” Carlos huffs, “because you haven’t told me what your offer is.”
“Well, you get protection and no one messes with you and I…get my own thing.”
“The fact that you won’t say what you want makes this very creepy.”
Jay scoffs. “Don’t make it into a big deal, I’ve seen you do it a dozen times.”
Whatever Jay is talking about, he’s definitely wrong. Carlos hasn’t done anything with anyone, no grinding, no hook ups in classrooms, not even kissing. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“Don’t act dumb, I know that you’re not,” Jay bites and Carlos hardly has time to recognize a possible compliment before- “you do it all the time with Princess Blueberry.”
“Do what?” Um, ew, Evie is Evie, not some sexual partner.
“That thing where you put your arms around each other!”
Carlos stares at him in bewildered silence. “What now?”
“You know,” Jay whispers, looking around in a way that Carlos can accurately call nervous, “where you two stand next to each other and you wrap your arms around her and she wraps her arms around you.”
“You mean…a….hug?”
Jay nods and twirls one of his rings.
“You’re kidding me, right?”
Anger flashes in dark eyes. “De Vil, I swear to Hades, if you ever tell anybody about this…” Jay doesn’t finish his threat, but Carlos can see the way his outline tremors, can see the clenched teeth.
Jay is…worried.
“Are you being serious right now?” Carlos asks, trying to keep his voice as nonjudgmental as possible. “You really want a hug from me?”
“Yeah. You’re the only person I’ve seen give one.”
“And, that’s all? No…nothing else?”
Jay looks at him. “Like what?”
“Nevermind,” Carlos shakes his head and fights down a blush at the memory of what he assumed Jay would ask for. “You just want a hug and…you’ll keep people from messing with me?”
“Well, more than just one. Maybe like…once a week or something.” Jay looks everywhere but Carlos. “I mean, if I even like it. Who knows, maybe it’ll suck.” He kicks the steps of Hell House.
“Okay then.” Carlos places his book back in his bag. He stands up, takes a step closer to Jay, but Jay jumps back.
“Not here!” Jay looks up and down the road. “People can see here.”
Carlos rolls his eyes. It’s difficult to fear Jay after hearing his offer. “Well then, come in the backyard,” because he still doesn’t trust Jay in his house. He leads the way around the side, creaking open the rusted gate, and turns around.
“Back here more,” Jay steps further into the overgrown weeds.
Carlos is struck with envy at how confident Jay is to take lead on a unfamiliar territory and wishes he could be that brave. Still, he follows into the shade and only mumbles “nothing” when Jay asks what’s in his tree house.
“Okay, back here is good,” Jay wipes his palms on his pants and takes another look around. They’re by the fence, partially hidden by old sheets of metal and wimpy trees. The only place they’d be seen from is a rooftop or a high window, but Jay deems it safe enough. “What, uh, what now?”
“You honestly just want a hug? This isn’t some stupid trick?”
“Yes!” Jay bounces on his feet. “Don’t tell anyone about it and I’ll tell people to quit messing with you.”
“Well…” Carlos takes a slow step closer, watching Jay, who’s watching him. Deep breath, then he places his arms around Jay’s back, much broader than his own, and waits.
“And I…do this?” Jay brings his own arms up to wrap around Carlos. It’s looser than expected and humorously awkward (though Carlos refrains from laughing), but this is a hug.
Carlos De Vil is hugging Jay.
“Yeah, just like that.” His stomach twists at being held by the son of Jafar and Carlos doesn’t know if he’s still scared this is some prank or if it’s just because the only person he’s been this close to is Evie. He tries to distract himself with the height difference between them.
When he and Evie hug (and he still has to know how Jay saw that, the two of them are not open with their affection either) and she wears her heels, they are close enough in height to rest their heads on each other’s shoulders. But the times she is barefoot and Carlos cranes his neck up, Evie can rest her head under his chin.
But he and Jay are right in the middle. Carlos’ can’t reach his shoulder and he’d have to crouch to get under Jay’s chin.
Even in the uncomfortable hug, he feels Jay relax. His tense muscles loosen and he shuffles his arms until the are wrapped, almost comfortably, around Carlos back.
His stomach still hasn’t stopped twisting.
“Umm, Jay?” Carlos speaks softly, as if any noise would reveal this to be some sort of elaborate joke, where his classmates would pop their heads out and point and laugh and Jay would call him an idiot.
“Hmm?”
“How, uh, long did you want this to last?”
“Huh?”
Carlos grins, it seems like Jay is enjoying this. “The hug? How long did you want to hug for?”
“Oh. Uh. How long do you usually hug someone for?”
Well, when he and Evie hug, it’s usually a quick, fleeting thing, too intimate to risk finding comfort in. But then there are days where their hug lasts longer, like when Cruella smacks him a little more than usual or when Evil Queen brushes Evie’s hair hard enough to pull some of it out.
“Uh, I guess until you feel done with it?”
“Oh. Okay.”
Carlos barely moves to pull back, but Jay’s arms tighten around him.
“I didn’t say I felt done.”
Silently, Carlos tries to get comfortable in the hold. He doesn’t let his guard down, but he molds a little closer to Jay, settling for turning his head into Jay’s neck and breathing slowly against him.
Another minute passes before Jay pulls back, holds Carlos at arm’s length, with eyes so dilated, his irises are nonexistent. His face is flushed and the dark tint has even traveled down his throat.
It’s…
Charming?
Cute?
Hot?
Attractive, Carlos settles on. The look on Jay’s face is attractive.
Not that he would ever say that out loud.
“So…what did you think?”
Jay nods a little bit, like speaking is a foreign concept.
“We can make a deal then?” Another nod. “You keep other kids away from me? And…Evie maybe?” Jay keeps moving his head and Carlos wonders if he’s actually hearing anything. “And you can have a hugs,” whenever you want, “once a week?”
“Okay,” Jay sighs and Carlos bites his lip at how damn breathy and excited he sounds.
“Alright. We have a deal.”
For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
Even if Carlos knows that statement, it’s odd to realize he’s the reaction without meaning to be.
A few weeks after their deal had started, Harry Hook, batshit insane and smiling like his loss of sanity was something funny, snatched Carlos into the bathroom after school, fully prepared on giving him a swirly.
Carlos hates swirlies more than anything else that’s been done to him. Forget how difficult it is to breathe, that’s just plain unhygienic.
But Harry didn’t even have his head in the toilet before he was yanked back and soundly punched hard by a scowling Jay.
From his spot on the floor, still too close to a toilet for comfort, Carlos watched as Harry snarled and swiped at Jay with a small blade, cutting open his shirt and chest. He stayed quiet as the two of them snarled at each other before Harry blew a kiss and sauntered off.
It wasn’t until Jay turned his heated glare onto him that Carlos thought Jay might call off their deal, decide Carlos wasn’t worth all of the hassle.
Instead, Jay picked him up by the front of his shirt, placed him on his feet and snapped that he was collecting payment early that week, he would be at Hell Hall after school that day.
So Carlos waved Evie into her home and waited in his backyard with his science book until Jay hopped the fence (because apparently, that made him so much cooler than just pushing it open like a normal person).
He stood up immediately, prepared to apologize to Jay and fight for the deal to remain. Carlos took one look at the torn shirt Jay had yet to change out of, caught a glimpse of an ugly slice, and decided to stay quiet as he opened his arms.
Without the deal, Carlos probably wouldn’t have offered the gesture as quickly as he did, but he still remembers thinking that Jay looked like he needed a hug.
And their hug wasn’t anything grand or different (and how odd was it to think that Carlos had enough hugs from Jay to say that it felt normal), maybe a little bit longer, but when they pulled back, Carlos looked at Jay's torn shirt again.
“I can…fix that for you. If you want. Like sew it.”
“You can?” Jay fixed him with a curious stare. “Why would you do that?”
Carlos rubbed the back of his neck. “You kind of took a knife for me today. I-.”
“It was for the deal,” Jay huffed and glared at the ground.
That stung a little more than Carlos wanted to admit. It shouldn’t have stung at all. “Fine then. I’ll do it…just because I-I feel bad. I guess. I didn’t want you to get hurt.”
“Got a soft spot for me, De Vil?”
“No!” He snapped. “I just need more sewing practice.” Carlos huffed and glared at the ground.
“Oh. Whatever.”
Carlos didn’t respond and Jay didn’t continue. They stayed like that for a long time, both huffing and glaring at the ground.
“Well?” Carlos prompted and he didn’t drop his stare when their eyes met.
“Fine. Have it done by tomorrow.” With that, Jay shrugged off his vest, dropped it to the ground, and tugged his shirt over his head. He handed it to Carlos - who only kept his jaw from falling open by biting his lip - and rubbed at the wound on his chest.
“It doesn’t…look…look that deep,” words were failing him and he crossed his fingers under the shirt in the hopes that Jay didn’t notice.
All too soon but not nearly fast enough, Jay was putting his vest back on, zipping it up only part way.
Carlos didn’t know if he wanted to move the zipper further up or just back down.
Jay studied him again, mumbled something that might have been “thanks, see you later” or, more likely, just “later” before he took off over the fence the same way he came.
That had been last week and Carlos still can’t stop thinking about it.
Action: Jay was physically wounded helping him.
Reaction: Carlos offered to fix his shirt.
Action: Jay removed said shirt.
Reaction: Speaking and thinking and breathing became troublesome.
Action: Jay wears the shirt today.
Reaction: See above reaction.
He’s inexperienced, not clueless. Carlos understands that he has formed…some kind of attraction to Jay. He’s one of the only students Carlos has regular interactions with besides Evie and they have an arrangement to hold each other closely every week. He would have to be blind not to notice that Jay is a physically appealing male, but he would have to be brainless to allow himself to develop a crush.
Still, Carlos is tired of being the reaction. He's tired of his face burning and his eyes wandering every time Jay wears the shirt Carlos repaired for him. Carlos wants to be the action for once.
He’s sitting against his fence, book open in his lap just like every Tuesday, a day Jay had picked since it was a boring enough day for everyone to either stay inside or go seek trouble in trashing the market. Jay is as light as a cat on his feet, but Carlos has learnt to sense him.
“Hi,” he says as he stands, just because it’s too strange not to greet Jay when he’s coming for a hug.
“S’up?” Jay yawns.
And in the past few weeks, Carlos has picked up on more of Jay’s behavior. The way he acts entirely disinterested in this whole deal but his eyes widen and his lips twitch up in what Carlos assumes is excitement.
Carlos stands, waits for Jay to approach him. There’s never really any conversation between them. Carlos doesn’t know what to say and Jay is only here for his payment.
Jay steps further into the shade of the tree, wraps his arms around Carlos’ waist (he’s much better at hugging after the weeks of practice) while his shoulders are enveloped by Carlos’ arms.
One deep breath (just to calm himself, not to push his chest against Jay’s), Carlos sneaks his hand lower, feels the notches of Jay’s spine, and gently rubs circles into his back.
The reaction is almost immediate, which pleases Carlos a little too much. It takes Jay a second to realize the new sensation and gasp. He releases a breathy sigh that Carlos can feel against his neck. Jay pulls him closer, holds him tighter and, oh, well, maybe Carlos is having a bit of a reaction too, but he’s just not going to focus on that.
Carlos continues his movements, pressing a little harder, feeling the tremors under his palm.
A full minute into it and Jay hasn’t stopped his heavy breathing and, if Carlos is hearing right, little moans. His exhales are hot against Carlos’ skin and Jay’s hold on him is no less suffocating.
Another experiment, Carlos stops rubbing Jay’s back, lets his arm go back around his neck.
Jay grunts and nudges him with his head. “Why’d you stop?”
“You’re getting a little too tight. Kind of constricting my lungs.”
Again, Jay responds almost immediately. His hold loosens and he shuffles back so there is the slightest difference between them.
“Thanks,” Carlos sighs. Not that Jay’s grip actually affected his breathing, but he had wanted to see the reaction.
“Come on,” Jay whines into his shoulder. “Do it again.”
And he sounds so childish and needy that Carlos has to cover up his laughter with a cough. He lowers his hand again, finds the middle of Jay’s back, and rubs soothing circles against his spine.
Jay shivers against him and Carlos just grins.
He and Jay are having sex.
At least, according to Harriet Hook.
“You’re the thief’s chew toy,” she complains in Weird Science, “but I can get you something off the pirate ship if you do the lab. Maybe a sword or a hat?” She reaches up to twirl one of his curls like she always does when she wants something from him, but draws her hand back sharply.
Carlos tilts his head. “I’m what now?”
“You know,” she sighs, leaning her head on her hand and nodding at Jay toward the front, “you’re going down town after school?” Harriet laughs at his confusion. “Doing the dirty? Bumping bellies? Getting shown the fifty states? Seriously?” The pirate groans. “Fucking. The whole school knows you’re fucking.”
"I…don’t think the whole school knows.” He certainly had not gotten the memo.
“Oh no. The whole school knows,” Harriet twirls a blonde lock between her fingers like she’s as bored as can be while explaining Carlos’ sex life to him. “So, finish this lab and I’ll bring you some of our scrap metal next week, deal?”
The revelation that Carlos is hooking up with one of the baddest guys in school has to wait a few days to be discussed with said bad guy because he and Jay aren’t friends who see each other every day or talk just for the hell of it.
No, that’s Evie.
“Have you heard any rumors about me?” Carlos asks carefully the next day, Saturday. The two of them sit across from each other on her living room floor, working over their Selfies portfolios.
“Hmm?” Evie murmurs, intently deciding between two photos to paste in her binder. “Rumors?”
“Yeah. Pick the one where you’re laying down with your hair fanned out, it looks natural, like, effortless. But rumors. About me?”
Evie looks up at him after gluing the back of the picture he suggested. “No, I don’t think so. Why?”
“Nevermind,” Carlos mindlessly shuffles his own papers. Thankfully, the only person in the school less social than him is Evie, but not from lack of trying on her part. She is an open and talkative, pretty girl whose companionship is rejected by nearly everyone in school. Mal’s anger and bitterness toward her kept most students from speaking to the princess for fear of being banished themselves.
Sunday passes, Monday drags on and Tuesday classes are longer than usual. Finally, Carlos hounds on Jay the minute he hops the fence of Hell Hall.
“Did you know that people think we’re having sex?”
Jay startles at his harsh tone. Months ago, Carlos wouldn’t have even looked him in the eyes when speaking, now he is demanding answers from him and fuming. Well, Jay must know, he lost some of his intimidation when he offered safety in exchange for hugs. “Uh, yeah, I heard? And let me tell you, it’s been a huge blow to my hook ups,” Jay pouts. “I guess girls have a thing about wanting to be the only one you’re after and guys feel, like, threatened or something.”
“And you’re okay with this?”
“You’re not?”
Carlos scoffs. “Did you tell people that we’re…having sex?”
“Nope,” Jay pops the ‘p’. “But I tell people to lay off you and they come to their own reasons.”
“Did you tell anyone that were not?”
“Nope.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s a good excuse as to why I’m looking out for you,” Jay’s jaw flexes. “I deny it and people are gonna start asking questions as to why I’m doing anything with you. And if they find out the truth,” his voice drops to a whisper, “this whole deal is off.”
Admittedly, that’s an intelligent answer. One Carlos hadn’t expected from Jay. “You don’t care that people think we’re…?”
“Fucking, just say it. No, I don’t.” Jay looks him up and down, assessing and evaluating. “You’re kind of cute. For a twitchy nerd, I could do worse.”
“I never said she was a part of it.”
“Yes you did,” Carlos argues. “That first day after we first hugged,” he ignores Jay’s 'shhh'. “You said you’d keep kids away from Evie too.”
“I don’t remember that.”
Carlos huffs. “She has a black eye, Jay. That’s not okay.”
Jay laughs, as if there’s something funny about Evie’s bruised face. “Blueberry will be fine.”
“It’s not fine! One against three isn’t a fair fight.”
“Newsflash, nothing here is fair.”
Carlos scowls at Jay and Jay grins at Carlos and the stupid smirk on his stupid face is so damn annoying. “Well, can you get people to stop picking on Evie too?”
“And why would I do that?” Jay leans against the fence, twirling his finger around a coiled vine and ripping off the leaves.
“As...a favor to me?”
“I don’t do favors.” He pushes himself off the creaking metal and steps closer to Carlos, watching him like that first day in the school hallway. “Unless you wanna change the deals of our arrangement?”
He is so in over his head. “Change them to what?”
“I’ll tell people to back off the princess and you give a little something extra.”
Crap.
“Like what?” Not that he’s scared or even nervous. Jay asked for hugs the first time around, it’s not like he would demand actual sex in return now.
“Well people already think we’re fooling around so…” Oh no. Maybe Carlos spoke too soon. Jay steps closer, runs a hand down his arm, “and I’ve seen you do this with Blueberry too.” His hand stops at Carlos’. “So, like we can…hold hands or something sometimes.” Jay awkwardly places their palms together and wraps his fingers around the smaller hand.
Carlos immediately smacks his free palm to his face, purely to stifle his laughter.
Was he ever really afraid of Jay?
“You, uh,” he coughs to get rid of the last of his amusement, “watch out for Evie too and I hold your hand?”
Jay nods, a little smile playing at his mouth, and he squeezes Carlos’ hand. “Yeah. I don’t wanna really do it in front of other people. But this wouldn’t be that big of a deal if anyone see. They already think we’re fucking”
“Okay,” Carlos fights down another laughing fit. “We can hold hands too.”
If Evie notices anything different, she doesn’t say. She had gone from desperately trying to make friends at school to accepting her exclusion.
She does, however, demand to know every little detail when she spots Jay holding his hand after school one day.
And Carlos spills. Everything. Gastons pushing him in a locker, Jay’s offer, the hugs every Tuesday, the protection. Because it’s Evie and when Carlos first extended any kindness toward her, she looked as if she would fall at his feet and he’s loved her ever since.
The only thing he omits is that part of it is for her. Evie would feel terrible that Carlos is paying for her safety and she would probably yell at him for thinking she can’t take care of herself. (And he wouldn’t even be able to mention how much she cried at her bruised eye because then she would get more upset and Carlos is honestly kind of scared of upset Evie.)
She still scowls at him. “So you’re a prostitute.”
His first reaction is to deny it, but he kind of fits the definition. “Yeah…in a very loose, out side the lines kind of way. And just for Jay.”
Evie sighs and pouts. Distantly, even in Carlos' mind, he can hear her mother fretting about early wrinkles. “Just…don’t let this end badly. Please?”
Carlos nods. What’s the worst that can happen?
Cuddling is the worst that can happen. It’s what Jay asks for next and Carlos can’t exactly say no when Jay is sporting a busted lip from the Gastons idiots who still see Carlos as a locker decoration.
But he doesn’t say ‘cuddling’. No, he describes it to Carlos as 'something I saw in a porn magazine from Auradon' and doesn’t understand why Carlos’ jaw had dropped and he immediately started shaking his head.
“Hey, relax for a second. Maybe you haven’t done it with Evie yet,” and when exactly did he start using her actual name? “At least, I don’t think you have.” Not that Jay has seen anything quite like that from Carlos, but it’s also not something any idiot would risk outside. “Here, let me show you,” Jay digs around in his pocket, pulls out the folded ripped page that he has been waiting to show Carlos longer than he wants to admit.
The picture is crinkled and dirty, but the image is still clear enough to make out two women laying together. The dark haired woman (who looks a lot like Jasmine, Jay thinks, and he doesn’t know if it’s hot or weird because she’s a babe but was also almost his mother) has her arms around a brunette, who is facing away from her. They are just finished from sex, which is shown on the pages Jay has hidden in his father’s shop (he hadn’t been kidding when he said the school thinking he and Carlos were fucking put a damper on his sex life), but that’s not the point.
They are so close together that the dark-haired woman’s bare chest is pressed against the brunette’s back, their legs are intertwined. Not that Jay doesn’t completely enjoy every hug and hand holding session and the times Carlos rubs his back, but this, this crazy level of intimacy, is what he would do anything for.
Not that he’s telling Carlos that. The first rule of selling that Jafar ever taught him was ‘the more desperate a customer is, the more you charge.’
“I…don’t understand.” Carlos’ face is bright red and his eyes won’t leave the image. Pfft, inexperienced kids are so easy to rile up. “They’re, uh, they’re…”
Jay folds the picture away. He can’t get Carlos to agree if he's thinking with his dick. “They’re holding each other. Not like hugging, but like, more.”
And even with his busted lip and aching chest (both the Gastons got solid punches to his rib cage), Jay wonders if more is too much. Outside of Carlos and Evie, he never witnessed an actual hug before. Maybe something on posters or in books, but not between real people who…
Who just genuinely wanted to be around each other. Who cared for each other.
Jay doesn’t need anyone to care for him, but he can admit the idea is nice. If he were anywhere but the Isle surrounded by villains, it may have even been something he wanted in his life.
“The post-coitus cuddle?” Carlos asks with a raspy voice.
“Don’t ever use the word 'coitus' again. But yeah. The cuddle.”
Carlos scowls and shakes his head. “You want to cuddle?”
Jay nods, tries not to show his excitement. He had yet to hear Carlos’ price, he wouldn’t give ammunition to spike the cost up.
“Uh, okay. When?”
Maybe he had forgotten to say what he wants in return, but Jay isn’t questioning it right now. “Now. Unless you have a date with your math book.”
“Well I did,” Carlos pouts, puts a finger to his mouth like he’s thinking. “But I think I can move that back an hour if I re-schedule kissing my Weird Science notes to tomorrow.”
The past few months have taught Jay a lot about Carlos De Vil and one was that he wasn’t some boring nerd lacking personality. He had jokes that actually made Jay laugh.
Carlos always smiled whenever he made Jay laugh, but he didn’t want to think about that part too much.
“Shall we?” Jay gestures toward Hell Hall, but catches the twitch Carlos gives. “What, was the locker actually nicer than your house?”
“No,” he shakes his head, “but my mother will be back soon. So…”
“She doesn’t knock before coming in your room?” Not that Jay has a room in the shop, but he's had enough humiliating instances with his father not knocking before coming in the bathroom. Jay and his father are two guys living in a small space and they have long since learnt to give the other privacy. And in a house as big as Hell Hall, Carlos has to have a room.
Carlos gives him a wild look. “We’re not going in my room! We’re gonna do it on the couch or on the floor. Wherever. Not my room though,” he turns his gaze to the ground.
Maybe he doesn't have a room. Jay shrugs. “So I’ll bounce as soon as I hear her come in?”
Hesitation, then a head shake. “No. We can… We can do it in my tree house.”
Jay scoffs. “When was the last time you used that thing? It’ll come down as soon as one of us is up there.”
“No it won’t!” Carlos bites back. “I’m up there everyday, it’s stable. I make sure it is.”
“You still use your tree house? I thought it was something from your childhood that you just never took down.”
Carlos shakes his head again. “I still use it. I have all of my stuff up there. My mom never even comes in the back yard.”
‘Aren’t you a little old to have a tree house?’ almost leaves his mouth, but Jay decides against it. Even if Carlos still hasn’t named a price and Jay has to be nice, he also has to remember Carlos is younger than the rest of the kids in their grade. He’s not a child, but he’s only 14. He has fewer friends and less of a social life, Jay can’t really blame him for holding onto something important.
Carlos climbs the wooden boards up to his tree house, Jay waiting at the bottom to ensure it’s truly stable and not coming down. When he finally pulls himself up, he’s surprised to say the least.
There’s a shelf of books against one wall, some vials and beakers on a little table in the corner. Bits of mechanical wiring on the floor that Carlos gently moves to the side. A blanket, thick and blue, is folded up in the back with even a pillow on top.
Grabbing the bedding and laying it out, Carlos looks at Jay expectantly. “Well?”
“Well what?”
“You’re the one who wants this. Are we just doing the same thing as the girls in the picture, or a different position?”
Oh. He hadn’t thought about that. Hell, Jay didn’t even know there were different positions.
He’s pretty excited to discover them all.
“Yeah, the picture is fine.”
Carlos sits down on the blanket and Jay joins him. They lay down, side by side, with their arms barely touching. “So did you want me to face away from you, or the other way around?”
Jay considers it. “I’ll be the dark-haired chick, you be the brunette.”
“Uh…” Carlos is looking directly at the ceiling and his cheeks are getting red again. “I don’t remember their hair colors.”
What he means is I was so fascinated by naked ladies that I was totally just focused on their bodies, but Jay knows how to translate the flush face and embarrassment.
“Turn that way,” Jay orders and Carlos obeys. Jay shifts closer, slowly wraps his arm around Carlos’ torso and moves so his nose touches Carlos’ curls. He adjusts their legs to be connected, but not intertwined.
Then he just…relaxes. Inhales the smell of Carlos’ shampoo that he has become use to through their hugs. Feels the movement of Carlos’ back with every breath. Soaks in the warmth of Carlos’ body against his.
And maybe it’s odd for a picture from a porn magazine to be reenacted without the sex. But it feels good, it feels right. To be wrapped around another human being, to feel fingers trail up his arm. Carlos’ free hand finds Jay’s over his stomach and he locks their hands together and Jay sighs.
They don’t speak and Jay doesn’t know what he would say if they did.
But Carlos fits against him in all the right ways, hips slotted against hips, chest to back, arm curled possessively around his slim waist.
Jay is relaxed and warm and happy. Like Happier-Than-The-Time-I-Stole-An-Expensive-Watch-And-My-Dad-Said-He-Was-Proud happy.
And, without meaning to, Jay falls asleep.
That’s how they spend the following months. The school thinks they’re fucking, but Evie knows the truth and Mal does too.
Their scheduled hugs become random, ‘just because I wanted to’ hugs. They’re still secret and hidden, but sometimes Carlos pulls him into a bathroom and wraps his arms around Jay’s chest or Jay walks home with Carlos and Evie and she makes kissy faces at them when they hug in the space between her castle and Hell Hall. Jay usually escorts both of them after school nowadays.
Stuck up, spoilt, arrogant Princess Blueberry is dead and in her place is the real Evie, witty and kind, who even offers her own hugs sometimes.
Mal thinks he’s an idiot, but appreciates that he looks out for Evie now too. Jay never told Carlos (because he would definitely tell Evie), but Evie had her own protection way before Jay came along. Maybe it wasn’t as efficient as his strength, but Mal clearly laid claim to her the day Evie started school. And when Freddie Facilier was missing a tooth the day after she socked Evie, Jay just smirked at Mal.
The daughter of Maleficent hasn’t actually admitted anything yet, of course.
“You’re not fooling anyone with the whole ‘she’s mine because I want to be the one to behead her’ act anymore.” Jay sings before school one day. “Evie’s starting to grow on you.”
“Just like Carlos is growing on you?” She bites back.
“You didn’t deny it.”
“Neither did you.”
“Can I watch when you guys finally hook up?” Jay smirks and clasps his hands together as if he’s begging. “It’ll be so hot.”
Mal smirks too. “Only if I can watch you and Carlos.”
Jay rolls his eyes. “We’re not like that.”
“But you want to be.”
“No. I don’t. Carlos is… He’s Carlos.”
“He’s the reason you haven’t gotten any ass in the past six months. Yet, you’re still not giving him up.”
“Our deal is-.”
“-Hugging and snuggling and doing relationship things without actually dating. ‘Oh Carlos’,” she flutters her eyes and takes on a breathy voice, “‘your eyes are so pretty. Oh Carlos, wanna have a sleepover? Can I carry your boo-’.”
“Oh shut up,” Jay pushes her shoulder. “We don’t fuck. And I don’t want to.”
“No,” Mal studies him intently, “but you want more than just a deal from him.”
“Relationships are stupid,” Jay snaps. “They’re dangerous and vulnerable.”
Mal looks out over the school yard. Her body language says she’s done with the conversation. “You don’t want to risk him. Or yourself.” And she mumbles it slowly, like she understands.
When Jay looks across the yard and sees Evie, the object of Mal’s distraction, he knows she understands. Mal understands more than she wants to say.
For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
Action: They come to Auradon and are exposed to a better life.
Reaction: Carlos and his friends choose good.
Action: They are free from their parents.
Reaction: They begin to make their own decisions and become their own people.
Action: Carlos is surrounded by kind, safe people in a kind, safe environment.
Reaction: His deal with Jay is no longer necessary.
Carlos knows it and Jay knows it but the hugs are still part of their daily lives. Jay still likes to hold his hand between classes and Carlos lets him. They have two separate beds in their shared room, but more often than not, Carlos ends up in Jay’s bed, pressed against him.
And when Lonnie passes them in the halls and the boys are in the middle of a hug (because they don’t have to hide it in Auradon. It’s not a weakness here), she 'aww's and tells them that they make such a cute couple.
Carlos doesn’t react but he feels Jay tense in his arms. He lifts his head from a broad shoulder to meet Jay’s eyes, curious and studious.
“Thanks,” Carlos responds and pulls away from Jay to look at Lonnie. “So do you and Jane.”
She laughs, thanks him and skips off to her class.
He is pulled back into a hug and wraps his arms around Jay again on instinct because that was it is now. There's no thought behind the action, it's natural to reach for Jay, to give comfort and receive it. And when he feels a small kiss in his hair, Carlos smiles and nuzzles Jay's neck.