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I.
The tourney team at Auradon Prep was usually the loudest noise in the hallway. Whether it was Chad saying something stupid, Lonnie yelling at him, or Jay and Carlos roughhousing, they were simply incapable of keeping quiet. However, as they approached the fencing gym, they were met with a banging and clanging louder than even them.
Chad threw open the doors, expecting to find a bunch of freshmen playing with the team’s equipment. Instead he found Harry Hook and Gil facing off with broadswords, Gil yelping and ducking as Harry swung wildly and cackled. Their swords clashed and Gil was knocked flat on his butt.
“Hey!” Chad barked, startling Harry, who immediately pointed his sword at Chad’s neck.
“Yer interruptin’ our little practice session.” Harry grinned at Chad. Gil took the opportunity to scramble to his feet and back up.
Chad laughed nervously and pushed the blade out of his face. “You’re interrupting our big practice session,” Chad replied, and Harry bristled.
“Hey, let’s not.” Carlos stepped in between them. “There’s room for both of us to practice.” Since the opening of the barrier and the acceptance of dozens of Isle kids onto Auradon prep, things had gotten predictably heated. It was a lot for kids from the Isle to adjust to, and Carlos knew how tough it was for Auradon kids to trust a VK.
“What, are we just going to let anyone join Tourney because they won’t get out of our gym?” Chad turned to Carlos.
“Harry and Gil are plenty good enough to join Tourney. I don’t love to admit it, but they both kicked my butt in sword fights back on the Isle.” Carlos shrugged.
“It’s true, I was there. Carlos ran outta there faster than he ran away from Dude for the first time.” Jay interjected, and the rest of the team laughed.
“Come on, we should give them a chance.” Lonnie piped up.
Harry just laughed. “Thanks for the offer, but Tourney’s a wee boy’s game. I don’t have time to dance around with your little rapiers.” He poked at the bag of thin fencing swords on Lonnie’s shoulder with his heavy broadsword.
Carlos sighed. Harry wasn’t doing himself any favors in trying to fit in at Auradon Prep by insulting the Tourney team, and Chad’s big fat mouth wasn’t helping either.
“But I do have time tae give you the rematch I’m sure you’ve been dreamin’ of, Carlos.” Harry snagged Gil’s broadsword with his hook and held out the hilt for Carlos to take. “Just tae remind yer bum what the floor feels like.”
Harry was always baiting everyone, always poking fun. It was annoying, and Carlos was usually good at keeping it from getting to him. But he did kind of want to show Harry that he’d gotten a lot better since the last time they dueled. “Alright, but I’ve been practicing, so don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Carlos took the sword from Harry and twirled it around his hand.
“Show him what’s up, Carlos!” Lonnie and Jay cheered him on.
“Kill ‘em, Harry!” Gil shouted and pumped his fist.
“Can we take it down two notches there, Gil?” Harry just glared at him, then turned to look at Carlos. “En Garde!”
Harry made the first move with a big overhead swing. Carlos parried easily, but the force of it had him leaning backward and on his heels. Harry took two sweeping swings, the first of which Carlos blocked, and before the second he jumped out of range.
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Harry had that wily grin on his face as he closed in on Carlos. His grin was kind of terrifying, but Carlos could tell Harry was having fun. Carlos dropped to the floor and swept for Harry’s legs, but he jumped, narrowly missing the blade and letting out a hearty chuckle.
Carlos was surprised to find that he wasn’t actually all that terrified. He was kind of having fun. This was just like old times, except without all the pressure of defending territory against Uma’s gang.
As Harry leapt up onto a box and came hurtling down towards Carlos, he was ready. He had grown accustomed to Harry doing the most extravagant, ridiculous sword fighting moves anyone could dream up. And it left him open.
Instead of just taking the full force of Harry’s swing, Carlos met his blade on angle and pushed him sideways, using Harry’s own momentum against him and sending him sprawling across the floor. Carlos quickly kicked the sword out of Harry’s hand and pointed his own at Harry’s nose.
Harry put his hands up in surrender, and they both just looked at each other for a moment, breathing heavily, smiling. “Well, I’m impressed,” Harry whispered in between breaths.
Carlos tossed his sword back to Gil and offered Harry his hand. Harry took it, and Carlos helped him to his feet. “The team would love to have you.”
“You mighta bested me with a broadsword, but Tourney’s still a wee boy’s game.” Harry smirked, grabbed his sword, and left the gym with Gil in tow.
II.
Being one of the first VKs brought from the Isle came with some fame in Auradon. Normally Carlos didn’t mind being popular and recognized. It was kind of cool to be a symbol for Isle kids, and to show people that everyone deserves a chance.
But at this international banquet Mal and Ben were hosting, it was getting to be a bit much. Princesses from all over the world had been invited, and they all seemed to want to find themselves a bad boy.
“What was it like on the Isle? Was it scary?” Arabella, a niece of Ariel’s from Atlantica, had gotten legs for the day so she could attend the banquet. She was overly giddy to be on land, and overly giddy to meet the famous VKs. And once she found out Gil and Jay were an item, she was left to follow around Carlos.
“I mean, Mal’s mom was scary, but—”
“Wow, you met Maleficent!? What was she like?” Arabella grabbed onto Carlos’s arm and batted her eyelashes at him.
“Uh, well, she was really intense. And—” Before Carlos could finish, Arabella was dragging him towards the buffet table.
“I heard on the Isle you didn’t have any fruit. Have you ever tried apple pie?” She scooped up a big piece and plopped it onto a plate, handing it to Carlos. “You have to try it. It’s divine!” Carlos looked back and forth between the plate and Arabella’s face. He didn’t quite have the heart to tell her he didn’t really like apple pie, and he thought even if he told her so, she wouldn’t really hear him.
“Carlos isn’t really an apple pie kinda lad.” Someone slung an arm over Carlos’s shoulder and gestured at the plate of pie with a hook covered hand. Arabella gasped at the sight of Harry Hook, half frightened, and half interested.
“Aren’t you Captain Hook’s son? Did a crocodile eat your hand too?” Arabella asked.
“I only wish.” Harry flipped his hook into the air and caught it. Then he skewered a chocolate cupcake off the buffet table and offered it to Carlos, who gratefully took it and stuffed the whole thing in his mouth.
“You… wish your hand was eaten by a crocodile?” Arabella looked a little grossed out.
“A hook is much more useful than a left hand.” Harry stabbed a strawberry off a fruit platter and popped it in his mouth, leaves and all.
“I don’t think you’re supposed to—”
“Carlos and I have some business tae attend, don’t we, dear?” Harry winked at Carlos and flashed his pearly whites at Arabella, who suddenly looked disappointed.
“We do? We do.” Carlos was caught a little off guard by Harry calling him dear, but not entirely mad about the excuse to exit the conversation with Arabella. Carlos set the plate of apple pie back on the buffet table, and then he and Harry headed off into the crowd, Harry’s arm still around Carlos’s shoulders. They weaved through princesses and knights until they found themselves out on the palace balcony.
“Chatting with sirens now, are we?” Harry asked.
Carlos laughed. “If sirens now talk your ear off instead of singing. Thanks for getting me out of there.”
Harry stopped and took his arm off Carlos’s shoulder. “No problem. I’m actually on my way out. Party’s a bit too stuffy for me. Now keep yerself outta trouble.” Harry gave Carlos a pat on the arm and climbed over the balcony railing, jumping carefully into the bushes below.
“Wait, Harry!” Carlos ran to the railing and peered down. “How did you know I don’t like apple pie?”
“When you always have chocolate all over yer face, it’s easy tae tell yer a chocolate fan.” Harry grinned and started to run off, but then he paused and turned back to Carlos. “You got a wee bit on you right now.” Waving his hook, Harry gestured at the corners of his mouth.
“Oh…” Carlos blushed and rubbed his face with a sleeve. When he looked back, Harry was gone.
III.
Growing up with Cruella De Vil as a mother did not include a lot of hugs. Cruella probably hugged her furs more than she hugged Carlos. So Carlos found it interesting to see how much the pirates hugged each other. Gil, Uma, and Harry liked to act all macho, but when Gil got an A for the first time in his math class or Uma was feeling a little down on herself, they were quick to hug. Harry even had the decency to set his hook down before hugging someone so no one got poked.
So Carlos should’ve expected a big hug after he 3D printed some new plating for Harry’s hook after the old plating had rusted.
“Good as new.” He held up the hook, letting the light catch the new, shiny, stainless surface.
Harry took it in his hands, carefully inspecting every millimeter. Then he smiled up at Carlos, set the hook on the table, and gave Carlos a warm hug. “Thanks, lad,” He whispered. It was a quick hug, and Carlos barely had time to react and put his arms around him, but when Harry pulled away, it felt like the temperature in the room dropped ten degrees.
“Sure, uh, no problem, Harry.” Carlos ran his fingers through his hair, flattening it back down where the hug had ruffled it.
Harry had picked up his hook again and was waving it around, throwing it up and catching it, getting used to the new weight of it. He looked like one of those kids that thought they were super cool when they flipped a pencil around in their hand, but Carlos thought Harry was cute when he got all happy over something small.
“Hey Harry?” Carlos bit his lip. “Uh, Evie and Doug are having a movie night at their castle tonight, if you wanted to come. It’s just some VKs and Ben.”
“Sure. What kinda movie?” Harry asked, and relief washed over Carlos. He was still trying to figure out what all this was about with Harry. He hadn’t… thought about anyone in that way since deciding he and Jane were better off friends and… he just wanted to spend some more time with Harry. Just to see, just to get to know him.
But Carlos wished he had asked Evie what kind of movie before they showed up. Evie had let Celia pick the first movie, and Celia picked a horror movie.
Carlos hated scary movies. And now he felt like he had bitten off more than he could chew, trying to get through this horror movie with Harry sitting on the couch next to him.
“Don’t open the door… Don’t…” Carlos whispered almost to himself as the last girl left alive crept around the house. But all horror movie characters had a specific level of stupid, which meant she had to open the door. The room on the other side was pitch dark, and Carlos held his breath, clutching the arm of the couch for support.
Before Carlos could close his eyes, the demon thing jumped out of the darkness and attacked the girl. Carlos screamed at the top of his lungs. Harry flinched next to him, but then he began to laugh. “Woah, they got me with that one.” Harry clutched his chest, trying to keep his laughter quiet. Carlos was almost angry that he was about to wet his pants and Harry was over here laughing...
“I can’t wait for this to be over.” Carlos muttered, dreaming about what movie they could watch next.
“You okay there, Carlos? Yer shakin’ is rattlin’ the whole sofa.” Harry turned to Carlos, who hadn’t even realized his whole body was trembling. An arm wrapped itself around Carlos’s shoulders, and Harry gave Carlos a comforting squeeze. “It’s just a movie.” Harry smiled. “Don’t worry yer pretty little head over it.”
Carlos still hadn’t breathed since the last girl alive opened the door, but now he was practically being hugged by Harry all over again. The air returned to his lungs, and he let himself relax and lean onto Harry’s side. It wasn’t like Carlos was imagining him and Harry dating or anything, but he certainly could get used to all his… hugging, his casual affection, his touch.
Before he knew it, the movie had ended, and Evie decided to throw on a rom com to try to balance out that last nightmare. The story wasn’t anything original, but it was still nice and comforting to watch.
About half way through, Harry stretched his arms and yawned, but put his arm right back around Carlos. “I liked the last one better.” he whispered in Carlos’s ear.
“Yeah, well I think you’re the only one.” Carlos replied, amused. He expected Harry to reply with some little quip about the movie, but only silence followed. “Harry?”
Carlos wriggled so he could turn his head and see Harry’s face. To his surprise, Harry was fast asleep, with his mouth open just a little bit.
“Okay, I guess you thought it was that boring.” Carlos smiled to himself. Then he kicked off his shoes and pulled his knees up to his chest, curling up into a ball and leaning on Harry’s chest.
During most of that horror movie, he just felt embarrassed that he brought Harry along, but it didn’t turn out as bad as he was thinking. Harry sure acted wild sometimes, but Carlos could see that he was just a big, eccentric softie. He did the things he did for the shock value, kind of like the directors of horror movies. Harry kept everyone on their toes, and as big a scaredy cat as Carlos was, he liked that about Harry. And he also liked knowing about the Harry underneath all the bravado, the Harry who always wrapped his arms around you right when you needed it.
IV.
“Wish me luck, Dude.” Carlos took one last glance at himself in the mirror, straightening out his leather jacket.
“Good luck, Carlos! I would say ‘you got this,’ but my ability to talk did come from a truth spell, so I gotta admit that I’m not really sure you got this.” Dude flashed a pained smile.
“Real helpful, Dude. Thanks.” Carlos rolled his eyes, ruffled the fur on Dude’s head, and left his room.
Gil and Jay had gone on a white water rafting trip for the weekend, and Harry had texted him, asking if he wanted to spar since his usual partner was gone. Harry had specified that this was a broadsword spar session in the text, but surprisingly he left out his usual roast of the Tourney team. Carlos made himself put his phone down and wait two minutes before replying, because he felt like ten seconds was a bit much.
His nerves made him show up at the fencing gym early, and now Carlos was sitting around, checking out his sword and untying and retying his shoes. He kept reminding himself that this wasn’t a date or anything. Just friendly sword practice. One on one sword practice. Was this a date?
Carlos flipped open his phone to reread his texts and over analyze them for the fifth time that day. The first ones were pretty tame, just them talking about how Gil and Jay were probably going to come back from their trip with broken bones, but they’d still say it was the most fun they ever had. Then they talked about meeting up to spar. The last text Carlos got read, broadswords only ;), and Carlos had read it a thousand times, trying to figure out if Harry sent a winky face because he was being funny or if it was a flirty wink. Harry was so confusing, and he was always winking and joking and flirting so it was impossible to tell...
“Hey, Carlos!” A voice behind him made Carlos squeak and jump up from where he was sitting. “What’re you up to?” Lonnie strode into the gym in her full track suit, pulling headphones out of her ears.
“Nothing. Just, ah, getting ready to do a little practice.” Carlos shrugged. He fully expected it to be Harry walking in the door, and was glad Harry didn’t have to hear the noise of surprise he just made.
“Broadsword practice?” Lonnie pointed at Carlos’s sword, curious, and he nodded, swirling it around in a little display. She smiled and pulled her own broadsword out of her bag. “Let’s go.” She hopped into an athletic stance.
“I thought you’d be a little more scared of me after seeing me beat Harry the other day.” Carlos laughed, knowing full well she wasn’t scared of anything, especially little old Carlos.
“Me, daughter of Mulan and Li Shang, captain of Auradon Prep’s Tourney team, scared? Not in the slightest.” Lonnie replied, challenging Carlos with a flashy swing of her sword.
“Well Carlos, I see you’ve found another partner tae spar with.” Harry suddenly appeared and leaned on the doorframe. He didn’t make eye contact, just picked at the black nail polish on his right hand.
“Hi Harry…” Carlos took a step away from Lonnie, and she lowered her sword, looking back and forth between the two boys. “I was just, um…” There was a sinking feeling in his stomach. “I’m ready to spar with you if you are.”
“No, no, by all means, continue here. I know how important Tourney is for you.” Harry swallowed and Carlos could see his jaw muscles tense up.
“Harry, I didn’t mean to—”
“Oh, would you look at that. Uma’s calling me.” Harry held up his phone, which didn’t appear to be ringing or buzzing.
“Harry, wait…” Carlos called after him, but he had already pivoted on his heel and left. Carlos’s sword clattered to the ground.
He knew Harry was acting a little petty, but guilt still flooded over Carlos. If only he had decided to show up fashionably late instead of anxiously early, this wouldn’t have happened. He couldn’t believe Harry really was taking this so seriously, because that almost meant he cared, didn’t it? But now Carlos had ruined it, so what did it matter?
“Carlos, I’m sorry. I didn’t know…” Lonnie put a hand on his shoulder.
“It’s not your fault.” Carlos looked up at her. “I’m gonna…” He pointed towards the door and took off down the hall, but Harry was nowhere in sight.
V.
It was not unusual for villains to disrupt events at Auradon Prep, since it stood as a symbol of solidarity between people of Auradon and people from the Isle. Coronation, Cotillion, the Homecoming Tourney game… all had been influenced by either a villain in person or the plot of one. And now that the barrier was opened, chaos was expected.
But no one was expecting Morgana, Ursula’s sister who had been frozen in ice for years, to spontaneously thaw out on the night of Auradon Prep’s annual Beach Bash.
She emerged from the sea shivering and very, very angry. Demanding to know where King Triton was, she lashed out at anyone in range of her tentacles on the beach, most of which were talented swimmers, thankfully. However, in this instance, most can be defined as everyone except Carlos.
A scream escaped his mouth as Carlos was pulled under, the sound turning into bubbles. He thrashed wildly, getting his head above water and taking a gulp of air before Morgana dove deep and dragged him with her. His eyes stung from the salt water, but he kept them open, clawing at the tentacle wrapped around his waist and watching the surface of the water get farther and farther away.
His lungs started to burn, aching for air, and Carlos realized this was probably it. After all he and his friends had been through, growing up on the Isle, Maleficent's plot when he and the gang were chosen to go to Auradon Prep, the brief period he was turned to stone by Audrey… this was how he was going to die.
Carlos had so many things he wanted to do still. He wanted to tell Jay, Mal, and Evie that he loved them and give them a big hug. He wanted to start his own doggie day care. He wanted to graduate from Auradon Prep. He didn’t even get to apologize to Harry about the other day or tell him how he really felt about a silly pirate with loads of eyeliner and piercing blue eyes…
The last of the air left his lungs and floated upwards, and Carlos wished those bubbles could carry his goodbyes to the friends he loved more than anything. He closed his eyes and felt himself drift out of consciousness.
Half awake, he noticed a figure in the water with him, pulling at the tentacle holding him. Carlos just thought the salt water he ingested was making him hallucinate while watching his life flash before his eyes, but suddenly, the pressure around his stomach subsided and he felt himself be gently lifted back to the surface. Then he blacked out.
What felt like an eternity later, Carlos awoke on a beach, under some palm trees framed by the rays of the setting sun.
“Am I dead?” He coughed, grossed out by the taste of saltwater in his mouth.
“Not yet, but you almost look it.” A voice called to him from his left in a familiar accent, and Carlos’s eyes finally focused on Harry, kneeling at his side. He was dripping wet and breathing heavy, his hair a mess and plastered to the sides of his face, and his eyeliner running. When Carlos looked at him, Harry laughed and shook his head, his hair spraying droplets of water everywhere.
“What happened?” Carlos tried to sit up and was assaulted by a bout of coughing.
“Easy there.” Harry leaned over and put his hand on Carlos’s arm, rubbing his thumb over Carlos’s trembling skin. “Take your time.” Harry helped Carlos stand up, letting him lean heavily.
“Did… did you just…” Carlos started to ask, not sure if what he saw at the bottom of the ocean was real.
“Well somebody had tae save yer skin. Not like Mal and them can swim.” Harry grinned and ruffled Carlos’s hair. “Morgana got a taste of this and decided tae let you go.” He held up his hook and slashed the air with it.
Carlos was still leaning on Harry, his arm around the taller boy’s waist and Harry’s arm draped over his shoulders. They had started to walk back up the beach, but Carlos stopped.
“You saved my life.” Carlos looked up at him, looked deep into those light blue eyes that were usually so full of laughter and mischief, but now they were full of something else, something tender, and a little bit sad.
“Yer welcome, Carlos.” Harry pulled him into a hug, and this time Carlos was ready, burying his face in the nape of Harry’s neck, trying not to cry. Harry let go first, squeezing Carlos’s shoulder. “Now let’s go find yer friends and tell ‘em yer not dead yet.”
The two headed up the beach and back towards what was left of the Auradon Prep party as the sun dried out their hair and the wind tugged at their clothes.
+I.
“Hey Carlos, good game! We’re so ready to destroy Arendelle Prep next week!” Chad gave Carlos a bro fist as he left the locker room.
“We’ll crush ‘em!” Carlos replied, waving goodbye to his teammates. He was always the last one out of the locker room, making sure everything was put back in the right place. After checking all the equipment and spraying some Febreeze near Chad’s rancid locker, Carlos was satisfied their coach wouldn’t yell at them about it tomorrow, and he headed out the back entrance that led right to the bleachers.
Carlos closed the door behind him and ran smack into Harry Hook, knocking his pirate hat off his head. “Woah there!” Harry laughed and caught his hat. “Tourney’s over, no more crashin’ in tae lads.”
“Sorry, Harry.” Carlos blushed. Then he remembered something he knew he needed to get off his chest. “Hey, you know, I’m sorry about that thing the other day with Lonnie. I was waiting for you and she came in to practice.”
“Awe, don’t sweat it. I was overreactin’.” Harry shrugged and fiddled with his hat in his hands. Carlos breathed a sigh of relief. “I know you lot have tae practice almost every wakin’ moment tae get that good, so someone was bound tae be in there.”
“Wait, were you at the Tourney game? Like, watching it?” Carlos raised an eyebrow, wondering what Harry was doing on the bleachers. He’d never seen him at a Tourney game before.
“Aye…”
“Wait, I thought you didn’t like Tourney. You’re always calling it a wee boy’s game.” Carlos poorly imitated Harry’s accent.
“Well, you sure didn’t look like a wee boy out there, knockin’ people over and such.” Harry admitted, looking up from his hat to smile at Carlos. It wasn’t his normal wry smile, but a more sincere one, and Carlos’s breath hitched in his throat.
“Harry, I think I like you.” The words spilled from his mouth, and Carlos was immediately embarrassed. He had been begging himself to tell Harry how he felt, almost to the point of asking Mal for another truth gummy. But he had imagined it in his head in a romantic setting, like aboard The Lost Revenge at sea with Harry, or at night, laying underneath the stars. Not like this, all sweaty after a Tourney match, on the bleachers, in a public place!
Harry froze for a moment, his mouth open in a little O. Carlos could punch himself right about now.
“Um, I think I’m, uh, just gonna…” Carlos pointed towards the stairs of the bleachers, about to leave and go home and scream into his pillow and never talk to Harry again.
“Carlos…” Harry whispered, reaching out and putting his hand on Carlos’s arm, asking him gently not to leave. Carlos turned back to him, unsure what was going to come out of Harry’s mouth next, as per usual. “I can’t lie, you did look a wee bit hot out there on the Tourney field.”
Carlos laughed, incredulous. Two seconds earlier, he was preparing himself to die alone but now he was melting all over again, reliving all the times Harry had given him a warm hug, thinking about the worry in Harry’s face as Carlos woke up on that beach… “Well I can’t lie either. Harry, I really, really like you.”
“Do you think you’d like tae kiss me?” Harry whispered, biting his lip.
Carlos felt his cheeks get very warm. “Only if you’d like to kiss me too.”
“I think I would.”
A couple years ago, living on the Isle, in a constant battle for territory with Uma’s gang, Carlos De Vil never would’ve imagined that he and Harry Hook would be standing on the bleachers of Auradon Prep’s Tourney field, kissing. But here he was, and he was loving every second of it.
Harry had cupped his hands around Carlos’s face and Carlos let his hands rest on Harry’s hips, just enjoying the closeness of their bodies, the warmth of Harry’s presence, and the gentleness of his kiss. He was embarrassed to admit how many times he had imagined what kissing Harry would be like, but all the dramatic visions of sunset cruises and grandiose gestures could never live up to what it was really like to hold Harry in his arms and kiss him. They didn’t need a fairy tale love story. They were VKs, and they wrote their own love story.