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Dude was the light of Carlos' life post-Isle. The boy loved his pet and he and Jay had taken him in with open arms. The small family was often moving in a pack, similar to the way the VK's moved in general. Wherever the boys went, their small son followed.
The group was invited to a small function in the school, known as a "lock in". The name terrified the Isle kids, but some moderate explanation got the four to be pretty excited about the event. Dude was allowed in the school as well, with some prompting, so things were looking up. This would just be another experience the group could use to be closer to the Auradon kids.
The lock in started pretty nicely. The VK's sat with their own group with the rest coming and going from the corner they wished, speaking with the group. They were all working on their various projects, but their stance was high-alert. All four kids faced the middle of the room with Mal and Jay in the front, as though they were trying to guard the other two. Ben was facing Mal as he worked alongside her.
"Why are you and Carlos so far apart?" Ben asked, smiling at Jay. "I'd think you two would be attached at the hip."
Jay rolled his eyes, as though the reason were obvious. "Because we don't break formation," the older boy looked back briefly at his boyfriend. "Its just how we do things."
The king shrugged and continued to struggle with his crazy glue, attaching paper to posterboard in the methodical motions he had been before.
Lights out was at midnight. Auradon was a high class area, the parents would be furious if their precious children stayed up all night.
Carlos was a little bit nervous about the fact that the lights shut off. He had never really had complete darkness after the Isle. He was uncomfortable when he couldn't see, couldn't prove whether or not he was back home, in his bedroom/closet, surrounded by furs and the thick stench of cigarettes. His and Jay's room had always been lit, with the T.V. or the ceiling lights or, if those two were off, the nightlight by his bedside that the group all pretended wasn't there. As long as Carlos could identify his surroundings the moment he woke up. But this time, he decided it was time to face this head-on.
Children were escorted four to a classroom. Boys and girls segregated. The classrooms were set up with 4 inflatable mattresses and roommates were pre-assigned.
Carlos was with Jay, Doug, and... Chad Charming. (and, of course, Dude)
Once all the children were in their designated areas, the lights were shut off.
Once the lights were off, Carlos froze. He didn't expect to have a reaction like this, but his body completely tensed. Jay noticed, having been near him at the time, and gently moved Carlos to his own bed.
Once the boys were at Carlos' bed, Jay helped his boyfriend sit down. Gently, he instruced, "Spread out, there's lots of room."
Carlos spread his arms and legs across the mattress. There was a lot of room there. Much more than there was in his closet. The reminder was actually pretty calming. Carlos continued to move across his newfound space, noting the amount of room he actually had when Chad's voice interrupted.
"I don't know what you two are planning, but keep that shit on the Isle!" Chad's tone was mocking and teetered between annoyed and completely disgusted. "I don't want to hear it and I'm sure Doug feels the same!"
Carlos could almost sense Jay rolling his eyes as he patted the smaller boy's head.
"You know where to find me, 'Los! Just give me a call." Jay whispered, retreating to his own bed.
Carlos got comfortable, moving everything off of his bed and spreading out with nothing but his first pillow, the one Evie had given him when they were kids. It smelled like the Isle, but not the way that his old jackets did. The smell of smoke was present but faint, mixing with the scent of old potion attempts and science experiments, combining the bad memories with good ones.
Dude curled up with his owner as the two drifted to sleep, nobody in the room bothered by the darkness. Maybe all of Carlos' worrying was for nothing after all.
Carlos woke up crowded. Soft weight pushed his body into the ground below it as a smokey-scented pillow covered his face. He was back, wasn't he?
The boy couldn't remember anything, couldn't think, couldn't control his heart rate or his breathing or the pathetic whimpers leaving his throat as he struggled with the weight on top of him. He liked to think they were cries for help, but it was unlikley.
Then, on top of everything, he heard a dog barking. The world froze and Carlos moved back in time, across thousands of miles and back into his closet. The fear took over any and all thoughts and nothing mattered.
(_)(_)(_)
Jay woke up to Carlos whining. It was a strangled sound that hurt something in Jay's chest. Within moments, he shot up.
"Get the lights!" His call woke the room and Doug scrambled somewhere off to the side. Chad just groaned, seeming annoyed before he heard the sounds coming from Carlos. The lights flicked on as Chad's face flicked from irritated to concerned.
"What's going on here?" The blond asked, Doug joining his side as Jay rushed to the bed.
"Why is all this stuff on him?" Jay shouted.
"It was all on the floor. I had to take a leak and thought that maybe he threw it in his sleep or something," Chad was growing more and more concerned as Jay threw the bedding off of his boyfriend. "Why? Is this what I think it is?"
"Depends, what do you think, Chad? We're just dying to know."
Carlos' breathing wasn't slowing down, Doug had taken to quieting Dude as Jay shouted Carlos' name, trying to wake him up. Finally, Chad moved towards the pair.
"He's already awake!" The boy asserted, making his way next to the tech-savvy genius, who was hyperventilating. "I've seen this before, with my mom."
Jay was suspicious, but moved back a little bit as the other tourney player approached the smaller boy.
"Carlos," the soft tone in Chad's voice shocked the entire room. "Carlos it's going to be okay. Breathe with me, 1...2...3... okay, now hold it, 1...2...3...4..., alright and out, 1...2...3...4...5... Great job!"
The chanting was a soundtrack to the otherwise silent room. The counting and breathing sometimes interrupted with affirmations. A few minutes later, Carlos' breathing was somewhat evened out and he was back in Jay's arms. Chad and Doug sitting next to him.
"I woke up and... there was stuff on top of me..." Carlos shook his head, Chad felt guilt pool in his gut. "It just... brought some stuff back. That's all."
"If you want, you can talk about it," Doug smiled, placing his hand next to Carlos, not risking touching the boy. "I read that it can help."
"It always helps my mom," Chad joined in. "She gets episodes all the time, that's how I knew how to handle it."
"Ah, yes, she was raised by Lady Tremaine," Carlos sighed. "I've met her, she's awful. She has another grandkid. Drizella's daughter, Dizzy. Poor girl looks a bit like your mother, she's treated pretty similar from what I hear."
Chad cringed, sympathy in his eyes. "I don't really think about it that much..."
"Nobody does," Jay sighed, gesturing to himself, then bringing everybody's attention back to Carlos. "What memory was brought back, Hun?"
Carlos shrugged, trying to play off his shaking. "I was asleep, you know, in my closet."
"Why were you sleeping in a closet?" Doug asked, shocked.
"Because that's where he slept!" Jay defended. "I slept in a window sill. It's the Isle. Continue, 'Los."
When the room was quiet again, he continued. "I - I guess it was cold that night, and all of Mother's coats had fallen on top of me. The coats kept me warm and I overslept. Mother woke up without breakfast on the table and when she saw that I was touching her furs? She went ballistic. She chased me around the house, barking at me and threatening to call some dogs. They weren't allowed on the Isle, but she never had me quite convinced that she wasn't hiding one somewhere, just in case she decided she didn't want me."
The boy's shaking increased and Jay pulled him closer.
"But you aren't there anymore," Chad assured, looking at Carlos for what felt like the first time. It was a first time, the first time he saw him for what he was, a child who was rescued, only one of the many who were raised on the Isle, and there were tons still there. Including a step cousin who was facing the same terrors that caused his mother's episodes. "You're here. Your mother is on an island, surrounded by a barrier."
Jay caught on and joined in. "Dogs are not monsters. They won't hurt you, Dude just wants you to be safe. Look, he's worried about you."
The dog was nuzzling Carlos' leg. Despite his shaking, the kid took his pet into his lap, stroking his fur until every heart in the room was beating at a steady, resting pace.
The four boys went to bed like nothing happened, woke up like nothing happened, and went about their days.
And, if Chad signed the petition to get more Isle kids sent to Auradon, that's nobody's business.
It's especially nobody else's business if he specifically wrote the name Dizzy Tremaine on the suggestion strip.