A/N: I loved this idea and I finally finished it. I'm super tired, though, so I apologize for any mistakes. I love Mal/Evie but not as much as I love Mal/Lonnie (and Doug/Evie). For the sake of this fic and the plot, though, I used them together since Lonnie and Doug aren't on the Isle. R&R! :D
x-x-x
On the Isle of the Lost, things are different than vile, prissy places like Auradon.
The biggest revelation was that affection wasn't prohibited, and you couldn't get thrown in jail for it. If you did choose to display it, you'd be looked down upon and possibly attacked.
Maleficent, Jafar, Cruella, and the Evil Queen made sure to instill that into their kids. To them, love was weak and careless.
There was room for loopholes in the rules, and the list was rough. You could do nearly anything else on the island, excluding hugging, hand holding, cuddling, dancing romantically, kissing, and loving. Some paternal reasons for the above were excused (not that any of the villains showed real love to their children).
Often, people would indulge in breaking the rules in secret. It didn't mean that they were dating, it just meant that they sought companionship, though some would.
That was how Jay and Carlos found out about Evie and Mal.
x-x-x
"Jay, are you serious?"
"What?"
"I can freaking see another goddamn lamp in your pocket. You're not even hiding it that well."
"So what? It's not like anybody's gonna try to steal it back from me, Carlos."
The white haired boy rolls his eyes. "I'm just trying to look out for you." He says exasperatedly.
They walk in silence to the abandoned warehouse where the four children of the most well-known villains hung out.
"You don't have to." Jay reminds him. It's hard not to care about others when people like Carlos come around.
"Oh, would you drop the tough guy act for just a minute?" Carlos scowls.
"Okay, you want to have some fun?"
Carlos eagerly shakes his head, a crooked smile forming on his face.
A smirk from Jay and a, "race you there!" was all Carlos got. The son of Jafar takes off sprinting to the warehouse, leaving Carlos in the dust. He's way more athletic than Carlos anyways, and the son of Cruella hates running.
Regardless, he tears off after his best friend. "You asshole, Jay, this isn't my idea of fun!" He shouts, but he's holding back a laugh. Jay's either super childish or stoic, there wasn't an in between. Carlos likes both sides and each of them have their perks. Hell, he just really likes Jay.
Five minutes later, Carlos arrives at the building, clutching his side and gasping for breath.
"Aww, you're a little out-of-shape, do you need me to carry you?" Jay mocks, looking down upon the other boy with fake sympathy.
"That'd be great, thanks." Carlos grins before jumping onto the other boy, latching himself to his front before crawling around on Jay's back. He wraps his arms around Jay's neck, holding tightly.
"I was being sarcastic, jackass." Jay says, shaking himself. Carlos doesn't budge.
"Let's just go. This isn't breaking the rules, but we probably shouldn't be seen like this. Wanna sneak up on the girls?"
"Hell yeah, I do." Jay unlocks the door with a click of a key and creeps inside.
For a huge guy with someone else on his back, he can be quiet when he wants to be. Carlos figures it was from all the stealing. Jay tiptoes around the corner to the main part of the barn.
Carlos takes in the beauty of the building with an infectious grin on his face. It's red on the inside, its paint peeling since it's dilapidated. There aren't any windows, but there are a few cracks on the roof, letting rays of sunshine seep in at random parts. Hay is scattered everywhere, but there's one place particularly in the middle that's often occupied by the group.
As Jay approaches the girls, he notices they're huddled closely on a hay stack.
Carlos' grip tightens around his neck and Jay stops, his books making a squeak.
Evie and Mal whirl around to face the two, the Evil Queen's daughter falling off of the other's lap.
"What the hell?" Jay asks.
"Says you, you can't say anything about us breaking the rules since you're doing the same with Carlos." Mal snaps.
Wait, Mal thought that Carlos and Jay were sneaking around behind everybody's backs and doing actions that they weren't supposed to do? How did she come to that conclusion?
Jay drops Carlos off of his back. "No, we're not, it's only you two."
"Why didn't you tell us?" Carlos asks, sounding hurt.
"We're not allowed to do it for a reason. Duh." Mal's usual sass-filled manner is back.
"Well, I wanted to tell you guys, but M said no." Evie says, standing up quickly and brushing the hay and dirt off her dress.
Mal shoots her an accusing glare, but Evie just rolls her eyes.
"But seriously, you guys aren't…?" Maleficent's daughter asks them, trailing off and glancing between the two.
Both of the boys shake their heads, glancing at each other, their expressions unreadable.
"You should try it out. I think it's fun." Evie says, seating herself comfortably back in Mal's lap. Her cheeks turn the color of her purple jacket, but she figure that since her friends already knew she won't reprimand Evie anymore.
Carlos raises his eyebrow at Jay, asking him the silent question, about how he feels regarding everything.
Jay blinks back at him. Does Carlos want to do all that shit with him?
Later, he communicates with his eyes. Cruella's son seems to have got the message.
He walks across Mal and Evie and plops himself down on a hay stack facing opposite to them. "How long have you guys been together?" He asks.
Jay walks over and sits down next to his best friend, but he's thinking about his own things.
"About six months. We weren't super careful, so I don't know how you didn't find out earlier." Evie says.
"Well, I kinda assumed, but then I thought it was wrong to do so." Carlos confesses before glaring at Mal, implying heavily.
"Hey, it wouldn't surprise me if you two did what we did, that's all I'm saying." Mal pipes up, leveling back Carlos' stare.
The son of Cruella glances at Jay, before scooting a miniscule over so that their legs are touching.
Jay's deep in thought, but he looks down at their touch before "accidentally" leaning back and placing his hand on top of Carlos'.
Being with Carlos, to a certain extent (and if they were to get together), wouldn't be so bad. He thinks Carlos is cute, funny, and probably the most trustworthy person on this island to him. He'll talk more about it with Carlos privately, without the two nosy girls.
Evie lets out a small giggle, she noticed the slight contact.
Mal's busy, as she's staring up at the Evil Queen's daughter with a glimmer of light in her eyes and a small smile on her face.
"So, are you two 'dating,' or…?" Carlos asks, using his hand that isn't underneath Jay's to make air bunnies.
Evie looks down at Mal, who snaps out of her gaze. "As far as that goes on this hellhole at least." Mal answers when Evie doesn't.
"Wait, so how did you guys get together?" Jay asks.
Carlos looks at him, his left eyebrow slightly quirked. He must've thought that Jay inquired so that he could figure out how to make things work with Carlos. If that was what he was insinuating, the white haired boy's correct. Jay almost wishes that Carlos wasn't so brilliant.
"Um, how about we don't-" Mal starts, but her girlfriend cuts her off.
"I flirted heavily with her for weeks and she was oblivious, as usual, and didn't get the point. So, I had to be completely up front of it and tell her I liked her." She says proudly.
"I am not oblivious!" Mal shouts.
"You kinda are, M." Evie says.
"Just shut up, E." It noticeably lacks the usual forcefulness that she usually uses.
"Aren't you a little softie." Teases Carlos.
"Just you wait, Carlos, until you find your true love!" Evie says with a squeal.
There was a pause.
"Does that mean you consider Mal your true love, then?" Jay points out, as usual saying what's on everybody's mind.
Evie's smile fades a little, catching what she said, and Mal's feet shift from side to side.
"I… I guess I'm not sure what love feels like." Evie explains, looking down at her girlfriend. "I was always taught by mother to find a rich, handsome prince. In the process I found a gorgeous villain descendant. She never talked about love, I kind of made that part up myself…" Evie messes with her blue dress' frills. "Whatever we have though, I think it's the closest thing I'll ever have to it. Who knows, maybe it already is."
Carlos and Jay stare dumbfounded at Evie, they'd never seen her bashful before.
Mal grabs the daughter of the Evil Queen's chin impulsively and pulls their lips together.
Jay risks a glance over at Carlos. His expression is happy, presumably because his friends are so. His dark eyes hide slight longing and Jay looks away quickly.
The two girls break apart, not escalating to a full make-out session since the others are there.
"So, you've officially broken every rule the Isle of the Lost enforces… How does it feel?" Jay grins at the couple. He can't be too suspicious, asking tons of relationship-centric problems. Jay's a player, with any gender on the Isle, so long as they have valuables he can take.
"Perfect." Evie sighs dreamily.
x-x-x
A couple more hours of talking later, and it's time for them to go back to their respective houses.
Evie clambers gracefully off of Mal with a pout, and they hold hands, their shoulders brushing. Mal and Evie walk out of the barn, savoring every last touch they can before they have to break away.
Jay trails behind them with Carlos, letting the couple have their space, since they kind of interrupted them earlier.
Just before they reach the doors, Jay stops.
In a brief act of courage, he grabs Carlos' hands in his own, rubbing his thumb over the back of Carlos' palm.
Cruella's son looks up at him, both excitement and hesitation in his eyes.
"I want what they have… With you." Jay stammers out. He hopes he's not being too sudden, but he's pretty sure Carlos would like it too.
Carlos becomes interested in his combat boots, and Jay can see a genuine, embarrassed smile lighting his face. "I wouldn't mind that. But, small steps, okay? I don't wanna blindly rush into this." He says cautiously.
"Yeah… Okay… Yeah…" Jay is dumbfounded, Carlos agreed and he's probably happier than he should be.
He squeezes the white haired boys hands one more time, resisting the urge to kiss his nuckles before dropping them down.
"Let's go," he turns to the door.
Carlos nods, and their silly grins are still in place.
x-x-x
"Jay?"
"Yeah?"
"What're the six rules again?"
They're back in the barn again, this time it's just the two of them.
Carlos is bringing up what they are, and Jay's thankful. If he's being honest to himself, he's terrified. It's been a week and he's never been one to want to be tied down before.
He curses Evie and Mal, but he bets that without them he would've caught feelings for Carlos eventually.
"Umm… No hand holding, dancing, kissing, cuddling, loving, and… I can't remember the last one." Jay wracks his brain.
"I think it's hugging. Seems a little ridiculous, though. You can hug someone without them being your partner." Carlos says with a snort, and Jay agrees.
"Hand holding isn't all that bad either. I mean, we held hands once…" Carlos stops talking.
Jay frowns a little and purses his lips. Maybe Carlos read the signs Jay was trying to give him wrong.
Carlos stands up from his hay stack and sits next to Jay. Jafar's sons heartbeat speeds up a couple beats when Carlos tangles their fingers together.
He allows a smile to show when Carlos scoots closer, resting his head on Jay's shoulder.
x-x-x
"Have you ever cuddled with someone, Jay?"
The son of Jafar glances at Carlos.
They're back in the warehouse. Mal and Evie had left ten minutes ago to give them 'privacy,' followed by a wink from Evie and a, "make good choices!" from Mal.
"I did once… You know with Dr. Facilier's son? He had a lamp in his shop that my dad wanted."
"Did you like it?"
"I didn't, but only cause Florian was annoying as hell."
Carlos nods before grabbing Jay by his collar. He pulls him down so that they're laying down on the hay stack.
"What're you doing, Carlos?" Jay asks.
Carlos worms his way into Jay's embrace, his head comfortably tucked under his chin. "Cuddling, genius." He wraps his hands tightly around Jay's waist pulling him closer.
Jay gets out of his state of shock before cautiously placing his hand on Carlos' elbow, softly rubbing his thumb against his arm soothingly.
"Is this better than with Florian?" Carlos attempt at a joke, but Jay can hear a hint of question in his tone.
"A thousand times better." He whispers, idly playing with Carlos' white curls.
They drift off to sleep.
x-x-x
"May I have this dance?"
"Carlos, are you freaking serious? We're on top a mountain of hay. One false step, and we're going down."
"Of course I'm serious, get closer to me. I'm not a dog, I don't bite."
"You're ridiculous."
"Whatever, you like it."
"You've got me there." Jay flirts. He's become a bit more confident now with Carlos, now that he clearly reciprocates his feelings.
He plants his hands on Carlos' waist, pulling him closer so that their hips are together.
Cruella's son nearly has to go on tiptoes to reach Jay's neck, so he leans down a little. Carlos rests his head on Jay's chest, leaning in more.
Jay starts to hum a song he hears his father sing every now and then, when he thinks his son isn't paying attention. Ironically, it was his enemy Aladdin that sang it to woo Jasmine. It was catchy though, so who could blame him?
Carlos sighs contentedly. "You have a nice voice."
"Thanks, Jasmine." Jay teases.
"Sing for me, Aladdin." Carlos laughs into Jay's chest and he's not sure if the vibration is from him or his beating heart.
"I only know the chorus."
"Whatever, just sing it."
Jay bites his lip nervously. He's never really sung in front of anybody, or aloud to himself. Jay's not even sure it's the right lyrics. But if it's what Carlos wants, sure, why not?
"A whole new world, a new fantastic point of view. No one to tell us no, or where to go, or say we're only dreaming." He sings quietly. "A whole new world, a dazzling place I never knew. But when I'm way up here, it's crystal clear, that now I'm in a whole new world with you."
He focuses on how the lyrics relate to the situation and how Carlos feels pressed up against him.
Carlos' hands slide up his chest, placing his hands on Jay's face. "You're a great singer. Aladdin would be jealous."
Jafar's son grins, because when Carlos praises him, he knows it's all true.
Carlos then goes on tip toes and presses their lips together, which is a bit of a surprise. He's a bit unsure, and Jay's pretty sure it's his first kiss, which means… He chose to give it to Jay.
Jay holds back a shiver as he moves his lips in sync with Carlos', sweet and careful.
Carlos pulls away, his eyes shining more than Jay has ever seen them before.
Cruella's son laughs, pulling Jay in for another long-awaited kiss.
x-x-x
"So, was I right or was I right?" Evie teases.
Jay rolls his eyes. She's talking about him getting together with Carlos. Again.
The said boy is sitting next to Jay, glaring daggers at his friend.
"I told you they were gonna get together, E." Mal says, curled up with her lover.
"I thought they would too, so you don't get all the credit!" Evie says childishly.
Mal just scoffs.
"It's been a long six months, hasn't it. And busy." Evie reminisces.
"Yeah, it has. And the best six months of my life." Jay says with a grin, taking Carlos' hand in his own.
Carlos opens his mouth to say something, his expression softening, but he remembers that Evie and Mal are there.
"Ugh, they're having a moment again. Shall we leave?" Evie asks formally, getting off Mal and offering her hand to her.
"Honestly, were we this disgusting?" Maleficent's daughter mutters as the duo leave.
"You still are!" Jay shouts after them.
He turns to Carlos. "What were you gonna say?"
"I was gonna say… Umm…" Carlos closes his eyes. "I just wanted you to know… These past six months have been great and… I'm in love with you." It's hard to say for him. He's never felt this way about anybody, but he's sure as hell glad it's with Jay.
"God, I love you, too." Jay grins before clambering over Carlos and kissing him.
Evie was right. Breaking all the rules was perfect.
But only for Carlos.