I don't own any of the recognizable places or characters. This story is part of a series that is called Descendants A-Z and is cross posted (always under "IvyNyx").

A/N: I'm basing medical knowledge and things for young Carlos/Diego on kids I knew growing up. I know it's not something all kids would know, but I felt it was reasonable for the Isle.

"They're sending Mal, Jay, Evie and me to Auradon." Carlos said, "I fucking hate this!" he said while kicking at some rocks.

Carlos and Diego stood outside of town under an old watch tower.

"Why the hell are they taking you four?"

"No fucking clue. I don't want to go through. I don't wanna leave you here" Carlos knew he was whining, but he didn't care, Diego was the only person he could whine around.

"Dude, chill out and look at me." Carlos looked up at his taller cousin. "Did you choose to go?"

"Fuck no"

"If I could go with you would you take me?"

"Fuck yes"

"Then shut the fuck up, you can't control this" Diego said while pulling the smaller boy into a hug. No one ever came out to the watch tower. Carlos sighed and rested his head on Diego's chest.

"I don't know if I'll ever come back. Maleficent set us a mission, but it's impossible." Carlos said.

"Don't worry about it. If you decide to stay there make a nice life, show them that we're not our parents." Diego fought back tears at the thought of never seeing his little cousin again, but if he got a chance at a normal life, he deserved it more than anyone else on this rock.

Carlo's and Diego hadn't always been close, for years Diego thought the small boy was weird and his mother was down right terrifying. Carlos always tried to hug and touch Diego, he'd spend entire visits trying to pry the toddler off of him. He didn't know it at the time, but even shoving him hard enough to make him cry he was still being kinder to the other boy that his own mother was.

It had happened when Diego was nine, Carlos was six, he'd stopped trying to hug his cousin and kept to himself now. Even in town no one knew much about the small boy, a flash of white hair as he stole something or a high-top disappearing around the corner was the only social interaction he had. One evening Diego's mom sent him over to Aunt Cruellea's to sleep over with the younger boy while Cruellea went to the springs. Cruellea didn't care about her son, but Diego's mom was almost kind, at least kind enough that she didn't like the thought of a six year old home alone all night, a sleep over was her way of making Diego babysit the other boy.

Diego threw some clothes in a backpack and walked over to Hell Hall, he kicked at the door and waited for it to open. Of all the ways to spend a Friday night, sitting around with Carlos was not his idea of fun. Finally the door was pulled open to reveal a thin boy with a black eye.

"Nice shiner, guess you can't out run everyone. Mom sent me to sleep over, also known as babysit." Diego said, shoving the younger boy as he walked in and kicked the door shut.

"Whatever, you know where the couch is" Carlos said, walking back to his room and ignoring his cousin. When they were younger he could remember his cousin being his favorite person in the world, now he knew the entire world hated him, so he returned the favor. He yanked his shirt off and flopped on his bed. Diego would probably ignore him for the night, it was his mother that made him come over. Carlos hated being home alone, but he never complained, it was better than being home with his mother.

Carlos traced one of the scars on his stomach, getting lost in thought. He knew the other kids on the isle weren't abused like him. But he also knew no one cared if he was abused, he had to bandage his own wounds and move on with life.

Carlos froze when his door was shoved open so Diego could walk into his room.

"I wanna play hide and seek." Diego said without looking at the other boy.

"Play hide and go fuck yourself, I'm not getting up." Carlos said, as soon as he felt Diego jump on him he knew he'd said the wrong thing. Pain exploded in his body, Diego hadn't done anything but pin him, but he had too many cuts, bruises and sprains for the rough motion. He let out a yelp, but stayed still, he knew the less he moved the less it hurt.

"The hell, you're not usually a pussy" the older boy said. He could remember even as a kid it took a lot to make his little cousin cry out in pain or admit he was hurt.

"I'm hurting, just leave me alone. Maybe I'll get lucky and something will kill me this time"

Diego paused to really look at his cousin, the thin boy actually sounded like he wanted to die. Even on the Isle, especially at six years old, kids wanted to live for ever.

Diego bit the inside of his lip as he noticed for the first time his cousin had his shirt off. The small boys chest and stomach were covered in cuts, scars and bruises. Diego slid off him to keel on the bed instead. Carlos gave a small gasp at the movement. Diego let his hand rest on a bruise over Carlos's ribs.

"Either you're a really bad villain or I am killing someone for jumping you" Diego said anger lacing his words. It didn't matter how annoying his cousin was, they were family damn it.

"I'm just worthless, I'll be fine. I just don't want to move around right now." Carlos said letting his eyes fall closed.

"'Los, this isn't okay, who did this?" Diego asked, hoping the direct question would get him an answer.

"I fell. It doesn't matter okay? It's over, I'm alive."

"Like hell. Who the hell is sick enough to do this to a fucking kid" Diego growled.

"It's my mother, okay? She hates me."

"How long?" Diego said, all anger leaving his voice.

Carlos still didn't open his eyes, he knew he was weak and useless, now Diego knew it too.

"Forever."

Diego looked down at the small boy, guilt pounding through him. How many times had he shoved the small boy away, how often did he punch him when he was already hurt. Sure they were villains, but they were just kids. "But she still cares, I mean I've seen her run her fingers through your hair, she has to hug you or something once in a while." Diego said, even his mother hugged him every so often.

Carlos just shook his head no.

Diego felt like the wind had been knocked out of him. Images of a three year old Carlos trying to crawl into his lap and him knocking him to floor ran through his head.

"Never?" Diego asked, already knowing the answer.

"Never." Carlos agreed softly, then added "You were the only person to half way care. You didn't hit so hard, you didn't shove me so I broke things, just so I fell on my butt."

"What about the hair thing with your mom?"

"She does it in front of people, once we're alone again I usually get tossed into the wall or down the stairs my by hair." Carlos said, no longer knowing why Diego was asking. Carlos had already admitted he was so worthless his own mother didn't care about him, what more could the older boy want.

Diego let his hand drop off his cousins ribs, "What hurts the most?"

Carlos stayed silent, he'd made the mistake of telling his mom what hurt once, all it did was give her a new target.

"Come on" Diego said, wishing the boy would just answer him already.

This time Carlos shook his head no.

"Why"

"Just gonna hurt me more"

Diego looked at his cousin, he couldn't believe he would think that way, then he tried to see it his way and realized if all you knew was pain it made sense to expect more.

"I'm not gonna hurt you butt nugget. I want to see if there is anything I can make hurt less." Diego told him.

"Oh. Well I got lotsa cuts and things, and bruises." Carlos paused, if he talked too much he had to breathe deeper and that hurt a lot. "It also hurts to breath in too much. That probably hurts the most."

"Okay, that sounds like a cracked or broken rib. I'm gonna poke a little, tell me how much things hurt so I can hopefully figure that out."

Diego started on the side opposite him and pressed gently on each bone from collar to stomach, Carlos didn't say anything, but the bruises weren't so bad on that side. He pressed on the collar bone closer to him and Carlos hissed in pain.

"Hurts?"

"A lot"

"Reach straight out in front of you" Diego said

"Can't, haven't been able to for a couple weeks."

"Okay, that's a broken collar bone, but it sounds like it's healing if it was weeks ago."

Diego reached out and pressed some more spots on his chest, Carlos shook his head no each time.

"Okay, the next one is under the bruise, so it will hurt a bit you gotta tell me which one hurts the most." Diego gently pushed on the next three ribs, then gasped. On the third it moved and Carlos let out a yelp.

"Yeah, broken rib, like broken off. Let me just check the last one".

Before Carlos could stop him he pressed on the last one, the other boy hissed, but it didn't move.

"Okay, so I'm guessing one broken, one fractured. Do you have a really long scarf?"

"Top drawer it used to be white."

Diego carefully got off the bed and found the scarf, it was still white, but had large reddish brown splotches on it. Diego knew it was blood, but didn't bother to ask for conformation.

"Stand up so I can do this."
Carlos listened and stood while Diego rolled the scarf up, he wrapped it around Carlos's chest before moving down towards his stomach. He tucked the end of the scarf in.

"Kay, that's about all I can do. I know it hurts a lot but try to breathe in as deep as you can once in a while. As a bonus the scarf will protect some of your cuts." Diego said while Carlos carefully laid back down.

Diego looked at the bed, it looked off. Then it hit him, there wasn't a pillow or blanket on it.

"You don't have a blanket do you?" Diego asked, his voice soft. Carlos shook his head no. "I'll be back in a minute". He slipped out the door and grabbed his blanket off the couch, he locked the front door and went back to Carlos's room. He climbed on the bed and laid next to he smaller boy, silently pulling his blanket over both of them. He tried to ignore the way his baby cousin ran his fingers across the soft fabric like it was the best thing in the world.

"When I leave you can keep the blanket, I have another at home." Diego told him.

His eyes went wide and he shook his head no.

"It's okay" Diego assured him.

"Not that. She'll burn it. I've had things before, she always takes them."

"Not this time, I promise." Diego said while letting his arm rest across Carlos's stomach being careful not to press too hard. Carlos didn't say anything or move for a long while. Finally a sleepy voice asked, "if I hug you will I end up on the floor again?".

"No 'Los, I'm never gonna push you away again. I wish I had known sooner why you always tried to hug me."
Carlos shifted so he was laying on his injured ribs and wrapped his arm around his cousin, letting his head curl against the other boys chest. He knew if anyone on the Isle saw them cuddling like this they'd both be beaten half way to death, but he couldn't bring himself to care.

From that night on Diego hugged Carlos every time he saw him. He'd threatened his aunt to ensure Carlos got to keep a blanket for once. He also occasionally pulled the smaller boy into his lap to cuddle with him, but that was a rare occurrence. Usually that was only if he'd helped patch up a really bad injury.

After a few minutes lost in thought Diego reached back and unhooked his necklace, "pick your head up for a second" he told Carlos. The smaller boy did and Diego slipped the necklace onto him.

"A little something to remember me by."

"You can't give me this" Carlos said holding up the little pendant, it was a perfect circle made of glass, Carlos knew he could hold it to the sun and it would make a rainbow. When he was little he'd always tried to reach it because it was shiny. It was also the only thing Diego had that was his fathers.

"Can and will, just don't lose it."

"I won't I promise" Carlos said letting the pendant fall, he held Diego as tight as he could, smiling when the older boy held him too.

"I should go home, come with me. I have something to give you. I don't know if they will work, but it won't hurt to try." Carlos said, finally letting go of his cousin. Diego stepped away from the rusty leg of the watch tower to follow his cousin.

Carlos and Diego slipped onto the roof of Hell Hall and into Carlos's bedroom. At this point Diego couldn't remember using the door to Hell Hall, it was always in through Carlos's window. The small boy dug in a box for something before coming up with two little black boxes.

"If you press this button it should let you talk to me. Let go of it and I should be able to talk to you. I don't know how it will work off the Isle though." Carlos said explaining the little device to him.

"That is amazing. I hope they work, but if not it's okay. I'm gonna head home, I'll come see you off in the morning. Auntie Ella can blow me if she doesn't like it." Diego smirked.

"She won't like it. I'll see you tomorrow." Carlos said watching Diego disappear out the window.

Morning came too quickly for five teens. They met in town square to wait. Diego and Carlos always hugged and touched in public, both willing to fight anyone who bothered them about it. Today they'd broken their own records for physical contact in public. Diego had sat on an old crate while Carlos curled up in his arms. Mal scowled at them, but secretly wished she had someone that cared about her. Evie thought they were adorable. Jay had similar thoughts to Mal, only he didn't scowl at them. He talked with them like always pretending that nothing was out of the ordinary.

A limo pulled up and the five of them froze. It beeped and four adults came out of the castle. Carlos hid his face in Diego's shoulder when his mother made a beeline for them.

"You! Let go of him! He has an important mission to go on!" Cruellea shrieked. Mal, Evie and Jay were glad that shriek wasn't aimed at them.

"Fuck off." Diego said, seven jaws dropped, Carlos just smirked. "You don't give a single fuck about 'Los. Just piss off and let him leave in peace so he can finish up whatever mission you insane old harpies gave him"

"Dude, you still have to survive here." Carlos said softly.

To everyone's surprise Cruellea laughed and walked off towards home without another word.

"Fucking insane" Diego muttered.

Diego stood up and let Carlos drop to the ground, "I love you cuz, try to enjoy your trip" Diego told him giving him a hug and a gentle shove towards the car.

"Love you too D, try to stay in just the right amount of trouble" Carlos said walking to the car. His hand subconsciously holding the pendant from his cousin. He slid into the car next to Jay and jumped when the thief put his arm around him.

Carlos raised one eye brow at him. Jay was pretty casual about touching, but it was to steal more than comfort.

"You're the only one leaving behind someone they actually care about." Jay said with a shrug as if that explained everything.

Carlos expected Mal or Evie to protest that they cared about their moms, but that protest never came.

The settled into their dorms after the tour, Carlos immediately dug out his the box that matched the one Diego had.

"What the hell is that?" Jay asked seeing the weird little box.

"With any luck a way to talk to my cousin." Carlos said.

"Wicked!" Jay said, "well, test it!"

Carlos laughed and poked the button "Hey D"

"Hey 'Los"

Jay laughed at Carlos's expression.

"Holy fuck it worked. It actually worked!" Carlos said in shock.

"Dude, it fucking worked" he said into the box.

"This is amazing." Diego said "How's Auradon?"

"Clean" Carlos said "Princessey too" he added through a yawn.

"Sounds boring. Everyone here is leaving me alone since I ripped into Auntie Ella" Diego's voice came from the box. "Get some sleep 'Los, I'll be here to talk to whenever you want."

"Night D" Carlos said tucking the box into his bedside table.

"That's really cool that you can at least still talk to each other." Jay said.

"Mhmm, helps my head a little, at least I know he's alive."

"Optimism a family trait?" Jay asked.

"Yep, night man" Carlos said sliding into bed.

Three hours later he flopped around some more.

"How the fuck does anyone sleep on a god damn cloud!" he growled under his breath. His heart nearly leaped from his chest when Jay answered him, "I have no clue, these beds bite! I have an idea though, get up"

Jay got up and Carlos followed him, Jay yanked the blankets off his bed and threw them on the floor in front of the window. He pulled the window open a few inches then threw the pillows under the window. He grabbed the blankets off Carlos's bed and tossed them on top of the pile. "There, just like home, come on" Jay said while laying down on one side of the nest. Carlos joined him without a second thought, laying on the floor was much closer to what they were used to. Both teens fell asleep with ease. Carlos woke up with his arm around Jay's waist while the taller boy held him like a teddy bear, it made him grin. Jay always acted like an uncaring ass, but once you got past that he was really cuddly.

"You guys should come try out for tourney!" Ben said walking up behind the Isle kids.

"No thanks" Evie and Carlos said at once.

"Sure" Jay said

"Yeah let boys run into me as an excuse to grab a boob, no thanks" Mal said.

"Dude, try out with me, you're not that bad at sports" Jay said turning to Carlos.

"I am that bad, but fine." Carlos agreed. He always caved to Jay.

While Carlos sat waiting his turn he played with Diego's pendant, letting a rainbow form on the grass in front of him. If anyone noticed they didn't say anything. Ben tried to help him get padding before he got annoyed, nothing came in scrawny nerd, so he told Ben to stuff the padding. Jay quickly did the same. They were Isle kids, padding wasn't their thing. They walked onto the field, Carlos gave a sigh and tried to pretend it was like football. He could sort of play that, if nothing else he was fast.

"Okay guys, we've got the team, Jay and Carlos you are on, filling the two empty spots, everyone else, good try."

"One quick practice so I can see how you all work together, then you can go in" Ben said splitting them into teams. Carlos got set to defense of Chad and wanted to yell, the prince seemed hell bent on running Carlos into the ground, literally.

Near the end of practice Carlos felt himself get tackled, and saw the blur of blond hair. As if that wasn't bad enough he felt a sharp pain in his neck. His had instantly flew to hold his pendant from Diego and saw felt it was gone.

"Give it here, or die." Carlos said deathly calm, considering what he wanted to do to Chad's face.

"No, I think I'll put it where it belongs, in the garbage."

Jay watched from across the field as Chad pinned Carlos, he saw the smaller boy didn't even try to get up and was concerned when he heard Carlos yell "I'll fucking kill you" before flipping Chad over and punching him in the jaw. Ben got there first and pulled Carlos off Chad, surprised at just how strong the thin boy was.

"Dude, the fuck?" Jay yelled as he got closer

"That fucking bastard has my necklace" Carlos yelled while elbowing Ben in the ribs so he could attack Chad again. This time Jay pulled him off and pinned him to the ground. "Kid is stronger than he looks" Ben said rubbing his ribs.

"What were you expecting a prince?" Jay said.

"Give me his necklace, now Chad." Ben said holding out his hand. The prince handed it over before getting up and limping to the locker room.

Ben turned it over and gasped as the sun caught it and made a rainbow. "That's really cool" He said handing it to the pale boy, Jay let him go so he could take the pendant. Carlos took it and tied a new knot in it before slipping it over his head. "Thanks, it's my cousins. He gave it to me so I wouldn't forget him".

Jay saw the look of surprise on Ben's face and added, "They are really close, more like brothers."

"That's surprising, then again I didn't expect friends on the Isle either, and look at you two." Ben admitted.

"Do any of the rest of you have family aside from your parents?"

"No, only D left behind."

"Not a big deal I can talk to him, I just don't want the ass-wipe to take my necklace."

Jay and Ben didn't bother to point out that Carlos hadn't let go of the pendant since he'd gotten it back.

"How can you talk to him?"

"Walkie talkies, I was as shocked as anyone that they worked."

Ben smiled, "Well I'm glad you can do that at least, I'll have to talk to father about getting one more Isle kid over here."

Carlos instantly perked up, "Really?"

"Sure, how old is he?"

"Uhm I think he'll be 19 or 20 this year, he's out of school."

"So what I'm hearing is guardian for you guys when school isn't in session?"

Carlos smiled, Ben stared, it was the first real smile he'd seen on the pale boy.

"I think you broke him" Jay joked.

Jay grabbed Carlos's hand and pulled him away yelling to Ben that he'd see him later.

"Dude, fuck the plan. If he gets D here I am never going back to that Isle." Carlos said. Jay stopped in his tracks and to look at Carlos. He was surprised to see the freckled boy was dead serious.

"If you stay here so do I." Jay said

Carlos's eyes went wide, he didn't expect Jay to stay too.

"If I stay Mal probably will too, and if Mal stays Evie will."

"So just like that, fuck the plan?"

"No, just like that we need to talk to Mal." Jay said, pulling Carlos back into motion he walked to the girls room.

"Mal! We got a sitch."
"Not yet, we're only two days in!" The purple haired girl whined.

"Ben is going to get D here. Carlos says he's not going back to the Isle, if he stays here I stay here."

Mal stared at him.

"Are you staying or going with the plan?" Jay prompted.

"I don't know, fuck, this wasn't suppose to be an option."

"Let me put this to you how I see it. You're falling for Ben, if you get the wand you're second best to a psycho. If you stay here you could be a literal queen."

"How did you know I was falling for Ben?"
"I've known you for a decade" Jay said.

"I'll stay. You have to tell Evie though. She's gonna be upset never seeing her mom again."

"I think I'll get over it" Evie said walking up behind Carlos and Jay. "I hear we're not going back to hell?"

"Nope, Ben is getting Diego and Carlos doesn't want to go back, as long as he gets his cousin." Jay told her

Two months later Ben still hadn't gotten Diego to the mainland. The walkie talkies had stopped working nearly a month ago, and Carlos missed his cousin. Jay had taken to holding the smaller boy as much as possible when they were alone. Mal and Evie didn't say anything, but they could see Carlos was really upset. Mal and Ben had started dating, but Ben wouldn't tell her anything about how the plan to get Diego was working.

On Christmas morning Carlos refused to get up. He woke up with Jay on the floor, neither of them had bothered getting used to the beds in Auradon, they still slept on the floor under the window. Jay tried to get him up, even on the Isle where no one celebrated Christmas Carlos had loved the holiday.

"Come on, wakey wakey" Jay said sing song, trying to get the pale boy out of bed.

"No, I'm not doing Christmas without Diego. I manage day to day, today just let me rot in bed, thanks."

"Well that's dramatic. I'll bring you back some food." Jay said pulling on a shirt. He sort of understood how Carlos felt, after all Diego had been a cousin, father and brother all rolled into one for the younger boy.

"No 'Los today?" Ben asked

"He wouldn't get outta bed, said he won't celebrate Christmas without Diego."

"Gee if only that asshole was here" a voice said behind Jay, he saw Mal smile next to Ben as he spun to pull the older De Vil boy into a hug.

"I have never been so fucking happy to see you. Will you please go get your cousin out of his funk?"

"Lead the way" Diego said with a smile.

Jay shoved the door open and let Diego in. Diego smiled when he saw a Carlos shaped lump laying under a blue and green blanket, the same blanket he'd given him a decade ago. Jay didn't say anything, just watched Diego go lie on their makeshift bed, Carlos had the blanket over his head. "Go away I told you I won't come down without Diego."

"Oh good, get your ass out of the blankets." Jay laughed as he watched Carlos rip the blanket off his head before diving on his cousin.

"Holy fuck you're here!" Carlos said, Diego wrapped his arms around his cousin and grinned.

"Missed you too C" Diego smiled.

"Lose a tooth?" Carlos asked seeing a missing tooth in his cousins smile.

"Yeah, after the talking box things died I got more than a little pissy, Gaston mouthed off to me, and I beat the shit out of him and his brother. I lost a tooth, but they lost the fight." Diego said. "But I'm here now, at least until ya'll finish this master plan."

"The master plan is to never go back!" Carlos said with a smile. He watched Diego's eyes go wide.

"No moldy food, no fighting to live, no more Isle?" Diego asked, not believing his ears.

"I decided if I got you I would stay here. Jay said if I stayed he'd stay. Mal stayed because of him and Evie isn't going back alone, so we stay here."

"You two are pathetic." Jay said, despite his smile. "Come on, breakfast is waiting."

Diego got up and pulled Carlos with him, letting his arm drop around the small boys waist. Whispers kicked up as soon as they walked into mess hall. No one touched the Isle kids except Ben with Mal but they were dating. Seeing Carlos walk in being held by a boy none of the recognized, but was dressed like an Isle kid made every one speculate. Carlos actually started laughing when one person said, "They let the nerd have his boyfriend, that proves Jay and Evie and hooking up!".

They walked over and sat with Ben, Mal and Evie. Diego was amazed just how well his cousin seemed to adjust to Auradon. He ignored the whispers, his head didn't whip around to look at every sound and be didn't flinch when Jay reached past him to grab the butter. He did bite the older boy for stealing a sausage off his plate, but it looked more playful than harmful.

"After breakfast wanna go play football?" Carlos ask.

"Hell yes" Jay and Diego answered him

"You play sports voluntarily? I've never seen you near the outdoors that Jay didn't drag you." Ben said.

"I like football. D always used to play with me, until my mother stabbed the ball, was kinda hard to play after that."

Diego unconsciously squeezed his cousin tighter, the kid really had been through hell.

"Well I guess I'm in, I'd hate you to have lopsided teams." Ben said with a smile.

After breakfast the four got up and went out to the empty tourney field. Jay got a football out of the shed and walked over to Ben. "We do this a little different, than a real game. Basically get the ball to the end no matter what. No play, no pause, no break until the someone gets a touch down, or Mal over there calls the game." Jay said. Mal always refereed for them, so he assumed she'd do it again.

Diego didn't think twice about pulling his shirt off and tossing it to the side lines, on the Isle he hardly wore a shirt. He was surprised when Carlos and Jay did the same thing. Usually Carlos wouldn't take his shirt off if it was on fire.

"When in Rome, eh?" Ben joked while pulling his shirt off too.

"Well so much for Mal watching the game." Jay joked.

"I know how nosy our school is, there will be plenty of people watching" Ben said.

Jay and Ben stood twenty feet apart from Diego and Carlos. Mal sat the ball dead center between the four of them.
"Three, two, one" she yelled "PLAY!"

Jay and Carlos rushed for the ball, Carlos dove and grabbed it, rolling out of the way, he threw it to Diego who started running towards their end of the field. Carlos stood up and took off after him, as soon as Ben got close the older boy tossed the ball to Carlos who had out run Jay by three yards. Carlos threw it back to Diego and decided to be a show off. He launched into a series of flips that landed him in the end zone. Diego threw the ball to him with a grin.

"Point!" Mal yelled.
"Why hell don't you play tourney like that?" Ben asked.

"That's not how that game works."

"Bullshit, next time practice like that the rest of the team will figure it out." Ben said, still in shock that Carlos was athletic.

"'Los is more of a dancer or gymnast. He can't play sports for shit, but he can move" Diego said while they walked back to the middle of the field.

"All out this game?" Jay asked with a feral grin.

"Ben, you up for some bruises?" Carlos asked with a smirk

"Why do I have a feeling I'm about to learn how you two play tourney with no padding." Ben said

"Cuz you are." Diego laughed while tossing the ball to Mal to set them up.

The stands had about twenty students watching the four play. Most of them still trying to figure out who Diego was, the rest trying to figure out why Prince Ben was playing such a rough game without any protection. When Mal yelled play Carlos once again rushed the ball, this time Jay flat out tackled him. Ben stopped to watch, surely the Carlos would be hurt after that hard of an impact, but the small boy sprung up and tore after Jay tackling the older boy to the ground. Diego close on his heels. Ben caught on and played with them. Five rounds later, Carlos and Diego won three to two. All four were caked in dirt, bruised and sweaty. All four were also happy, most of the school had never seen Carlos smile like that, Mal and Evie hadn't seen it since the Isle. Mal and Evie met up with them, Ben unable to resist the urge to hug her and share his dirt, she yelled. Jay decided to pull Evie into a hug which quickly turned into a dog pile on the girls. The six of them laid in the grass laughing while the kids in the stands watched them like the were insane.

"Come on, lets hose off." Ben said starting off to a garden hose by the side of the field. He grabbed it and sprayed Mal. Evie took another hose and hit Jay with the icy water. Twenty minutes later they had all gotten soaked, but they were clean. Diego and Jay both dropped an arm around Carlos. Ben held Mal and Evie as they walked back to the bleachers to drip off. Diego laid back on the bleachers behind him before pulling Carlos against him. Jay sat on the other side of Carlos, their legs just touching. Mal sat on the other side of Diego, she yelped when he pulled her against him, then laughed and relaxed. Ben looped his arm around both Evie and Mal. The six of them made quite a sight for anyone to watch. Finally Audrey approached them.

"What the hell has gotten into you guys today, and who is the new kid?" she asked, not believing how common Ben was acting.

"It's Christmas, I'm making sure everyone has a good one. The new kid is Carlos's cousin and guardian of the Isle kids." Ben didn't even look up to acknowledge his ex, she had a bad habit of wanting everyone in Auradon prep to be exactly like her.

"But it's not proper!" She argued, surely Ben could see it wasn't fitting for a prince to act like an Isle kid.

"Nope, but it's damn fun. You should try it sometime" Ben smirked, a habit he'd picked up from Jay. Audrey stomped away in a huff.

"I don't know about the rest of Auradon, but you're pretty damn cool." Diego said, letting his eyes drift shut as he enjoyed the sunshine.