#cause it seems like he invented an invisibility serum just because he could

[dabruzzy]

Lyle is the only Legionnaire who gave himself his own powers on purpose (as far as I know at least), and I wish that was something that was explored more because it's so interesting. It says so much about him as a character that he chose to give himself the power of invisibility. I know it's presented as a thing he did just for fun, but I don't think it's a stretch to think that he felt pretty lonely for most of his life before joining the Legion, what with his parents being very absent and having only one friend during his childhood (that he later lost).

And the same goes for Threeboot Lyle, who also has a strained relationship with her parents (to put it lightly) and struggles with feeling underappreciated. But I think the fact that Jim Shooter intended for Lyle to be trans also adds another layer to her creating an invisibility serum, using her invisibility to hide herself because of her gender dysphoria.

[lovemesomerafael]

Others Like Me                                 Chapter 7:  The Eve of Battle

Chapters 1-5      Chapter 6      Read it on AO3

The next morning, Bucky finally learns what the team’s been waiting for.  When he and Marya walk into the communal kitchen for breakfast, Scott Lang is slouched in a chair, looking for all the world like a homeless crack addict on a particularly bad hair day.  No one is sitting near him or talking to him, because he's snoring loudly and wetly. 

"Don't mind him," Tony says breezily.  “He had a long flight back from Siberia."

Marya is instantly on him, and Bucky finds it interesting that, although Tony goes into a protective stance right away, it’s all about preserving the safety of his coffee.  The look he gives Marya is offended and indignant, and it’s all Bucky can do not to laugh.

"Siberia?  Did he go to the bunker?  Did he see my brothers and sisters?  Are they all right?"

Tony looks over at Bucky with a raised, sardonic eyebrow.

"She's excited," Bucky shrugs, then turns to her with a grin.  "He doesn't speak Russian, remember?"

With an embarrassed but impatient exhale, she repeats the same questions in English.

Tony quickly explains Scott’s abilities as Ant Man, and insists they let him sleep.  He deserves it.  He’s been checking out the bunker for two weeks, and he’s exhausted.  Besides, he’s also caused a little trouble there - because when does he not - and Tony wants him to have to explain it himself.  

 It's hours later when Scott wakes up.  Bucky's had his hands full all day, trying to counter all the excuses Marya keeps making to go back and talk to him, and find things to distract her.  Sex worked for a few hours, but eventually even that stopped keeping her fully occupied, and he had to suggest a workout.  She’s only gotten more anxious as the day’s gone on.  

Right now, she’s beside herself and trying to work out her impatient irritation by tossing Bucky around in various throws that are making him regret his cavalier offer to play the attacker. He tries not to wince as he goes in again, trying to immobilize her.  She gets a shoulder under him – how does she keep doing that? – and once again, he finds himself pinned with her foot on his neck.  He tells himself it’s just that she’s got so much adrenaline surging through her, and he’s kind of worn out from last night and this morning. And again this morning.  He makes a point not to think about the fact that she’s been in the same bed he’s been in.

Finally, it’s time to get together and hear what Scott Lang has to say.  It’s great intel.  He’s been everywhere in the bunker, learned the routine of the place – as much routine as there is – and created a detailed diagram.  Marya created one when she arrived, too, but Scott was able to get inside walls and machines and fill in some details about wiring and such that she couldn’t know, not being able to shrink to the size of an insect like Scott can.

He was also able to talk with the captives, but only briefly.  That’s where the problem came in.  The Hydra brass are livid that their Asset and Troop Eight escaped.  They’re not convinced they acted alone, and haven’t given up trying to get the other Troops to talk.  The Troops told him that one of them was being tortured at that moment, so he’d hurriedly assured them that “Eight” was safe and with The Avengers, and that he would see what he could do for the Troop being questioned.

Scott shrunk himself and entered the room where the interrogation was happening, to see five goons having a field day with the Troop and a couple of stun batons.  He found himself particularly disapproving of their methods and unable to resist interfering.  He’d thought that he’d figured out how the power was routed in the room, and all he’d meant to do was turn out the lights, fuck with the goons a little, and then open the door so the Troop could escape.  Instead, he’d ended up fried, full-sized, and trying to explain his presence (and his suit) to a roomful of thugs who spoke only Russian.

The Troop, of course, spoke English perfectly well and was pretty quick on the uptake, to boot.  He told the goons that Scott was using a new Hydra invention that allowed him to become invisible in order to do “performance audits” on their behavior.  Off the cuff, the Troop made up a series of imaginary Hydra regulations on the spot and translated Scott’s stinging rebuke for violating them.  In fact, all Scott was saying was that he thought them bad-mannered and questioned their commitment to hygiene, but they didn’t know that.  While Scott recovered and repaired his suit, the Troop had the Hydra flunkies on the floor doing situps as punishment.  

Hearing that, Marya’s face lights up and she jumps up with a shriek from her seat at the conference table to hug Scott where he stands.  He looks fairly happy about that, except that with her enhanced strength, he seems a little sore afterward.  

“That had to be my brother! My true brother, the one who was taken with me.  Did he tell you his name?  Was it Desit’?”

Scott steps back.  “If it was, you’re not gonna hug me again, are ya’? ‘Cause I bruise easy.”  

“Not if you don’t want me to,” she laughs, radiating joy.

“I think that was it.  He looks kinda like you.  Big scar on his forehead?”

“Yes!  That’s him!”

“All right, all right,” Steve says, signaling Marya to return to her chair.  “I’m glad he’s OK, Marya, but let’s get on with this.”

Bucky’s happy she’s happy, and puts an arm around her as she sits back down next to him.  

“They really should’ve taken the dumb ones,” she whispers smugly in his ear.  

 There is now no question that everything Bucky and Marya have been saying about the bunker is true.  With the intel Scott’s provided, the entire team goes into planning mode.  The plan has two goals: rescue the captives, and destroy the Hydra bunker completely. Steve wants absolute destruction, and confirmation that nothing is going to survive this time. Uncharacteristically, for once he’s not even particularly harping on trying not to kill anyone.   

Preparing for the operation takes a long time, because Steve’s determined to wipe Hydra out completely while keeping his entire team safe, and Marya and Scott keep pointing out flaws in the plan.  But it's finally happening.  Bucky feels a sense of satisfaction and anticipation he hasn’t felt about a mission since his days with the 107th.  It feels good.  It feels clean.  

For the first time since Steve found him in Bucharest and brought him, eventually, to the Compound, Bucky thinks he's happy.  Actually happy.  Besides being part of destroying the remnants of the thing he hates above all else, he’s also building something good.  It's so easy to be with Marya.  She's had the serum, just like he has, which means she's as horny as he is, and has the stamina to back it up.  She’s also so strong he doesn’t have to hold back for fear of hurting her.

Because she’s so unsophisticated, having grown up in such an insular world, she has no guile at all. She says exactly what she means, and doesn’t know how to twist him around with the coy, underhanded feminine games that used to make him want to pull his hair out in frustration.  Which isn’t to say she isn’t playful.  She makes him laugh a hundred times a day, between asking adorably naïve questions one minute and, in the next, mocking him like the smartass she is.  

Best of all, he can tell her anything about his patchy, horrific memories of his time as Hydra's mindless weapon, and she understands.  She doesn't judge him; she can't.  She doesn't want to, because she is entirely certain that they are innocent of blame for any of the things Hydra made them do.  And the more they dig through his memories, the more he risks actually thinking about and even saying some of those things out loud, the more he’s able to question his own responsibility in it all.  

Because Bucky simply can’t maintain his belief that he’s a monster at the same time he’s falling in love with someone just like him.  

Maybe he and Marya don't have a lifetime of shared experience like he and Steve do.  Maybe they don't know each other's thoughts before they even think them.  Maybe Bucky still aches for Steve every minute of every day.  But Bucky and Marya also don't have the insurmountable obstacles that loom between him and Steve. 

The one thing he would change if he could is that Steve seems to have no use for him anymore, even as a friend.  Ironically, Steve's closer to Marya now than he is to Bucky.  Ever since Steve showed a willingness to teach her combat techniques, she hasn't been able to get enough, and he seems to be just as glad to show her.  Bucky knows Marya likes Steve, and the feeling appears to be mutual.  Strange as it seems, they seem at ease with one another.  So now, after a month at the Compound, when Bucky finds himself looking for Marya, he's just as likely to find her in the training building with Steve as anywhere else. 

But when he does, Steve gets stiff and quiet and makes some mumbled excuse to get away without looking at Bucky.  Steve and Bucky haven’t just hung out even once since they’ve been back, and Steve's entirely stopped working out or training with him.  It's excruciating, and Bucky misses Steve more than he could ever have imagined.  It’s part of why he asks Marya about their lessons; if he can’t talk to Steve, he can at least talk about him.  Maybe this is the way it has to be, Bucky thinks, so that Steve will move on.  He just wishes it didn't hurt so fucking much he can hardly breathe.

Bucky’s been working a lot with Sam lately.  They’re not close, although they’ve developed a sort of faux rivalry that Bucky really enjoys and thinks Sam does, too.  But Bucky respects Sam’s insights, and he knows Sam doesn’t pity him.  He knows Sam just recognizes him for the psychologically injured soldier he is.  That’s Sam’s wheelhouse, and he’s been willing to spend an hour or so every few days in what Bucky’s starting to think of as their “sessions”.  It’s helping.

This evening, while Bucky’s with Sam, Marya’s in the Training Building with Steve.  They’re done for the night; Marya was willing to keep going, but Steve knows when to quit, even if she doesn’t.  They’re sitting on the edge of the massive mat that covers a good-sized section of the floor, but they’re not talking about combat.  They’re talking about Bucky.  And for the first time, they’re arguing.  Sort of.  

“I think you’re wrong.  You don’t know him like I do.”  Steve winces. “Did.”

“Captain, please don’t do that.“

“Look, I appreciate that you’re lookin’ out for him.  But just…  leave it alone.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s none of your damn business, lady.  That’s why.”  Steve’s not usually rude, especially to women, but damn.  Of all people he does not want to talk to about his relationship with Bucky…

Interestingly, she doesn’t say anything, but she also doesn’t get up in a huff, either.  That’s kind of why he said that, kind of what he wants her to do.  Then again, he doesn’t.  Talking with her is the closest he can get to Bucky now.  

For a surprisingly long time, they just sit, silently thinking their own thoughts, until Steve says, “I’m sorry.  It’s just that, he and I…  it’s a mess.”

“When I first saw you together, it was obvious you love each other.”

Jeez.  What a thing for Bucky’s girlfriend to say.  Any other woman, Steve would think she was baiting him, but he doesn’t think Marya would even know what that is.  “We’ve known each other our whole lives.  Depended on each other.  We used to be closer than brothers.”  

“And you were lovers.”  It’s just a statement of fact.  This conversation’s getting a little weird for Steve.

“Yeah, but that was a long time ago.  Anyway, now he has you.  And I’m glad.  I think you’re good for him.”

“You don’t mean that.  But it was a generous thing to say.”

“Anyway, I’m trying to mean it.  But it’s hard.  I’m still in love with him.”  Steve has absolutely no idea where that comes from, and he sure as hell doesn’t know why he says it to her, of all people.  Maybe he says it to hurt her.  Maybe it’s a challenge.  Or maybe he just needs to talk to somebody about his love for Bucky so bad he’s lost every ounce of pride he had left.

But she’s not hurt, or angry, and she’s certainly not gloating.  If anything, she seems a little… sad?  And now that he’s started, he can’t stop.

“I died when he fell off that train.  I felt like there was no point to anything.  The plane crash after that, you know about that?”

“Yes.”

“I crashed that plane because I had to.  I couldn’t let that bomb reach its target.  And I was scared, I mean, I didn’t particularly want to die, exactly.  But the thing is…  What I was thinkin’ about at the end, was Bucky.  I was gonna get to see Bucky.  And I thought, that’s all right then.  I didn’t particularly like livin’ without him, anyway.”

Marya just nods.  “But you didn’t die.  And neither did he.”

“When I first woke up, and I saw where I was, that I hadn’t died?  I wasn’t happy.  I wasn’t relieved.  I was pissed. Everything about waking up seventy years after I crashed that plane, it all sucked.  But the worst part was that I still didn’t get to be with Bucky.” Steve’s eyes are unfocused, looking back into memory.  “And then I saw him, that day on the bridge.”

“And you found him, and you rescued him.”

“I had no choice.  It was Bucky.  I didn’t know how, or why, all I knew was that somehow, Bucky was alive and in the world somewhere, and I had to get to him.  I knew all the shit he’d done.  I learned everything I could about him.  And I learned even more terrible things once we’d found him.  But I didn’t care.  I still don’t.  All those people, all those governments tryin’ to stop me, everybody tellin’ me he was too far gone, none of it mattered.  All I wanted, all I’ve ever wanted, is Bucky.”  

“He knows that, Captain,” Marya says softly.  She takes a breath, like she knows he’s not gonna like what she’s about to say.  “The thing is, love like that, it can be… heavy, if you think you don’t deserve it.”

That pisses Steve off.  “What the hell does that mean?  I never blamed him for anything.  I didn’t expect anything from him, or try to change him.  So what’s heavy about it?”  He slams a hand into the mat, flat-palmed, making a noise that rattles the windows.  

“It’s nothing you did or didn’t do, Captain.  You’re not the problem.  The problem is what doing those terrible things did to him.”

Steve stands and starts to pace, his voice raising in pitch and volume as he vents more of the  frustration he’s been trying to keep inside.  “He could barely stand to have me touch him.  He avoided even seeing me for a while.  But I couldn’t stay away from him, and he started to let me get closer. I pushed.  I know I shouldn’t have, but I couldn’t stop myself.  We were both alive, and together, and it was a miracle, but that wasn’t good enough for me.  I was desperate for what we’d had before.  And for a while, it looked like we might be able to get there.  We even made love a few times.  But there was always this wall between us.  It was like we were standing on either side, both of us wanting to get to each other, but we just couldn’t seem to break through it. In the end, he stopped trying.  He said he was just too tainted, too defiled.  And he told me I had to find someone worthy of my love.”  He spits the word with an ugly grimace.

“He just wasn’t ready to be loved by someone as good as you are.”

“Doesn’t seem to have any problem accepting it from you,” Steve snarls, unable to contain the flare of jealousy.  

“That’s because I’m as evil as he is.”

Steve scoffs and pulls his hands painfully through his hair, turning away from her.  “He doesn’t think you’re evil.”

“He doesn’t think I’m good.  Not like you.  To him, you’re spotless.  Virtuous.” Marya stands then.  “I’m not like that.  That’s why he can let me in.”

“I never claimed to be some kinda paragon.”

“Maybe not.  But to him, you are.  And that’s why he couldn’t let you love him.”  She waits to see if she’s going to respond and, when he doesn’t, starts toward the shower room.

Steve lets her go.  He knows that if he says anything right this minute, it’s gonna be ugly. Something about this broad who’s known Bucky all of ten seconds talking like she knows him makes Steve want to hurl.  And still he couldn’t keep himself from saying far, far too much.  Shit. He knew they were getting into dangerous territory.  He should never have said any of that stuff, to anyone, and now he’s blabbed it to the last person on the planet who should’ve heard it.  He thinks he hurt Marya’s feelings somehow, too, without a clue what it was he even said, and although he’s irritated as all hell with her, he felt like they were starting to be friends.  Now he’s blown that potential friendship, which will undoubtedly fuck up his oldest friendship even more than it already was.  

It doesn’t get better for Steve for the rest of the evening.  He has to watch Bucky and Marya, looking like they’re ready to tear each other’s clothes off and fuck right there on the table, and he has to listen to Tony and Scott telling him he’s three kinds of wrong about how they’re going to blow up the Hydra bunker once they get everybody out.  Natasha is in a mood, snarling at everyone and Steve in particular.  Clint and Sam are chattering about some inane TV show, which is stomping on Steve’s last nerve, while Bruce goes on, again, about how The Avengers really need to go vegan.

The more he thinks about his life, the more he realizes how incredibly unfair and fucked up it all is.  Why does he have to be Captain America?  Why does he have to lead this ridiculous group of mavericks and freaks who all think they know better than he does and probably do?  When’s it his turn to have someone look at him like he’s made of chocolate and shits rainbows, the way Marya’s looking at Bucky? Maybe he should just hang it all up and let the world be destroyed if it’s going to.  He’s exhausted, he’s up to his ass in world-shattering problems, he’s insanely horny, he’s desperately lonely, and he just wants to be left the fuck alone.

Some days it sucks to be Steve Rogers.  

 It’s late that night when Bucky makes his way from the kitchen back to his rooms, carrying a plate of peanut-butter sandwiches because he and Marya have already burned off everything they ate at dinner.  Steve’s just coming out his door.  From his clothes, it looks like he’s going for a late-night run.  Everything in Bucky wants to confront Steve, to make him talk to him.  He stops as they approach each other, and tries to look casual as he says, “Hey.”

Steve looks like he swallowed a frog.  “Refueling?”  He asks with a cruel sneer.

“Uh… wha-“

“You think I can’t hear you two?”  Steve pushes angrily by Bucky.

“Shit, Steve, I’m sorry…  I didn’t even think-“

“Yeah.  Whatever.”

How are they already arguing?  “No, Steve, c’mon.  I’m sorry. I would never…  You know that.“

Steve turns around and walks back, getting in Bucky’s face.  “You know somethin’, Buck?  I don’t know that.  And you know why I don’t know that?  Because I don’t know the first fuckin’ thing about you.  Because you won’t tell me.”  He steps back.  “So, fine. You found someone you can talk to.  I’m happy for you, I really am.  Hell, I’m crazy about her myself.  But can we please quit pretending we’re best buddies, huh?  We used to be, and it was great.  But we’re not anymore.  With the shit we’ve been through, who could blame us?  We should just be glad we’re even alive.”

“Steve-“

“Just leave me the hell alone.”

With that, Steve starts back down the hall, lifting his forearms and jogging, like he’s starting his run already rather than just getting away from Bucky as fast as he can go.  

Bucky’s in a lousy mood after that, although he tries to hide it.  He’s glad when Marya says she thinks she should practice sleeping alone.  He’s too wrapped up in his own head to even notice the strangeness of that claim, and he’s certainly not currently thinking about the fact that Steve isn’t the only one with enhanced hearing.

He waits up.  He’s not even pretending to himself that he’s not waiting for Steve to come back.  When he hears Steve in the hall, he doesn’t hesitate.

Steve sees him as he turns to shut his door.  Bucky doesn’t ask to come in, just pushes past Steve and shuts the door himself.  

“Bucky, it’s late-“

“Like you give a fuck about that.  Just come off it, Steve.   Talk to me.  Talk to me like I’m your friend.  Talk to me like I’m the guy who used to come lookin’ anytime I couldn’t see you on the schoolyard, and save your tiny ass from whatever bruiser you’d called out.”

“Talk to you.  That’s ironic, coming from you.”

“Maybe it is.  Maybe I’m a complete asshole and I got a helluva nerve, callin’ myself your friend. But I do.  I am.  And this bein’ strangers shit, it ain’t workin’ for me.”

“Yeah?  Tell it to someone who cares.”  Steve goes into his bathroom and slams the door.  Bucky thinks about laying on the bed while he waits, but thinks better of it and just takes a chair.  He’s sitting there, feet up, reading a book when Steve comes out.  He’s wearing nothing but a towel, and Bucky notices.

“You gotta be kiddin’ me,” Steve sighs, seeing him.

“This is a great book,” Bucky says, kind of enjoying Steve’s discomfort.  “You ever read this?”

Steve crosses the room to a chest of drawers and pulls out a pair of underwear. He gives Bucky a dirty look as he rips off the towel and throws it to the floor.  Bucky chuckles.  

“You’re an asshole,” Steve grumbles.

“You’re worse.”

Once he gets his underwear on, Steve pulls on a pair of drawstring pajama pants and a plain white T-shirt and goes to sit on the end of his bed across from Bucky. “What do you want?”

“I want my friend back.”

“Yeah, well, I want world peace.”

“I’d settle for peace right here in this room.”

Steve gets up and starts to pace.  “Bucky…”

Bucky gets up, too.  “Look, I’m sorry.  I’m sorry I’m so fucked up.  What you did for me, I’ll never be able to pay that back.  And I’d do the same for you, a hundred times over.  That’s who we are to each other.  The other stuff…  I don’t regret a second of it.  But it was always a risk.  We said so, remember?  And it didn’t work out, so now here we are.”

“Yeah.  Now here we are.”

Bucky can feel himself starting to panic.  That dead tone in Steve’s voice is killing him.  Aside from everything else, Steve’s the one person who can anchor him in this noisy, smelly, too-fast future they’re living in.  The one person who knows who Bucky Barnes was… before.  If their friendship is dead, like everything else from the world Bucky still thinks of as the “real” one…  “Please, Stevie, just try.  I want it back the way it used to be.  I need that.  I’m not even me if we’re not friends.  I’m nothing. All right?”

The way Steve looks at Bucky, it’s an even bet whether he’s gonna hug him or knock his block off.  At this point, Bucky will take either one.  But Steve doesn’t say anything.

“Steve.  Please.”

Bucky watches while Steve has a whole conversation with himself, which Bucky can practically hear.  He knows exactly what things Steve’s weighing against each other, and Bucky’s heart’s in his throat, because he knows one of those things is whether Bucky’s even worth all the bullshit.  It goes on for an excruciatingly long time.

“All right, Buck.  I’ll try,” Steve sighs, weariness in every angle of his body.

“Yeah?”  Bucky knows he sounds like they’re fourteen again.  He feels like it.  

Steve looks into his eyes from five feet away and shakes his head.  “I swear, you’re the biggest pain in the ass…”

Bucky, ecstatic with relief, rushes him and they hug like they used to. Strongly.  Fiercely.  They both have tears in their eyes.  

[graceunderstrain]

Good Boy Part 35

There’s going to be non-Disney Channel language in this chapter, aka swearing.

Sorry for the delay, had to try writing this a couple of times before it came out half way decent. 

Story so far: http://graceunderstrain.tumblr.com/post/154796607914/good-boy-links

“I think we should play a different game now,” Evie smiled sweetly, “Two Truths and A Lie.”

Jay and Mal quickly voiced their enthusiasm as the potion should be kicking in any time but Jim seemed to hesitate.

“When exactly are Ben and Doug getting here?” Jim inquired.

“What are you scared you’re going to lose?” Jay challenged. Jim always seemed to be on his case, maybe turning the tables.

“Not really, I rarely lose. Most people don’t have what it takes to win,” Jim responded calmly as he sat, indicating that Carlos should sit next to him with a pat.

Evie, Mal, and Jay exchanged a look was that an honest answer or just bluster? They quickly arranged themselves on the floor, Mal sitting directly across from Jim; Jay between Carlos and Mal; and Evie next to Jim. Mal had magicked her phone invisible to others and attached it to her jacket. She pretended to dust some lint off of her lapel, as she pushed the button to record.

“Everyone knows the rules, right? Tell three statements, one of which is a lie. Everyone else gets to ask you one follow up question to try and figure out the lie and then we all vote. Whoever identifies the most lies wins. I’ll start and then we go to the left,” Evie stated. Once everyone had nodded in agreement she continued: “I learned how to sew when I was five years old. I hate the sound of knuckles being cracked.  I am in the process of patenting a chemical dye I invented.”

Evie’s tone never wavered and she looked evenly ahead the entire time she spoke, though Jay didn’t really care he just wanted to ask Jim some questions. He really hoped the truth would set them free, as the Fairy Godmother was always saying. It seemed much more likely that while Jay’s suspicions might publicly be confirmed, Jim seemed like the type who could slip out of any situation- just like his father had.

Jay suddenly noticed everyone was looking at him when Mal gave him a quick jab in the side.

“Uhh… Evie, if you hate hearing knuckles being cracked why don’t you get annoyed when Mal and I do it?” Jay asked.

“If I did, wouldn’t you both do it more often?” Evie answered him with her own question.

Jay was pretty positive he’d caught the lie. While what Evie had said made sense, revealing her dislike now would carry the same risk as telling them earlier.

“What was your first sewing project?” Mal queried.

“An apron, so I wouldn’t mess up my outfits while learning to cook.”

After a few seconds consideration, Mal called for a vote. Everyone raised their hand for statement number two and Evie confirmed they were correct.  Jay felt tension build in his chest as they moved on to Jim. What if what he said hurt Carlos? What if Carlos chose to stay with Jim anyways? Jay took a quick breath to control himself so he could actually listen to what was being said.

Jim began, “Life has always been pretty boring though it’s been a bit more interesting since you four showed up.” He took a quick gulp from his cup, almost seeming to want to cut himself off from talking. “I have a twin sister, Alana, who is nothing like me. I can’t believe I’m related to anyone in my family actually.” Jim’s eyes seemed to widen a bit, and Jay suddenly wondered if this was the first real emotion he’d seen on the prince’s face. Jim took a bite of food as if to slow himself down. “I think something’s wrong with me.”

“Do you need to go to the nurse or something?” asked Carlos, his voice rising in concern.

“Well that was a waste of a question, wasn’t it?” Jim slapped away Carlos’s hand and the smaller boy retreated a bit,”I don’t want to go to the nurse.The last thing I need is to be around an adult right now. I must be drunk or something. Stuff is just slipping out, but I can still beat you four at this game.”

Carlos darted a pleading look at Jay, obviously wanting his friend to call off the game. Jay couldn’t though, it seemed like Jim was honest as h was going to get and Jay wasn’t going to waste time seeing how long the serum lasted.

Trying to act as if the game was still fun, Jay asked the question that had popped into his mind as soon as Jim had started talking, “You said life got interesting when we arrived. Why?”

“Come on look around you- this is happily ever after. Everyone’s so nice, so happy. There’s no challenge to manipulating them. Sure I can make Punzie cry but a few minutes later she’ll just ask her parents if she’s really all that bad and she’ll be back to her perky self.  You four, on the other hand. You put all this armor up. Usually, I know what makes someone tick right after we meet, not so with you VKs. The best part is once I really looked though, there was so much there. Underneath it all you all, are so damaged and frightened. You especially, C.” Jay felt his temper rise at someone outside of their friend group using the nick name, “You wouldn’t go crying to someone if bad stuff happened. I could finally do things that the adults would get me in trouble for but you wouldn’t complain. Even now I know you hate me saying this to your friends, but you won’t tell me to stop. Will you?”

“But I will. Stop it,” Jay interrupted.  Jim seemed a bit disorientated and actually did shut up. “Carlos, are you ok?”

Carlos looked up from his lap. He seemed to be keeping a hold of himself. “What is going on?” Carlos directed his question at the four.

“We want to get to the bottom of what’s going on between you and Jim,” Jay said. They probably should have let Carlos know all along, “We, well, I think Jim’s been twisting the truth. Saying things are your fault even though it isn’t.”

“Well, it really is Carlos’s fault,” Jim said, using the same tone with which someone might comment on the weather. “He has all these feelings. He is weak. You’d think a villain’s son would have discovered the secret.”

“What secret?” Mal asked, her eyes a threatening neon green.

“It’s all pretend. You only have to act like you care, so to keep all the idiots around you from realizing that if they too stopped caring, they could actually live for once. Once you can get someone to like you, then you can get whatever you want If you really care about what they think, then you give all your power away. I’m in control because I don’t let the stupid rules and emotions get in the way.”

“Screw you, Jim,” Carlos said angrily. “What in Hades name made you more fucked up than us?”

Jim laughed, “Oh, normally I’d give some BS answer about the pressure of having to be the perfect prince.” His voice became overly pitiful as he impersonated the situation, “I’ve been really anxious lately. How will I ever measure up to my mommy and daddy? I worry no one will love me if I make even the tiniest mistake. It’s so hard. Alana never does anything wrong. Everyone likes her better.” His voice returned to Jim’s normal tone, “Honestly, I’ve always been this way. I’m lucky. I see the world how it really is.”

Jay struggled to remain seated. Violence on tape would mess up the whole blackmail situation. He glanced at Carlos who seemed at loss, unsure whether to remain angry or to forgive.

“Did you break Carlos’s arm?” Mal said. She was moving on to the list of prepared questions. Motivations were all well and good but if they didn’t have a confession, it was just a rant.

“Yes.” Jim seemed a bit proud of this. “Still, don’t know why I am telling you any of this. Is it some kind of spell.”

Mal ignored him, asking, “ Why?”

“Because he wasn’t doing what I wanted, it was the only way to get my way.”

“It wasn’t an accident?” Carlos asked in surprise.

“Of course not.”

Jay tried to radiate comfort, unsure if he should touch Carlos or not.

“C,” he spoke softly as Mal continued her questions, “Is it ok we’re doing this?”

Carlos nodded.

“Do you want to go outside? We’ve got a long list of questions but you don’t have to hear it all. We can leave. I’ll go with you. The girls can handle themselves.”

Carlos considered for a moment before nodding. Jay and Carlos got to their feet. Jim barely seemed to notice the difference, the spell description had said the serum caused the victim to be unable to focus on multiple things at once, as the distraction was counterproductive. Jay and Carlos walked down the corridor in silence, out of the dorms, and into a small, empty courtyard.

“What the hell, Jay,” Carlos hissed. “You couldn’t just leave it alone. Instead, you went to Mal and Evie and the three of you have some plan. You didn’t bother to ask me if I wanted any of this. Who cares about Carlos’ opinion! He’s too stupid and weak to notice his boyfriend is a psycho. We’ve got to go save him.”

“We didn’t mean it like that,” Jay protested.

“Well, you might not have meant to but seriously,” Carlos swore again. “ Do you think so little of me that you couldn’t  let me in on it? You used magic, didn’t you? You think hearing all my pain’s going to change anything?”

Jay was unprepared for a sudden shove that sent him stumbling backward. When he regained his balance, Carlos was half slumped over.

“I didn’t mean to cause you pain,” Jay said unsure where to begin, “It’s just when we talked I felt like Jim had messed you up, that you couldn’t think clearly. I couldn’t bear seeing you that way. You’re right, I should have told you our plan in advance.”

Carlos looked up at Jay. “You were right,” said Carlos sadly, “I’m living some big lie. I was willing to stay no matter what the cost. I couldn’t think for myself.”

Jay took a step forward, opening his arms if Carlos wanted a hug.

“I just wanted to be loved,” Carlos said in a small voice. “Maybe I knew something was wrong, but I thought- I thought if I loved him enough it would change. Like in the fairytales. True love can change anything. So dumb.”

“I don’t think it’s dumb. I just don’t think Jim wanted to change.”

“Yeah.” Carlos sat down on a nearby bench. Jay sat next to him, waiting for the younger boy to work through his thoughts. A few minutes late Carlos finally spoke again, “How’d I manage to find the one villain in Auradon?”

“At least you’re acknowledging there are other people out there besides, Jim. I’m sure the next person you date will be way better.”

“Yeah.”

The friends sat in silence for quite a while.

“I can’t do it anymore, not after what he said,” Carlos sighed. “I feel like a failure but it’s over, isn’t it?”

“Well, I don’t think you’re the one who failed,” Jay said. “But I get that you feel that way. I’m sorry you had to hear that crap.”

“What did you three do anyway?” Carlos finally asked.

“Gave him a truth serum. Mal’s also recording the whole thing- so we can,” Jay stopped himself, “So you can decide what you want to do with that.”

Carlos considered, “Show it to the Fairy Godmother, I guess. Maybe she can help him.”

Jay wanted to tell Carlos help was the last thing Jim deserved but Jay had made enough unilateral decision for one day.

“How come we’re all not spouting the truth?” Carlos asked, “We all ate and drank the same stuff.”

“The rest of us had an antidote beforehand.”

“Do you think I’m an idiot for believing in Jim?”

“No,” Jay said. “He’s clearly fooled a lot of people before you. I think the same thing could have happened to any of us.”

“Well, we’d better go back up and make sure the girls are doing ok,” Carlos said with a bit more confidence than earlier.

Jay nodded in agreement and they headed back together.