#isle of the lost

[c0nfessions-of-a-writing-freak]

Protective Flower

Pairing: Harry Hook x Fem!Reader

Wordcount: 1.4k

Summary: While making your rounds of the Isle making sure everyone still fears your name, you run into an old acquaintance. Someone oversees this and doesn't take lightly to others touching what is his.

Bingo: @eclipsingbingo with the square 'Jealousy'

*Gif does not belong to me

Boots clicking with every step, you had not a care in the world as you walked through the Isle of the Lost. Why would you? You were the daughter of Madame Gothel, the Mother Gothel. Everyone on the Isle knew of your mother's story and with that came protection, a blanket of safety that her name alone offered you.

That didn't mean you let the glare on your features fall or had your back turned on anyone for too long. With brisk steps you passed through different sections of the Isle, never staying for too long. It was only when you saw the back of someone's head whom you never thought you'd see again.

"Jay?" You slowly question, your voice hesitant in case who you thought was in front of you was an illusion or just an insanely good look-alike whom you've never seen before that day. It was only when the boy's head of long brown hair turned and a whisper of your name left his lips that you knew it was him. "What are you doing here? I thought you had gotten off this island and were at Auradon."

"Some circumstances have changed," He muttered with a coy grin, bounding his way over to you. The fast approach made you take a few small steps back, trying to put distance in between the two of you in case he decided to try something, though Jay bypassed this easily, one of his strides making up for three of yours as he wrapped his arms tightly around you. "I've missed you. We all have."

You froze immediately as you were engulfed, not expecting the embrace and hardly knowing what to call it. The feeling that arose from being trapped within Jay's arms was odd, almost comforting. That didn't matter though as you kept your arms glued to your side, not raising them to return the gesture.

"I'm sure it would've passed," You mumbled, voice gruff as you remembered what it had been like before Jay, Mal, Evie and Carlos left the Isle. How things have changed since then. Your words caused Jay to finally pull back, which you were both grateful for since the action was weak, though also longed for it to return, the simple contact something you have never experienced on the Isle evoking something within you. It must have been some trickery Auradon had taught them. "You never did say why you were here. And if you're here, I'm assuming so are the others."

"About that," Jay trailed off, hand sheepishly going to rub at the back of his neck. The action instantly had you quirking an eyebrow, never before seen such an action from the taller VK. Or former VK. "Carlos actually sent me to come and find you. We were wondering if we could use your help. Like old times-"

"What do we have here?" A taunting voice called out, cutting off the end of Jay's sentence, not that you needed to hear the rest of it to know what he was asking of you. You didn't even bat an eye to the new voice, coming well accustomed to it in the past year, more so than before Jay and his little redeemed squad had run off. "Runnin' into ya two times in a day has got ta be a good omen."

Jay's whole deemer immediately changed at not only the sight of him but also the sound. Turning an annoyed glare that held more heat than you knew Jay could still muster onto the newest arrival, Jay greeted him with a less than pleased grunt, "Hook."

Harry Hook, in all his glory, came out from the shadows he had previously lurking in so the deranged grin he was flashing could be seen by all.

"Don't sound so sad ta see me," Harry's laugh felt as if a harsh bite had sunken into you. It wasn't unwelcomed but such a stark contrast to what Jay had offered you moments ago. His eyes fell on you quickly, blue irises sucking you in as he walked closer, sealing his spot at your side as he wrapped a tight arm around your waist and pulled you flush to his side. "I was wondering when the two of yer would meet again. It was only a matter of time I suppose."

Jay's eyes locked in on the hand on your waist, Harry's fingers flexing at the sight as they curled in tighter. The sensation didn't hurt, not when you've felt it before. It was almost comforting, though in a different way to how Jay tried offering it. You weren't oblivious enough to not understand that Harry was staking his claim, however, making it known to Jay how things were running this time around.

"I didn't know the two of you had buddied up since we've been gone," Jay had to drag his eyes away from where the two of you were connected, never taking his eyes off of you as he refused to look into Harry's.

"Things have changed since you and the others were taken off the Isle," You shrugged your shoulders up as you spoke, giving it to Jay plainly. After he and the others left you were without a gang to call your own, leaving you to resort to other means of getting by. "Not all of us were whisked away to be Princesses and Princes."

"I can see that," Jay breathes out as if the words were vile on his tongue. You weren't ashamed of this. Just because you had grown closer to Harry and his crew in his and the other's absence didn't mean you were going to flip a switch now that they were back. "It was nice catching up with you. If you want to talk more, you know where to find us."

"I'll see you around Jay," You bid your farewell, surprised that Harry was able to remain as quiet as he did. Not sparing you another word, though his eyes flickered down to where Harry kept his hold on you, Jay turned away so he could make his way back to the hideout he must've come from.

"Now wasn't that a lovely chat," Harry chirped, rounding on you once Jay was out of sight. His other hand came down to your hip, resting there tightly as he slowly began to back you up. "I was just on my way to warn ya as well of Mal and her little crew's arrival. Somehow ya always beat me to it though."

"I must just be lucky at sniffing out people with pretty faces," You say, not a second later your back came in contact with the wall behind you, a small huff leaving your nose at the contact. With a cruel quirk of your lips, you bring a hand up to pass through some of his hair. "Maybe that's how I found you all those months ago."

"Cute," Harry barked out a bitter laugh, bringing his face closer to yours. Some of that bitterness seeped into his face as he looked down at you, his next words coming as a sting. "Uma doesn't want ya going near them. Who knows what they've brought from Auradon. And we all know how close ya were with them before they left."

"Good thing Uma doesn't control what I do then," You dipped your face to the side as Harry tried to trap your lips in a harsh kiss, his teeth ready to make an appearance. Instead, a kiss was left on your cheek, the pirate recoiling back once he realised. With a smirk of your own, you leaned in, trailing feather-light kisses across his neck and jaw. Your lips ghosted his skin, never staying in one spot for too long. "Though I'm sure an exception could be made if you asked nicely."

"Stay away from Jay and his friends," Harry spoke lowly, lips chasing after yours as you continued to evade him. With a raised brow, you stared at him as if you were waiting for more, leaning back so he couldn't reach you. With an eye roll from his dark eyes, an abundance of eyeliner smeared around them, he grinned out, "Please."

You waited a few moments, bringing both of your hands up to cup his face. Dragging him slowly, you brushed your lips quickly against his, muttering before finally giving him what he wanted, "I'll consider it."

[cleverqueencommander]

I found this on Descendants subreddit:

What are your thoughts on this post?

[lsleofthelost]

i found the official website of the production designer for all the Descendants movies. his name is Mark Hofeling and he is quite detailed and gives in-universe information on all the settings, so here's a selection of things i found interesting about Isle of the Lost:

About the colours: "With the entirety of Disney's stable of villains imprisoned here, the color palette had to reflect their very particular taste. After a careful study of classic Disney villainy, I took all their purples, blacks, burgundies, and acid greens, and drenched them with 20 years of soot, rust, grime, and grit. I called the resulting palette "Dirty Candy"."

Main street:

Thieves Market:

Fortune teller's shack.

"The vendor on the left sells the highest quality, slightly bruised produce from Auradon. The one on the right sells the more typical Isle fare, toadstools, nightshade, assorted rot, and all varieties of curdle."

Other vendors at the Market, "where the once-powerful residents of the Isle of the Lost sell, steal, resell and re-steal the same tired old trinkets and goods to each other."

This is someone's bed jammed between two rickety towers, right beside their booth at the Market.

Other locations:

"Life on the Isle of the Lost is miserable for its once-powerful residents. Upon being banished here, all their magic and witchcraft were disabled by a magical shield. So they mostly just steal and sell and re-steal and resell the same old junk and useless trinkets to and from each other."

Propaganda:

"This is a detail of the cheerful and largely hopeless propaganda campaign the good people of Auradon paste-up on the streets of the Isle in hopes of rehabilitating the fallen villains. In no time at all the people of the Isle make their feelings known."

This is all from D1, I want to do a separate post on Maleficent's castle, since it has a lot of cool details, and then I'll move to other parts

[descendantsworldbuilding]

Language Headcannons

All the VKs speak multiple languages due to the fact that the Isle is a cultural melting pot, because even villains care about their culture. Most people speak 3-4 languages fluently, it is one of the advantages the VKs have over the AKs.

Everyone knows at least 2 languages fluently.

Everyone knows random words and phrases from languages they don't speak.

The most common languages are English, French, Chinese, German and Arabic

The least common are Faire Speak, Latin, Greek and Atlantican due to the lack of speakers on the Isle.

The Pirates know the most languages out of everyone because their parents wanted them to be able to travel anywhere. They also know Atlantican, Greek, Latin and Faire Speak because Uma, her cousins/siblings and the Hook Siblings taught them.

Freddie and Celia speak French and Creole

Most VK’s just speak their parent’s language as a first language

[chocotacoshawtybae]

‼️NOT MY EDIT‼️

this man. THIS MAN. i swear.. he’s fine and he knows it- i swear.

edit of the dayyy (i’m sorry, ik i keep forgetting to post them everyday and i didn’t post one yesterday so i’ll post another to make up for it) 💋💋

[lexihowardhoney]

sometimes i just sit and think about that how good descendants story could be. how it could be about that not everything is black or white, that there are multiple shades of grey when it comes to morality. but then, i'm getting hit by the fact that descendants is just another classist story

[hannahhook7744]

Book Based Descendants Writing Prompts (Part 1);

Write about the time(s) gave Captain Hook gave Harry his three most prized possessions—his handheld hook, his jacket (that belonged to Hook when he was his age), and the lost revenge (which was won in a race).

Write about the hairy goblin who worked at the slop shop and had a crush on Uma (Moe was his name) and slipped her an unreadable note, and the crew teasing her about it.

Write about Uma and her crew pranking the Dragon Hall kids.

Write about the  sea three’s clubs (Croc Wrestling, Competitive lifting, Shark Swim Team,Rat Trapping, sea ponies, and the scammers and pickpockets). Note: Harry founded the scammers and pickpockets club.

Write about Uma and Mal’s big blow out when they were kids.

Write about Diego’s band, the bad apples, and Carlos’s feelings on it.

Write about the time Harry stole Cruella’s red car.

Write about Gil’s demanding stepmother and how it has led to his dad neglecting him.

Write about Jay’s electric eels (Lagan and Derelict), Evie’s Parrot (Othello), and Carlos’ cat, Beezelbub.

Write about the time Mal betrayed Maddy—smashing her dolls and damaging her purple hair (causing it to turn teal). 

Write about the lunches and dinners Audrey used to spend with Ben, Chad Lonnie, Jane, and Doug, and how they slowly halted to a stop.

Write about the jousting class Ben took as a child with Jordan.  

Write about the vks finding out about Ben’s disastrous meeting with the Sidekicks’ Union.

[caswensworld]

Descendants be nailing the character aesthetic each and every time! There’s so much to talk about!

These leak and the girl from the trailer are two separate people. From what we’ve seen, Red has 3 very different hairstyles throughout the movie, but we ain’t gonna talk about that. I love her style. It’s like a combination of Mal’s edginess and Evie’s punk royalty. I don’t care what y’all say, the designer is amazing and I love what he’s doing!

One thing that interest me is Uma’s relationship with Red. It seems like they know each other personally. I’ve thought it either two explanations.

1. While Uma was on the run, she found Wonderland and there, she met Red

2. While Red grew up in Wonderland, she and her mother were sent to the Isle of the Lost teen she was a teen. That makes sense to me since the Queen has a salon on the Isle. And please don’t try to get logical and ask why Beast would wait for 10 years cause if that’s the case, why would Beast waste time having FG bring dead villains back to life?

All in one, I’m so excited to meet Red and just see this movie in general! It looks so good!!! It gives the og Descendants vibes!

[epickiya722]

👑 DESCENDANTS ASK GAME 🍎

Favorite entry of the series overall? (Yes, including the books, cartoon, etc.)

Favorite movie?

Least favorite movie?

Favorite song?

Least favorite song?

Favorite dance sequence?

Favorite Villain Kid?

Least favorite Villain Kid?

Favorite Auradon Kid?

Least favorite Auradon Kid?

Favorite character overall?

Least favorite character overall?

Unpopular opinion about anything related to Descendants?

A headcanon you may have?

Favorite ship? (Including non-canon and canon ships.)

Least favorite ship?

A character you think should have gotten more screentime/depth?

A character you had hoped to be included in the movies?

How about a character you were not expecting and was it a pleasant surprise?

What's something you wish could have happen?

If you could be a Descendant of any of the heroes or villains, who would it be?

Have any OCs that you wish to share?

Team Auradon or Isle? Or are you just neutral?

Favorite scene from any of the movies, books, etc.?

Freebie question!!

[magicalgames]

Fic where some of the vks go camping (or somewhere else) in Auradon for about a week and don’t tell any adults because “none of the adults would notice we were gone for one week on the isle.”

Then, when some of the adults find out and ask them why they only told a few of the other kids that were staying back, the answer is along the lines of “We thought you wouldn’t notice because it would take our parents at least 3-4 weeks to notice we hadn’t been around. “Then, it would probably be another week before most of them come looking and that would be just because they needed their workers/minions at their house or business.”

[moreespressoformydepresso]

Anthony has ligyrophobia, a fear of loud noises, thanks to the Tremaine household. The reason is twofold, and the combination is why he has it and nobody else in the family does.

Firstly, to him cold, harsh words are an expression of love because it’s the tone his grandmother uses most of the time, and it’s the one his aunt uses whenever she’s not losing her voice screeching at anything and everything or trying to make men chase her (unsuccessfully). His mom’s… complicated. In the rare moments she gets out of her head enough to acknowledge his existence, she’s either blank bordering on being an okay mother or screaming like she’ll die if she doesn’t cause at least one new person tinnitus. So when they’re yelling at him, he’s done something wrong to cause them to stop showing him love. In my headcanon, Anthony’s the kid that got the most pressure put on them because, as a man, he cannot marry up in society (traditionally). Therefore, he needs to act more like a lord to compensate, which to Lady Tremaine translates to “be perfect or be worthless”. This leads to a whole slew of mental issues, most prominently crippling perfectionism and anxiety to panic attacks at the idea of being even slightly below flawlessly perfect. When grandmother’s yelling, he hasn’t been perfect, and the idea of not being perfect triggers all the issues caused by always being pressured to be perfect.

Secondly, (you’ll have to stick with me for a bit here I promise it ties back to yelling) it’s my headcanon that the Tremaines only wanted daughters so they could live the lives they’d wanted vicariously through the kids. Anthony is… not a girl. So by default he’s treated worse because his family didn’t actually want him. Aside from that, given their time period I’m betting they have some old-fashioned views about violence, used in a matriarchal way. Physical pain can be used to discipline children, and Anthony is the child who always does wrong no matter how right he did, so he’s the one at the receiving end of it most of the time. He receives truly cruel punishments for so many things without ever being told beforehand that his wrongdoing wasn’t allowed that he’s learned to just accept he’s always doing wrong in some way. After some time in Auradon he realizes the matriarchs were just looking for a reason to punish him to feel in control, and hurting the kids they were projecting on would hit a bit too close to home given their fate. The thing about it is that, whenever he was about to be dragged to his punishment, whoever would hand out the disciplinary action would raise their voice. Whether it’s one of the truly rotten cousins or sisters using the fact they can get away with it to hit him or his grandmother locking him in a closet that doesn’t have enough room for him to turn around for hours to days on end, it’s always preceded by a raise in their volume. So Anthony has started associating raising voices with extreme punishments. So if a sound gets louder suddenly, it has the same effect.

These two things combine to give Anthony Ligyrophobia, and he needs a hug

[tired-calculyn]

if the isle of the lost was created as a punishment "worse than death", then does the barrier grant immortality to the main villains? does this extend to their main sidekicks or henchmen as well? you can't convince me that they didn't attempt to kill each other during the early years of the isle. there must have been like a dark period before "laws" were set so they could all at least live decently (as decent as life could get there anyway)

(tw brief mention of gore. it's one sentence and not graphic but still, to be safe)

i'm not sure how immortality works so correct me on this. if for example, a person was decapitated, would they have to remain conscious and "live" like that unless someone is gracious enough to reattach their head to their body or will the magic of the barrier (??) allow them to respawn with their former body? or are their bodies just outright invincible? but then that would mean that they would have to be immune to diseases or injuries of any sort. man i

[lsleofthelost]

in continuation of this post, here's a more detailed look at Maleficent's castle, including the commentary from the Descendants production designer, Mark Hofeling, and also my own thoughts and obsesrvations.

"We imagined the once-mighty Maleficent humiliated and furious in defeat. Even in her fallen state, she would still require the most befitting accommodation on the Isle of the Lost. The "Bargain Castle", while hokey and ramshackle, most resembles her former keep in the Forbidden Mountains. And its balcony gives her an unobstructed view across the bay to the hated Auradon. This is the exterior of the second floor, interior set. This was digitally added to a practical ground floor at the end of the main street of the Isle of the Lost. "

"A broad view of Maleficent's cavernous, leaky, drafty cold-water walk-up in the Bargain Castle on the Isle of the Lost."

i love the peeling paint on the walls, the mismatched furniture and lamps, how weathered and aged everything is. and how this is the height of luxury for the Isle.

"Maleficent's sunken living room with her unreliable Predicta TV. It is her only link to the outside world."

the Predicta TV is from the late 50s, the screen is tiny, and, according to the commentary, the connection is unreliable. but still, in Maleficent's home, it has a special niche, and a stand, it's treated as an indulgence. there's also a vinyl player, and some records, but most of them are without sleeves, so i imagine they're scratched and skip sometimes, but Maleficent still likes them. there's a newspaper, probably a few days old, but a way to keep up with the outside world when the TV is broken.

"The mismatched sofa in Maleficent's sunken living room."

since the barges only bring in trash, we can assume that no big objects, like a sofa arive in one piece. there is also a bowl of (probably stale) froot loops (?) on the table which i think is hilarious and sad.

"A view of Maleficent's dressing area and her elevated throne. Domesticity is not among her considerable powers."

it's actually such a tiny space... like her vanity is made out of an old trunk, the lamp on it is covered with fabric, most likely because the proper lampshade is ruined. this also implies that there is not enough space for it in her bedroom... there is a tiny furnace with wood, which is used both to warm the place and to dry the clothes. the drapes are thin and totally let the light in but i think it's not such a problem on the Isle, since it's permamently overcast.

"We wanted to give Maleficent one artifact from her former, magnificent life. The director suggested maybe her throne. Unfortunately, the throne from the original animation was a 12 foot wide, 6 ton stone bat. Not a practical thing to carry into exile. So I tried to evoke the idea of that throne with a ridiculous green and purple wingback chair she might have confiscated from the Isle's Bazaar."

first off, i love that he says that it's confiscated. Maleficent doesn't buy things, but she doesn't steal them either, she just takes them because she has the power to do so. other thing i love is that as far as i understand, this is the most elevated point in the house, so she can sit on her “throne” and feel powerful.

we also see a similar rug in front of her sofa, so i assume it was probably one rug that was cut up in pieces.

the fact that there's a telephone implies that they have some kind of internal landline system on the isle, my head canon is that one of the more engineering inclined minion/scientist/wtv hooked it up. there's just a few telephones between the houses of the most powerful. the dirty, stained windows supported by old newspapers and duct tape just show how weathered everything is.

"The job of the production designer is to conceive and execute the broad look of a show. But the big picture is built out of thousands of details. I spent my weekends in Vancouver having a ball cooking up little details like Maleficent's childlike "REVENGE", "FOOLS!", and spinning wheel magnets, and her shopping and to-do lists, all stuck to her "WICKEDAIRE" refrigerator."

the real-life equivalent is a Frigidaire refrigerator from the late fifties. which, from what i've seen, seems like most of the tech on the Isle is from that time period, despite the fact that Auradon living in seemingly contemporary times, with modern technology and all that. i think they purposely don't send modern tech there, only old, barely working things there, because they know that technology could, theoretically, break the barrier (which is what Carlos does in the first book). also, i like that he calls Maleficent child-like, because i think she's definitely become that way there, bored out of her mind, every avenue for revenge lost, nothing to really keep sharp. also, if we ignore the things on her to-do list that are cartoonishly evil, the rest of the list is kind of mundane and a little pathetic... like there's something wrong with the rain gutters, she needs to call Jafar over to fix her TV antenna, since it's her only connection to the outside world... she used to be the Mistress of all Evil.

"A detail of Maleficent's poorly tuned piano."

again, the paint is peeling on the walls and on the furniture, there is no front on the piano, there is no one to even tune it. i think she still likes the music... we see what are probably magic book strewn around, potions (and probably some alcohol) on the side table.

"A detail of one of Maleficent's many broken, drafty windows."

i can't quite figure out where it's supposed to be but still, the way some windows are painted, some covered by newspaper (help together by duct tape) makes me thing that either 1. Maleficent wanted to emulate the look of stained glass from her former glory days; 2. Mal did it to make the place look better (actually, she probably did a lot of work to make the house look better?); 3. they don't want outsiders looking in, while still letting light in. i doubt that the trash telescope works, but if it does, it's probably used to spy on people, though i think it's just a vanity item.

"Maleficent's scratchy Victrola. Notice the double helix of the custom wallpaper. It evokes both Maleficent's classic thorn vine's from Sleeping Beauty and the idea of the DNA of evil. Does it pass from one generation to the next, or can one change their destiny?"

again, more books and another record player. i think Maleficent tries to dissociate from the situation, get lost in music, re-listening to the same scratchy records, re-reading the same books, re-trying the same ineffective spells.

i didn't even notice the double helix wallpaper before!! i always thought it was just a thorn pattern, referencing her story. this is such an amazing representation of how evil is embedded in the kids blood, and how despite it all they choose change.

through what we've seen, i think there's probably just a few more rooms in the castle: Maleficent bedroom, Mal's bedroom, and their bathrooms, maaaybe a smal storage room. they call it a castle but really it's just a rickety, crooked, decaying apartment on top of some shop. and this is how the most powerful person on the Isle of the Lost lives.

[hexenwrites]

Mal: Carlos is a perfect cinnamon scone who’s never done anything wrong in his entire life! Diego: Never done anything wrong?! He's set a city block on FIRE!

[descendantsworldbuilding]

Places on the Isle

[stargirlwritingjourney]

Running Wild

Fandom: Descendants

Pairing: Jay/Carlos de Vil

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warning/Tag(s): Graphic Description of Violence, Forbidden Love

Summary: What if Carlos had never been taken in by the core four, instead left to squalor for a few years longer before Uma discovered him? Taken in by the pirates of the Isle, chains of events are altered and certain VKs are left to run wild for a few years unaffiliated before being swooped up and shipped over to Auradon. In saying this, certain friendships--maybe even relationships--are left forbidden.

Event(s): @fandom-free-bingo with 'mutual pining' | @multifandom-flash with Beehive: 'forbidden friendship' and Double Flash with 'after action patch-up' | @eclipsingbingo with 'slammed into a wall'

Can be read here

Carlos whirled through the streets of the Isle, never trying to stay in one spot for too long. If living on the Isle had taught him one thing, it was either stand out and make sure everyone knew you were there so they would cower, or blend into the crowd as much as you possibly could until you could get back to your crew and have safety in numbers. 

So that was exactly what Carlos was doing, hiding within the crowd as he made his way from his mother’s manor to the other side of the Isle with hurried steps so no one had the chance to recognise him where Ursula’s fish and chip store was located. 

Though his name held weight with it, both from the insanity his mother had dissolved into and the recent growth in Uma’s name, and therefore his own. Though it had never been on his list of goals to be a recognisable figure on the Isle, rather sticking to the shadows as much as possible as he got by, he couldn’t say it was terrible to have an extra few seconds of hesitation when people ran into him and realised who he was. That didn’t mean he liked to hang around when he didn’t have the comfort of his allies. 

He had become quite skilled at avoiding unwanted eyes even though everything about his presence seemed to scream for them. From his pearly white hair to the red, black and white leather jacket he wore, in most cases, you would expect Carlos to stick out, but when on an Isle where almost every second person was wearing something similar it became easier. 

So Carlos believed that the surprise he felt as he was yanked from the street by the scruff of his jacket and pulled into one of the many backstreets was warranted, as well as the humiliating yelp that he let slip. Blind as to who had grabbed onto him, Carlos flailed his limbs around, trying to both hit his attacker and dislodge himself from their grip at the same time. It seemed nothing Carlos did work though as he was pulled further into the alleyway with only a grunt being pulled from the person who had dragged him.

It was only when a wickedly familiar laugh ran out around him, bouncing off the walls as Carlos was flipped around, his eyes landing on Harry Hook moments before he was slammed back, going crashing into the wall behind him as the air was knocked out of him and his vision went foggy for a few short moments. 

“What the hell, Harry?” Carlos spluttered once he was able to suck a proper breath of air into his lungs, his brows narrowing down into a glare as he did so. In the few years that Carlos had been aligned with Harry, he had become accustomed to his out-of-pocket actions, all of which were rough and without much warning, but that didn’t mean he favoured any of them. 

“Don’t act so surprised, Pup,” The nickname was whipped at him with a hiss, making him flinch back at the words. His reaction seemed to pull another laugh from Harry’s lips, knowing all the right ways on how to get under Carlos’ skin. Pulling Carlos from the wall and tucking him into his side with an arm hooked over his shoulders, Harry began to lead them in a new direction, helping them weave their way to whatever end destination Harry had in mind. “Uma wanted yer now and yer were takin’ too long to get yer boney arse over to the fish an’ chip shop. Someone had to come and get yer.”

“I was literally five minutes away. You’ve probably wasted more time going out of your way to do all this,” Carlos bit out, trying and failing to shoulder his side into Harry’s, the taller and bulkier simply smiling sharkishly down at him for his attempt. Though the two of them had come to tolerate one another, it didn’t mean Carlos could put up with him most days. “What’s so important anyway? Normally Uma would just scoff at me if I was late.”

“She wants the lot of us to go onto little ol’ Mal’s territory and stir up some trouble,” A bark of laughter shot out of Harry, echoing off the walls as if he were a hyena. It only worsened when he got a glance at Carlos’ face. “Don’t give me that look. We aren’t goin’ to kill anyone, just lightly wound. Besides, you’ll hopefully get to just sit pretty for us since Jay will be there.”

“What does Jay have anything to do with me being there,” Carlos grumbled, already feeling his face heat.

“Because that boy seems to be infatuated with yer,” There was an obvious amount of disgust in Harry’s words as he spoke, the ‘infatuation’ between the two bringing up vile into the back of Harry’s throat, the very idea of it being almost blasphemous. “Yer just have to bat yer eye and he’ll be rendered useless for a few minutes. Now come on, Gil and the others are goin’ to meet us there.”

Carlos wanted to say more, object to his words about Jay and even his presence at whatever this clash was meant to be, but instead swallowed his words and allowed Harry to pull him along. The best-case scenario was they didn’t run into Mal and her crew, or he was able to slip away when they did, hopefully, if Harry’s words were true, Jay would let him do so easily. Worst-case scenario Carlos was forced to fight and hopefully not get his arse kicked too much.

The closer the two of them got, the more Carlos doubted anything good would come from this. When they met up with Gil and some more of Uma’s crew it only solidified Carlos’ worse hopes. 

It didn’t take long to locate Mal, Jay and Evie, the three of them with some kids their age that Carlos hadn’t seen before, a rare occasion due to how small the Isle was. He was sure if he had learnt their names he would recognise them more easily. 

He didn’t pay attention to the words spoken between the two groups, his focus set on slipping away until his eyes landed on Jay. It seemed he had been staring at him since Carlos had first arrived since he seemed shocked that their eyes had finally met, his widening a little bit more. Taking him in quickly, Carlos seemed to notice every minor detail that made Jay up, seemed to not be able to pull his eyes away until someone’s fist came knocking into his arm, telling him to get ready.

That easily tore his eyes away, sending Carlos whirling back as he got prepared to back away. He didn’t mind if Jay noticed since he seemed to always have his eyes on him. It was the rest of the people he was met with that mattered. If someone on Mal’s side noticed him trying to dip out then they would surely point him out or try to go after him. If Harry or someone in Uma’s crew noticed they would either pull him back in or would make him pay for it later. Sneaking away had started to become more of a challenge than it had once been.

But as the VKs started getting fired up, each side only taunting the other more and getting ready to bring the worst out of one another, Carlos used this opportunity to slip away, making his moves quick and dashing as he slunk back, disappearing just before everything had gone to shit. 

Slipping in between buildings and reaching for a fire escape that was haphazardly attached to the brick wall, Carlos had all of seventeen seconds before two large hands were gripping his shoulders. A hiss was the first thing that escaped his lips as he tried craning his shoulder away from the hold as fingers dug into some newly arising bruises thanks to Harry. It only occurred to him that he should try and figure out who had grabbed him when both hands had quickly vanished, reattaching themselves lower and around his waist. 

“What are you-” Carlos cut himself off as he turned around, his eyes meeting with Jay’s almost instantly. Having to crane his neck back to meet his face, Carlos couldn’t help but stare as he felt the warmth from Jay’s hands spread across his midsection, almost burning. In a breathless whisper, Carlos said, “Jay.”

“Carlos,” Jay greeted with a nod. It looked as if his lips wanted to curve upwards but Jay had to stop himself. His hands didn’t leave their perch even as Carlos stared at him with questioning eyes. Jay should be worried that he was this close to Carlos since he was part of Uma’s crew, but he couldn’t help but not feel the slightest bit threatened as he stared into Carlos’ eyes. “Funny seeing you here. I thought you tended to keep your nose out of turf wars.”

“Normally I would,” Carlos agreed, his voice slightly spooked from the proximity, though he did nothing to change it. “You just happened to catch me at a bad time.”

“Really?” Jay asked, earning a hum in return. The white-haired boy seemed to almost lean into him as they stood close, breathing in each other's space. 

Jay had so much he wanted to say, words waiting to spill out of him as they burst at the seams. For someone he should’ve hated, Jay couldn’t help but be interested in the shorter stray. At every opportunity he would steal glances at him in the crowd, would purposely not start anything just so he could attempt to steal some moments with him, most of which didn’t work out.

He wanted to say more to Carlos but didn’t have the opportunity as some imploding voices rang out around them, silencing him.

“Where’s Carlos?”

“He must have gone after Jay since that meathead went missing.”

“If that’s the case then I’m sure we’re going to hear some very entertainin’ stories from the Pup when he gets back.”

Harry’s voice was easily recognisable, making Jay’s teeth grind together. They seemed to have a similar effect on Carlos as he took some hurried steps back, both hiding from the voice even though they were out of sight and dislodging him from Jay’s light hold. 

“I have to go,” The words rushed out of Carlos as he began looking for an escape room. Jay couldn’t help but wish he would stay longer. Once his eyes locked on a way out, he almost began running immediately, though he took a few seconds to turn to Jay, a half smile that looked both a little too strained but genuine. Carlos said before racing off, not waiting for Jay’s response, “I’ll see you around Jay. It was nice seeing you.”

“Bye Carlos,” Jay couldn’t help but whisper, a smile splitting across his face as he did so.