Disney Descendants - One Shots

Hiding Spot - Jaylos Fluff

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Jay shifted his weight to the side, facing the dorm wall and tucking the blankets around himself for the umpteenth time. Maybe it was the foreign feeling of having an actual bed instead of sleeping on the floor of his father's shop getting to him again, but it was more likely the gnawing feeling of his ever-present anxiety.

He whipped around again, pressing his hands against the cool underside of his pillow and taking a deep breath. The moon hung low and cast a milky, white light across the floor, illuminating the door invitingly. He sat up slowly, trying to avoid the creaking floorboards that could wake Carlos. The smaller, freckled boy was in a deep slumber, cuddled up to Dude, and it was doubtful that anything, even a midnight getaway, could wake him. Regardless, he carefully got up and slipped through the door, his blanket still wrapped around him.

The halls of Auradon Prep were dead silent; not eerily, but peacefully, which was to be expected in the land of fairytales. The cold tile floors brought a new sensation of apprehension to Jay, who quietly roamed the empty halls. It was as if he was the absolute only person awake in the whole school, and the void of quiet was filled with the soft chirp of crickets in the field outside.

Ever since he was younger, his father, Jafar,  had scolded him. "This is the best you could do? Garbage! Absolute rubbish!", he spat when Jay brought him various, stolen treasures from the pockets of the poor, unfortunate souls on the Isle. His best attempts at trying to impress his father were never quite good enough, and the fear of living in the retired vizier's shadow haunted him like no villain could. Over the years, he'd been able to mask his anxiety, being overly suave and confident, but every now and then, his panic attacks got the best of him. Back at Dragon Hall, he'd been able to find refuge behind the statue of Maleficent. Ordered by none other than Maleficent, of course, the statue brooded over even the tallest of students, her slender frame and gaunt face bringing him a sense of security. She was familiar to him; Mal, though she was never quite into technical terms and labels, was his best friend. Consequently, Maleficent became a familiar face to him; never quite friendly, but close enough. He would sit behind the statue and find his peace of mind, gathering himself before returning to class. Here at Auradon, there was nothing like that. Not even his friends knew what plagued him, which he'd liked to stay that way.

Even in mid-May, the halls were cool, borderline freezing, in fact; almost as icy as the time Elsa's daughter, Eliana, had brushed past him in the hall, freezing his hand to his tourney stick for half an hour. His eyes darted around the abandoned hall. Lost in his thoughts, he'd managed to actually get lost. He panicked a bit, shifting the blanket over his shoulders again. Which way was he headed? Which way was it back to the dorms? His heart began pounding; a flutter a first, growing into a thump that heaved his chest. Trembling, Jay sank against the cold stone wall, trying to remember his ABC's and 123's, anything that could help him calm down. Tourney plays, Evie's favorite lipstick color, Carlos's riddles. It was pointless; the frustration from trying to remember anything at all sent a stream of hot tears running down his face. He wiped messily at them, as if trying to preserve his masculinity even in his lonesome. He sniffed pathetically. "What a loser..." he thought.

He heard the slight patter of bare feet approaching apprehensively and immediately tensed up. Who, other than himself, would be up at such an hour? He considered darting for the nearest stairs, but it was no use. Out of the shadows peered a pair of sleepy, brown doe eyes, and a wrinkled, freckled nose. It was Carlos, his pale face illuminated by the glow of the moon, his hair falling in curly, platinum tendrils over his eyes. He yawned quietly, sitting next to Jay without a word for a moment. After a while, he looked up.

"Who're you hiding from?"

Jay made a lame attempt to divert his attention. "D-did I wake you up? Sorry."

Carlos shook his head. "No. I just woke up... no reason..." His cheeks flushed a bit. "I-I just saw that you were gone, and I didn't want you to get in trouble." His eyes lit up a little. "Are you hungry or something? We can go to the kitchen and make cookies."

Jay shook his head quietly. Carlos hung his head a little. "Oh, okay." He waited a bit before piping up again. "I'll leave if you want!"

Jay's head snapped up, and he furiously shook his head. "What? No, I just..." He blushed. "It's embarassing." He looked down at his lap, even dropping his blanket. He didn't need the security. "Nevermind."

Carlos's eyes widened, two dark pools of curiousity and concern. "Did you have a bad dream?"

Jay looked into his eyes, and sighed. Carlos was home. He saw the same, small, meek boy he'd bullied once before, with the same eager curiousity prying at him. Carlos had a heart of gold and a genuine concern for Jay's wellbeing. It'd be selfish not to tell him what was going on.

Jay ran his fingers through his long, dark hair. "I get panic attacks sometimes. I used to have this..." He paused and chuckled softly to himself. "... it's really dumb, but I had this hiding spot. In Dragon Hall." His face was beet-red now, and he wished he'd had his beanie to tug over his face.

Carlos's face softened. "Oh." This wasn't exactly his realm at all, but Jay was his absolute best friend, and he admired him too much to ever abandon him. He wondered if there may have been something more to their friendship at times, but he quickly dashed off the thought. Jay, with his hard exterior and charm had finally put himself in a vunerable state in front of him, and that was confirmation enough: they were closer than ever.

He looked around. "Maybe there's someplace around here like that." Jay shook his head in reply again. "Not a chance. I've been looking for a while."

Carlos's nodded. "We'll look then." He glanced around the empty corridor, clean and polished, unlike the shabby chambers of Dragon Hall. It was cool and quiet, like any other wing of the school, but more intimate in the sole company of Jay. He leaned back and stared up at the pale glow of the moon seeping through the window.

"I know how you feel." He chuckled hollowly. "My mom locked me in her fur closet with traps everywhere. No pillow, no blanket, no nothing. One wrong move and I'd be dead. I know a thing or two about sleep deprivation."

Maybe it was the delerium of the night or the fact that Carlos had opened up to him in a vunerable state as well, but Jay felt a smile creep onto his face. "Well, you'd be the perfect bait."

Carlos felt his heart flutter, his face flushed once again. "Y-yeah. Right." He looked around. "I didn't really have any place to go though, unless you count school." He looked up at Jay and smiled. "I'm good now though. I have friends now too."

Jay chuckled. "Yes, you do." He leaned over and draped his blanket over Carlos's small shoulders, as his tiny frame was shaking visibly in the cold corridor. Carlos smiled as the warmth enveloped him. "Hey, maybe this could be your new hiding place!" he chirped.

Jay looked around, then down at where they sat, tracing the patterns of the tile floors with his finger. He grinned. "Definitely." He nudged Carlos with his arm. "Only if you're with me, though." He brought his arm up and wrapped it around him.

Carlos sank into Jay's side with a content sigh and a warm smile. "Deal." He yawned. "Just don't go running away again. Promise?"

Jay relaxed under the smaller boy's weight, feeling his worries wear away. "Promise."