I Found You

3

Eventually, night came. Carlos was lounging in his room on the bed, headphones on and laptop opened. He recently finished a shower and found himself waiting on exhaustion because somehow he felt more awake than usual. He decided to occupy himself with catching up on some of Mal's art videos he hadn't caught up on yet. About an hour and half in, nearly eight, he goes downstairs for some snacks just as his mother walks through the door. He stops when he sees her, quickly noticing stress on her face.

"Hey, Mama.", he greets and goes to hug her. The moment his arms around her waist, Cruella takes him in, holding him tight against her. She feels tense. "Something wrong?"

Cruella sighs, running fingers through his curls. "No, baby. Not at the moment. Just... I'll tell you in the morning, okay?"

He nods. "Okay." He takes off her coat and folds it over his arm. He then grabs her hand and leads her upstairs to her room. He sets the coat in her room-sized closet and then picks up her heels she just kicked off and puts those away, too. It's a first, he realizes, that he's catering to her since they mended their relationship. He doesn't feel that fear anymore. Instead, he just wants to see his mother okay. He sees that she's rubbing her temples, laying back in her silk lush pillows. He goes downstairs and takes a few minutes to brew her and himself some tea. He also grabs some chocolate.

When he gets back, Cruella is changed into her red silk pajamas and back into her bed. Makeup is removed from her face and the exhaustion is even more clear on her face.

Carlos is a little more pressed now to know what the issue is, but he holds back to question.

"Ma." He passes her a mug and Cruella kisses his cheek in gratitude.

"Thank you, Carlos."

He slides into the bed next to her, placing the chocolate in front of her. "No problem. Anything else?"

"No. Just need my baby boy right here with me." Carlos scoots closer and allows her to hug him close.

👑👑👑

He had a feeling he would be doing this a lot. Staring at his crush for minutes on end. He couldn't help it though. Today, Carlos had the nerve to look absolutely adorable in a red baggy long sleeved shirt, the material hanging off one shoulder halfway. The bottom half was covered by black pants with red and white stripes on the sides and he wore red and white high tops to match. His hair was in his curly state, a bit messy but it looked great. He was laughing at something Jay was saying and Ben swore he fell a little more in love for the freckled teen.

It is so unfair.

"That's going to get creepy at one point."

It's not one of his friends who says this. He knows the voice and is a little taken back when he hears it. He turns and sees Uma. She has her bag strapped on her shoulder and a smirk graced on her lips. "Just saying, I approve."

He knows exactly what she speaks about. Uma doesn't come off as a girl who ignores or misses anything. She gives those observer vibes. She's all-knowing. So it wouldn't be wise to play dumb with her.

"You approve of me and Carlos?", he asks, crossing his arms and also grinning.

She nods. "Yup. Pup is trying to deny it, but he's feeling you, too." She nudges him with her elbow. "Go talk to him."

"I don't want to be invasive."

"Jay isn't going to mind. Come on." He doesn't get to protest before Uma is dragging him over to where the two besties are. When they're spotted, Jay greets them first.