It has been two weeks since Ben agreed to open the Barrier that surrounded the Isle of the Lost. All of the Villains' kids were invited to attend Auradon Prep. However, the parents couldn't be release. To prevent them from trying to take over Auradon, Fairy Godmother used her Magic Wand to create a huge prison, where no magic could be used, and all the villains were locked in it. It wasn't a prison with cells and bars, but some kind of giant castle with a lot of different rooms. The villains could move around as they pleased, but couldn't get out. Their children were allowed to visit them once a week for a couple of hours. They were also given phones, so they could talk to their kids anytime they wanted.

The VKs finally had a chance to have a normal life, to start over. Of course, things weren't easy at first. Some people were thinking that every person coming from the Isle was inevitably evil. Ben was doing his best to change those peoples' mind, and to do so, he decided to do a huge tour of Auradon. He left Auradon Prep, along with Mal, to travel to the different Kingdoms and explain why opening the Barrier was the most logical thing to do. This diplomatic trip was supposed to last three months, the time of the summer vacation. Ben was hopeful that he could reach his goal with Mal's help in that short amount of time.

Auradon Prep seemed empty. A lot of the Auradon Kids had left the school to go back to their parents' Kingdom for the summer break. The huge castle was currently inhabited by few VKs, who had nowhere else to go, but were happy to finally discover Auradon. Fairy Godmother was trying to keep some kind of order, but handling over 40 kids who had never known anything else than the Isle was a bit of a challenge. But for now, the school hasn't gone into complete and utterly chaos, so everything was fine.

Most of the kids chose to participate to the different activities Fairy Godmother had plan for them, but Harry Hook was not one of them. Things didn't go as he expected after his arrival in Auradon. For some reason, Gil left with Jay to do some excursion to the Kingdom of Arendelle. Harry wasn't really happy about it, probably because that trip was supposed to be three months long, and Harry had never been away from Gil more than a couple of days since they first met. Also, he didn't like Jay, and he felt a little jealous that Gil decided to go with him on vacation, even though Harry would never admit it. The pirate knew he could have convinced Gil not to go, but his friend had looked so happy to get to see some penguins, that he couldn't bring himself to ask him to stay.

As if it wasn't enough, Uma left too. She got an invitation from Ariel herself to go to her kingdom so they could meet. Of course, it had to be a three-month long trip. He got pretty mad when she first told him. He hadn't been able to see her in over six months, and now that he got her back, she was leaving him again! He hated to be away from her, that wasn't a mystery to anyone. And he would never say it, but he really thought that Uma had forgotten about him the first time. Anyway, Uma promised that she'll call him every time she could, and that they'll spend more time together when she come back. It didn't change the fact that his two best friends had left him alone.

Harry was incredibly bored. Apart for his long walks and his expeditions in the forest that surrounded the school, he had nothing to do and no one to talk to. Most of his mates from Uma's crew were still in Auradon Prep, but he never saw them as friends, just as minions. He also had trouble to adjust to Auradon's life. Thing were easy here, almost too easy. He could eat good tasting food anytime he wanted to, he didn't have to fight for his territory and worse of all, everyone was painfully nice. He didn't like it. On the Isle, if someone was nice to you, it was definitely for a bad reason. The only thing that he truly enjoyed was pulling pranks on Chad Charming, Cinderella 'son. He already managed to lock the brat three times in a closet. But it didn't change the fact that he was bored most of the time. And as if it wasn't enough, his pocket watch had stopped working two days ago. He really needed to get it fix.

Carlos was coming back from his walk with Dude. He really enjoyed walking in the forest, listening to the birds, and watching Dude as he run crazily around him. For the first time in a while, he really felt calm, unstressed. He had time for himself, and considering school was over for the year, he could do what he wanted, like playing video games all day, reading, or just resting.

Weirdly enough, he was fine with his friends being away. After Mal and Jay left for their respective trips, Evie was invited in Snow White's castle. The princess was really impress by Evie's designs, and considering the two of them were basically step-sisters, she wanted to meet her. Evie almost refused, because she didn't want Carlos to stay alone. But the freckled boy told her to go anyway, and assured he will be fine on his own. Evie had accepted Snow White invitation, but promised Carlos to call him every day.

He really was fine. There were no danger, no enemies to fight, and his mother was far away from him. His friends where far away too, but he texted them all the time, and they never forgot to call him when they had a moment. He had nothing to complain about.

Carlos also managed to convince Fairy Godmother to give him the keys to the workshop of the school. A lot of kids of the Isle had some broken electronic devices, and they took the habit to ask Carlos to fix them, in exchange of some money. Carlos happily complied, he always liked to feel useful, and if he could earn some money too, it was perfect.

The boy recently discovered that Auradon Prep had a kennel that rescued lost dogs. It was put in place by Anita and Roger Radcliffe themselves. They weren't living near Auradon Prep anymore, and Carlos never met them. He wasn't sure he wanted too if he was being honest. But it didn't stop him to volunteer in the kennel. Now, he could take care of a lot of dogs other than Dude every day, and he couldn't be happier.

Carlos moved passed the hallway that leaded to his room. He untied Dude leash before he took his key to open his door, but was surprise to see that the door was already open. He sighed, pushed the door and stated in an annoyed voice:

"Chad, you really need to stop sneaking into our room, we already told you to ask if you want to use our 3D printer!"

"Do ya really think I look like this petty prince?" answered a voice with a heavy accent.

Carlos almost jumped back, not excepting to see Harry in his room. The pirate was sitting on his couch, a satisfied grin on his face. As usual, he was fidgeting with his fake hook. Carlos frowned, perplex:

"How did you open my door?"

"Well, I had time to practice my pick locking skills on the Isle"

Carlos shrugged, before he closed to door behind him and drop Dude's leash on desk. Dude immediately jumped on Carlos' bed to take a nap. The boy hanged his jacket in his wardrobe and turned around to face Harry. There was a time where he was afraid of the pirate, and was avoiding him as much as he could. But Harry didn't frighten him anymore. He was excessively annoying, irritating and borderline crazy, but Carlos didn't feel this irrational fear he used to feel when he was close to him before.

"What are you doing in my room?" Carlos asked dryly.

"Well, my pocket watch stopped working, and a little bird told me that ya could do something about it…"

"Maybe I could. I'm not sure I will though." Carlos retorted.

"Oh, C'mon ! I'm not gonna beg ya!"

Carlos sighed. He knew very well that Harry wouldn't let this go unless he helps him. He was probably one of the most stubborn person he knew, along with Mal.

"Fine. But it's not free of charges."

"Isn't it? I'm sure you could make an effort this time." Harry answered with a wink.

Harry stood up, and walked toward Carlos, his grin never leaving his face.

"C'mon. For the old time sake?"

Carlos took a step back when Harry came closer to him. The pirate had absolutely no concept of personal space.

"If I fix you goddamn watch, will you leave me alone?"

"Now we have a deal!" Harry agreed, his eyes not leaving Carlos.

Harry took the watch from his pocket and handed it to Carlos. The younger boy took it, and went to his desk to grab a small screwdriver to open the back of it. He observed the mechanism for a moment, before he turned back to Harry.

"I think I can fix it. I need to go to the workshop to change some parts."

"Lead the way then."

"You know, I can go alone. I don't need you to watch over my shoulder."

"I wanna be sure ya don't damage it any further!"

Carlos didn't bother to answer. He took his keys, and after a quick look behind him to see that Dude was asleep on his bed, he left his room, Harry right behind him. They walked in silence to the workshop. Once they got there, Carlos sat to the workbench and started to work on the watch, choosing to ignore Harry. The pirate rested against a table next to Carlos, and watched him change tiny parts of his watch. Weirdly enough, he stayed silent.

It took around thirty minutes for Carlos to put the watch back in working order. By then, the sun was starting to set, and the workshop was getting darker. Carlos smiled at the working watch, pretty satisfied with himself, and turned to face Harry. He was now sitting cross-legged on the table, his back resting against the wall. He was still fidgeting with his hook, his eyes gazing into space. Carlos cleared his throat to get his attention.

"I'm done. It's working again."

Harry jumped off the table, and took the watch from Carlos' hands.

"Well, isn't it great. I knew having ya within my reach could be useful."

"You're welcome…" Carlos mumbled under his breath. "Are you going to leave me alone now?"

Harry put back the watch in his pocket.

"Awn, C'mon pup'. It was fun."

"Fun? I mean, I just fixed your watch and you did… nothing. I don't see how there's any fun in that." Carlos remarked.

"Well I kept ya company. It mustn't be fun now that all yer little gang is far away, is it?"

Carlos frowned. He knew better than thinking that Harry was actually concern about him. Suddenly, Carlos had a realization. He stood up and faced Harry, arm-crossed.

"You know what I think? I think that you didn't come to me only to have your watch fixed. I think you're lonely, because your crew his gone. And unlike me, you didn't exactly make other friends in Auradon. So you came to me because I'm the only one you know. Am I wrong?" Carlos enquired without hesitation.

Carlos was happy to see the usual smugly smile disappear from Harry's face for a moment. Apparently, he guessed right.

"Well… Maybe." Harry admitted quickly, keeping his eyes down. "Anyway. I should go."

Harry started to walk out of the workshop. Carlos wasn't sure how he should feel about this confession. But he had to admit that he was a bit lonely as well. He had Dude, and was hanging out with Jane sometimes, but since he refused to go on a date with her a while ago, thinks were a bit weird between them. He liked Jane, but as a friend. And he would actually be glad to have another one right now.

After a short reflection, Carlos went after Harry. The pirate hadn't gone too far, and he caught up to him easily.

"Harry. Hold on for a sec." Carlos called.

Harry stopped, a surprise look on his face.

"Wanna hang out for a bit? It's not like you got anything else to do."

"Are ya asking me on a date?" Harry replied, dramatically putting a hand on his chest.

"God no! I'm just offering you to socialize a little."

Harry hesitated for a second, before answering with a smile.

"I guess I could use some company."

For the two following weeks, an odd routine started between Carlos and Harry. Every day, they were hanging out together. It was a bit awkward at first. They didn't know each other very well, and they were really different. Harry was a bit like a wild animal. He did what he wanted, was pretty reckless and could be really annoying when he wanted to. On the opposite side, Carlos was a much calmer and quieter kind of guy.

Every evening, Harry was joining him to walk Dude, showing Carlos hidden tracks in the forest. Carlos was surprise of the way the pirate managed to map the forest in such a short amount of time. But it was actually nice to explore the area around the school.

An afternoon, Harry leaded him to a remote part of the forest, through a small track. They walked for a long time, and at some point, Carlos couldn't help but ask:

"Where are we going exactly? Because right now, you are just getting us deep into the forest, and it kinda feels like a serial killer move. You know, dragging your victim in a hidden part of the forest, killing him and hiding the body."

"I haven't thought about that, but thanks, I'm taking notes. And I don't plan to kill ya, I just wanna show ya something I found."

Harry stepped over an uprooted tree, and finally stopped.

"Here we are."

Carlos joined him, and was surprise to discover some kind of cave's opening. The inside seemed pretty dark.

"Sooo… you found a cave. Congrats, that's at least the twelfth one we've seen until now. Why is this one so special?"

"Follow me." Harry answered, a mysterious look on his face.

The pirate walked toward the entrance, and took a small flashlight from his pocket. Carlos stayed still for a second, confused.

"Ya commin' ?"

"I'm not a big fan of tight spaces…" Carlos admitted hesitantly.

"Awn, don't worry. If I can stand without touching the ceiling, so can ya. And it's bigger inside. C'mon." Harry insisted.

Carlos nodded, and followed Harry. The inside was colder, and Carlos failed to contain a shiver. It was really dark, and he was actually grateful that Harry thought of bringing a lamp. They didn't walk for a long time, before they entered a much bigger area of the cave. The ceiling was about 10 meters high, and the whole thing was shape like a dome. In the back of the cave, Carlos could see a tiny waterfall, which was flowing into a small lake. The floor and the walls were damp, and Carlos had to be careful not to fall.

Harry gave a light bump to Carlos' side:

"I'm gonna turn off the light."

Before Carlos could protest, Harry put away the flashlight, and everything became black. There was no sunlight coming in, and everything was just dark. Carlos took a deep breath. He didn't like tight space, but he wasn't a big fan of the dark either. He clumsily grabbed the elbow of Harry's coat; just to be sure he was still there.

"What am I supposed to see?" Carlos whispered slowly.

"Don't be so impatient."

It was at the moment where Carlos's eyes adapted to the darkness that he started to see that the wall of the cave were glowing in a light green color. It was reflecting into the lake, and quickly, Carlos was able to see again. He let out a small whistle that echoed in the room. Now, the inside of the cave looked like some enchanted place.

Carlos let go of Harry's coat, and walked carefully toward the walls. He put his hand on it, and understood that it was converted of some kind of bioluminescent seaweed.

"Pwetty, isn't it?" Harry whispered.

"It's amazing. How did you found his place?"

"I was bored, so I explored some of the caves I found. It's the only one like that."

Carlos smiled at him, before he look back at the lake. Everything was so quiet, and calm, and… peaceful. The only sounds were coming from the waterfall and their breathing. Carlos realized that he was freezing when another shiver went through him.

"Harry, as much as I like this place, can we leave? I getting cold."

"Sure thing pup'"

Harry turned on the flashlight again, and they walked to the exit. Carlos was blinded a second by the sun.

"So, how did ya liked our little expedition?" Harry asked, looking proud of himself.

"That was nice. I didn't know that poetic side of yours."

"That's because ya don't know me" Harry responded with a wink.

"I guess I don't…" Carlos muttered for himself.

After the cave, they kept seeing each other. For a week now, they have had sleepovers in each other's bedrooms and watched movies together. Carlos discovered that Harry liked musicals, which was kind of out of character. He would have thought that Harry was more an action-movie kind of guy.

At some point, Carlos managed to convince Harry to come with him to the kennel. The pirate had refused at first, but the younger boy insisted a lot and Harry finally gave up and said yes. They were now walking toward the kennel, Dude running happily around them.

"I don't get why ya get all excited for some dogs" Harry complained "Ya have one with you every day."

"So what? I like to see other dogs. And one of them had a litter of six puppies. There's adorable, I'm sure you'll love them!"

"I'm not really a dog person ya know…"

Carlos stopped walking.

"You probably remember that I was terrified of dogs back on the Isle? So If I can change my mind, so can you!"

They finally arrived to the kennel, and Carlos walked straight to the room that was housing the puppies. He hadn't even pushed the door that a concert of barking welcomed them. Carlos entered the room first, trying to contain the flow of puppies trying to run past him.

"Hi guys! Did you miss me? No, don't leave the room, you're not allowed to! Harry, can you close the door before Dude comes in? He is so jealous of them."

Harry slowly closed the door, not really sure of what to do. Carlos was already on his knees, attacked by six needy puppies. The pirate chuckled as Carlos talked to the dogs.

"Ya know they don't understand when ya talk to them, right?"

Carlos gave him a look over his shoulder.

"It doesn't matter." He answered absently.

The younger boy seemed to be absorbed by the puppies in front of him. Harry suddenly felt something bumping into his leg, and discovered the mother of the puppies, who was looking at him with hopeful brown eyes.

"I think Pepper likes you" Carlos stated with a smile.

Carefully, Harry knelt next to Pepper and slowly petted her head. The dog seemed satisfied and softly licked Harry's forearm. Carlos let out a chuckled.

"Look at this, Harry Hook, befriending a dog. I never thought I'd see such a thing."

Harry shrugged.

"What breed are those?"

"They're Malinois. They kinda look like German Shepherd."

"They are better looking than yer mutt."

"Don't call Dude that! But yes, there's really pretty."

Carlos stood up and took one of the puppies in his arms. He walked toward Harry and kneeled next to him.

"Here. Take this one."

Harry hesitated for an instant before he gently took the small dog in his arm. The puppy wriggled a little in his hold, before he put his front paws on Harry's chest and started to lick his chin. Carlos giggled, unable to keep his amusement at the view of the feared pirate Harry Hook holding a small puppy.

"How cute are the two of you?" Carlos said, a happy smile spreading on his face.

"I'm not cute!" Harry groaned curtly.

"Sorry, but it's impossible to take you seriously when you're holding a puppy. It's not good for your street cred!"

Harry winced, but didn't let go of the dog. Carlos took puppy wearing a red collar in his arms.

"This one will be mine when she's old enough."

"Ya're taking another dog? That's a lot."

"Yep. Dude is getting old, and as much as I wish he did, he won't live forever…. I know she'll never replace him, but I guess it could be nice to have a baby dog and see her grow up. Also, I don't think you can have too many dogs!"

Harry nodded.

"She has a name?"

"Not yet. I'm still trying to find a good one."

Carlos kissed the dog muzzle, put her on the ground and stood up.

"I need to get Pepper's medication; she's on a treatment because she doesn't have enough iron in her blood. I'll be back in a sec. "

Carlos started to walk to the door, but be turned to Harry before he went out. The puppies were all moving toward Harry.

"And Harry?" Carlos said with a blank face "Be careful."

Harry gave him a confused look.

"What for?"

"They might kill you with cuddles!"

It has been a good month since Harry and Carlos started to hang out. Now, they basically spend every day together. The VKs received in advance their schedules for the next school years. Carlos was two years ahead, and he was almost disappointed to see that he already knew most of the subjects they were going to study. Harry, on the other end, was a little less self-confident. He wasn't stupid, far from it, but he wasn't either a big fan of studies. He was pretty late in some subjects, especially in math and physics, which he loathed.

Carlos offered to tutor Harry before the beginning of the school year, so he could catch up with him. The pirate refused at first, probably out of pride, but Carlos convinced him it would really help. It was now common to see Harry and Carlos in the library, working on some scientific subject.

Harry was surprise to see how passionate Carlos was about it. He knew the kid was a nerd, and a smart one, but he didn't except him to be so good at explaining things. He was actually feeling like he was making progress, and that was quite satisfying.

On the other hand, Carlos agreed to spare with Harry every now and then. The pirate had a reputation to be a really good swordfighter, and he wanted to live up to it. Carlos himself has gotten pretty good thanks to his training for the Swords and Shields team. Carlos asked Harry if he wanted to join them, but Harry laughed at him and categorically refused. It didn't stop then from sparing together.

One evening, Carlos was walking Dude on the beach, when he caught the sight of Harry. He was sitting on a rock, just at the limit of the water. He seemed lost in his thought, and was startled by Carlos when he came to sit next to him.

"Someone's having an existential crisis?" Carlos asked, staring at the horizon.

"Na. Just thinking."

"Careful, you don't wanna hurt yourself." Carlos joked.

Harry poked him in the ribs, to what Carlos responded by a chuckle.

"Seriously, what's on your mind?"

Harry sighed. He wasn't the kind of guys that talked easily about his feelings. Quite the opposite actually. He had the bad habit of letting all of his emotions boiling inside, until he couldn't anymore. When it came to that point, it was a mix of anger and frustration that came out in an explosion of rage. Harry knew he was really scary when that happened. On the Isle, it wasn't a bad thing, being feared, but in Auradon... He wasn't so sure.

"It's nothing. Just thinking about my father, and how much of a dick he his, that kind of stuff."

"I can relate. My mom was pretty awful too."

Harry nodded. He heard things about Cruella, rumors, and wasn't sure if they were true. He hoped they weren't. For a second, he almost asked to Carlos about it, but he refrained. It wasn't his place to ask.

"Ya know my father gave me that hook?" Harry started, playing absently with his fake hook.

"I guessed he did. I don't remember a time a saw you without that thing."

"Well, I thought it was his way to tell me to be like him. I wanted to at first. But for the past couple of years, I changed my mind. I don't want to be like him. He's just… Too bad. It may sound silly comin' from me, but it's true. He's the worse."

Carlos didn't know a lot about James Hook. He never saw him in person. But just like his mother, Hook was feared by a lot of people because of his short-temper. He was also living next to Uma's territory, so Carlos had no reason to go anywhere near him. He had no idea of what growing up with Hook could be like, and he wasn't sure he wanted to ask.

"You're not like him. You're not a bad person."

"I mean, I kinda kidnaped the king of Auradon, remember?"

Carlos chuckled. He had almost forgotten about it.

"Come on, Ben is not even mad at you for that. You and Uma were just looking for a way out of the Isle."

"Yer right I guess" Harry grinned.

For a couple of minute, the stayed silence. The peaceful sound of the waves crushing on the beach was really relaxing. Even Dude had stopped running around, and had jumped on Carlos' lap. The freckled boy had wrapped his arms around him, and was holding him tightly.

After a moment, Harry stood up, and to Carlos astonishment, threw the hook in the sea.

"It was stupid of me to keep this."

Carlos pushed Dude out of his lap, and joined Harry. After a short hesitation, he put a hand on the tallest boy's shoulder. He could see that harry was going through the same phase as him and his friends when they came to Auradon for the first time. Being in such an amazing place after living for their whole life on the Isle was a shock. It took an adaptation time before they were ready to accept that this was their new life. Carlos knew that it was hard, but he was certain that Harry will manage to figure things out.

It was around 11 p.m. Carlos and Harry were sitting on the couch of the latest's room, and where watching some TV show Carlos liked. The pirate kept making commentaries on the stupidity of the characters, and on how he would do things if he was in the same situation. Carlos was laughing at some of his comments, and neither of them could focus on the plot for long.

Surprisingly, Dude was laying on Harry's laps. In the past week, the dog seemed to have adopted Harry the same way he adopted Carlos. The younger boy kept teasing him about that, insinuating that he was in fact a dog person.

Harry wasn't really invested into the TV show. He only accepted to watch it because Carlos practically begged him to. He recently discovered that it was hard to say no to Carlos when he was looking at him with his big eyes and his puppy-face. He thought that it was actually cute, even though he would never admit it.

The truth was, he felt confused by Carlos' behavior. On the Isle, he had been really mean to him. He was the youngest of Mal's crew, and he had bullied him for a long time. Scaring him was really easy; his presence was enough to frighten the younger boy. But since he came to Auradon, he was different. He was less jumpy, more confident and became quite cocky. Also, small detail Harry couldn't help but notice, he got hot. He was a cute kid before, but now, he filled up, and looked stronger. He was still small though, but he was compensating with his strong personality. The truth was, he was starting to really like Carlos and that was really confusing.

"Harry? You're still there?"

Harry blinked quickly. He hadn't realized he was staring at Carlos.

"Sorry pup'. That show's too stupid, I can't focus on it."

"Don't worry, your suffering is about to end. It's almost over."

Harry shrugged, and tried to focus on the TV. Carlos couldn't help but notice the changes on Harry's behavior. He was much calmer than he used to be. On the Isle, Harry was always pacing back and forth, unable to stay still, like something was supposed to happen in any moment. He still had the same maniac laugh though, except sometimes, when he was laughing for real. Carlos was surprised to really like when Harry was genuinely laughing. It made him look younger.

He really enjoyed Harry's presence. He was basically seeing him as a friend now, and he kinda wish he'd knew him like this sooner. It was refreshing to have someone from the Isle to talk to, other than Mal, Jay and Evie. Harry was really funny, carefree and he could actually be nice. Carlos knew he was getting really attached to him, and he wasn't sure if it was a good idea. But he didn't really care.

Two days later, the two boys were on Carlos' room, and playing cards on the floor, next to Harry's bed. Carlos was trying to show Harry he could play without cheating, but that wasn't a natural thing to do for the pirate. At some point, Carlos gave up playing fairly, and started to cheat as well. Harry still won though.

"I hate plating with you" Carlos sighed "You can't not cheat, and you always win. It's not fair"

"Life ain't fair pup'." Harry chuckled.

Carlos put away the cards, and glanced at Harry for a second. That's when an idea came to his mind.

"Remember when Evie wanting us to do this icebreaker thing, after we beat those armors?"

"Aye. That was really awkward."

"But that wasn't a bad idea. I mean, it's always nice to know what other people think about you, right?"

Harry leaned against the bed. Knowing what others thought about him wasn't something he really enjoyed. People usually didn't like him very much. Not that he cared.

"What's yer point?"

"We could do it again. I'm sure it'll be nice."

"I'm not sure it's a good idea…"

"Come on! It'll be fun! Please?" Carlos whined, putting on his best puppy-face.

The pirate sighed, defeated. He couldn't resist when Carlos was looking at him like this.

"Fine. But spoiler alert, yer puppy-face is not something I like."

"Liar. You love it!" Carlos retorted with a wink.

Once again, confusion took Harry over. The way Carlos was acting with him was still something he hadn't got used to.

"I'll start if you want to. I'm kinda obsessed with your eyes."

Harry shrugged, but couldn't hide his blushing.

"Ugh. How original. Everyone like my eyes."

Carlos could clearly see that Harry was slightly flustered. It was a really nice sight.

"You really don't know how to take compliments, do you? You already looked embarrass when Evie said that your accent is great. This is true, by the way."

Harry's face grew a bit redder.

"Yeah… Whatever…" Harry mumbled.

The pirate was known for having a respond to almost anything, but right now, nothing came.

"Alright. Your turn. You have to say something you like about me."

Harry took a minute to think. He realized that there were a lot of things he liked about Carlos. However, he wasn't sure he was allowed to name those things.

"I guess I like your freckles…" Harry mustered shyly.

"See! That wasn't so hard."

The pirate looked up, trying to avoid Carlos' gaze. The younger boy smiled, and gave a light bump to Harry's side.

"Yer a little shit, ya know that?"

"It takes one to know one." Carlos responded cheerfully.

Harry couldn't contain a laugh. He was glad he got to know Carlos. He had no idea he was such a cool guy.

"Ya know what? When the blue princess started that icebreaking thing, I would have answered after she said she liked my accent. Uma stopped her before I did."

"Really? What were you about to say?"

"Keep it to yourself, but I dig her hair."

"Are you sure I can't tell her? She'll be glad to know that."

"Na. As far as I'm concern, I didn't say anything."

Carlos snorted. Harry had way to much pride to admit that kind of things. He realized that Harry telling him something like this was unexpected, and he actually felt happy that Harry chose to trust him. Because that was trust, right?

Harry woke up because of a weight on his stomach. He yawned and looked back, to see Dude lying on him as if he was some kind of pillow. The dog looked at him in the eye, before he climbed of him to go to his water dish. Harry realized that the light of the bed lamp was still on, and he was still sitting on the floor, his back against the bed. He didn't remember falling asleep. He could see on the alarm clock that it was around 3 am.

Suddenly, he remembered that he wasn't alone, and realized that Carlos was asleep next to him, his head resting on his shoulder. It took a second for Harry to process that the Carlos that was terrified of him before was now sleeping peacefully against him. It was not too bad if he was being honest. Carlos looked completely relaxed.

Harry tried not to move too much, and grab one of the pillows from the bed to put it behind his head. He closed his eyes, ready to fall asleep again. He was almost sleeping when something heavy fell on the ground. He felt Carlos sit up rapidly, and heard him call:

"Dude !"

When Harry opened his eyes, the room was in the dark, and it took him a minute before he could see again, thanks to the moonlight passing through the open window. Carlos was near his nightstand, carrying Dude in his arms.

"What are ya doing?" Harry asked, pretty sure he already knew the answer.

"I don't know how he did it, but Dude dropped my lamp."

"Is it broken?"

"I don't think so. The light bulb is busted though. I'll need a new one. As for you, I'm very disappointed at this behavior! I thought I taught you better…" Carlos told Dude while holding him close to his face.

He dropped the dog on Jay's bed, on the other side of the room.

"You better be well-behaved now, or I won't buy you those treats you like so much!"

Carlos looked at Dude for a second, during which the dog laid down on the bed, before he returned next to Harry.

"I'm pwetty sure ya gonna buy this fucker his treats anyway. Ya spoil him."

"Maybe, but he doesn't know that."

"Still. He is a pain in the ass."

"If he bothers you that much, you know where exit is" Carlos answered without an ounce of conviction in his voice.

For a second, Harry thought about leaving. After all, it was late, his neck was painful from the position he was in, and he kinda wanted to go back to the comfort of his bed. But he didn't want to leave Carlos. Because he didn't want to be alone. No other reasons.

Carlos sat next to Harry. The pirate couldn't quite understand the look he was giving him. After an awkward silence, Carlos finally spoke:

"You miss them, right? Uma and Gil?"

"It's that obvious?" Harry whispered absently.

"Yep. I get it. I miss my friends too. It's so weird to know that they're so far away. It never happened before."

Harry shook his head. The feeling was unsettling. He grew up with Uma and Gil, and they were more siblings than friends. He really wished they could be back sooner, but he still had a whole month alone. Well, not quite alone anymore.

Harry noticed that Carlos had a weird look on his face. Like if he was… Sad? For a moment, the pirate thought he did something wrong. He moved closer to him, so that their legs were touching, and he put a hand on his shoulder. Carlos was startled at first. It was definitely unusual from Harry to seek for this kind of contact. He reserved this treatment to Uma, and only Uma.

"I was just thinking… When the others come back, I guess this would be over, right? You'll stay with Uma and Gil, and that'll be it… I mean, I'm not stupid, I know you're only staying with me to fill the gap. I'm just guessing it'll be over by the beginning of the school year." Carlos muttered, looking down.

Harry wasn't sure what to answer. It was true at first. He just wanted someone to talk to while his friends were away. But now… He really got attached to Carlos. Maybe a little too much, but that was his problem. He was sure of one thing; he did not want this to be over.

"Of course not pup'! I don't see why I should stop seeing ya!"

"Really?" Carlos asked timidly.

"Aye. Sorry, but yer stuck with me now."

Carlos giggled, and to Harry's surprise, wrapped his arms around his neck to hug him. It really caught the other boy out of guard, but he quickly respond by putting his arms around Carlos' waist and closing his eyes. He could feel Carlos's chin resting on his shoulder and hear his breath close to his ear. He could feel his weight against him, something he never thought he craved until now. But it was over way too soon.

Carlos sat back, and Harry was glad it was dark in the room, so that the other boy couldn't see that he was flustered.

"For what it's worth, I really like being with you." Carlos said shyly.

Harry swallowed hardly.

"Yeah… I guess I do too…"

Harry couldn't look at Carlos anymore. He just felt like he would do something stupid if he did. He almost jumped when he felt the younger boy's hand on his cheek. He instinctively leaned against it, something he would definitely come to regret. But right now, he wasn't really in control of his action. He couldn't be held responsible, right? After all, it was late, he was sleepy and his friends weren't there. He wasn't in position to fight this, was he?

He was so lost in his thought that he didn't realized that Carlos' hand had moved from his cheek to the back of his neck and that, small detail, his lips were currently on his.

Carlos wasn't sure why he kissed Harry. He wanted to, obviously, but it wasn't exactly in his habits to do something so impulsive. He couldn't go back now, he knew it. And he couldn't help but notice that Harry was pretty irresponsive. Shit. I messed up Carlos thought, ready to back out. He was about to withdraw, when Harry put a hand on his side, and finally kissed him back.

Carlos could have sworn he was melting. He put the hand that wasn't on Harry's neck on his shoulder, and moved slightly closer to the other, so that his legs were above Harry's. He just felt like he had die and arrived in heaven. It wasn't his first time doing this, he kissed other guys before, but it was different. Maybe because Harry was something he thought was inaccessible, and suddenly, it wasn't.

The truth was, he had no idea of what he was going to do when that kiss will be over. But he didn't care. He'll think about the consequences later.