make it rain.

🌊 Uma did care for her crew, even if she didn’t act like it all the time. With her own plans for everything, she hadn’t had time to spend with each of her crew mates except Gil or Harry. When a voice hit her ears, she let some of her stress subside as it always did around her younger members. “Zander, dear, what is the excuse this time? or do you have something worthwhile to present to your Cap’ain?” Just because they calmed her didn’t mean that she wouldn’t ebb her iron fist.

It had been far too long since he’d seen any of his crew mates and Zander could only hope that wouldn’t make things awkward now. Hope that they’d understand the plan he’d laid out as well as the fact he was still loyal to them, even more so due to his growing insecurities combined with pack mentality. A familiar face entered his line of vision as he approached, the train of thought screeched to a halt in his mind while the wish that the search would be worth it. “Captain, my apologies for taking so much time away,” the 16 year old greeted.

@bigbadzander

🐺 Being one of the younger siblings, Jayden hung out with Zander more so than the others. Even though he never talked much, he was the opposite when it came to his younger brother. “So I don’t know how I should go about this. Do I even belong in Auradon. I mean, I like it here, but sometimes I feel like I just don’t fit in.” He sighed, pursing his lips. “Am I overthinking this?”

Slowly, as the boy prepared his meager meal, Zeke pushed himself up into a proper sitting position. Head swimming, he pulled the blanket tighter around himself as he tried to ease his aching temples. “Hm,” he simply grunted as he took the bowl, ignoring the boy’s advice. He was too drunk to feel the burning sting on his tongue so he ate without care.

Carlos shook his head at the other boy because even on the Isle Zander had always been so kind to him. He believed it just came from his good nature and he found it admirable that the other was willing to show a softer side when they had always been pushed to do the opposite. “Looks like we’re both going then,” he declared with a wide grin. “Wouldn’t want you getting lost with the chocolate muffins.”

There was no reaction from the elder until the blanket wrapped around his shoulders. Suddenly, he reached out, grabbing the boy’s wrist in a firm but painless grip. “Bring your dad some uh — uh the leftovers… in the fridge.” It felt like he was talking through syrup and he knew it had to sound even worse but hopefully his kid was smart enough to understand. Letting go, he pulled the blanket tight around himself to warm up from the cold air he had just stumbled through.

Most of Carlos’ friends resented his mother and while he barely saw her as a mother, he knew that the slightest approval from her would still mean a lot. His constant thought was that if she could just get help then maybe they could have some semblance of a normal relationship. Wiping away the thoughts of his mother, he focused on Zander again, nodding in agreement. “Chocolate makes everything great.” The mention of chocolate muffins sounded great and he nodded eagerly. “Should I come with or wait here?”

“I actually didn’t know when my birthday was until I got to Auradon,” he admitted. His mother would never waste the resources for a birthday party on him and Carlos never cared enough to find out. Slowly, it was getting easier to talk about the Isle even if the occasional nightmare still popped up on a bad night. “A perfect birthday? Uh — chocolate?”

( @chacsriising @moonlitxsky @bcnevclus @bigbadzander @esotericconundrums ) — starter for kiddos !

   stumbling into the house, zeke had the disgusting stench of alcohol surrounding him as he often did. a thud when he hit the wall and a crash when he knocked into a table, and finally a thump when he found his way onto the couch. if anyone was in the house they had definitely heard his loud entrance but zeke never cared. all he wished for in that moment was a blanket but he was too far past the edge to even think of getting up again.

    “It was never really celebrated before so it feels weird to make a big deal of it now,” he explained as he distracted himself with petting Dude. Unless it had to do with fashion, Carlos wasn’t fond of a lot of attention so he hadn’t mentioned his birthday to anyone until now.

Carlos nodded with a small laugh, slinging an arm around his friend’s shoulder. “Cool, man.” He offered a half hug before standing back up, picking Dude up from where he had lied on the ground. “I should probably get this guy back inside. It looks like he finally tired himself out. I’m glad we got to catch up, Zander.”

“Yeah and I’m glad too. Looking forward to seeing you around more often,” Zander answered, smile still bright on his face. Double checking to make sure that he had everything gathered, the son of the Big Bad Wolf gave a small wave to Carlos and Dude before heading back to his dorm. This would definitely be a day to remember for all of the best reasons.

The freckled boy gave a nod of agreement. Here in Auradon hope was almost tangible and friendship didn’t have to be hidden or disguised as some cheap deal of mutual benefits. “Me too. I promise that we’ll definitely hang out more. I wanna show you all the cool places around Auradon.”

“Now that sounds golden,” Zander remarked with a light chuckle. It was the truth, he hadn’t been in Auradon for too long, so any opportunity to explore, he would gladly take. Especially going on a small adventure with a loved one, that just made any journey a boatload better. Adjusting would take some time, no doubt about it, however getting used to ones surroundings was part of the process after all.

The look of almost pure — joy? It puzzled Carlos but it was gone as soon it registered so he wondered if maybe he had imagined it. Zander was a dear friend but emotions were so heavily bottled up on the Isle they had no measure of closeness. If asked, he wouldn’t know what to say about how much he might mean to the wolf boy. “I’m looking forward to that.“ He flashed the other a bright smile. “Let’s hope they start looking up for everyone.”

While Zander genuinely hoped that Carlos knew he’d move mountains if it meant that a smile could be placed on his friend’s face, he also hoped that his features didn’t get too much away. Of the feelings deep down in his heart, ones that had started forming back on the Isle and stood the chance of being resurrected here in Auradon. No, the Wolf boy knew his close friend deserved much better. “In that case, here’s to having hope. Looking forward to hopefully spending more time with you,” he responded.

Marinus: Alright so uh

Marinus: I need water for non drunk reasons

Zander: Non drunk reasons? Well, I’ll be a dazed jellyfish.

Carlos listened, nodding along with his words. It was like Zander hadn’t changed at all which was a good thing because he felt that they were alike in that neither boy wanted to be evil. They just fit the middle ground of trying to survive on the Isle and now just trying to live in Auradon. “Classes do take up a lot more time now that, you know, people care,” he joked, fingers absentmindedly running through Dude’s shaggy fur. “But actually, Uma and I are getting along again so you might see me and this little guy around the ship.”

Blue eyes brightened as he chuckled at the joke, adjusting his messenger bag all the while. Then the other set of words hit the 16 year old’s ears and Zander’s attitude brightened, almost like a magic spell had done the trick instead of just talking to an old friend. Then remembering what could happen if he let the happiness spread to a thought he’d long ago tried to forget, he just cleared his throat before starting to speak. “Well, I’ll be one of the first to welcome you aboard. Glad things are looking up.”

Dude sniffed at the other boy, barking in approval before lying back down next to Carlos. The freckled boy knew that Dude was a good judge of character because the dog only shied away from people that Carlos knew were truly evil. “Thanks, man.” He smiled brightly at his friend, hoping it showed how grateful he was for those words. He had stopped being foolishness to believe that his mother would be proud of him, instead, he sought the pride of his friends.  “So, have you been able to explore much?”

“Anytime,” was his simple response as he stood back up, turning for just a moment in order to gather his things. All the while, Zander’s mind filled with memories of the past, of times with friends being as bright as they could be back on the Isle. In his heart, the oh so familiar feeling of intense loyalty stirred up among a few other old feelings. Carlos’ voice soon snapped him out of his reverie as he placed his folders back into his messenger bag. “Unfortunately not too much. My time’s been split between classes and homework, time with family, or time with the crew. But I can always make time to hang out, no questions asked.”

Carlos could see the question in his friend’s eyes before he voiced it. Dogs, just below Cruella, had been his most crippling fear. They plagued his nightmares as slobbering monsters until Ben introduced him to Dude. The first dog he didn’t fear and slowly he worked his way up to loving the friendly creatures although larger dogs still put him on edge. “Mostly nonexistent?” He answered with a shrug, knowing that Zander would understand that some habits from the Isle would never completely disappear.

Zander gave a small nod of understanding, bright smile now becoming a soft one. “That’s progress and it’s great,” he replied prior to kneeling down for a moment in order to be closer to Dude. It was recurring joke in his own mind that he could get along with dogs due to his family being wolves once upon a time. Whatever it was though, he felt just as at ease around them as he did around loved ones. As he stood back up, the male glanced back up at Carlos as he added, “I’m really proud of you, ya know?”