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1 year before Auradon, The Isle of the Lost, 1:04 am
Jay couldn’t sleep.
It wasn’t exactly a new phenomenon. He’d had sleep problems since he was younger and had to sleep on the hard floor of his dad’s shop. Now, in the past year, he’d joined Mal’s gang, so he actually had a real bed in their gang’s headquarters, a ragged but well-fortified building next to Maleficent’s Bargain Castle.
Even still, more often then not sleep eluded him, so he suspected it was something more than not having a bed. Jay slipped out of bed, sliding his boots on and creeping silently past the sleeping forms of Mal, Carlos, and Evie until he was down the stairs and out of the building. He set off down backstreets and alleys, traveling without aim, letting his feet take him where they would.
The Isle was different late at night. While “peaceful” would be far from accurate, it was certainly less combative then when most residents were awake. However, it wasn’t any less dangerous; Jay still kept a close eye on the shadows lest some drunk or thief make the mistake of crossing him.
Jay noticed the sound of the ocean getting much closer, and suddenly he fully realized where he was headed. Pirate’s Bay was right upon him, just down the hill, a hodgepodge of shabby buildings and wooden walkways nestled in the cove. As Jay got closer and closer to the outer docks, he thought he spotted a familiar figure perched on the edge, a couple feet above the water.
Sure enough, sitting on the docks with his legs swinging lazily over the edge was Harry Hook, middle child of infamous Captain Hook. His long red leather coat was nowhere to be seen in the warm June night, leaving only a slightly torn white tank top and black pants and boots. A flask was held in his hands, which he brought to his lips to take a drink from.
“Haven’t ya heard?” Harry’s accented voice cut through the relative quiet, the only other noise coming from a still-inhabited bar at the top of the cove. “Pirate’s Bay is Uma’s territory now.”
“You gonna tell her I’m here?” Jay countered, now just a few feet away from the pirate. His hook was absent, Jay noticed, an odd sight. Harry clearly hadn’t intended on seeing anyone.
Rather than reply, Harry offered Jay his flask, and the son of Jafar swallowed some of the booze inside as he sat down next to Harry. It was actually decent stuff, and Jay took another swig before handing it back to the other boy.
“That’s good stuff,” Jay said. “Where did you get it? I know Uma doesn’t pay you that well.”
Strangely, Harry ignored the jibe. “Gift from Gil. Nicked it from his dad.”
Jay raised an eyebrow. Gil stole from Gaston? Risky. Everyone knew the narcissistic man was prone to enraged outbursts. Then again, so were most of their parents. Jay may steal from a lot of people, but he’d never dare steal from Jafar.
“What’s the occasion?”
“I’m 16 tomorrow.” Harry pulled a brass pocket watch out of his pants and squinted at the face of it. “Or, today, I guess. Huh.”
So June 10thwas Harry’s birthday? Jay hadn’t known that.
“You’re younger than me,” Jay said, taking another gulp from the flask Harry passed him again. His head buzzed pleasantly. It was true; Jay had turned 16 on the 21stof January.
“Congratulations, old man,” Harry said snarkily, a sly grin tugging at his lips. The moonlight reflected off of the waves onto Harry’s face, making his features sharper and his already pale eyes look almost silver. Jay caught himself staring.
Jay would admit (only to himself, of course) that he’d had quite the crush on Harry Hook when they were younger. Jafar had considered having Jay join Captain Hook’s pirate crew when he got older, to find treasure for his shop. Jay hadn’t been enthusiastic about the idea until he’d met one of Hook’s children. Harriet was a few years older than Jay and beautiful, but ultimately not super interesting. CJ, Hook’s youngest daughter, was only eight at the time.
However, his middle child and only son, a wild-haired, wild-eyed boy named Harry, fascinated Jay immensely. It wasn’t just his boyish cuteness that caught Jay’s eye; Harry had a love for adventure and a hunger to prove himself. He was also unpredictable, which, though off-putting to some, Jay found enthralling.
He’d stuck around for a couple years, but inevitably had to decline being a pirate, no matter how much he secretly loved being around the wild son of Hook.
Looking at him now, he had changed a lot, Jay realized. His face was round when he was young, but now he had a sharper jaw and cheekbones. He had grown into his lanky figure in a way that made his long limbs look strong and graceful rather than awkward. His eyes, however, had retained that wildness, and that cocky sideways grin still graced his lips.
Damn, it’s unfortunate how hot Harry was.
It was so much easier to say that Jay’s crush was a thing of the past than to accept that it still lingered.
Jay realized that Harry was looking at him out of the corner of his eye, slightly hidden by his wind-swept brown hair. Shit, Jay cursed internally. No way he didn’t notice me staring.
“See somethin’ ya like, street rat?” Harry taunted smugly, probably purposefully using the same phrase Jafar had always cursed at Aladdin. Jay sneered.
“You wish,” Jay shot back. “Just because no one wants to sleep with a codfish like you.”
Harry smirked at Peter Pan’s nickname for Hook directed at him and leaned in closer. Jay could feel the tension between them. “Oh, that’s where you’re wrong, mate. Ya know the old saying. Plenty of fish in the sea.”
This was officially the weirdest flirting Jay had ever taken part in. Okay…not the weirdest, but it was up there.
Jay leaned even closer, close enough to feel Harry’s breath, and reached out. Harry’s eyelids drooped and his head tilted slightly, lips parting, and then Jay was leaning away again, Harry’s flask in his hands. Harry glared at him as Jay took a sip with a wink at the other boy. Before Harry could say anything, however, Jay capped the flask and set it aside.
“Happy birthday, Harry,” Jay said lowly before reaching forward to pull Harry’s face to his, connecting their lips in a kiss. Harry sighed into the contact, allowing Jay to drag his tongue along Harry’s lower lip before tugging lightly with his teeth.
That seemed to snap something in Harry, as he grabbed Jay’s shoulders tightly and upped the tempo of their slow kiss. They kissed with bruising energy, tongues tangling as if they were dueling. Jay slid his hand up from Harry’s neck to his hair, wrapping his ungloved fingers in the longer strands at the top and pulling gently but firmly.
The effect was immediate. Harry let out a little gasp, readily accepting Jay’s tongue as it slid between his lips, letting Jay take the lead. Harry’s mouth tasted of rum and the ocean. The pirate’s arms wrapped solidly around Jay’s neck, and Jay let his other hand reach out to slide around Harry’s waist.
Suddenly, Harry pushed himself up onto his knees. Before Jay could do the same, Harry was draping one leg across Jay to seat himself on the son of Jafar’s lap. Jay felt a flash of heat in his belly as blood began to run south.
Jay’s hand that was on Harry’s waist slid under the boy’s tank top to rest on his lower back, trailing across the bare flesh and earning him a little shiver from Harry. In retaliation, Harry shifted very purposefully in Jay’s lap, grinding his hips momentarily and making Jay groan quietly.
Footsteps sounded in the distance, and an unknown voice called: “Hey, who’s out there?”
Both boys froze, pulling back abruptly. Jay looked around for somewhere they could hide to avoid getting caught, but Harry tightened his grip on Jay’s shoulders before throwing all of his body weight backwards over the dock, sending him and Jay tumbling into the water. The constant sound of waves hitting the rocky shore covered up the splash.
Harry pulled Jay under the cover of the dock as they came up for air, a finger over his lips. Jay’s hair was in his face, and he could see Harry laughing silently as Jay pushed the wet locks back.
The footsteps passed overhead, before going back the way they came.
“What was that?” Jay asked as Harry led him back to the rocks.
“We needed a place to hide,” Harry said simply. “It wouldn’t do well for us to be caught together.”
He wasn’t wrong. Since Harry was Uma’s second in command, they were technically in rival gangs, as both Uma and Mal hated each other.
“You’re damn lucky I can actually swim,” Jay grumbled, feeling the seawater in his leather jacket. Harry chuckled, and Jay tried to ignore how it made his chest feel light and warm. Physical intimacy was one thing; emotions were a whole other ball game, and a dangerous one, at that.
As they reached the rocks, Harry grabbed Jay’s forearm. “Happy birthday to me indeed,” he said as he pulled Jay back in for another kiss.
Well. Jay’s waterlogged jacket could wait a little longer.