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The barrier was gone forever. As Fairy Godmother used her wand to break the forcefield that separated the Isle of the Lost from the rest of the world, Jay couldn’t keep his shining wide smile off his face. As his friends stood by him with similar expressions, he felt like everything was finally perfect.
Almost.
He waited until the noise died down. Naturally, the VK’s living in The Isle of the Lost flocked to the streets of Auradon with pure unadulterated joy of finally being free. A celebration spread across Auradon Prep from the castle grounds all the way to the Enchanted Lake. Jay went back and forth to his friends and catching up with his old VK buddies.
He was talking to Uma when someone tapped his shoulder from behind. He spun around to see none other than Harry Hook, looking at him with a small smirk cast upon his lips.
Most people didn’t know this about him. It was something Jay kept from even his closest friends; but he and Harry had a shared history. It went further back than when he was sent to Auradon Prep.
About three years ago, when Jay and his friends still attended Dragon Hall, he and Harry took the same fighting classes. Jay was swift and sharp, “just like your father,” he’d hear his teacher say often. On the other hand, Harry was precise. He was known across the school for never missing a target. So, when the duo were partnered up to spar, it was no easy fight.
Their swords clashed with a sharp high-pitched cling more so than they actually hit their targets. It lasted ages, and would have most likely gone on for longer had Jay, as Harry put it, “not fucked it up.”
As Harry moved to swing his sword, Jay moved aside to dodge the attack. With the way he was positioned, Jay could easily sweep Harry’s leg from under his, pin him down, and win the match. However, something in him hesitated. He wasn’t sure why, but as Harry drew his sword, Jay didn’t stop him.
As Harry pinned him to the ground, Jay saw rage and confusion in his eyes. But just as quickly as it came, the moment passed as the coach pulled Harry off of him, raising Harry’s arm into the air.
“Harry wins!” the coach said, as his voice echoed in the gym. Jay arranged himself in a sitting position as his other classmates cheered Harry on.
That evening, Jay sat by the docks of the southern side of the Isle as he often did to collect his thoughts. His eyes were downcast as his legs dangled against the pier. Suddenly, Jay was snapped out of his thoughts as he heard footsteps coming towards him. He turned, startled, to find Harry standing behind him.
“You let me win,” he said, almost nonchalantly. “Why?”
“You’re a good sword fighter, you never lose,” Jay shrugged. “Just figured you’d wanna keep that title.”
Harry looked shocked at Jay’s earnest confession. “VK’s aren’t supposed to let people win, ya know. That’d be too pretentious of you.”
“Not really,” Jay said as he stood up. “Your sword fighting is the only redeemable quality about you, Hook. If I took that away, then you wouldn’t have anything to offer.”
“Hm, are you implying that I have something I can offer you, Jay?” Harry smirked playfully while wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.
Jay shoved him slightly. “In your dreams, asshole,” he said as he began to walk away. But unbeknownst to Harry, a small blush had formed on his cheeks.
“Am I dreaming or is that you, Jay?”
Pulled back into reality, Jay gave a small smile back. “Huh, it’s been awhile since we’ve seen each other, hasn’t it Hook?”
“Yeah, it’s been a full ten hours. It was gut-wrenching to have to leave you,” Harry smiled coyly. “You’d better make it up to me.”
“Wow, someone’s needy,” Jay chuckled. “Meet me in front of the school tonight. I’ll show you something really special.”
Harry looked at him and raised his eyebrow in curiosity. “My my, aren’t you ballsy. Alright, I’ll let you humor me. Until then, where did you say those cupcakes were, Uma?”
He swung his arm around Uma’s shoulder as he walked over to a nearby table with sweets. He only made it about two steps before Uma shoved him off, which made Jay laugh.
“Smooth, Romeo!” he teased.
Harry gave him a not so subtle middle finger as he kept walking. Only after he left did Jay notice his heart was beating a mile a minute.
A few hours later, the sun was long gone from the sky, the celebration long past.
Jay stood in front of Auradon Prep with his back to the wall and his arms crossed. The brisk evening air had Jay shivering every so often. It was hard to see in the dark, but he could still see Harry from a mile away.
“Hey, hot shot,” Harry said as walked up closer. “So, whaddya wanna show me?”
“It’s just up the stairs,” Jay said as he opened up the doors.
They walked through the empty school halls and slowly made their way up. By the time they had climbed up four flights of stairs, Harry had his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath.
“God, how many stairs does this place have?” Harry said while panting.
Jay chuckled. “Just a little further,” he said. “Need me to carry you? You wanna a piggy back ride?” he sing-sunged in a teasing voice.
“Fuck you.”
“Eh, later. Don’t worry, no more stairs,” Jay laughed.
“Promise?”
“Do I ever break a promise, Hook?”
Harry remained silent as Jay led him through the halls again until they reached a giant golden door at the end of the corridor.
“Now, close your eyes,” Jay told him.
Harry stared at him confusedly. “Why?”
“Come on, trust me. Whaddya got to lose?”
Harry looked at him up and down. “Doesn’t this remind you of something?”
Jay didn’t say anything.
“You know? Your father’s worst enemy said something along those lines. Something about trust.”
“Oh god, don’t bring that guy up,” Jay groaned. “His son goes here and will not shut up about that magic carpet ride his parents went on.”
Harry laughed. “Is it really that bad?”
Jay rolled his eyes with a smile. “Yes, it’s that bad. Wait till you meet him. He’s got an ego the size of the Genie.”
The two laughed heartily at the joke. Jay noticed their laughter started to echo in the halls, so he shushed Harry while trying not to laugh harder.
“Okay, okay. We gotta stop before we actually get in trouble,” Jay said through his giggling.
“Wow, you’re telling me not to get in trouble? They’ve really brainwashed you up here, huh?” Harry cackled.
“Oh, come on. It’s not that bad,” Jay puts his hand on Harry’s shoulder. “You’ll like it, I promise.”
They stood like that for a minute, before Jay cleared his throat.
“Right. Like I was saying…do you trust me?”
Jay outstretched his hand for Harry to take. Harry slightly hesitated, but grabbed it, letting their fingers intertwine.
“Now, close your eyes,” Jay insisted. Harry rolled his eyes playfully, but did as he was told. Jay opened the door with his free hand and led them in.
“Okay, you can open them now,” Jay prodded.
Harry opened his eyes and could only gawk at what was upon him. Behind the door was the biggest observatory that he had ever seen.
There were bookshelves lined up to the ceiling with hundreds, no, thousands of books about astronomy, physics, chemistry, and any other book of the sciences he could think of. The shelves circled their way around the entire room with a giant telescope in the middle. It was the most beautiful thing Harry had ever seen.
Almost.
“Holy shit,” Harry breathed. “This is…amazing.” He looked at Jay only to find their hands were still clasped. He looked at him as if he were asking for permission to let go. Jay slowly let go of his hand and Harry began to explore.
Jay followed closely behind smiling when Harry would react to certain things he noticed until finally he asked, “Why’d you bring me here?”
Jay looked at him, a small blush forming in his cheeks. “Well, The Isle’s had jack shit compared to here. We couldn’t even look up at the stars.”
“That first week of school, I was wandering around and ended up finding this place. I’d usually spend my nights here. When we were first sent to this school, we were on a mission to steal Fairy Godmother’s wand and bring it back to the Isle. Every night, I’d come up here and just soak all of this in. I figured once we went back, I wouldn’t be able to see ‘em again.”
“That doesn’t answer my question though, why’d you bring me here? This isn’t exactly my first time in Auradon,” Harry asked.
“Yeah, true,” Jay shrugged. “But did you actually get to look up?”
Harry didn’t answer. His eyes looked sullen as the moonlight cast shadows upon his face.
“Guess I hadn’t really thought of it,” Harry chucked halfheartedly.
“Well, go on,” Jay gestured for him to look through the telescope.
Harry slowly walked over and put his eye up to the glass. In his direct field of vision, he saw a vast array of bright twinkling lights shining across the darkness. He smiled wide, his grin stretching across his face far more than it had at any other point as he gasped quietly in his excitement and pure fascination. Harry frantically moved the telescope in every direction he could, eager to capture the image in his head and never let it go.
Eventually, his vision grew foggy, his eyes betraying him. He pulled his face away from the scope, only just realizing there were tears pooling from his eyes. He wiped them away in hopes Jay didn’t see. He still had his dignity to protect, after all.
“Not bad,” Harry said, trying not to choke up with emotion. “Thanks, Jay.”
“What can I say? It’s the-
But before Jay could finish, Harry went up in front of him and grabbed him in an embrace. He could hear Harry’s slightly shaky breath and sniffles against his shoulder. Without a second thought, Jay put his arms around Harry’s and let him cry.
After Harry was able to calm down from his euphoria, Jay led him past the telescope to a balcony which from where they stood, gave them an entire bird’s eye view of the school grounds. They were both seated on the ground, with Jay’s head propped up against the wall and Harry’s head against his shoulder.
“Whaddya think, Hook?” Jay asked him.
“God, it’s…perfect. I can’t look away,” Harry whispered. “I never thought I could truly see it, ya’know? Like, I couldn’t savor being here cause I knew I couldn’t come back. I can’t believe I’m even here right now…they’re beautiful.”
Jay gazed down at Harry who was still staring at the stars with the innocence and bliss of a young child who never got to truly be a kid.
“Yeah, beautiful.”
A comfortable silence passed between the two. Jay didn’t know how much time had passed by before he heard Harry clear his throat.
“Can I…tell you something?”
“Shoot,” Jay fired back.
“Ever since you let me win that match, I never really looked at you the same again. I always thought you were a coward for not standing your ground.”
Harry moved his head up to look into Jay’s eyes. His irises, reflected in the moonlight, were too enticing for him not to look at. He was truly beautiful, he thought.
“But, now I think I know why.”
Jay looked at him in silence, waiting for him to finish speaking.
“It didn’t really matter who won or who lost to you, did it? You just wanted me to be happy.”
“When you were sent to Auradon, honestly, I was crushed. Knowing you, it made sense, but I was so pissed because at the same time, I couldn’t be with you. When you came back to the Isle last year, I wanted nothing more than to hurt you for hurting me. But, deep down, I knew it wasn’t like that. And I knew us seeing each other again was different that time. Didn’t you feel it, too?”
At this point, Jay was silently crying. He looked into Harry’s eyes and nodded. “It was,” Jay’s voice cracked silently as tears streamed down his cheeks.
“I wanted to say so much to you,” Harry continued. “But all of that spellbook shit ruined it and pretty much any chance I had. So, I’ll say it now.”
Harry took a deep breath.
“Jay, I…love you. More than any words I can say.”
Jay was speechless. The two sat in silence before Harry looked away and chimed in again.
“If you don’t feel the same way, that’s fine, I just wanted to put it out there, and oh god, you don’t feel the same do you, it was just in my head wasn’t it-
Jay cut off Harry’s rambling by putting his hand against his cheek. Harry turned towards him and put his hand against Jay’s, as they leaned in and closed the distance between them.
Harry wouldn’t admit it out loud to anyone, but up until this point, he hadn’t kissed a soul. And he never wanted to again.
His heart raced faster than it ever had with pure happiness etched into him. He wanted to remember this moment for the rest of his life. The day when the barrier between the two worlds was broken, with Jay in his arms, and no other to bear witness than the constellations themselves.
It was Jay who broke the kiss first. He pulled away to catch his breath.
“Shit, Harry. Ya know how long I’ve wanted to do that for?”
Harry couldn’t help it, but he burst out laughing. After a moment, Jay started laughing too. They altered between fits of giggling and kissing while constantly holding the other, not wanting to let go.
They finally settled again as Jay now leaned into Harry’s shoulder and Harry's head leaned against his, huddled close together to keep warm from the chilly air.
“You know what?” Jay asked.
“What?”
“I’m glad I let you win that match, even though I could have easily won-
Harry playfully shoved him off.
“Of course you’d say that, asshole!” Harry quietly laughed as Jay leaned back in.
“Only because it’s true.”
“Fuck off.”
“Face it, you’re never getting rid of me. You’re stuck with this forever,” Jay said as he nestled in deeper.
“No complaints,” Harry whispered into the night as he planted a kiss on Jay’s forehead.
The two stayed like that for what felt like hours. And if Mal and Uma ended up finding them asleep like that the next morning, no one had to know.