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“What?”
This is not what Jane was expecting when she was summoned to the dorm-room of one Harry Hook.
The red clad pirate sighs, the arm with the paper he so rudely shoved into her face falling to his side as he stands in the doorway (rudely not inviting her in). “Do I need to spell it out to you? I thought a picture would suffice.” He holds up the cartoonishly drawn image besides his face, using his other hand to flamboyantly frame it, as if her attention wouldn’t be caught by the paper alone without his additional, signature flourish.
“No, I get that.” She can’t help but smile at the ridiculousness of it all (and because it’d be rude not to). “I just-” The way he cocks his head to the side, wide, blue eyes outlined in black, reminds her who exactly she’s dealing with and that she has to tread carefully.
She starts over. “I’m not quite sure what you’re asking.”
His expression says that he doesn’t believe her at all. “What part of - I want one,” he points rather aggressively at his drawing, “- don’t you understand?”
She allows herself to nod, steeling her nerves as she practices her breathing exercises. She will not be a cowering mess like she used to be when the first VKs arrived. He’s just a slightly unhinged pirate who’s first interactions with her were both vaguely threatening and flirty. Nothing to be afraid of, especially since said manic pirate seems to finally be dating Uma (who said if Harry tried anything with Jane that she’d personally take care of it).
Jane meets his eyes. “I don’t understand why anyone would want a crocodile.”
Time seems to freeze for them. Jane holds her breath as she waits for the impending explosion her words will surely elicit.
Blue eyes light up as the first genuine smile she’s seen from Harry (not directed at Uma) lights up his face. He laughs. “Why wouldn’t you want one?”
Jane’s startles and tries not to let her smile drop. She catches herself from saying, Because it could take your hand off, because she knows that would be insensitive. Instead, what comes out is, “Because it could hurt someone,” which is true enough and a very real concern for everyone involved.
“Come on! It’s no worse than a dog in that regard. Besides,” he purposefully looks her up and down, “I won’t allow it to eat any of my limbs, I promised that to Uma years ago. No feeding of these hands to any crocs.” He does nice jazz hands even with the cartoonish drawing still tucked between his fingers.
“Still,” she swallows. “Pets aren’t allowed in-”
His hands drop. “Oh?” He crosses his arms, leaning against the edge of his door frame. “Then what do you call that mutt yer boyfriend owns, hmm? Or is he just a special little snowflake?”
She doesn’t have an answer for that, she’s left open mouthed and floundering, frantically trying to think of a way to-
A bark of laughter from the boy in front of her makes her jump as he doubles over.
“I just got it!” he cries. “His hair,” he makes a vague gesture to his own. “Such a snowflake!” His peels of laughter have other students peeking their heads out of their rooms to see what all the commotion is about. Jane tries not to let their stares get to her, choosing to ignore them, staying confident.
Think, Jane! Think! Why does Carlos get to keep Dude? Why does Carlos-?
She snaps her fingers, the answer obvious. “Harry.”
The pirate straightens a bit, only now attempting to reign his chuckles in (and he’s only moderately successful since he’s still snickering). “Hmm?”
“Carlos doesn’t keep Dude.”
That wipes the smile right off his face, replacing it with a furrowed brow and a frown. “He doesn’t?”
“No. Dude is like our school mascot.”
“But he stays with Carlos all the time.”
She blinks. “Well, they’re great friends.”
He crosses his arms again, staring her down with those unnerving eyes of his. “I know us Isle folk and you Auradonians have different traditions and societal expectations, but last I checked, neither of us are in the habit of petting our friends. Well,” he pauses, smirking, “besides me and Uma, but that’s rather our prerogative, isn’t it?”
Jane isn’t quite sure how to process that last part, but she knows she doesn’t want to, so she settles on the appropriate reaction of wrinkling her nose.
Seemingly satisfied that he’s made her uncomfortable, Harry continues, “So, the dog stays with Carlos,” he counts off on his fingers, “Carlos takes care of the mutt most often, and he’s able to pet and pick up said dog more frequently than anyone else. Three for three, sounds like a pet to me!”
“Dude allows that because-” Those knowing blue eyes egg her on. “-because Dude is also an emotional support animal.”
The pirate just gives her an imploring looking. “Meaning?” He gestures for her to go on.
She tries not to sigh in frustration. “Meaning, he has some more,” she swallows, “emotional things to sort out than most of the other kids who go here.”
“So, he gets special privileges because of that?”
“No! I mean- yes, kind of. It’s-”
“Perfect!” Harry is encroaching on her personal space again as he holds up his drawing once more. “If there’s anyone with emotions that’s in need of this so-called ‘support’, it’s me, don’t you agree?”
She realizes her mistake now. Oh bippity-boppity!
She finds herself faltering, taking a step back at his approach. “I-”
“Come on, duckling!” He’s on his knees now, taking both of her hands in his, holding on to them and staring up at her with a pout and those wide-blue eyes that should not work so well on that villainously handsome face.
“How about a dog or-or cat?”
“How about a crocodile?”
She can’t avoid that heart wrenching stare, the one that reminds her of Carlos and all the other VKs who just look so heartbroken sometimes, on purpose or otherwise (Jane knows they’ve called Auradonians sentimental and overly compassionate sometimes, she knows they use this to their advantage whenever they can).
She closes her eyes to avoid that pleading blue gaze of his and his trembling pink lips. (Why are so many isle boys so pretty?! It’s just not fair!)
“Please,” he whines, the soft skin of his cheek innocently brushing her knuckles as he leans further forward, bouncing on his heels. He might really be a dog, she thinks, as her resolve starts to crumble at the pitiful sound of his whine and the caress of skin.
The next sound he makes is definitely a whimper, inhuman and pitiful sounding just like a real dog, and she finds her gaze melting from its icy determination as she’s drawn back to those wide eyes of pale blue staring back up at her. Definitely a dog, she thinks. An overly excitable and, perhaps, deranged puppy. One of a whole different breed than Carlos and one that she just can’t say no to, regardless, just like Carlos.
She sighs, shutting her eyes in the process. When she opens them again, the pirate at her feet has visibly perked up, hope in those blue orbs.
“Alright,” she says, “I’ll try and talk to my mother about getting you a crocodile.”
“Yes!” A wide grin splits his face as he jumps to his feet, releasing her hands from his hold, looking ready to run up and down the halls shouting for joy.
“But,” she continues before he can truly start celebrating, “you have to promise me that you won’t use the crocodile to hurt anybody.” The red clad teen nods, biting his lip and holding his hands behind his back as he listens to her in an effort to at least look half-way like he’s taking her seriously. This does not stop the pirate from bouncing on the balls of his feet, however, and Jane wonders if this boy could ever truly sit still. “You will have to work with a specialist to train it, probably,” he nods again, chewing on his lip and bouncing more noticeably, “and who knows how long that will take.” He seems like he’s vibrating with excess energy the longer she talks and she wonders when his patience will wear out. “Plus, you’ll have to take care of it in general, make sure it gets fed and-”
“Kay, got it!” And just like that- his patience has worn out, she’s served his purpose for him, as he starts to crowd around her again, turning her around back the way she came in. He does it all with a magnetic smile, though, and Jane finds herself hard-pressed to find any anger in herself at him, especially since she’s seen him with those huge puppy-dog eyes kneeling before her.
“Okay. But-” His hands are on her shoulders as he propels her forward with him, not giving her time to think between one blink and the next, his movements speak of years of practice with maneuvering people around with ease.
“I’ve taken care of a croc before, well- loosely speaking,” he tries to reassure her as they move quickly and efficiently down the hall. She notices that the doors of the curious students who poked their heads out to watch the initial spectacle between her and the pirate are quickly closing as they make their way down the hall, probably to avoid unnecessary contact with the errant isle boy. “And I’ve minded my hands.” Harry continues, not paying any mind to the slamming doors besides a widening of his smirk. (He’s probably used to it, she thinks.) “Plus, Uma will be around. No need for you to worry your pretty, little head, goose.”
Jane wonders about the pirate’s affinity for using nicknames involving birds in regards to her. She wants to ask him about it, but they’re already at the end of the hallway. The stairs leading down to the main floor of the boys dorm are on her right, waiting for her to descend them.
“But-” she tries to start again. She wants to make sure he knows that she can’t guarantee anything when it comes to her mother. It’s then she notices the touch on her shoulders is gone along with the presence at her back. Turning around, searching, all she sees is the flair of red coat tails at the end of the hallway, followed by the resounding thud of a heavy oak door shutting- the sound echoes in the unnatural stillness of the hallway.
Jane finds herself frozen too long. She has to shake herself to start moving. She has to tell herself that this wasn’t all a dream, that the whirlwind that was Harry Hook did indeed appear before her and he asked for an honest to bibbity crocodile. And she... agreed.
“Oh, bibbity-bobbity!”