I am well aware that I named Aziz's little sister Antonia, but like it's been a while I want to change it, so I will. Her name is Jesna now because I thought that the name, and the meaning, were pretty. Also, with the inconsistencies regarding Aziz saying that she can't remember Jay, I am changing that too, so I'm sorry for that. Also, I know I made an entire fic just for Aziz, but this is all relevant info, I swear-
Jay stayed holding Aziz until the boy seemingly wore himself out, crying himself to sleep. Judging by those bags under his eyes, he needed it desperately. It was almost disturbing how vulnerable Aziz had been. He wasn't used to it, that kind of breakdown would have gotten him killed or worse on the Isle.
Jay shook his head, deciding he'd rather not have Aziz and the Isle of the Lost in the same thought. Really, he'd decided to just keep the idea of the Isle gone in general.
"Aziz, could you let go for me?" Jay asked, keeping his voice low, "Please? I'd like to move."
Aziz didn't respond. Obviously. It took a bit of effort, but eventually Jay managed to slip out of his grip and out of the room, being careful to make sure that Aziz didn't wake up. Slipping out into the hallway, he allowed the events that just happened to play through his mind again. He needed whatever anger this could provide fresh in his mind.
And there was definitely a lot of anger he could pull from it.
The entire conversation made his blood boil. The way the Sultan and Sultana spoke to Aziz was enough to drag memories up from the Isle. Behavior like that was normal there.
No one liked it, but it was acceptable.
He knew they acted like that to him a lot, with Aziz's reactions to it and how easily it worked for him. Hell, the kid couldn't even hold his own in an argument to let him go back to Auradon. Never mind looking vulnerable, Aziz looked defeated. Like he'd given up arguing with them years ago. He knew that look too well, too many kids on the isle had it when it came to their parents.
Jay had it with his father.
The only difference was that he always knew that a hit was coming.
Aziz looked like he didn't know, and Jay hated that.
At least on the Isle, the villains acted the same in front of and behind closed doors. Apparently, outside, they didn't do that.
"Did Aziz fall asleep?" Someone asked, causing Jay to jump.
He turned around, seeing Jesna leaning against the doorway to her room.
"Shit, you scared me," Was all he was able to say.
"I'm sorry," She said with a small laugh, "But is he?"
"Yeah, he fell asleep," Jay said with a nod, "He looked like he needed it."
"Oh trust me, he does," Jesna said with a sigh, "He doesn't like sleeping that much, funny considering that it's almost impossible to wake him when he does."
"He wore himself out," Jay told her, "He was crying."
Jesna frowned.
"Did our parents stop by?" She asked.
"Yeah," Jay grumbled, forcing down the choice words that he had for the Sultan and Sultana, "Yeah they did."
"Fuck," She grumbled, "I'll go check on him. I doubt the interaction went well."
"It didn't."
Jesna pushed herself off the wall, stepping closer.
"They think he's insane," She said, "Because he thinks our older brother is alive."
"I gathered that," Jay told her, "What do you think?"
"I've always agreed with him," She said, crossing her arms and giving a small shrug, "And I'll be honest, now that I'm really looking at you? Yeah. Yeah, I see it. You look like our dad."
It hadn't even dawned on Jay that he had a little sister now too.
"Honestly, I'm still having some trouble believing it," Jay told her, "Of course a direct confession always helps."
"Well, I'm not complaining," Jesna told him, "You're like a total badass."
Jay laughed a bit.
"Why thank you," He said, "You're pretty cool too."
"I should go check on him," She said, "See if he says anything in his sleep."
"He sleep talks?" Jay asked, "That's not just something he does when he's delirious?"
"Yeah, he always does," Jesna said, "Sometimes says some pretty interesting things."
"Oh really?" He asked, "Care to share?"
"Are you gonna tease him about it?" Jesna asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Would that stop you from telling me?" Jay asked.
She laughed lightly and shook her head, "No, definitely not. I'll tell you about it later."
"I'll be waiting," Jay said, "Oh do you know where your parents went?"
"Oh, uh, down that hall I think," She said, pointing down the hallway, "You know they've been worried sick about him. Mom didn't sleep for days after you got him back, and no one would let me in the room to see him."
"Trust me Jesna, that was a good thing," Jay said, "At least now his wounds are more or less healed, and he has actual clothes on."
"Did Jafar-"
"No," Jay said quickly, "At least not that we know of."
"I'll kill that bastard."
"Get in line."
Jesna sighed, pushing her hair away from her face.
"You said they were worried?" Jay asked, "Because they spent the entire time calling him insane and threatening to send him to a mental ward."
"Again?" Jesna asked, sounding exhausted.
"Again?" Jay asked, eyes wide, "They do this a lot?"
She looked down and nodded.
"Yeah," She mumbled, slipping into a tone that was similar to how her father had spoken earlier, "'Aziz, if you don't stop acting insane, we'll send you away for good.', 'We know you hated the hospital, but it's for your own good.', 'Aziz, don't you think the people think you're crazy enough?', 'You don't remember that night, stop acting like you do.' My brother couldn't do or say anything without getting snapped at."
"They've sent him to a hospital before?" Jay asked, eyes wide.
"He kept claiming he had dreams," Jesna told him, "That he could remember the night our brother, you, were kidnapped. Our parents didn't like that."
"So they sent him away?" He asked.
"Yeah, he was in and out for a while," She said, "My earliest memory with him was when I was 8. They sprung him loose after they got him to finally agree to stop 'making up stories'."
"You two are only a year apart," Jay said, "Fuck, he was 9?"
"I kept telling them that if they kept isolating him, he really would be insane," She said, nodding.
"Did they send him to Auradon as a punishment?" Jay asked.
"No, he begged to go," Jesna told him, "He was miserable here. Everyone thought he was completely insane, so he didn't have many friends. At least in Auradon not many people knew."
"So that's why he tried to argue that he was alright to go back," Jay mumbled, "They're going to send him to another hospital because of this."
"I'll try to talk them out of it," She sighed, "Although it looks like you are already planning on doing that."
"They're going to test me," Jay said, "Like a DNA test, if I'm not actually their son, Aziz gets sent away."
"Cuss 'em out for me," Jesna decided, reaching into her pocket and putting something in Jay's hand, "Oh, I almost forgot, this is for you."
Jay looked down at the key that laid in his palm.
"What's this for?" He asked, eyeing the decorated piece of metal.
"Aziz's room," She said, "So you don't have to keep picking the lock."
Jay nodded.
"Thank you," He hummed, "Let me know how he's doing if he wakes up, I'll probably come back to check on him in a few hours."
"Good luck talking to my parents," She told him, "Hopefully, you can get anything you can get through to them."
"I have quite a few choice words for your parents."
Dragging this out but the next chapter will actually have Aladdin and Jasmine in it.