Struggle

(Thursday Morning, August 8th)

Charming places the plate into the sink, "How's it going?"

She runs her thumb over the bumpy, rubber handle of the ladle, "I'm never going to look at cooking utensils the same way again."

"I forgot to ask." Charming leans against the counter, "The vibrater and lube, did you want those?"

She shakes her head, "I don't want to think about where it's been."

Charming nods, before he rereads the label on the condoms, "Warming: warm sensations lubricant helps enhance sensual pleasure for both partners." He looks at her, "There's no way Chad's having sex forty times in the next three years. We could probably try a few, if you're interested?" He watches her wash the plate. "Waste not whatnot." She doesn't speak, and he sets the package down. "What are you thinking?"

"What's your plan?" She sets the last dish in the drying rack and turns to him, "You can't keep him from getting these urges. Are you expecting him to marry someone he doesn't love?"

"Of course, not," Charming reassures, before he places a hand onto her shoulder. "Chad's said he's attracted to girls. He just can't connect to them, right? So, all he needs to do is find a girl he thinks is attractive and then form a friendship with her."

"Society doesn't exactly make many opportunities for that," she reminds him. "Girls and boys are given different dorms at the school. They don't even play the same sports."

Charming contemplates, "Do you know how Carlos became friends with Jane?"

"He probably made the effort," she answers. "And he seems to have a sensitive personality. He probably just gets along with girls better. Chad may not."

He sighs and moves behind her, before he starts to rub her shoulders, "Okay. How about this: if Chad still doesn't find girls interesting by his sixteenth birthday, we will hold a ball for him instead? He can meet all the eligible girls from here and Auradon, and he can sit with them for ten minutes to get to know them."

"You want to replace his birthday party with a ball?" she questions.

"It worked for me," Charming smiles. "Maybe it will work for him."

She rubs the back of her neck, "We still haven't told Chad he's grounded into the school year. Maybe we can just let him go, instead of driving him back-and-forth."

"The ball will be more effective if it's a highlighted event for him," Charming comments. "He gets the whole night to socialize."

"With people he doesn't know," she worries. "Do you plan on letting his friends come?"

"He can have a lunch gathering or something," he compromises. "It's important he doesn't have any distractions."

"What if he's too depressed to socialize?"

"Then we can solve it when the time comes." He kisses the side of her neck, "Chad deserves the chance at a normal, happy life. Like what we have."

She faces him, "If he doesn't find a girl at that ball, I don't want to do this to him anymore." She takes his hands, "Like you said, he deserves to be happy."

Charming nods, "If he doesn't find a girl by then, I'll drop the matter."

He kisses her again, and she smiles, "I'm going to take a shower. Can you put the leftovers away, please?"

He grins, "Of course."

When Chad enters the dining room, no one's sitting that the grand table. He glances around. No one is sitting anywhere. His mother must still be cooking dinner; however, when he enters the kitchen, no one is there either. He sees the light on the slow cooker, and he walks over to it to lift the lid. It looks done and it smells done, but no one's there. He examines the contents of the stew: potatoes, carrots, and beef. He might be able to eat it if the beef is lean. He goes over to the trash, opens the lid, and sees the packaging. He carefully pulls it out from the corner and sees the label. It's grass-fed. That means it will be leaner and have omega-3s. He tosses it back in the trash and glances around, before he mutters, "Where are they?"

Bernard informs, "I heard a movie playing in the living room."

Chad shakes his head, "It's dinnertime." before he heads out of the kitchen. "What? Are they upset with me for getting upset earlier or something?"

"I'm sure that is not the case, Your Highness."

Chad exits the dining hall and strides down the corridor, before he stops at the living room. He hears his mother sigh, "My feet were killing me today. Thank you."

"No problem," Chad's father answers.

He looks inside and sees him giving her a foot massage. The guard whispers, "Perhaps you should start dinner by yourself."

Chad considers it, but as he's about to turn around, his attention is brought back. He gapes, staring as he sees his dad sucking on his mom's big toe, "What the hell?"

He stops and notices him in the doorway, "Chad." He shakes his head, and when his father gets to his feet, he starts back towards the dining hall. "Chad. I can explain."

"No. You don't need to." He faces him, "We all have things we struggle with, right?"

"Chad," he starts again.

"Why do you get to indulge in yours, but I don't get to indulge in mine?"

He settles, "What I do doesn't hurt anyone."

Chad huffs, "If I was allowed to date someone I actually liked, I wouldn't be hurting anyone either."

Charming takes a moment, "You told your friends you wanted to give this a chance. You said you were okay with it."

"Well, I lied," Chad shouts, and he notices his mother by the archway. He shakes his head, "What a surprise. I lied. Tell me something. Do I even look okay?"

Charming observes his flushed face and the sweat in his hair, "No. I suppose, not."

His mother steps forward, "Pumpkin. This is just temporary."

He faces her, "You never say anything. What are you really thinking?"

She hesitates, "I feel like being grounded and taking your sex toys away is the appropriate punishment for seducing a nurse at her work and getting her fired for it."

"But I fixed that," Chad reminds her.

She softly disagrees, "The damage was already done."

Chad tears up, "And how long am I grounded for?" and his parents look at each other. "What? What is it?"

His father hesitates, "If you're still attracted to girls, I think you stand a good chance of forming a relationship with one."

Chad's eyes widen, "This doesn't sound like a deadline."

"If you can't form a friendship with a girl you're attracted to by your birthday, I will be throwing you a ball to meet every eligible girl around your age."

"So," Chad unsurely asks, "am I grounded until my birthday or…"

His father frowns, "We will discuss it when the time comes."

Chad frustrates, "You can't just ground me indefinitely."

"Until your birthday," his mother interrupts, "you won't be staying in the dorms. We're going to have the guard take you back-and-forth."

"The guard?" Chad tiredly replies.

"I know how liberal the school is," his father claims. "I'm not letting you cut class so that you can find someone to have sex with."

"You think Fairy Godmother is encouraging students to have sex?" Chad disbelieves.

"Probably not," he thinks, "but nothing is being done to stop it either. The guard will be there for you so that I can know you're not."

Chad eyes away and whispers, "Are we done now?"

His parents look at each other, before his father nods, "For now."

"Then give me back my phone," Chad sadly commands. "I want to call Ben." His father looks down, and Chad shakily breathes, "He's my best friend."

"Of whom you've got a crush on," his father finishes.

"You can't keep me from him," Chad insists. "He's in the hospital."

"Which is why you shouldn't be putting your stress onto him," he concludes.

Chad walks past him, and his mother mentions, "Dinner should be ready now."

Chad faces her and grits his teeth, "Why do you think I was looking for you?" and when his parents look at each other again, he walks away.

The guard follows him, "Prince Chad, I thought you liked the stew." but Chad keeps quiet. It feels like an eternity, as they cross the gallery and make it to the chambers. He finds his room, strides over to the bathroom, and locks himself inside before sliding down the door. He crosses his arms over his knees and sobs into them. He never had to worry about being sent to some camp. His parents are doing it all on their own. He's never going to be allowed to be alone with his friends again. He can forget seeing Ben at all, and they definitely wouldn't allow him anywhere near those villain kids with their blatant sexual expression. Even Carlos wouldn't be able to help him now. He stands up and moves over to the sink, before he pulls the pills out of the drawer. He should have never told his father, but he'd insisted on honesty. Chad crushes the pill and snorts it with the straw. Ben's time is here. His is in Heaven. Chad stares into the orange bottle, before he hears the guard, "Prince Chad. Are you okay?"

"Go away," he irritably shouts, before he stares at the pills again. This could be his way out. This might be his only way out.

"Prince Chad," the guard says again.

Chad puts the pills away and goes to open the door, "What?"

"If you need someone to talk to," he offers, "you can talk to me."

"You ratted me out," Chad accuses. "How could I ever trust you?" The guard quiets, and Chad's eyebrows raise, "Can you get out of my way?"

The guard moves and Chad walks over to the large toy chest. He opens it and sees the array of balls, sticks, and a skateboard. He starts tossing the items around his bed, and the guard questions, "What are you doing?" Chad pauses, but after a moment, he merely continues. He surrounds his bed with the traps and takes out the skateboard, laying it parallel to his bed.