Chapter 2 – The Attempts
-:-:-
Chad woke up later with a crick in his neck, his body feeling pleasantly warm and more rested than before. He shifted upright with a groan, rubbing tiredly at his eyes as he slowly came back to himself – where he was, what he was doing-
The sex.
That made him sit up with a startle, had him shoving to his feet while he tried to straighten himself out. He was supposed to be trying to complete their reward or trial or whatever like Mal said, and he'd passed out in the library while he was hiding away from the world, just like usual. When Chad was as presentable as he could be, he braved the hallways of the beach house, wandering back towards the kitchen with an air of trepidation.
When he got there, it was to see Harry and Audrey more or less passed out against each other, the princess half asleep and nibbling on a waffle stick, Harry curled around her, seeming determined to act like some kind of blanket.
Both of them were half-dressed, Harry missing his shirt and Audrey her pants, and neither one of them seemed too upset by the numerous bite marks that littered their throats.
"Did ye make the food?" Harry slurred, holding up one of the sandwiches.
Chad nodded.
"Thanks," Audrey grumbled around her waffle, and then they went back to cuddling together, trading bites of food.
Chad wasn't an expert, but he was pretty sure both of them were too exhausted to consider having sex with him. He moved on like the polite person he was, keeping his eyes peeled as he wandered the beach house. He paused when he got to the wide windows that looked out onto the patio deck, because that was- yeah, that was definitely Uma pinning Evie to a sun lounger, both of them very naked, Uma's hand settled between Evie's legs while the princess crooned and shook beneath her.
Oh, wow- yeah-
Chad kept walking before either of them could catch him being a creeper, though the image was very pretty.
Things didn't much improve. He seemed to keep stumbling upon people actively having sex or clearly exhausted post-sex, and Chad felt so awkward lingering nearby that he made himself keep moving. He knew he just needed to wait, needed to be patient, but he wasn't entirely sure what to do. He felt lost.
Before, he'd had the mushroom connecting him to Mal so she and Jay had to be with him. And then when they'd gotten rid of the mushrooms, Mal seemed to enjoy spending time with him still.
But now there were so many other people who were entirely more impressive than Chad – Chad, who couldn't just sit back and be cool for five minutes. No, instead he had to wander around the beach house, steadily avoiding all the bedrooms while he wondered how he was supposed to insert himself somewhere he probably wasn't wanted. Which wasn't an unfamiliar challenge in his life, it was just one he had hoped had been left behind him.
Apparently that was not the case.
-:-:-
While Chad did not find any available partners (or confidence), he did find a large attic storage space that immediately felt like home. It was well kept – with slanted, hardwood ceilings and polished wood floors. It was clearly a space intended to hold seasonal decorations and alternate furniture, but it had a large window seat just like back home – had a thin layer of dust and a solid woody smell that Chad found comforting. There were even a few extra mattresses hidden in its depths. Chad managed to distract himself by making a nest with spare blankets on one of them, locating a few lamps and pillows and feeling a bit better about having a place to retreat to that was out of the way. It wasn't the most glamorous thing, but it was familiar, and Chad liked it a lot.
When he could kill no more time in the attic, Chad wandered back downstairs, past the sound of enthusiastic copulation and back into the kitchen which was thankfully empty. Chad gathered the few dirty dishes he found and washed them and then, for lack of anything else to do, started on dinner. Hand pies seemed like an easy, filling choice, and they were a nice distraction since he had to make the dough and peel the potatoes and brown the meat anyway.
Look at him, being productive. He was a productive, helpful person. He wasn't noisy or obnoxious or demanding, he was good.
Maybe if they saw how good he was, they'd um- want to have sex with him. That could be cool.
-:-:-
Chad was in the process of actually filling and crimping the pies when a bedraggled Jay waltzed into the room, a sleepy Carlos on his heels.
"Ugh," Jay said, flopping against Chad's back and curling his arms around his waist. "I am so tired. You are a god. A god of making food for undeserving peons."
He started kissing up Chad's neck, own hand moving to untuck Chad's shirt like a sort of promise. Usually when he did that, he snuck a hand up to caress Chad's stomach, and they'd make out for a bit before the hand dipped lower, and the very prospect of it filled Chad with a sudden warmth.
Okay, see, that hadn't been hard at all. Chad just had to be available and Jay had come, eager and willing and cuddly enough that Chad didn't feel so adrift anymore.
"Hey, no," Mal growled when she wandering into the room, shooting Jay a tired glare. "No distractions. He's making food."
"But I want to reward him," Jay moaned, licking at Chad's neck. "You don't mind, do you, blondie?"
"I mind," Mal said before Chad could respond, flopping down onto a chair and promptly dragging Carlos into her lap. "If you want to be useful, you can magic finger me and Carlos back into shape so we can go another round."
"Mal," Carlos whined, cheeks blushing hot. "Not in the kitchen."
"Fine," she sighed, rising to her feet with Carlos cradled in her arms, which never failed to make Chad awed, because apparently she could use her magic to enhance her strength or something.
With that, she carried her pouting Carlos into the living room, the young De Ville whining all the while.
"I'll reward you later," Jay promised, nipping at Chad's jaw. "Promise."
And with that, he slipped away, and a few moments later the sound of Carlos' moans carried through the kitchen.
So. That was fun.
-:-:-
Chad got the meat pies out of the oven but didn't feel up for another group meeting. He grabbed a sandwich and headed up towards the attic, trying to forget how happy Mal had sounded doing whatever she'd done with Carlos.
Chad wasn't supposed to be greedy. It was annoying. No one liked annoying princes.
He just wished someone wanted to touch him. Was he doing something wrong? The hiding probably didn't help, but that was second nature at this point. He was pretty sure he was reasonably good looking, Mal and Jay certainly seemed to think so.
He just didn't know.
-:-:-
He wavered with indecision for a little while before he eventually braved the comfort of Gil's room. Luckily, the other blond was already there, humming to himself as he flipped through one of the cookbooks that had been in the kitchen.
When he caught Chad lingering in the doorway, he immediately lit up. "Hey, Chad!" he greeted, setting the cookbook aside. "You made all the food today, right? I was looking through the recipes so I could see how to make them."
"Oh." Chad blinked, because that was an entirely sweet thing to do, which made sense because it was Gil. "I um- made most of them from memory," he said, managing enough courage to walk into the room, settling at the foot of the bed.
"Really?" Gil seemed amazed by this. "That's awesome. You did a really good job, everything tasted great!"
There was nothing special about fruit salad or sandwiches or waffles, but Chad appreciated the compliment nonetheless.
"Thank you," he said, a smile pulling at his lips. It didn't even feel forced.
"So, how'd you do?" Gil asked, getting to the heart of the matter. "I got to be with Evie and Carlos and Uma, and I'm taking a break before I go find Doug."
"Um…" Whatever good feeling Chad had managed to capture evaporated, immediately replaced with panic and mild shame. "I um- didn't get with anyone today."
"You haven't?" Gil seemed terribly confused by this. "But you're so cute."
Chad felt himself blush. "They were um- all busy." Which at least was true. "How… how did you get them to, you know-"
"Have sex?" Gil asked, Chad feeling horribly embarrassed by his blunt delivery. "I dunno, I mostly just asked."
He asked. Gil had just asked.
It was Gil, though. Gil who was sweet, Gil who was kind. No one would want to turn him away. Chad certainly wouldn't.
"Okay," Chad said, mulling that over. "Um- thank you, Gil."
"You're welcome!" Gil chirped. "And don't worry about it. We still have one and a half days. I'm sure you'll have plenty of people fighting over you tomorrow."
Chad sincerely doubted it, but he always appreciated Gil's optimism.
"Thank you," he said, tugging at his sleeve. "I'll um- just get out of your hair. Please give Doug my best."
"I will!" Gil cheered.
Chad wasn't sure if he felt any better leaving the other blond, but he thought he might be close? He didn't know.
At least he had the beginnings of a plan now, maybe.
-:-:-
Chad found Jay sprawled across his bed sometime later, the Agraben looking bitten up, a motley of dark bruises littering his throat.
"Sorry," he murmured once he caught sight of Chad. "I know I um- promised rewards, but Ben found me and…" He motioned to his neck. "Man, am I tired."
Chad didn't blame him. He was pretty sure if he got bitten up by Ben, he'd feel exhausted too.
"Cuddle me?" Jay asked, holding an arm out to him, looking hopeful.
Seeing as Chad's favorite thing to do with Jay was cuddle, it was an unnecessary hope. Chad was always happy to cozy up to him, so that was what he did, kicking off his loafers for the first time that day so he could nuzzle into Jay's side, taking comfort in the heat of his body.
"Yeah, that's it," Jay hummed, his lips brushing the top of Chad's head. "That's perfect."
Chad shivered, immensely grateful to have done something right that day.
-:-:-
"Okay, gang," Ben said the next morning when Chad was pulling the breakfast quiches and blueberry muffins out of the oven. "I have some news."
"Is it about your use of the word 'gang'?" Mal asked, her nose scrunched in confusion. "Because that was a choice, and it wasn't a good choice."
"Don't listen to her," Evie soothed just as Ben got all red and shy. "What happened, Ben?"
With Evie's encouragement, it seemed easy for Ben to get back on track. "Right. Well, there was some kind of gas leak back at the school, and while the administration is pretty sure they'll have it taken care of in a few days, they decided to go ahead and cancel school for the rest of the week just to be safe. Which means-"
"The rest of our time here won't have to be quite so sex-marathon-ish?" Mal offered, grinning. "Sounds fucking good to me. I mean, I like sex, but that-"
"Yeah," Ben laughed, scratching the back of his head in a sort of bashful way. "We can slow down now. Take our time. Maybe have an actual vacation."
"What I'm hearing is beach day," Uma said, steepling her fingers together with a wicked smirk. "You guys up for a lazy Sunday?"
"Yes," Mal sighed, grinning. "Never thought I'd say this, but a sex-free day sounds pretty good right now."
"Or at least a sex-free afternoon," Jay chirped. "If we do one a day from here on out, we should be fine, right?"
"Probably," Doug agreed, and then they all started discussing possible beach plans, Ben talking about some of the stuff they had in storage they could use, Gil asking Chad if they could pack a picnic, and-
Well… they'd have to have sex with Chad eventually, right?
Right.
-:-:-
Chad didn't have a swimsuit.
His grandfather never saw need for him to have one, seeing as Chad was kept strictly away from water at all times. It was one of his father's decrees, another thing that had made the air bubble travel so hectic, but the bottom line came down to Chad not really having any beach-appropriate clothing
It didn't matter, though. There were loungers and umbrellas and towels, a magically-constructed volleyball net and surfboards and kites. There was plenty to do, and Chad mostly focused his efforts on getting their food ready.
"Such a sweetheart, taking care of us," Mal had murmured, wrapping an arm around his waist and nuzzling his shoulder before she was off again, her attention demanded elsewhere.
Chad held back when everyone first stormed down to the beach in their swimsuit covers under the guise of finishing lunch, and when he thought they were settled, he followed with the picnic basket, a book tucked under his arm.
He had shed his loafers and rolled up his slacks so he wouldn't get too sandy. It was easy to claim one of the chairs positioned under an umbrella, fun to watch the others splash around in the waves, Uma already in her mer-form, cradling Mal and Doug in her tentacles, moving them through the water in careful motions. It was a nice sight, seeing everyone in their swimsuits – the girls um- very pretty, and the boys dashing, so-
Yeah, very nice.
Chad made it through a couple chapters before Jay jogged his way over to him, hair wet and plastered to his head as he threw himself down on the towel next to Chad.
"Hey, you're still dressed up," he said, aiming a lazy smile at Chad as he reclined in a particularly dashing pose. "Didn't feel like swimming?"
Chad shrugged. "I don't have swim trunks."
"You didn't bring any?" Jay asked, cocking his head to the side.
Chad felt himself blush. "I um- don't own any."
That seemed to make Jay pause, which was reasonable, because Chad was an Auradon kid. There was no reason for him not to have a swimsuit.
"That's a bummer," Jay settled on, chewing on his lip. "I was hoping I could see you run around shirtless." He paused for a moment, then shrugged, shifting up onto his knees. "Well, that's fine, we can occupy ourselves in other ways."
Chad paused, unsure of his intent, but then Jay was crawling between his legs, urging them wide with a sly look.
"Jay?" Chad murmured as the other teen started undoing his belt. "What um- what are you-?"
"Getting your key in my lock," Jay said with a wink, pressing Chad's fly open and ducking forward so he could start mouthing at the blond's underwear. "I've been thinking about this all night."
"Um." Normally Chad was all for Jay's attentions, all for submitting himself to Jay's whirlwind engagements, but that was usually in private, or if it wasn't, the only other person there was Mal, who thought Chad was a cutie patootie and whispered nice things about seeing 'her boys' in action. "They um- they might see."
Jay – whose fingers had been teasing at the waist of Chad's underwear, likely intent to pull them down – froze, looking up at Chad with wide eyes. "Does it matter?" he asked, genuinely confused. "I mean, we've already watched most of each other have sex."
Right. Jay had, but Chad hadn't, because he'd been asleep. He'd woken up to a quick explanation and then gotten shoved into a private tea party that still left him shaking, and by the time he'd gotten out, the only sex stuff he'd seen was with Evie.
Jay seemed to realize this about the time Chad tensed, his expression going immediately apologetic. "Fuck, I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking. It's just- everyone else, we sort of got desensitized, I forgot…"
That Chad was a baby. That Chad was awkward and stupid and could only talk in stuttering sentences.
"Chad," Jay whined, realizing that he wasn't helping the situation. Or Chad wasn't helping the situation, or something.
"I'm um- I think I'm gonna go inside," Chad said, his face heated as he tried to put his clothes back in order, conscious of the phantom feel of Jay's mouth against him.
"I'll come with you," Jay urged. "I can do this properly, like a not-shitty boyfriend."
"No, just- stay," Chad said, redoing his belt. "The others- they- you should stay here."
They would want Jay with them, playing and teasing and checking them out. They wouldn't miss Chad, and Chad couldn't be selfish.
"I'm sorry," Jay said, looking sad.
"It's um- it's okay," Chad soothed, running an awkward hand through his hair. "I just- I- I don't need this much sun anyway."
And then, like the very courageous person he was, Chad beat a hasty retreat, book clutched tight to his chest and sand between his toes and Jay's sad expression behind him.
So maybe that hadn't gone as well as it could have.
But such was life.
-:-:-
Chad spent the rest of the afternoon in the library.
When it looked like the others were coming back inside, he retreated to the attic, reading a few more chapters until he was sure everyone would be busy getting clean from the day's festivities.
Then he went downstairs, deciding to cook Maldonian that evening and started on the base for a nice, hearty pasta sauce. Maybe he just wanted an excuse to make garlic bread, the champion of comfort foods. Maybe he should make a chocolate cake.
Carlos loved chocolate. At the very least, maybe that would finally win the young De Ville over to him.
"Heard Jay was stupid," was how Mal greeted him when dinner was mostly done. Her pretty swimsuit was traded out for her oversized lounge clothes, and Chad loved them a lot, because they seemed determined to swallow her whole.
Chad ducked his head and went back to buttering the garlic bread. "He was trying to do something nice. It was nice."
Chad was just stupid.
Mal made a face. "If it wasn't what you wanted, it wasn't nice." She leaned into his side, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "Good on you for shutting him down."
The majority of Chad's motivation for doing that had been fear, which didn't really seem worthy of commemoration. Chad was a coward that had been on edge to bare himself despite the fact that none of the others would have likely cared. It was just- they were so pretty, and what if he fell short in comparison? What if he was plain and just… weak?
"Are you okay with all this?" Mal asked, staring at Chad carefully. "I know casual sex doesn't always come easy for you."
Because Chad hadn't done it yet with Carlos or Ben, he hadn't with Evie, but that was because he thought she didn't like him like that. Now he avoided her because of nerves.
Mal was his girlfriend. She had claimed him in front of the school when she didn't have to, she held his hand when he was uneasy, she cuddled him when he felt low, but Mal was also a super important person. She was in charge of her crew, was loved by Ben, the most important person in all of Auradon. Therefor, Chad could not be a giant baby and take up more of her time than necessary. She was already being very generous with him; he couldn't demand more.
"I'm okay," Chad whispered, wishing the lie felt even slightly true.
Mal narrowed her eyes, but relented, nodding her head. "You let me know if that changes."
It had already changed, but Chad would keep that to himself. It was the best plan.
-:-:-
He didn't cuddle with Jay that night. He still felt awkward, but without Jay, his options were limited. He was down to Mal, and she was always in high demand. That night she seemed to be cuddling with Uma, Evie, and Audrey – a girl slumber party or something, and Chad definitely couldn't invade that, so-
He looked into Gil's room, but the pirate was with Harry and Doug.
Chad slept up in the attic.
It was kind of like home.
-:-:-
New day, new start. Chad was determined to get things right this time, to shake out of his shell and be more productive. It helped that he'd gotten a full night's rest in the attic, had been able to sleep with the help of the lamps and his nest and the familiar atmosphere. It was probably sad, how Chad felt more comfortable resting on a mattress on the floor than he did in an actual bed with any of his partners, but life was hard enough as it was without judging his coping mechanisms, so he decided to take the full rest for what it was – a positive note.
He was still up before the others, but he didn't have quite as much time to kill. He made breakfast – burritos accompanied by mini pancake cups – and had the coffee going by the time the first of the others wandered in.
It just so happened that the first one was Harry, his dark locks rumpled, sticking up in a wild disarray save for the small braid that rested against his shoulder.
"Fucking hell," he yawned, looking over Chad's work before he migrated over to the coffee pot. "You're a fucking wizard in the kitchen, aren't ye?"
"Yeah?" Chad tried, focusing on filling the pancake cups with fruit so he wouldn't have to look at Harry. "I um…"
Was forced to, because no one would cook for him in the castle. He'd been allowed to use the kitchen, but he had to clean it when he was done, clean everything, make it look like he had never been never there or he'd get in trouble and wouldn't be allowed to use it again for a few weeks, forcing him to live off breakfast bars and room temperature canned soup.
"I like it," Chad said, because that wasn't entirely a lie. He liked eating warm food, and he liked preparing good food for the people he cared about. There was a sort of nice feeling to it. Something satisfying.
"Gilly likes it too," Harry grumbled, slumping against the counter as he watched the coffee percolate. "Maybe ye could work together sometime."
"I'd like that." Chad enjoyed the prospect of sharing a kitchen with Gil. Of sharing anything with Gil. He was so bright and cheerful, he made Chad feel more at ease just by being nearby.
Harry made a grunt of something like approval and they fell into an uneasy silence. Or, it was uneasy for Chad, because it was Chad, but Harry probably didn't register anything.
New day, new Chad. New day, new Chad. He could do this.
"Um- do you want to have sex?" Chad asked before he could lose his nerve.
Gil said all he had done was ask, maybe that was what Chad had been missing.
Harry paused, turning to stare at him with a slow kind of swivel, his brows furrowed. "…what?"
"Sex," Chad repeated, feeling his face heat up. "Um- after breakfast, would you…" He made a vague motion with his hand, because of course he couldn't actually say it.
That would be convenient. That would make Mal look good.
There was another beat, and then Harry's cheeks blushed a dark shade of red. "I um- I have to see to the captain first," he said, the words all coming in a sort of rush.
"Oh." Chad paused, realizing that somehow Uma hadn't had sex with Harry yet, despite them being like, the most in love humans Chad knew. "Okay. That- yeah. Sorry."
Harry's flush darkened. "It's not like I won't get around to ye," he grumbled, glaring at the coffee pot.
Right, because he had to. Because if he didn't, he would devolve into a sex maniac for the rest of his life.
Maybe Chad shouldn't be worried at all. Maybe he was fretting for nothing. Eventually they would have to come to him; they wouldn't have a choice.
And maybe that was the part that was kind of awful.
-:-:-
Chad didn't try again until after breakfast, using the time cleaning the dishes to quell his humiliation into something more manageable.
Eventually, he stumbled upon Carlos by himself, the young De Ville tapping away at his laptop, likely working on one of his many coding projects.
Chad cleared his throat, tried to look enticing. "Hey, Carlos."
The other teen blinked up from his laptop, seeming surprised to see Chad there, and never really transitioned away from an expression of wary interest. "Hey, Chad."
"Um…" This was easy, it wasn't a big deal. "Would um- you like to have sex?"
Carlos froze like Harry had, seeming not to expect the question in any capacity, and immediately got shifty. "Actually, I promised to um- check in with Evie," he said, his tone so weird Chad actually wasn't sure if he was lying or not. "Thanks for reminding me, though. Maybe later."
With that, he tucked his laptop under his arm and beat a tactful retreat, leaving Chad awkwardly standing on his own, wondering what he'd done wrong.
Maybe approaching Carlos was where it'd gone screwy. Maybe he shouldn't have talked at all.
He didn't know.
-:-:-
While Chad's confidence was admittedly shaken, he tried not to give up. He wanted to be cool, wanted to make Mal proud, and he couldn't do that by being an awkward defeatist.
So he kept his eyes open for someone by themselves, anyone by themselves, and by chance managed to stumble onto Uma.
Which was weird, because he was pretty sure Harry was supposed to be having sex with her, but maybe he was done? It had been a bit. Maybe Harry was like- a fast sexer, or something.
"Um- hi, Uma," Chad offered as he edged out onto the sundeck where the captain was stretched out on one of the loungers, soaking up the sun's rays. "How… are you doing?"
"I'm good," Uma chirped, glancing up at Chad over the rim of her aqua sunglasses. "And you?"
"Also good," Chad settled on, tugging nervously at his sleeve. "Um… so-"
"You want to have sex," Uma deduced, sitting up with a stretch while Chad just sort of stood there blushing.
"If you don't mind," Chad said, sort of surprised he'd made it this far. "I- it um, probably won't be good."
"Relax, slick," Uma said, twisting so her legs were over the side of the lounger before she patted the spot next to her. She wanted him to- oh. Okay, he could do that. "It will be fine. Awkward sex is what teenagers do."
That actually made Chad feel a lot better, which made it easier for him to sit down next to her, ducking his head. "Would you like to go inside?"
"Why?" Uma asked, pulling her legs up under her, shifting onto her knees as she turned to face Chad. "It's private property."
Chad flushed. "Someone might see."
"Kiddo," Uma drawled. "They've got the same parts as you. Trust me, it doesn't matter." She set a hand on his shoulder, turning him to face her. "What, you got something to be ashamed of?"
'You're just like her, you know,' his grandfather's voice snarled in his ear. 'A desperate whore trying to reach beyond her means. You are an embarrassment, Chadwick, a shame upon our family. Do us a favor and hide away, while we can still pretend to be respectable'.
Somehow, Chad found himself on his feet, Uma staring up at him with a strange expression.
"I um- I need to go," Chad murmured, stumbling for the door. "Sorry, captain."
"Chad-" She spoke up, turning to follow him, but he'd already closed the door, already forced himself down the hall because he was such a disappointment.
And there was only one place for disappointments.
-:-:-
Endnotes:
Thanks to everyone for the feedback! I can't express how much I appreciate your support, especially when it comes to the climactic climax of our long and winding tale of chaos ;) Things are rough now, and they'll get a bit rougher next chapter, but things will start looking up after that :)
Story notes:
Okay, so apparently the language of Maldonia – Prince Naveen's kingdom – is based on Italian, which is why Maldonian food is mostly pasta. The more you know ;P
Somehow Chad managed to find the two dingbats that would get all squirrely around him instead of having an actual conversation. The reason for Harry and Carlos' declinations will be revealed eventually, as will be the reason for Uma's response to Chad. She's pushing the issue for a well-intended reason, though in that moment, it only serves to exacerbate Chad's issues.
Until next time :)