A Piece of Cake

(Sunday Morning, June 30th)

Chad glances down at Ben. His eyes are shut, he's leaning on his shoulder, and Chad eyes up at the spinning fan. Last night was like a dream, but now it's over. There's no way Ben would do this again. He probably even regrets it now, but then again, he did do this with him twice and it's not like his girlfriend's entertaining any of his desires. Chad rolls his eyes. Blood is so weird and disgusting. Everyone has weird things, though, and if getting cut a little is all he needs to get Ben into bed, then it's not the worst thing. It's not like it even really hurts. The bleeding, though. He bleeds really easily, no doubt from the pills. It's good for Ben, not so much for him. This was all he wanted for so long, and he nearly passed out during it. If Ben knew, he'd never have him again.

Laying here is pointless. Ben won't even wake up until the afternoon, but this? Ben's head on his shoulder under the same covers as him, he doesn't want it to end. It has to, though. It's Aziz's birthday, and even more people will be coming soon. He can't be caught with Ben, not again. His parents would be so worried, and it's a Sunday. What's he doing in a guy's bed on a Sunday morning? He should be in church right now. Chad lets out a breath. He really tried to get better, but then Audrey left and now it's as though God's abandoned him. He's not even bothering to punish him this time for his sin. Not that he wants to be punished again; that was the worst experience of his life, and he can't even tell anyone. God did not let anything happen that he had not already let happen. He'd gotten what he deserved, his punishment, a warning to never do it again, and now he has. Again.

Chad sits up on the side of the bed, his breathing deeper now as the sense of wrongness fills him. His body shakes, and he rubs his hands together before running them over his hair. He needs the pills. He needs more pills. Chad stands, and he feels the crustiness stuck to his leg. He needs a shower too, but he's getting the pills first. He strides to the door and opens it. He needs those pills, but where did he leave them? He really is an idiot. Chad walks down the hallway and notices his bag in the living room. There. The pills will be there. "Hey." Chad notices Aziz reading on the couch. "You're up early."

"Yeah," he runs his fingers through his hair. "Um. I need a shower, and I'm an idiot because I only bothered to bring an extra pair of socks and a shirt."

Aziz laughs, "Do you need to borrow something?"

His eyes shift, "Probably." and Aziz stands up.

"Come on." Chad follows him into his room, and as Aziz digs into the dresser, Chad catches a drip from his nose with the back of his hand. Okay. Now, he definitely needs those pills. Chad wipes it away onto his dark jeans, as he looks towards the door. If he hurries, he might have a minute to get those pills now. "Do you need underwear?"

Chad turns back to him, "Um."

Aziz tosses him a pair of boxer briefs, "You can keep those." before he pulls open another drawer. "Don't worry. They'll stretch." Chad takes a deep breath. This is taking forever. Aziz takes out a pair of blue pajama pants, walks over to him, and presses it into Chad's chest, "I want this back."

"Okay," Chad merely says, before he turns around and heads back to the living room. He opens his bag, hides the prescription bottle in the shirt, and takes out the shirt and socks before heading to the bathroom. He shuts the door, drops the clothes, and finds the pill bottle. He hurries to take the cap off and dump the contents into his hand, but then he realizes only one is left. He sighs and grits his teeth, "Damn it." He shakes his head. How didn't he see this when he put it in his bag in the first place? He stands still for a long moment, glancing at his reflection, before he sets the pill down. "Okay. You've got this." Chad reaches into his pocket for his multitool, and for the first time, he uses the blade to crush the pill to dust, move it onto the back of his hand, and snort it up his nose. It's painful, but it will be more concentrated this way. It will be like he had enough pills in the first place, and the effect is almost immediate.

"Ben. What about you?" Sultan Aladdin asks.

Ben frowns at the chocolaty cake. It's littered with almonds, and he's been told the actual cake will taste like a cinnamon roll. He wants it. He wants it all, so he will have none. He merely shakes his head, and his mother questions, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah," he whispers; however, he can taste the rich chocolate just from sitting there, so he stands and walks towards the stairs. At the top, he goes over to the couch and hunches over as he runs a hand over his face. He's not hungry. Surprisingly, he's actually not hungry, but something like that is hard to pass up. If he were to have had a sliver of that cake, he knows he would lose himself. He would lose himself in the taste, and everyone would stare. He might have not even cared, which is even worse.

"Ben?"

His eyes turn to the stairs, and he notices Audrey, "Hey."

She takes a few steps forward, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he mumbles.

"Is it your eating disorder?" she inquires, and he gives her a look. "Back at school, you told me—"

"I know what I told you," he interrupts, "but I don't have an eating disorder. I was just— I was taking it out of— I turned it into more than what it was."

"So, you're just not hungry?"

"Actually," Ben's eyebrows raise, "I'm quite… satisfied right now."

"Huh."

Ben looks at her in mild defense, "What?"

"I just thought you'd have a hard time here." She laughs, "I mean, you're the least vegetarian person I know."

His eyes lower, "I had things to eat."

She slightly nods before tilting her head, "But you don't want any cake?"

"No. I don't want any merdique cake, Audrey," he irritably answers.

She frowns, "Why?"

"Because, I'm bad with food," he shouts. "Okay? So, I don't need to be eating when I'm not even hungry."

She questions, "Are you full?" and his eyes pierce at her. "You're not afraid of being full, are you?"

"No," he exasperates. "I'm afraid of falling apart. In public, where everyone will see." Audrey's speechless, and he eyes away from her. "And anyway, a cake wouldn't even do anything. It would just make me feel sick."

"So," she slowly concludes, "you don't want the cake?"

"No. Of course, I want it," Ben half laughs. "But the fact is there's no point, and it will probably taste bad too." His eyes narrow as he looks away, "Food's frickin' dégoûtant. It's like the taste is always too much or too little, like dirt even, and it never fucking works anyway."

"Ben," Audrey hesitates. "Maybe you should talk to someone about this." He looks off, and she suggests, "Your parents."

He huffs, "My parents are the last ones who need to know about this merde."

"They could help," she insists.

"My parents have done nothing but make my life Hell," Ben sternly eyes her. "If they knew, they would probably just find a way to make this worse too."

"What do you mean, make your life Hell?"

Ben stands, "You know, it must be nice." before he walks towards her. "Having the perfect parents, the perfect dog, the perfect family."

"My family's not perfect," Audrey steps back.

"But at least you can feel safe there," Ben counters, before he gulps and his heart races. "Everywhere I go, it's who's in this room, what will they say, and what can I do. Is Father well? Will Mother… ignore me?" He crunches the finger he holds up, "And I can't go. I have to stay, and it just…" The tears intrude his eyes, and his voice crackles, "It stays the same."

After some silence, Aziz says, "I'm supposed to check on you two."

Ben notices his frown, and he wipes the tears from his eyelashes. "There's more you're not saying," Audrey speculates, and Ben shakes his head before heading to his assigned room. What would Audrey know? Telling her anything was a mistake. Her first instinct is going to be to go straight to her parents and get them to talk to his. He lays on the bed and stares at the ceiling fan, as it blows warm air around the room. He needs to stop doing this to himself.

Ben takes the tic-tac case from his pocket, dumps out a few Ibuprofen, and downs them with some refreshing water. He lays back down, but then there's a knock and he sees Aziz open the door. "Hey. Can I come in?"

"It's your birthday," Ben mumbles, before he looks off. "Not that it matters."

He shuts the door behind him, "What did you say?"

"I was just saying," Ben explains, "that if it were my birthday, what I wanted wouldn't even really matter."

Aziz sits on the edge of the bed, "You know, I was there when your father broke open the door to your dorm." but Ben doesn't respond. "Is there anything else I should know?"

"Audrey's going to tell," his mind races, "and then I'm going to get in trouble."

"I already talked to her," he reassures.

Ben looks at him, "You did?"

"I told her we don't know enough to say anything."

He shakes his head, "I don't want anyone to say anything."

Aziz nods, "Okay. I won't." and Ben rests his head more on the pillow. "What's going on? How bad is it?"

Several clips run through Ben's mind, but there's no audio and he can't recall any of the important things, "I don't have the words."

He nods again, contemplating, "Has anything happened here?"

Ben takes a moment, "Not really. We just talked about stuff."

"Well, it will be my turn to visit you for your birthday next week. If anything happens between now and then, can you tell me?"

Ben thinks, "It's normal. There's no point in pointing it out."

"I'm going to need you to try for me," Aziz asserts.

"Yeah," Ben whispers. "Okay."

"Okay," Aziz stands. "How about I get you some ice cream to cool down with?"

"Yeah," Ben whispers. "That would be nice."

"Wahoo," Chad hollers, after he defeats Aziz.

"Okay," Aziz stands back up. "Who's next?"

Ben stands, "I will." before he walks up to them, and Aziz hands his fencing sword over to him before taking a seat back at the bench.

Chad smiles, "My father taught me. You don't stand a chance."

Except, that the room is air conditioned, so he does. Ben whispers, "Really? Because, I had you pinned pretty good last night."

He laughs, "Come on. You know I let you win, then."

Ben smirks, "Then give it to me, now." before they move their swords up and then turn around to walk away.

"Remember," Aziz shouts. "This is free fencing, so the entire room can be used."

When Chad and Ben face each other, they start to circle each other, inching closer to each other until Ben takes the first swing and Chad blocks him. He takes his own swing at Ben, but when Ben blocks him, he's pushed back. Ben hits his sword, "You forget I'm stronger." before he starts to back Chad up against a wall. Chad's expression falls, and after a final hit, Ben points the rubber tip to Chad's neck, "If you want to beat me next time, you'll need to be smarter at it."

He smiles, "I'll get you eventually." and Ben laughs.

"Ben!" He drops the sword, as his jaw drops and he turns to the doorway, and the other guys' eyes follow his to his father. He grumbles, "We're leaving. Get your things."

Ben frowns, "But the party's not over yet."

"You stole from me," his father sternly eyes him. "We're leaving."

The meat from his father's cooler, he realizes. It was after that first tease of blood Chad had given. The single minute hadn't been enough. It only urged him for more, and he needed something. He simply couldn't help himself. "I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

"Save it for the car," he interrupts his panic. "We're going."

"But," Ben quietly counters.

"I said we're going," his father yells, but when Ben starts the walk forward, he feels a tug on his sleeve.

He eyes back and notices Chad's concern, before he whispers, "It's okay. I'll text you tomorrow." His eyes shift, "Or sometime." Chad scans over him before letting him go, and Ben slowly walks past Aziz before meeting his father's piercing blue eyes. "Okay."

Aziz watches as Ben's father repositions himself to place an arm over Ben's shoulders, walking him out of the room. "What do you think he stole?" Brendan questions.

"I don't know," Aziz frowns, before Ben and his father step out of view and he turns to his brown-haired friend. "But it's none of our business."

"How many times have we told you?" his father begins.

"I know," Ben quietly states.

"Maybe," Belle hesitates. "Maybe we shouldn't keep him from doing his best."

"Charming's son could have got hurt," Adam counters.

"Ben's nearly an adult now," she reminds him. "We've told him what people may come to believe should he use his natural athleticism. It's his decision now."

"That decision would impact our entire family," he disbelieves.

"I was just trying to have fun," Ben defends, and his parents face him. "It was a birthday party. It's not like I was trying out for a college league."

"Which you know you can't," his mother reminds him.

"I still don't get that," Ben quietly comments. "It's not like I'm using steroids or anything. I don't have an unfair advantage. People would just think I do."

His mother sighs, "Honey." before she glances at her husband and lets out a breath.

Ben looks between them, "What is it?"

"Your natural abilities aren't completely natural," his father begins.

"They're genes you got from your father," she clarifies. "Genes that didn't change back after the curse broke."

Ben's mouth gapes, "You're saying I have beast genes?" and his heartbeat quickens. It's just as he had feared.

"Nothing so drastic," his mother reassures. "You're just stronger than you should be."

"And I sleep half the day," Ben's eyes widen, "and for some nonsensical reason I have to have meat."

"About that," his father remembers. "We need to talk about why you stole from me."

Ben eyes down and shakes his head, "I am sorry." before he peers up. "I didn't mean to do it. Really."

"You expect me to believe that?" his father gruffly responds.

"But it's true," Ben's pitch raises as he faces him, and tears intrude his eyes. "It just happened. I swear, I didn't mean to do it." He had remembered the stale sweetness of the juice in the steak, and he figured his father wouldn't miss one more piece; however, the next thing he knew it was gone. It was just all gone, and there was nothing he could do. "I'm sorry." His parents stay silent, and he gulps, his breaths shaking, "Am I in trouble?"

"We just want to help," his mother reassures.

"But you need to be honest with us," his father sternly states.

"I am being honest," Ben screeches, before he sobs, "I went in for one. It was one, and then there was none. I had them all. That was it." He shakes his head, "I didn't mean to."

"You must have been pretty hungry to eat six steaks," his father quietly states.

Ben keeps quiet, one arm held over his stomach and his other leaning on his knee with the hand held to his mouth as he shakes. "Do you want a hug?" his mother offers.

"I don't know," Ben whispers.

She moves to his seat and wraps her arms around him, "It's okay. You're okay."

"Belle," Adam concerns. "I don't think you should be doing that."

Ben inhales the sweet scent of cantaloupe, and he hears his mother laugh, "It's just a hug. They heal. Children need affection."

"You just said he was nearly an adult," Adam reminds her. Ben moves the wavy, brown hair behind her ear, and his heartrate slows even more as the scent engulfs him. There's still the hurt, though, and there's this sensation that if he were to give in, if he were to bite into that blue vein and take her sweetness, then it would make everything okay. It would make all his problems disappear. "That's enough."

When Ben's mother moves away, he's removed from the trance and his eyes move from his mother to his father. He questions, "What were we talking about?"

"You need to eat more meat," he instructs. "Good meat."

"Good meat?" Ben questions.

"Beef," his father elaborates. "Not chicken. Not ham. Beef."

Ben nods, "Yeah."

"I mean it," his father's eyes widen.

"I know."

"Which means you need to have lunch when you wake up," his mother comments.

"And an extra meal during the night," his father inserts.

"But that's three meals," Ben complains.

"Which is normal," his mother reminds him.

He shakes his head, "I can't do that."

"And why ever not?" his mother disbelieves.

"That's not the way I eat," Ben sighs. "And I have too much to do. When I start to work, I don't like to stop."

"You need to eat," his mother's brown eyes gleam with worry.

"I know," Ben frustrates. "But isn't twice a day enough. I eat a lot when I eat, anyway. It's not like I'm starving myself." There's a sudden sinking feeling, and he realizes he's lied.

"I think that's reasonable," his father inputs.

"Really?" Ben frowns.

"But you can't just make a bowl of instant potatoes and mix a pound of cheese into it," his eyes widen. "You need to make meat the main part of your diet."

When Ben doesn't say anything his mother explains, "Your body needs the protein and fat. If you don't eat enough of it, then it's going to keep taking your fat and muscle."

"Yeah," Ben accepts.

"And the heart is a muscle," she sternly eyes him.

"Okay. I get it," Ben complains. "I'll eat meat." He faces his father, "Good meat."