Everything You Ever Wanted

(Saturday Afternoon, June 6th)

Ben takes the blue present from his mother and notices, "This feels like a book." before he glances at the tag. "Audrey." He undoes the bow, tearing it, and his mouth slowly opens, "It's a Bible."

"To counter the book you gave me last year," she grins.

He half laughs, "Uh, Audrey. I've actually read the Bible already, so…"

"This one has footnotes," she points at it. "It explains the science behind the miracles."

He smiles, "I'll have to read it." before he notices the language and falters. "Um." He lifts a shoulder, "It might take me a while."

Audrey looks from it to him, frowning in observation, "Right." She brightens, "It's fine. Take your time."

After a long silence, he points to a gold bag, "What about that one?"

"That one's from me," his mother hands it to him, and when he takes the tissue paper out, his eyes widen as he immediately shuts it.

He gives her a look, "Mother!"

"What is it?" Mal glances at it.

Ben stares at her, unable to speak, and Chad laughs, "I bet it's condoms."

"You know," Ben's mother replies, "that would be an excellent idea."

Ben interrupts, "Next present." and Chad tosses him a small, red box.

He smiles as he tears it open, "A…"

"Mixtape?" Audrey disbelieves, before she gives Chad a look. "You made him a mixtape? Really?"

"Shut up," Chad's eyebrows furrow. "You know, my first idea was taking his virgin ass to Paradise, but then I remembered he belongs to a scary dragon with wicked powers."

"Aww." Evie nudges Mal, "He complemented you." and Mal smirks.

Chad's father looks at him, "How could you go to Paradise? You're only fifteen."

"I told you," Chad frowns at him.

"You told us you've had sex," he counters. "You never said it was there."

"Because, it wasn't," Chad irritably answers.

"Wait," Audrey holds up a hand. "Since when aren't you a virgin?"

Chad takes a moment, "We were still together, actually."

Her mouth gapes, "And you want me back? How do you even expect me to forgive you?"

"Sweetheart," Audrey's grandmother reminds her, and Audrey silences.

"Anyway," Chad continues, before he nods towards Ben. "That CD is way better, because it's in French and I'm the one singing it." Ben smiles but doesn't say anything. "Come on. Aren't you going to tell me how charming I am?"

Ben eyes over the large crowd, before facing Chad, "No?"

"Come on." He grins, "I know you want to."

Ben feels the guests' eyes stare more intensely, "No one will get the joke, Chad."

"It's my name," he laughs. "What's not to get?"

Ben continues to frown at him, before he leans forward and says, "How charming of you." in French.

"Thank you."

He grins back and shakes his head, "Who's next?"

"Why don't you open this one," his mother places a hand on the large rectangular present sitting on the coffee table. "Your father got it for you."

Ben frowns, looking from the large present to his father, "Okay." before he moves from the chair and kneels in front of it. He rips open the blue wrapping paper and takes in the picture of the large TV.

"I thought you could put it in the office, watch some news while you work," he explains.

Ben looks over and stares at him, until his mother reminds him, "Honey, aren't you going to thank him?"

He glances from her to his father, mumbling, "Thank you."

"You should have been more thankful for your gift," King Charming frowns.

"Pardon?" Ben faces him.

"Your father," he reminds him. "He put a lot of thought into that gift, not to mention the price. What was it, three thousand dollars?"

Ben's eyes shift, "Looked like it."

After a moment Charming comments, "Look. I know you don't believe in God, but He would tell you to be grateful for what you have."

"Grateful," Ben whispers. How could he be grateful after everything his father's done. "I just didn't understand why he would give me that. It didn't feel real."

"He told you why he gave it to you," Charming counters.

"I know, but…" Ben scratches the back of his head, and he stops when he feels the bump. He eyes down, gliding a finger over the long line where the stiches had been.

"You know it's real now. You should thank him properly."

Ben's arm drops to his side, "I'm not doing that."

"It doesn't matter if the time to thank him has already passed," Charming opinionates. "You need to give genuine thanks in all circumstances."

"Says the same God that says I need to respect thy mother and father," Ben disbelieves. "And I'm not, so I can't."

He pauses, "Do you believe you shouldn't respect them?"

"I believe," Ben sternly replies, "that if I have to respect them, they should respect me."

"Ben," King Charming looks off for a second before meeting his eyes. "You have good parents. Why can't you just respect them and be thankful for all that they offer?"

He opens his mouth, finding it hard to find the words, before he says, "My parents aren't perfect. Not everything they do is good."

"No one's perfect." Charming replies, "What more do you expect?" Ben eyes off. What more does he expect? Nothing. It's what he does not expect. "Honesty. Tell me, have they really done anything so bad as to deserve your disrespect?"

"It's more my father," Ben admits. "He's just so controlling and…" The images flash through his mind, and he can't sort through them. There's nothing to remember, nothing to tell.

"He's a parent," Charming reasons, "and you're royal. How the world sees us affects how much power we have, and without power the country would fall apart. We need to be controlling to some degree." Ben fails to speak, and he shakes his head, "Really, I'm just disappointed in you. Your father is such a good man, he's always given you everything you've ever wanted, and you treat him like this?"

"Everything I've ever wanted," Ben repeats, a sinking feeling weighing him down. He feels a hand on his shoulder, and swiftly turns.

"Hey," Chad smiles. "Ready to practice?"

"I, uh," Ben thinks. "Yeah."

"Hold on," King Charming commands, and they face him. He looks at Chad, "We need to finish the conversation."

"What conversation?" Chad shrugs off.

"We assumed you were talking about Audrey," his father informs. "If it wasn't her, then who did you have sex with?" Chad looks over at where Carlos and Evie are chatting, and he follows his eyes, "I see."

Chad turns back to him, "Really?"

"Yes," he answers, "and I've got to say I expected more from you. God would have expected more from you."

Chad frowns, "I know."

"Were you safe?"

"What?" his eyebrows furrow.

"Well, she's not going to get pregnant," his father makes sure.

"Evie?" Chad catches on and shakes his head. "Of course, not."

"Good." His father glances at the islanders for a moment before facing him, "Do you care about her?"

"Dad." Chad lets out a breath, "It really didn't mean anything."

"You know, God tells us that sex can be harmful outside of a bonded relationship," his father reminds him. "The least we expect is that you're dating the girl you're doing these things with. It's only right."

"You don't need to worry about it." Chad quiets, "I don't think I'm going to have sex or anything anymore… at least for a while."

"Really?" Ben questions.

Chad meets his hazel green eyes, "Sex is better with someone you care about." before he looks him up-and-down. "What's the point if I can't make a real connection with anyone?"

"You will one day," his father reassures him.

Chad takes a minute, "Yeah." before he nods Ben over to the hallway. "Coming?"

"Uh, yes," Ben nods, and they walk to his room; however, at the door Ben stops. "Hey." Chad turns, and he hesitates, "You didn't have sex with Evie."

"No," Chad admits.

"You said you've done things with Carlos," he insinuates.

"I fucked him," he blatantly states. "A lot." Ben doesn't speak, and Chad nods to the ballroom, "Go on. Tell them, turn me in."

"Chad," Ben disbelieves. "I'm not turning you in."

"It's what I deserve," he asserts. "I should care about who I have sex with, not just…" He faces him, "It's sick, and God hates me now. I just know it."

"Fuck God," Ben nearly yells. "You're not sick for acting on the hormones he gave you." Chad quiets, and Ben calms, "Carlos was there. If it really didn't mean anything, then there's no reason to make a big deal out of it." He thinks, "And I don't care if prostitution is illegal or that homosexual activity is. You don't deserve getting punished for that."

"Then legalize it," Chad counters.

"What?" Ben questions. "Prostitution?"

"No," he asserts. "Homosexual activity. People can't prove I was paying him for it. I can just tell them it was just for writing my English final or something, but if anyone finds out what we did, we're screwed."

"No one needs to find out," Ben solves.

"Somebody already has," Chad stresses. "And they're hanging it over me. I know I'm going to get turned in eventually, so either make it legal or just do it yourself. Please."

Ben stares at him, "Chad. I'm biased. My girlfriend has been involved in homosexual behavior, and people know it. I don't have the power to change this law alone."

"Then bring the council together," he insists. "Have them vote."

Ben takes a moment, "Chad. You know over half of the council is religious. I don't see them changing their beliefs, when they likely don't know they know anyone who's done it."

Chad frowns, "God knows my father wouldn't."

"Chad," Ben hesitates, and he faces him. "Who's holding this over you?"

He shakes his head, "Someone." as he eyes the floor. "I thought I could trust him. I was just dying to tell someone. Anyone. I was just so confused and alone and…"

"You could have told me," Ben quietly comments.

"Are you kidding?" Chad gapes at him, "You're the last person I could've told."

Ben sighs, "So, what happened?"

"I was testing to see how much I could tell him," Chad explains. "I just gave a little information, asked a few questions to see where he stood, but now… I know I never should have." He tears up, "I can't get out of this."

"Who is he?" he asks again.

Chad meets Ben's eyes, more scared than ever, "A teacher."

"A teacher?" his eyes widen, but Chad doesn't respond. "Who is he?" Chad shakes his head. "Come on, Chad. Tell me. I can help you."

"How about you help yourself first," he lashes out, and Ben falters when he sees the tears fall to his cheeks. "You know what it's like to have a powerful man's grip on you. Tell me, what's your escape plan?"

"Chad." Ben awkwardly smiles, "That's different."

"No," he insists. "It isn't. And if you can't even help yourself, how the fuck are you supposed to help me?"

"It's not too late," Ben reinforces. "All he has is your word. The school cameras don't even have audio. If you stop doing stuff with guys, then no one can catch you."

"That's your big plan?" Chad makes a face. "Get me to stop acting on my hormones? What happened to I shouldn't feel ashamed?"

"You said you were going to stop that kind of thing, anyway," Ben points out. "If you really plan to, then that should solve your problem. If he says anything after, then we would have a good case for defamation of character. If he tries to hurt you like that, we can stop him."

"And the morphine?" Chad counters. "He knows about that too. I can't just stop it."

Ben wets his lips, "You would have a better chance recovering from your addiction if you got professional help for it."

"So, your solution to me not getting blackmailed for my script is to make it public myself," he sums up.

"Not public," Ben quickly replies. "If I can be in-and-out of hospitals my entire life without people finding out about it, then your parents can at least get you a supervised detox without anyone knowing."

"And you know what?" Chad's eyebrows furrow, "Your illness isn't what's going to kill you. It's going to be your father, and then I will have two powerful men hanging over me, just because you want the crown to go to me."

Ben's frown deepens, "I thought you wanted to be king."

"No," Chad exclaims. "How many times do I need to tell you, you idiot? I don't want the crown. I want you." He places his hands on his arms, "You're the only person in the world that makes me feel real. If you die, I die."

Chad stares into his eyes, hoping for him to understand, and Ben removes Chad's hands from him, "I think the pills are really starting to mess with you."

"It's always the damn drugs," he complains. "Why can't I just have feelings?"

"You can," Ben unsurely responds. "I just think the drugs are making it harder for you to sort through them."

"We're teenagers," Chad reminds him. "We can't sort through our emotions in the first place. It's not the stupid morphine."

"You've gone through a range of emotions just in the last hour," Ben voices. "If I didn't know better, I would say you're bipolar."

"Because I have problems," Chad counters.

"I have problems too." Ben extends an arm, "You don't see me doing this."

"Fuck you," Chad narrows his eyes, and Ben falters. "My script helps me. Whenever I'm scared, sad, or anxious, it's there to calm me. Not you, because you're never there."

Ben wets his lips, "I apologized for that."

"Well, it doesn't help." Chad complains, "My life is still crap."

He takes a moment, "I told you how to fix it, but I can't help you if you don't want help."

"I don't need help," Chad steps forward.

They stare at each other, and when the door opens, Audrey's eyes widen, "Whoa." They're only inches apart, and after they face her, she lifts a hand, "I didn't mean to interrupt." She eyes between them, "Whatever this is, but we still need to go over the song again."

"Right," Ben accepts, before she makes room for him to pass and Chad follows suit.

"Okay, then," she smiles as she shuts the door, but then she notices Chad rummaging through his bag. "Uh. What are you doing?"

Ben watches Chad take out the orange bottle, "Didn't you just have that?"

"I'm only having one," he quickly replies, as he slides one out into his hand.

"You're sure you don't need help?" Ben doubts, but Chad merely shakes his head in annoyance as he goes shut himself up in the bathroom.

"How bad is it?" Audrey questions, and Ben turns to her.

He takes a breath, "Bad. He has a lot of stuff going on right now."

She looks at the bathroom door, "And why, exactly, does he need to take it in there?"

Ben mulls it over for a minute, "He's probably trying to get it to last longer by putting it up his nose."

"Snorting it?" Audrey gasps.

"Is that the word?"

She shakes her head, "I shouldn't have given up on him so fast."

"It's not your fault," Ben informs. "It's not like I was there too."

She furrows her brows at him, "Either."

"Pardon?"

"Either, not too," Audrey asserts.

Ben looks off, "Whatever. If I didn't have to say English at all after tonight, it would not be soon…"

"Enough," she finishes, and they turn to the door when Chad returns to them.

- Posted: 05/27/2019

- Megan I don't know if you still need help, but I have ideas. How about one night they have a picnic at the ruins (with red wine if they can have it), and they are surrounded by the type of lanterns they had in Tangled. Now, you don't have to do this next part, but the ruins are probably from a temple, right? The idea is that the temple belongs to a fertility goddess (I think the Greek gods of Hercules are mentioned in the novels), and once Mal agrees to his proposal, the goddess bonds them and Mal becomes pregnant... Just an idea. By the way, it's perfectly fine that you don't know what's up with Chad. Once his entire problem is revealed, it's supposed to be like some big revelation. The hints are there for Ben to feel guilty about later, though, so I just thought some of you may have figured it out. It's probably better from a writing standpoint if you haven't, though.