Chapter 11 – Terrible Negotiation Tactics

-:-:-

"Oh," Chad said before they packed up their respective projects, Evie getting called back to her own duties. "One more thing. It's probably nothing, but could you pass on a warning to Carlos for me?"

"It depends on the warning," Evie replied honestly, her brow quirked in interest.

"It's not a big deal," Chad explained with a flush. "But I discovered that Jay's snake snuck an extra package of those modaks into my bag. He likely did the same for Carlos. And granted, he already knows not to eat them, just- I didn't want him to be surprised or something."

Or have a friend accidentally partake of them and lead to certain situations.

If Evie read between the lines, Chad didn't know. She seemed to take the information in stride though, processing the words for a moment before she gave a definite nod. "I'll pass that on," she vowed, making Chad's shoulders slump with relief.

"Thank you," he said, feeling better now that his friendship obligation was done. "For that and for this. It's been a lovely afternoon."

"Even with the interrogation?" she prompted, a smirk pulling at her lips.

"That was only a plus," Chad declared with a laugh. "Besides, it's always good for me to practice thinking on my feet."

And he hadn't had a panic attack or breakdown once. In Chad-terms, that was phenomenal progress, and he was very proud of himself.

Just something else he could discuss with Dr. Sweet on their next phone call.

"That's a healthy attitude to have," Evie informed him, and they parted ways in high spirits, both feeling substantially better given the opportunity to bond.

-:-:-

Chad didn't think much of the exchange until later when he was waiting for Ben to go to dinner, the blond finishing up some of his schoolwork on the window seat in their room, watching the sun fall over the horizon, bathing the Hanoven sky in lovely shades of pink and orange. He'd updated his journal with the things he'd achieved that day, made notes to cover during his phone call with his dad the following evening, and was in the process of determining the best route to the bookstore tomorrow when a squirrel suddenly appeared at his window, tapping on the pane in an insistent motion.

It was enough to have Chad opening the window, the squirrel immediately releasing a deluge of chirps and titters as it explained some kind of minor issue going on in Evie's room. Wait, no, Carlos' room. He was a ward of the kingdom, technically, and as such had a room at Hanoven Castle. Evie was trying to get through to him and things weren't… going well?

Chad was sort of surprised that the squirrel had come to him for help, but then again, it didn't seem like that many people were capable of talking to animals, so maybe he'd just been the only option available. It was enough to leave him scrawling a hasty note to Ben before he followed the squirrel down the hall and into a secret passageway he was pretty sure he shouldn't know about, but the squirrel – who seemed to be either a constant companion of Evie or Queen Snow – didn't seem to care about Chad having this knowledge, so the blond didn't object. After all, he probably shouldn't be seen visiting Carlos anyway after the stuff that had happened in Tangu, so being stealthy about his trip was probably the best choice.

They were let out directly into Carlos' suite, the squirrel wasting no time darting into a bedroom that went off the main sitting room. That was where Chad found Evie, or more specifically, found her huddled against the closet door, a pump perfume bottle clutched in her hand.

"I mean it, Carlos," Evie was saying, her brows drawn together in frustration. "I essentially have a bottle full of aphrodisiacs and I will not hesitate to shoot them under the door if it will get you out of there."

"Are you threatening to drug him?" Chad burst before he could think better of it, the squirrel darting back out into the sitting room now that Chad had been successfully delivered onto this weird situation. "Evie, I didn't tell you about the modaks so you could do that."

Evie sighed. "I'm running out of options. Normally I would just give him time, but there isn't any time. I need him to get out here and talk to me with actual words and shit because I love him and want to take care of him and if I give him the chance, he'll hide away forever, so." She held up the bottle. "Extreme measures must be taken."

"Is that Chad?" Carlos called through the door, his voice sounding worried. "You invited Chad?"

"Technically, a squirrel did," Chad said, trying not to be offended by the strange tinge in Carlos' voice because up until now, he'd been avoiding the other teen as well. "And I'm glad he did because this is crazy, Evie. If Carlos wants to be alone-"

"But he doesn't want to be alone," Evie spat, her expression frustrated. "He never wants to be alone, he just thinks he deserves it because of his shitty mom and I refuse to stand by while my talented, wonderful, genius friend beats himself up over something that was never his fault in the first place."

"You promised we wouldn't talk about my mom," Carlos murmured, his voice sounding tight, pained. "You said that could be a secret."

"Carlos," Chad said, because he realized the issue wasn't that Carlos had been hurt (or yes, it was, but that wasn't the main problem), but that Evie had revealed as much in front of a relative stranger. "If your mom did something to you, if she hurt you- that doesn't make you less. That doesn't reflect on you, that reflects on her."

"That's easy for you to say," Carlos shot back. "You're perfect."

Evie sent Chad an imploring look, and it was then he remembered their earlier conversation, the subject Chad had briefly alluded to. That was why she had so flippantly spoken of Carlos' mother, because she knew Chad would understand.

"I'm really not," Chad said, his heart feeling heavy in his chest. "My grandpa… he used to hurt me a lot, and I felt terrible about it, because I thought- I thought I must be a really awful grandson if he felt the need to do that. I thought it was my fault that he hurt me, but the truth is- well, my dad and my therapist and the rest of my family helped me to see that my grandfather crossed a line. You don't do that to your family. You don't hurt the people you love that way and the moment you do, you're the broken one, not them." He pressed a hand against the door, wishing he could offer Carlos more comfort. "I know what it's like to feel like you don't deserve to talk to people. To feel like you're not worth their attention, or even enough to be in their presence. I used to feel that way all the time, I still feel that way sometimes, but please know that there's nothing your mother could have done that would make you undeserving of having friends, and that stupid shit in Tangu- that wasn't your fault either. That was Iago's. That's… that's all."

Chad shot Evie a tired look and stepped back, hoping that his speech provided… something for Carlos.

There was a moment, and then they heard the locks shift, followed by the door tentatively getting pushed open, reevaling a shy Carlos waiting on the other side.

He didn't seem to know what to do, but his gaze awkwardly found Chad's who waited patiently, knowing Carlos deserved to have all the time he needed to process things.

"My mom was good friends with Queen Grimhilde," he said tentatively. "She was the royal tailor and one of the top-ranking fashion designers in all of Hanover. I um- I don't think she meant to have a kid, but by the time she figured out I was coming it was too late to get rid of me so she just… kept me." He shrugged, like this wasn't awful information. "She was never connected to the queen's crimes so she wasn't arrested, though Queen Snow didn't keep her on as royal tailor. I think… I think that was too great a blow to her pride," he decided. "So she just- she became a recluse and I um- I became her slave, I guess. At first, she kept me out of the way, but when I was old enough, I'd do chores. She treated me more like an assistant or a dog than she did her kid. I had a collar and everything." He shrugged again. "Child Protective Services picked me up when I was seven, and I think Queen Snow felt so bad about everything that she kept me here, as a ward of the kingdom."

"I'm so sorry," Chad said, trying to urge as much sympathy into his voice as possible. He'd always sensed that there was more to Carlos' shyness than met the eye, he just hadn't realized the reason was so sorrowful. "That never should have happened. You never deserved it."

"I know," Carlos said, his eyes seeming wet with unshed tears. "I know that, it's just hard to remember it, sometimes."

Like when the queen of a foreign kingdom suggested you were getting too close to be proper.

"I'm sorry," Chad repeated. "I know we can't really be friends anymore-"

"Yes, you can," Evie said, her voice determined. "Queen Scheherazade shouldn't decide that for you."

"Okay," Chad allowed, because that was fair. "I know we can't be obvious about our friendship right now, but I'd- I like talking to you, and if we can, I'd like to stay connected past this trip."

"I'd like that too," Carlos said quietly, a small smile tugging at his lips.

"And also me," Evie said, her gaze determined. "Because our friendship is a gift, and it should be celebrated, not shamed."

Chad sighed. "That wasn't her intention," he murmured. "It was a warning, and one she did not have to give. She was trying to protect us."

"She made you feel bad," Evie snapped, not seeming to get it. "I thought the entire point of this trip was for us to bond with part of the Auradon contingent."

"Yeah, but I'm not part of that," Chad said.

"But you could be, couldn't you?" Evie pressed. "Just- if they spoke to your father."

"It's not that easy," Chad said, shifting his shoulders uncomfortably. "The fact is, Carlos and I were distracting Mal and Jay from their duties."

"Yes, them," Evie said. "But they're not trying to arrange a marriage contract for Carlos – at least, not without me-"

"Um." Carlos paused, his brain seeming to struggle to restart. "What?"

"Polyamory," Evie explained. "Chad and I talked about it earlier-"

"You were being serious about that?" Carlos interrupted, his gaze wide. "Evie, we can't-"

"We can," Evie huffed, waving her hand to emphasizes this point. "I believe in you. Queen Snow believe in you. Anyone who talked to you would believe in you."

"Maybe," Carlos allowed. "But that's still…"

"You are worthy," Evie snapped, which was entirely accurate, though immediately distracted from when her gesturing caused her to lose her grip on the perfume bottle, sending it across the room until it landed on the cushions of a window seat, making all of them gasp with relief. "Okay, that was my bad," Evie said. "I think I'll get rid of that solution now, but only if Carlos agrees to stay out of the closet."

"I couldn't stay in there if I tried," Carlos muttered under his breath, and Chad offered his shoulder a few consoling pats while Evie crossed to collect the stray bottle of aphrodisiacs.

"She did it because she cared," Chad explained. "Because you are worth caring about, and-"

He cut off when Evie let out a yelp, and they both turned in time to hear the bottle shatter against the ground, a pink sort of mist puffing up and enveloping Evie and… Mal?

It took Chad a few moments to realize the window had swung open, which was likely what knocked the bottle down in the first place. Took a few moments to realize Mal's wings were out, so she must have been on an evening flight and stopped by to visit Evie or something. Chad hadn't realized they were friends.

"What the fuck?" Mal gasped, and then with what must have been a magic swirl of her fingers, the mist dissipated, leaving two gasping females behind. "Is this why you invited me to talk to Carlos?"

"You were supposed to use the door," Evie hissed, her cheeks flushing dark as Mal stumbled her way inside, clumsily shutting the window behind her.

"C-Can't be seen um- interacting with him because of Jadir's dumb mom," Mal gasped. "So I thought I'd- what the hell was that stuff?"

"Aphrodisiacs," Evie said somewhat brokenly.

"I always knew you Hanover peeps were freaky," Mal coughed. "Ah, hell."

"Shit," Evie said eloquently, losing control on her decorum. "…Carlos?"

"Um." Beside Chad, Carlos' posture went ramrod straight. "I- I don't think-"

"We can't be here," Chad said, panicking building in his chest. "We- if we get caught-"

"We're not going to get caught," Mal snapped, waving her hand with a green flare of her eyes. "There, privacy and notice-me-not enchantments abounds, we're fine."

"Won't someone notice the enchantments, though?" Chad asked. "Like, a high-level magic user-"

"Not if we're fast," Mal hissed. "Now get over here and shove your hand down my pants."

It went against most of Chad's rules for decorum, but on one hand, Mal had helped him without hesitating when he'd gotten drugged. It didn't seem fair not to return the favor.

"We have to be quick," he reiterated, making Carlos startle beside him.

"What?" Carlos squawked. "You're going to actually…"

"She helped me," Chad said. "It's only fair that I help her."

"But they're- we can't," Carlos insisted with a flail. "Can't they just help each other?"

The very thought of it made Chad pause, had his cheeks flushing dark despite himself. "Maybe?"

"Fucking hell," Mal snapped, and then she was crawling between Evie's legs, shoving her skirt up while the other teen gasped.

"Mal," she hissed, cheeks flushing hot. "What are you doing?"

"Helping you," Mal spat, and then those were- those were Evie's soaked panties and Mal was just dragging them down, revealing Evie's special place and Chad definitely shouldn't be watching this but he was also immediately distracted by the way Mal mouthed at those wet folds until Evie was crooning.

"Holy shit," a voice drawled beside Chad, making him startle completely until he turned and saw Jay standing there. "This was not what I expected when Evie invited me here."

"They sex-gassed themselves," Carlos explained quietly. "They're helping each other."

"Can I help them?" Jay asked, and then, when he realized Chad and Carlos couldn't answer him, he moved on. "Hey Mal, can I stick my hand down your pants?"

"You'd better," Mal growled, pulling away from Evie enough to shoot a firm look over her shoulder. "Get over here, you asshole."

"Done and done," Jay chirped, wasting no time to cross to them, eagerly climbing onto the bed and undoing Mal's pants so he could get a proper hand on her.

"So," Chad said after a moment. "Want to come hang out in my room?"

"Please," Carlos whimpered, and then the two of them made a very strategic and cowardly retreat.

-:-:-

As it so happened, pretending to be ignorant of the definite orgy happening just half a castle away was not something Chad and Carlos were good at, so they'd lingered in the guest suite he shared with Ben for maybe five minutes before Chad gave up with a weary sigh.

"Are you upset?" he asked Carlos, who had been distractedly looking over the books Chad had collected over the course of the trip.

Carlos flinched, but that seemed to be on reflex more than anything else. "What?"

"You and Evie," Chad said, feeling his cheeks heat in a dull flush. "You love each other, right? Are you upset that she's doing that stuff with Mal and Jay right now?"

Carlos considered this with a furrowed brow. "I… I mean, I guess I can't complain," he said, giving up on the books and plopping himself down beside Chad on the couch. "Jay and Mal, they're arguably some of the best people in Enchancia, right?"

"Right," Chad agreed, feeling a flood of fondness at how overwhelmingly sweet Carlos was – deciding Mal and Jay were the best based on the fast friendship they'd developed in Tangu alone. Distantly, it made him wonder if maybe Carlos thought he was the best too, but that was definitely something he could never consider ever.

It was just asking for trouble, was what it was.

Chad cleared his throat, trying to get back on track. "Still," he said. "As great as they are, that doesn't mean you have to be automatically okay with them doing intimate stuff with your girlfriend."

That dark flush that spilled across the bridge of Carlos' nose seemed to intensify. "She's not my girlfriend," he insisted. "Honestly, this entirely polyamory thing seems of too good to be true."

"It's not," Chad insisted, though maybe that was the romantic in him, the one he could acknowledge now that his grandfather was gone. "As long as you communicate and have a very clear understanding of everyone's expectations and desires, it can work."

"Not that," Carlos said. "Well, maybe that, but I mean – three or more people being able to like each other that way. I'd be amazed just having one person reciprocate my feelings."

"I dunno," Chad said, stewing that over. "Human beings are very adaptable. If we can fall in love multiple times over the course of our lifetimes, what's to say we can't do that all at once?"

"But to have those feelings be reciprocated by the people we actually love?" Carlos countered. "It seems preposterous."

"Not if you have the right people," Chad said. "Once you accept that it can be a possibility, I think it becomes easier to take the leap and risk trusting your love to multiple people. Yes, it might not turn out perfect, but you won't know if you don't try."

Carlos was quiet for a moment, but then he offered Chad a fond smile. "You really are a romantic, you know?"

"I know," Chad muttered, his cheeks flushing dark. "I'm not sorry for it though."

Carlos looked like he was about to counter with some kind of reply when the door to the suite open, and in strolled Ben, who didn't look nearly as tired as he had for the rest of this trip. The other prince paused at the door for a moment, blinking in surprise when he noticed Carlos, then slid into a kind grin.

"Hey guys," He greeted, carefully setting his briefcase down on the sitting room desk. "What are you guys talking about?"

"Polyamory," Chad said while Carlos seemed to get bashful again for some reason. Then again, the other teen hadn't spoken with Ben nearly as much as he'd spoken with Chad.

Ben paused his efforts to give Chad a confused blink. "What?"

"Polyamory," Chad repeated. "You know, like in King Hercules' country?"

It took Ben a few moments to catch up, but he eventually did with a furrowed set to his brow. "I… oh, right, I know what you're talking about." He gave Chad a confused look. "Why are you talking about that?"

"Apparently some of the Enchancian heirs already have romantic partners that aren't like, official, but there's some kind of unspoken acknowledgement there or something – Evie was telling me about it earlier. Anyway, I just said that maybe they were included in the contingent with their unofficial partners for a polyamorous relationship or something."

"That's… maybe," Ben said, still seeming confused. "Then again, with matters such as these if they haven't come out to claim an official partner in the eyes of the public, it's unlikely that said partner would be put into consideration for inclusion in a marriage contract. We are teenagers, after all, so…"

Right, teenagers could be fickle. It could all be a passing fad.

"That's not fair," Carlos said quietly, twisting his hand in the fabric of his sleeves. "The Enchancian heirs are put under more pressure over here than the Auradon heirs. There's fewer of them, and even if they're not expected to be as mature as you, Prince Benjamin, that doesn't mean they aren't conscious of the weight of their position. For a lot of them, I'm sure it was easier to have a secret relationship to protect their partners from public scrutiny."

That seemed fair. In Auradon, there were almost up to fifty kingdoms, all of which had heirs, some more than one. The sheer numbers alone would help dilute the public's interest, but here in Enchancia, there were only the six major kingdoms, and while each of them had multiple heirs – with the exception of the Moors, there was still few enough of them that they were likely a hot commodity.

Like, Chad might be a romantic, but he was sure the average citizen was even more so – brought up on a life of fairytales coming to life. There was a natural interest with royal families that had them viewed more as objects than fallible people, and that kind of detachment could be isolating.

Ben paused, giving the counter argument the consideration it was due because he was a good leader, and he'd been trained to listen instead of push stubbornly ahead, holding onto outdated ideals.

"That's a very fair point," Ben said, seeming lost in thought. "Has anyone informed the Auradon contingent of this?" At Carlos' blank look, Ben pushed on. "This- obviously it's a difference in cultures, but if it holds true, that could very well be a game changer for how this envoy proceeds."

"You mean things might actually start happening?" Chad asked, perking up with interest. "There might be romance?"

"There could be," Ben said, offering Chad a bright grin. "It's obvious that most of the Enchancian heirs aren't happy being singled out for romantic overtures, but maybe polyamory was the more comfortable default all along. I- we need to go talk to the chaperones," Ben declared, pulling Chad to his feet. "Thank you, Carlos – that information has been invaluable."

It was such a small thing, and yet it left Carlos blushing furiously. "I'm happy to help," he murmured, ducking his head with a shy look.

"And you succeed," Chad chirped. "You can hide out in our suite for as long as you want, okay? Heck, you can even spend the night on our couch if you want."

"I- thanks," Carlos said, obviously not expecting the offer.

Ben aimed a befuddled look at Chad. "Is something wrong with his room?"

"It kind of got taken over by an impromptu girls' sleepover," Chad didn't quite lie. "So I thought maybe we could counter that with one of our own."

For a moment, Ben aimed an unreadable look at Chad, and while the blond still wasn't the best at analyzing interpersonal dynamics, he got the feeling that Ben seemed to be hit with a distinct flood of fondness.

"I think it's a great idea," Ben said eventually before his gaze shifted to Carlos. "You're more than welcome to stay if you like, Carlos. Maybe we can teach you some things about Auradon."

"Oh, we can finally play three people card games!" Chad chirped, because he loved playing with Ben, but they only had so many options they could play around with. "And maybe pick up some hot chocolate on the way back. Does that sound good to you?"

"Yeah," Carlos said, seeming bamboozled. "That'd be great."

"Then we'll be back soon!" Chad declared, and then he dragged Ben out into the hall before letting the taller prince lead the way, trying to be more socially respectable, like two refined gentlemen of high stature, instead of two kids that had maybe uncovered the key to their summer's success. "Oh," Chad said as they started off down the hall. "Um- we should probably warn the others that Prince Harrison is beyond hope or whatever, even with his boyfriend in consideration. Evie said so."

And Evie seemed like a veritable well of knowledge – considering how Hanover loved to gossip and collect information.

"Noted," Ben said, shooting him a wry grin. "Finally, it seems like we could be getting somewhere."

"Had to happen at some point," Chad chirped before matching Ben's stride, not wanting to be the one that held the other prince back.

It was the very last thing he wanted, to hold Ben back.

-:-:-

Endnotes:

Look, Evie can't be smart all the time. Even she gets a little dumb when the stakes are high enough ;)

Story notes:

Carlos, definitely basing the title of 'best' on the fact that Jay and Mal are two of the most powerful magical heirs in the empire.

Until next time :D