Chapter 14 – Escapades Above and Below Deck

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When Chad woke again, he was warm, a sort of low-level hum of pleasure radiating through his entire body. He was cradled between two people, and he was pretty sure neither were Ben – who was muscular but so much more lanky than the person at Chad's front and not nearly as small as the person settled against his back. His legs were- there was something wrong with them, and he would focus on that but his groin was aching, only it wasn't his groin- or it was?

"Oh no," a voice – Gil's voice said, and Chad blinked his eyes open to see the other blond worriedly looking down between them, his cheeks dusting in a furious blush. "I'm so sorry."

"What's wrong?" Uma asked – her voice muzzled with sleep – and belatedly the events of the afternoon came crashing back on Chad – the transformation, the sex spores, the intimate times.

"My you-who's out," Gil said with a flush, and when Chad looked down that was- yes, that was what he assumed was Gil's length poking out from between his metallic scales. "And I think it made Chad's other- his girl you-who come out too."

Chad paused, looking down to realize that Gil was entirely correct – those new wet folds were pulled wide and ached to be filled with such a sudden pointed need that he could only whimper.

"Step one, calm down," Uma said, and it was sort of comforting that one of them was in control right now. "There's an easy fix for this. You can jerk yourself off while I take care of Chad – easy peasy, no harm done."

"It's um- big," Chad said, finding himself reaching out and curling a tentative hand around Gil's length, stroking it and reveling in the way it shuddered beneath his hand. Which should- that should be horrifying that he was so forward, and he hadn't even asked Gil but the other blond didn't seem to mind, rutting his hips into Chad's hand with a low moan.

"Yes, he is," Uma agreed, reaching around Chad to tease Gil herself. "We can help him out if you like, but-"

"I want- can I-?" Chad cut off with a dark flush, amazing by the vulgarity of his suggestion, and yet, his body seemed desperate for it, those folds stretching wider, letting out new streams of slick in some kind of anticipation. "I want him in me."

"Chad," Gil said, seeming stricken by the suggestion. "I can't do that, I've never-"

"Me neither," Chad gasped, jerking Gil up and down. "But-"

"Blondie," Uma said, running a hand through Chad's curls. "I'll be real with you – that's probably the spores talking. And Gil's probably worked up from your pheromones – it's a natural side effect. The only reason I'm not affected is because I have specific defensive enchantments to counteract that bullshit, but I'm going to go ahead and be the responsible one and not let you guys lose your virginity due to a stupid ass plant."

"But," Chad bit down on his lip, moving his hand faster. "Uma…"

She sighed. "Here," she said, and then one of her tentacles was curling towards his groin, petting at that delicate area before it started pushing in-

"Uma!" Chad croaked, eagerly shifting his hips into the contact – something so much fuller and more substantial than her fingers had been. The stretch felt good, scraping against the walls of his new place, and he eagerly clutched down around her, shuddering at the shift of suckers that added new texture.

"You're killing me, Chad," she gasped, slowly urging the tentacle deeper in slow movements, working back and forth and sparking new waves of pleasure with each shift. "Light."

"Uma, are your parts acting up too?" Gil asked, somewhat dazed.

"I can hide it better," Uma managed between breaths. "But yeah."

"You can- I mean-" Gil flushed. "We could help you."

"Y-Yeah," Chad gasped as that tentacle worked deeper, his hand stilling on Gil's length so he could savor the sensation. "You've done so much for us."

"This is the exact kind of shit I'm not supposed to do," Uma huffed, but then she was shyly settling between them, shifting her tentacles to reveal her own prominent length wavering against her stomach.

"Oh, man," Gil said, seeming to want to touch it. "I…"

"R-Rut together," Chad offered, knowing it was a thing people did sometimes because his grandfather had threatened very many things should Chad ever consider it.

"Like this?" Gil asked, and then he was shuddering against Uma, turning her slightly so she could angle their lengths together.

"Shit," Uma gasped, her tentacles shoving wide, the one inside Chad rutting a bit harder than before as she struggled for control. "Gilly…"

"Do you want us to touch your other spot?" Gil asked, flushing dark, and when Chad looked down, he could see Uma's-

And he- he had one, and Uma was pleasuring it right now, but it was different with Uma, who had acquired hers from birth rather than magic, that was her actual special place and Chad was being the worst gentleman and staring at it and it was just as pretty as his and what a world they lived in that he actually had a thought process like that.

"Go for it," Uma gasped, her head thrown back with a moan. "Why not at this point?"

Gil seemed busy, so it was Chad that reached down, Chad who felt so wonderfully full and warm as he tentatively mimicked the movements Uma had done on him earlier, out in the garden.

"Fuck," Uma hissed when he carefully eased in a finger, working it in and out just as carefully as she had. "Fuck. This is- usually they warn us to only cater to one at a time, like they're afraid we'll become sex fiends or something, but this feels fucking awesome so fuck their dumb rules."

"Uma," Chad croaked, because she kept thrusting deeper, and despite the overwhelming string of heat his length was still very much buried under his scales despite the fact that he could still feel it humming with pleasure, despite the fact that he could feel it dripping, his body seemed to prioritize his newest acquisition for some reason.

"I've got you, baby," Uma gasped, curling another tentacle around his waist to steady him as she continued to show him a proper ravishment. "G-Got both of you."

"Oh wow," Gil gasped as things seemed to rise to a crescendo. "Oh- Uma."

Chad was pretty sure they both lost it at the same time, saw Gil arch around the same time Uma clenched down around his fingers, her own length pulsing until they created a proper mess that seemed to dissipate in a swirl of magic. Uma groaned as Gil guided her length back inside her, and Chad was careful to continue teasing the outside of her folds until they properly disappeared again.

"Light," Uma repeated, dragging Chad between the two of them so they could watch her tentacle rut into Chad at a proper pace. "You ready, sweetheart?"

"Please," Chad moaned, hips eagerly shifting to meet her attentions. "It feels so good, Uma, so different, I'm so full."

"Just like you deserve to be," Uma hummed, shifting her tentacle forward with a pointed thrust that made Chad see stars behind his eyes.

Immediately, he was gushing, letting out a broken croon as his release rocked through his body. He continued clutching onto Uma until her tentacle finally withdrew from him, and only then did those wet folds retract beneath his scales once more, leaving behind nothing but the familiar heat of satisfaction.

"Well," Uma said after a few moments. "We should probably get up towards the surface before the spores act up again."

"Will they still bother me when I'm human?" Chad asked.

"Maybe," Uma said. "I'm not sure, a human's never ingested them before. It will entirely depend on if you get in any more intimate situations for the day, but if it does affect you, at least you'll be more prepared to handle it on your own."

Right. Right, this was fair. He'd only acted up again because he was in such close proximity to Gil and Uma. Ass long as he kept his distance, things should be okay.

"And it will wear off?"

"By tomorrow morning at the latest," Uma confirmed. "Come on, let's get out of here before they start doing random sweeps to look for me."

The trip back to the cove seemed to be faster now that they knew where they were going, and it was a bit of a relief to be given their human legs again, even if they had to deal with the minor embarrassment of putting their swim trunks back on.

"We literally just got freaky together," Uma chuckled, seeming amused. "It is nothing we haven't seen."

"Still," Gil insisted with a flush, Uma obediently turning around so they could slide back into their clothing.

They got as close to the shore as they could before the breached the surface of the water, wading onto the sand while Uma undid her transformation and their water breathing spell.

Which was something Chad would have focused on, only there seemed to be a small group waiting for them back on the shore, the lot of them gathered around the stuff they'd left on the sand.

"Hey, Mal!" Chad greeted, the individual closest to them. She seemed to be passing time with Jay, both of them standing in defensive slouches with their arms folded across their chest while further down Evie and Carlos were huddled on their beach blanket.

"Don't you losers have shit to do?" Uma asked, much less impressed with their sudden appearance. "What are you doing here?"

"You'd know the answer to that question if you hadn't played hooky," Mal drawled, shooting Uma an unimpressed look as they climbed out of the water.

"There was a bit of a throwdown," Carlos offered more diplomatically, his gaze raking over their wet forms in that usual assessment of his, lingering on the shirt clinging to Chad's chest, perhaps wondering if Chad had designed it or something. "They called off the tea party before things could devolve."

"Jay thought you'd like to be updated," Evie continued. "We followed him."

"And that's the exciting story," Jay finished with a wink.

"You Gil?" Mal asked the other blond, Gil freezing with uncertainty once he was pinned under the group's joint focus.

"Um- yeah?" Gil tried.

"Huh," Mal said, tone neutral.

Chad sighed. "Mal."

"I'm processing," May offered by way of explanation. "See, it was your good friend Harry that caused the scene in the first place."

At that, Uma cackled. "Oh, go on. What did that shithead do now?"

"Uma," Chad warned, Gil still seeming worried beside them.

"He confronted Ben," Carlos offered, and apparently all of them knew who Chad's friend was- which, duh, Ben was the future king of everything, that made sense.

"Yep," Mal drawled. "Said something along the lines of 'Keep your bedwarmer away from Gil'."

"Allegedly," Evie spoke up, her expression neutral.

"Yes," Jay hummed. "And allegedly – Ben, ultimate calm guy and all-around perfect human – apparently he didn't appreciate that comment very much, and he may or may not have rumbled off some things that ended with him threatening to rip off Harry's dick."

"Allegedly," Evie repeated.

"So allegedly," Mal giggled.

"Things devolved from there," Carlos offered tiredly, getting them back on track. "They broke things up before they could get worse, but Ben was very angry."

"And Harry was just- delighted, I think," Mal cackled. "Got so beautifully flushed. I don't think he thought Ben would have that in him. I think he wants more of that beasty."

"Wouldn't surprise me," Uma muttered, the corner of her lips quirked up in a smirk.

"I… what?" Chad asked, his brain seeming on a five-minute delay. "What did he mean by bedwarmer? Was he-" Chad cut off abruptly, and he wasn't sure why it took him this long to figure it out – his grandfather had only regularly referred to him and his mother as whores for as long as Chad could remember. "Does he think-?"

"Chad," Uma interrupted, her voice firm. "What did I tell you about Harry? The guy's a fucking idiot who doubles down on terrible ideas because he thinks they're better than being emotionally available. This is the same shithead who ran off all of Gil's suitors instead of having a damn conversation – good planning isn't his forte, and no one's going to believe a damn thing he says."

"No one thinks you're a whore," Jay cut in, his voice uncharacteristically grave. "The only one who came out of that situation looking bad was Harry, we just- I thought you'd like to know, is all."

"Aw, man," Gil said, dragging a hand across his face. "Why does Harry have to do this?"

"Because he's a stubborn tool," Uma said. "And until he comes to terms with what he actually wants, he's going to continue causing havoc."

"On the bright side, he's probably going to have to give some form of public apology to you," Mal drawled. "Probably Ben too. There were too many witnesses for him to do otherwise."

"Maybe that taste of humble sandwich will get his head on straight," Uma considered. "But if he hasn't figured his shit out by now, I don't know if he's going to."

"We can only hope," Evie said, and Chad was lost thinking of the far-reaching implications, wondering if this would get back to his father, when he heard his phone start to vibrate from his satchel.

"It's been doing that off and on since we got here," Carlos offered when Chad rushed to see who it was.

"It's Ben," Chad said, wincing when he realized he had fifteen missed calls. Fifteen, that meant Ben was too worried to just wait Chad out like he normally would have. It was why he didn't hesitate to pick up the call, stepping away to get some relative privacy. "Sorry, Ben – I was out swimming, just got back to my phone."

"Chad," Ben rumbled, his voice sounding strange. "Could you- could you come back to our room? I need- I'd like to see you."

He needed comfort, Chad realized. Maybe he wasn't the only one shaken up by the events of that afternoon – Ben had gone beastly in front of an entire foreign contingent, there was a chance that left him feeling on edge.

"Of course," Chad said, not needing to think about it. "I'll be there soon."

"Hurry," Ben purred before the two exchanged quick goodbyes, Chad trailing over to his satchel and slipping on his sand-covered sandals as he tried to plan the quickest route back.

"You heading in?" Uma asked, tone unreadable.

"Sorry," Chad said. "This has been great, but I think Ben was- this startled him too. He just needs some reassurance." He turned his gaze to Gil. "Do you wanna follow me back? I can show you the way to my room so you can swing by later."

"Do you think I can still sleep on your couch?" Gil asked, the others perking up with interest. "After Harry yelled at Mr. Ben?"

"It will be okay," Chad soothed, sliding on his satchel. "If anything, I think Ben will be more incentivized to help you now that he's had to deal with Harry."

"That sounds about right," Uma said as Gil slipped on his own shoes. "Guess we'll have our picnic another day."

"Sorry," Chad repeated. "Maybe you guys could partake without us?"

"Oh, and take pictures!" Gil chirped. "Even though I don't know who most of you are." He paused. "That's probably for the best, after today."

"I'll introduce you to them tomorrow," Chad pledged. "You're allowed to have friends."

Gil flushed. "But they're so important."

"You're also important," Chad reminded him, his brows furrowed in concern. Gil really needed to learn that being of noble blood didn't automatically enhance your worth, especially if their positions were symbolic or distant at best. He turned his attention back to the others. "Thanks for telling me about this, guys. I wish I could stick around, but-"

"We get it," Mal interrupted. "Ben's your bro – go, take care of him."

Chad felt his cheeks heat in a flush he hoped could be passed off as sunburn. "Thanks, I um- will."

With that, he bid them farewell, guiding Gil back towards civilization with a worried thrum in his chest.

So maybe things weren't quite so perfect after all.

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Chad's heart was pounding in his throat by the time he got back to their room, the blond pausing long enough to confirm that Gil knew the way before they parted, Chad sliding into the room and deftly locking the door behind him. He didn't know what would happen next, but regardless, Ben deserved the certainty that he would be allowed to react and decompress without the threat of interruption.

When Chad came into the room, it was to see Ben pacing a furious path up and down the far wall, his shoulders hunched and one hand pressed against his face as though it would mute his despair. Immediately upon catching sight of Chad, the brunette cut to his side, hesitating right before he drew close where he normally would have picked Chad up in a hug.

He didn't seem to know how to broach the subject, wearing an expression so conflicted that it made Chad's heart hurt. "I um- I…"

"I heard," Chad said, deciding to cut to the point. "I'm so sorry."

"You're sorry?" Ben echoed, confused. "I'm the one who- fucking, he must have seen me cuddle you in Hanover somehow, and now I've jeopardized your reputation with my dumb beast bullshit I was supposed to be ignoring anyway."

"Hey," Chad cut in, grabbing onto Ben's lapels and dragging him into a hug. "Did you hear me object to those cuddles? The answer is no, because I wanted them, because I like cuddling you, and because there's nothing wrong with that perfectly harmless thing, we are not the ones that came out of this situation looking bad – that was Harry."

Maybe if he said the words Uma had given him firmly enough, he would come to believe it. They did line up with what he thought Dr. Sweet might say, so it wasn't hard.

"I growled at him," Ben murmured, dropping his voice as he melted into Chad's hug, wrapping eager arms around his waist and nuzzling his shoulder. "He said that about you and I just saw red, and I um- I'm pretty sure I threatened him, I don't even remember-"

"Ben," Chad interrupted. "You think you lost control, but you didn't. If you really lost control, you would have hurt him. Instead, you managed to keep yourself in check, snapping back on him in a way he definitely deserved."

"Whether he deserved it or not doesn't make it the most diplomatically appropriate response," Ben sighed. "I made Auradon look bad."

"You're a teenager," Chad pressed. "If anything, this will convince all the Enchancian nobility that you're not a perfect robot or something." A moment, and then the words seemed to startle a laugh from Ben, a weary, helpless kind of thing. Buoyed by that, Chad decided to keep going. "I think it's perfectly reasonable for someone to speak up in defense of their friend, and you're still young. You'll have time to learn how to handle your beast's gut responses."

"Just… I'm worried," Ben said. "Even with my training, flareups from my anger were always an issue, but I didn't see this coming."

"I don't think anyone saw Harry being a royal dick in public coming," Chad offered, getting another nice laugh. "Look, until someone actually informs you as much, let's not assume it's the end of the world. We can think of a way to apologize to Harry later when you're feeling more centered, but for now, what do you need?"

"I feel like I shouldn't ask for anything," Ben muttered, his nose buried in the crook of Chad's neck. "You're not a whore. I hate that you could ever be implied as much, but the truth is I allowed for that to happen by being shamelessly indulgent-"

"Ben," Chad interrupted. "I. Like. What. We. Do." He let out a frustrated huff. "You are not the only person who gets something out of this, I don't know how many times I have to repeat that. It isn't indulgent, it's something you need, something that makes your life easier, and I'm happy to give it."

"Still," Ben sighed, but he dragged Chad forward, as though there was any distance left between him, inadvertently catching Chad's groin against his thigh. "Perhaps on this trip we shouldn't-"

"Do I need to call your mom?" Chad asked, flushing horribly when he accidentally shifted, telling stirs of warmth building in his groin. He tried to back away, but Ben seemed determined to keep him near, keep Chad plastered against him. "We cuddle to counteract the stress this trip causes, we can't just-"

"What's wrong?" Ben interrupted, pulling back so he could stare at Chad's face. "Were you sunburned or something? Am I hurting you?"

"N-No, Ben," Chad said, though he could already feel himself losing the battle for control, that first brush setting off a chain reaction of arousal that seemed to snowball into a relentless thing. "I'm fine, just- I didn't want to freak you out."

"Freak out, how?" Ben asked, seeming concerned enough to contemplate freaking out on Chad's behalf.

"This is serious time," Chad didn't quite explain. "You're stressed and I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"Didn't mean what?" Ben asked, shifting Chad to face him more head on, inadvertently grinding the blond's groin against his until Chad released a definite whimper.

There was a tense pause. To Chad it seemed to go on forever, though he was almost certain it was only a few seconds at most, seconds where Ben pulled back, slowly looking down towards Chad's groin to confirm what was really going on.

"I'm sorry," Chad whimpered, frustrated that there was no way to hide his predicament against his dumb swim trunks. "I'm sorry, Ben, I guess Harry was a little bit right-"

"Harry was entirely fucking wrong," Ben growled, and then he was hooking an arm under Chad's thighs, picking him up in an effortless motion before he carried Chad over to the bed, depositing him with exaggerated ease, like he was worried he might break Chad.

It wasn't until he was climbing over Chad to properly stare down at him that Ben paused, the brunette biting at his bottom lip. "I um- didn't cause this, did I? Have... have I conditioned you to always be ready for-?"

"Ben," Chad moaned, dragging an embarrassed hand down his face. "I'm a teenager. Sometimes, we just get horny. And um- maybe I had some oysters for lunch," he lied, which wasn't entirely false because he had ingested some form of natural aphrodisiac that afternoon. "But I didn't think that tidbit was actually true-"

Ben interrupted him with a kiss and Chad supposed things were fine, the blond eagerly curling his hands through Ben's hair while the other prince pawed at his body, toying with the hem of his swim shirt before dipping lower to palm between his legs.

"Taste good," Ben murmured against his lips as he started working Chad's shirt off. "Taste salty."

"I was swimming in the ocean," Chad gasped, shuddering when Ben's long fingers grazed his pectorals, giving his nipple a playful tweak before it dipped lower to guide off Chad's swim trunks. He didn't stop until the blond was entirely bare underneath him, and only then did Ben release a satisfied rumble that focused on Chad's length.

"I'm gonna lick every inch of salt off of you," Ben promised, shrugging out of his suit jacket. "Does that work for you?"

"Yes, please," Chad gasped, seeing as manners always made Ben's beast go wild, and it was worth it for the very enthusiastic kiss this earned him, Ben releasing another rumble that made Chad shiver.

Well, at least Ben got the benefits of Chad's accidental drugging too. And also Chad, again.

It really was an eventful afternoon.

-:-:-

Endnotes:

Guy can't help if he has game, alright? ;)

Story notes:

Yes Chad, yes, that's why Carlos was staring at your shirt. He was interested in the design.

Until next time :)