Devil's House

Hidden Scars

The next morning, Ryan was pacing. After watching and listening to Chester go through an emotional breakdown yesterday, he'd been ready for the fallout. He had spent an hour hanging around the living room with Julien, expecting Chester or Mike or both to come out of their room in a huff and spewing words at each other.

But that hadn't happened. Instead, Ryan stood with his mouth agape as Chester emerged from the bedroom with a hum on his lips, his steps light. The entire evening had been that way, without a single hint of the slice of insanity that Ryan had witnessed earlier.

This morning had been no different. Chester was up first, getting ready for his day and making the household breakfast. Conversation had been generic and light and Ryan had even gotten a kiss from Chester before he headed out the door to Score.

It wasn't that Ryan wanted something to be wrong, but he couldn't shake the feeling of things not being quite right. He waited until Jason was settled in his office, working steadily, before he decided he and Mike needed to talk.

Julien was fed and changed and playing on his kiddie mat in the middle of the living room when Ryan finally saw Mike heading his way. The other man was dressed for the day in a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt that fit him well. With Mike's hair combed and swept to one side, he looked handsome and Ryan couldn't help but smile as he watched him head into the kitchen.

More coffee was next on Mike's agenda. He'd had a cup with breakfast, but it didn't feel like enough. Even though he'd both napped late yesterday and then slept well last night, he still felt sluggish. He knew he should put it in a travel mug and take it with him so he could get to campus early and practice before his piano final, but he talked himself out of it. Coffee tastes better in a mug on the couch. And all I really need to do is warm up. I know my etudes. I don't need to practice.

He could feel Ryan watching him as he got another mug down from the cabinet and filled it up. "Ches just can't help himself," he said out loud to the air and the kitchen and Ryan, too. "He always cleans before he goes to work. I told him I'd do the dishes, but I guess I took too long in the shower. He took my mug." He replaced the carafe and picked up his coffee, heading to the couch so he could watch Julien play before he had to leave. "Jay already working?" he asked Ryan, directly this time.

Ryan spun around to follow Mike with his eyes. "Yeah. He's got a busy day of meetings," he answered with a wave towards the other side of the house. "When he's in meetings, me and Julien try to stay out here so we don't interrupt."

He sucked in a long breath before he walked over to the couch, to sit on the opposite side as Mike. "Chester was in a good mood this morning," he commented as he watched Mike take a small sip from his cup. "After yesterday I wasn't sure how things would be."

Mike felt his eyebrows lift in surprise, though they probably shouldn't have. "He didn't tell me he talked to you," he said, tilting his head, "but yeah, I think he's good. I guess he told you I invited him into my therapy session. It ended up being kind of a mess. But we talked some more after I got home, I think we're good now." He sipped at his coffee expectantly, waiting for whatever it was Ryan was dying to either say or ask him. Mike could tell by the way the other man was fidgeting that there was more on his mind than Chester's current mood.

"I'm glad you guys talked it out," Ryan was quick to say. "Because yeah, when he came in yesterday before you got here he...he was talking absolutely crazy. Just saying things that didn't make any sense." Ryan had no desire to repeat the conversation from yesterday but he wasn't sure if his concern would come across without it.

"Well, he wasn't making sense." The words popped out of Mike's mouth quickly and he wished he could take them back as soon as he said them. He didn't want to say negative things about his husband to Ryan. "I mean, I had to explain what I meant about some stuff I said to Dr. Digby, and that made a difference. I think he just misunderstood what I was trying to say." Mike watched as Julien grabbed for a zebra that was hanging from the arch that went over the play mat. He approved of the zebra, and it looked like Julien did, too.