Disjointed Heart

Chapter Eighteen

Mike was long finished with the Koi fish drawings when Chester started to stir awake. The sun was already setting on the horizon and the faint yellow-ish light that peeked through the thin fabric of the white curtains made Chester look like an ethereal being.

Mike was watching his lover as he sat up and rubbed his eyes with his fists as he yawned, looking like a big baby.

"Mike?" Chester mumbled sleepy as his gaze focused on the half Asian, who got up and sat by him, reaching forward to get his sketch book that rested on the coffee table.

"Finally up, sleepy head?" The younger man said softly as he nuzzled his nose on the other's cheek, making him chuckle softly.

"I'm sorry I kept you waiting. You should have woken me up, y'know?" The blonde pouted.

"I could never wake you up. You looked so peaceful, and I know you didn't sleep well at night. I felt you shuffling around." Mike smiled softly. "Here, I made these for you. You said you wanted a Koi fish tattoo so I thought I could create some designs for you." The half Asian changed the subject as he handed the sketch book to his boyfriend. "You can choose one of them and if you don't like any, I can draw others for you." Mike quickly added.

"Wow, Mike. Thanks for that, they're... perfect." Chester gasped as he examined the two drawings and passed his fingertips over them carefully.

"Not as perfect as you."

The half Asian felt his lover tense as he put the drawings back on the table before he got out of the couch, not looking toward Mike nor talking to him. The delivery man frowned as he followed his boyfriend out of the living room into the kitchen where Chester got busy preparing coffee.

"Ches?" Mike asked as he put a hand on the other's shoulder.

"I hate that you keep saying that." He replied, a bit roughly.

"What? That you're perfect?"

Chester gritted his teeth as he poured the coffee grounds into the small basket. "Exactly. Stop it."

Mike shook his head as he made the other stop moving so he could turn the blonde man toward him as he looked into his eyes. "I'm not lying to you when I'm saying this, it's true. You are perfect to me, I've come to realize this. I wasn't lying either when I said that I love you-"

"I'm fucking far from perfect, Mike, you have no idea what you're talking about."

"Ches-"

The blonde man yanked his arm out of his boyfriend's grip as he stared at Mike in anger, tears were beginning to pool at the corner of his eyes while Mike's heart tightened. He had never meant to hurt his boyfriend by saying those things.

"Let. It. Go." Chester said between his teeth, the coffee forgotten, as he kept staring at his boyfriend.

"I'm sorry, I just don't get it-"

Without hesitation, Chester suddenly yanked his own t-shirt off, throwing it on the floor as he kept glaring at Mike, while his whole body shook in anger and his jaw began to tremble under the pain, tension and humiliation he was feeling. All that was covered up by a deep sadness that finally made the tears fall on his cheeks as Mike stared at him - the real him.

The half Asian was in utter shock. He hadn't meant to hurt Chester and he wasn't expecting this outburst. His jaw was trembling too as he glared at the several scars on his lover's back. He could see Chester trembling in front of him, his fists so tight that his knuckles were white.

Mike couldn't think of anything else to do as he hugged his boyfriend tightly, his eyes closed as he felt the blonde struggle against his embrace, but he only held tighter until Chester was a sobbing mess, so ashamed of his body, so disgusted.