Devil's Effect

Phenomenon

Mike poked his spoon into the bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch he was eating. Ever since Chester had gone back to work, Mike was back on his five days a week cereal for breakfast habit. Today made day six in one week. It was Saturday, which usually meant he would be making pancakes or Chester would be making bacon, but today his boyfriend was going into work and Jason told Mike not to worry about breakfast just for the two of them. Mike hadn't thought to protest and say that before they'd all started living together, pancakes for two was the norm. Instead he'd gotten down a huge bowl and filled it to the top with cereal before he grabbed a cup of coffee and sat down next to Jason.

He glanced across the table at the uneaten piece of wheat toast on Jason's small plate. There was a small smearing of grape jelly on the top. One hand was scrolling on his phone, the other wrapped around his coffee mug. It was a normal sight, one that Mike had grown accustomed to in the mornings before work. He usually ate his breakfast and listened to Chester and Ryan get ready for work, and he was content to stay out of the way. Some mornings Jason engaged him in financial talk, and other mornings they made jokes about the frantic way Ryan and Chester got in each other's way.

There wasn't room for jealousy in an apartment so small. After his conversation with Ryan in the hallway a month ago, Mike was making a conscious effort to allow Ryan and Chester to be comfortable with each other around him. It was hard, but he was trying. Admitting that Chester needed Ryan, that he could provide a comfort that Mike couldn't, was difficult, but he was learning to let things roll off his back that used to bother him. Small moments of comfort - a touch, a hug, a soft kiss - Mike couldn't say anything about any of it anymore. It was obvious Chester needed those things, and more than once Mike had been guilty of providing to Jason those exact same moments of comfort. He didn't want to spend time wondering why they had all gotten to that place, he just knew that they had.

Chester frowned at himself in the mirror. He'd been fussing with his blonde curls for the last hour as he scooted in and out of the small bathroom around Ryan, and he still wasn't happy with how they looked. He'd taken a shower, shampooed and conditioned, and they still looked lazy, like they had no bounce. He shoved his fingers through them with both hands.

"Chazzy, stop driving yourself insane. You look sexy as always," Ryan praised as he stepped into the bathroom behind him. Ryan was fresh from the shower as well, and he'd yet to decide what shirt he wanted to wear for the day. He had on his light blue jeans, complete with studded belt and black combat boots, but he hadn't made it much further. He leaned forward, his hands going to Chester's underwear clad hips as he rested his chin on his shoulder and smiled into the mirror as he looked at the two of them. "See? Sexy."

"Whatever," Chester mumbled as he let himself rest against Ryan's body. He'd picked out his shirt for the day, an army green t-shirt with a red beveled star on the front, but he was still only in his underwear, the jeans he wanted for the day having come up missing so far. "You know, it wouldn't matter what I look like, you'd still call me sexy."

Ryan turned his head, pressing a quick kiss to Chester's face. "You're right, I would. It's just the way I see you." He kissed him again, and he grinned as Chester laughed and announced his scruffy facial hair tickled. "I love tickling you," Ryan hummed, before he let Chester go and took a deep breath. "Now are you done in here yet? I have to do something with my hair," he whined as he picked at his dark jagged strands. He needed to comb it and get it to lay just right.

"I guess. I need to find my jeans. It's like they've disappeared!" Chester said in a huff as he turned around. He stopped for a brief second, his hand going out to rest on Ryan's naked front as they made true eye contact that didn't involve the mirror, before he headed out to the living space. Mike and Jason were sitting at the table having breakfast, but Chester was on a mission. He'd been walking around in his t-shirt and underwear for the last hour and he was ready to find his jeans so they could leave. It was Saturday, and they were going to be heading up the coast to Oxnard to shoot on location for a new ad. Or as Forrest calls it, The Nard. He chuckled at the silly name as he rounded the bed in the corner of the living room, where most of Ryan's clothes were stashed. He shuffled through a few things, tossing shirts and pants onto the bed. "Ry!" he called, barely looking up from his search. "Do you have my jeans? The ones with the red stripes running up the legs!" He twisted around, just in time to see Ryan stepping out of the bathroom.