Devil's Effect

Never Have I Ever

Chester was the first one in the apartment. "I swear I had no idea they made this a game," he stated for the fifth time since they'd all left the novelty store downtown.

"We know," Ryan said with a playful eyeroll. "You've only said it a million times." He sat the massive bottle of vodka down on the counter with a thump. He looked over at Chester, who was frantically unwrapping the clear plastic from the set of Never Have I Ever cards. "It's going to be fun." He glanced over toward the front door, where Mike and Jason were just coming in. Jason was carrying a large bottle of orange juice, Mike was sulking in behind him. He's been so down all day. No idea why. I don't think Chaz knows either. And it was even his idea to have a drink when we got back. Very not Mike-like according to Chaz. He gave a sideways look to Chester, but it was clear whatever was on Mike's mind would have to wait till they'd all loosened up with a drink.

Chester got down his largest cups and lined them up on the counter. "I love playing bartender," he announced to anyone who would listen. "If I ever decide to stop modeling, I think I'd go for my bartending license."

"You'd be sexy as a bartender," Ryan said, nudging Chester's arm before he was off, rounding the bar and heading toward the bed in the corner to take his shoes off and get into something more comfortable. Tight jeans and snug fitting shirts were great when they were out walking around downtown L.A., but they were home now, so it was pajama pants and a tank top.

Jason had already dropped the orange juice on the bar and turned toward the bed. He almost ran into Mike when he turned suddenly, and he watched Mike's cheeks turn a little pink as he mumbled "sorry." Jason followed Ryan to the corner, where his boyfriend was already working on his clothes. He pushed his shoes off and nudged them under the bed. "Are you changing?" he asked, looking back toward the kitchen where Mike was kissing the side of Chester's neck.

"Yeah, going to put on something more comfortable," Ryan stated as he stepped out of his jeans. "We're not going back out and we're drinking screwdrivers, so if I have too much I can just fall into bed."

Last night had been weighing on Mike's mind all day while they were out shopping and hanging out together, and trying to have fun. He knew the rejection he felt wasn't about him, and all about the medication Chester was adjusting to, but that knowledge didn't make it hurt any less. It was frustrating. They'd gone from sex every day to practically nothing overnight. The collar incident, and then the therapy. Unfortunately, the timing of those two events came back to back, and Mike was missing their physical relationship. He hadn't had much opportunity alone with Chester, so when Ryan and Jason stepped away, he was in Chester's space immediately. "You would be a sexy bartender," he whispered, kissing down the side of Chester's neck. His fingers found the red belt that his boyfriend was wearing for the second day in a row. "I'd drink all the drinks if you were making them."

Chester had already filled up two of the large cups, and he stopped as he let Mike nuzzle up against him. "Really? I have to say, I was actually a little surprised you even wanted to do this...you've always been so strict about drinking."

Mike paused, his eyes going to the cups in front of them. He'd been guilty of doing a lot of out of character things lately. Like shopping. And video games. And now suggesting that they drink, all to see if it could lead somewhere. All to see if he could get Chester in the mood. It seemed awful. He set aside those thoughts and slid his hands around Chester's waist. "I didn't like it at work," he admitted, "but only because I was paranoid. I didn't want you to drink too much around the others. I didn't want to drink because if we were both drinking, who was going to be sure we were okay?" He left another kiss on the back of Chester's neck, his lips hovering over the spot he kissed every morning. "I just wanted to keep you safe. And now we're in a safe place. With friends. It's okay here."