Devil's Effect

Brakes Off

The only thing better than one unicorn cake was two unicorn cakes, and Chester pulled them off brilliantly. After just over a week of practice, he'd managed to perfect his recipe and his design, and it was hard to look away from the set of sparkly horns on the happy faces of the cakes he'd dubbed 'Uni and Corn' as he walked with Mike, Jason, and Ryan down the walkway from the eating area to the skate pick up desk. "Noah will be happy," Chester commented, finally turning his full attention away from his unicorns as they walked. "Lots of people showed up."

There was music playing overhead - a cheesy blend of 80s and 90s pop songs and classics from the 70s - and already there were a dozen people out on the skate floor, most of whom Chester knew, or at least recognized. He'd already spotted Devon and Caleb, and he knew they'd be heading their way as soon as they had their skates on. Chester glanced over at his boyfriend, who was looking nervous, running his hand through his dark hair, and looking around at the purple and yellow swirled carpeting and the massive disco ball hanging over the center of the skate floor. "What do you think, Sexy Boy? You up for this?"

Mike shrugged his shoulders. "I guess I'm as ready as I'm gonna be, Ches. I hope you aren't embarrassed by how terrible I am at this. It's worse than bowling." He bit his lip as he thought about the last time he'd been on skates. It had ended with him running into a wall and then falling flat on his ass in the seventh grade. He wasn't looking to repeat that experience. "Don't forget, you promised to help me."

Chester slid his arm around Mike's waist, snaking it up under his red and black flannel shirt, which was hanging open. "I will. I'll be right here." He leaned over, pressing a fast kiss to Mike's earlobe right as they made it to the skate rental station. "We always end up somewhere where we have to change out of our shoes," Chester suddenly pouted as he looked down at his new Vans he'd just bought the day before.

"I know." Mike was trying not to whine about it. He hated wearing shoes other people's feet had been in, but complaining about it wasn't going to get him anywhere tonight. He looked around at the faces of his coworkers from YRS and sighed. It felt like a lifetime ago when he thought Mark's death would extract him from everything that had to do with the house in the hills and all the drama that had come with it. It almost felt like the harder he tried to distance himself from it, the more YRS held tight to him. It was his own Scarlet Letter.

"Hey, Ches," he mumbled as his eyes caught sight of a tall guy he'd not seen in months. "Is that Rob? Did Noah invite the pool boy?"

Chester spun around, and he caught Ryan doing the same as they stared out over the skate floor. There was Rob the pool boy, standing at least a half a foot taller than everyone around him. He was skating with a guy with wavy brown hair and broad shoulders, someone Chester recognized from one of the other adult film companies. "Yeah, it is. Ry, you see that?" he asked, pointing.

"I do!" Ryan laughed. "Guess Noah just went through the YRS roster when he was making out invitations. And he's skating with Buff the Dick," Ryan spit, making a face. "Can't stand that guy."

Chester covered his mouth. "We'll make sure to skate away from him," he promised, before he turned back to Mike. "Buff worked at Carnal Delights with Ry before he came to YRS. I don't really know him, but Ry's not a fan."

"Neither am I," Jason chimed in, turning to give Buff a steely glare. "Not that you'd go chat him up or anything, Mike, but steer clear."

"Another perfect example of Noah knowing nothing," Mike grumbled as skates were put on the counter in front of him. He picked them up and waited for Chester to get his pair so they could walk over to a bench together. There was nothing to save him from the hell of getting on skates, he realized as they took off their shoes and stuffed their feet into the skates. He wished he had some way to bargain with Chester, and almost opened his mouth to plead out of getting on the rink, but he stopped when he looked at his boyfriend's face. Chester was excited, and that was more emotion than Mike had seen from him in days. He didn't want to ruin it.