Devil's Effect

Cheeseburgers

The salad and Miso soup had been good, and Chester even admitted that to his boyfriend, along with a promise that they'd go back to the Sushi Den sooner than later. But all in all, the chunks of tofu, noodles, and salad hadn't been enough to satisfy the appetite Chester had worked up. After worrying over Ryan, the run on the beach, and all the energy put into splashing around and wrestling with Mike in the ocean, Chester was hungry. So hungry that dessert ended up being two cups of an endulgent caramel flavored iced coffee and three double chocolate cupcakes with butterscotch filling and whipped cream icing on top.

It all equalled a bit too much sugar, and by the time they got back to Amir's, Chester couldn't sit still and his mouth seemed unable to stop. "I've actually thought about color coding my closet," he told Mike, who was watching from the bed as Chester walked in and out of the closet. He was supposed to be gathering pajamas for their shower, but he hadn't been able to concentrate long enough to do that yet. "And not just my shirts, but my pants and my shoes and maybe even my belts. My belts, Sexy Boy, I could hang them up with everything else in their color group. Would it be weird? I think that might be weird," he suddenly decided, shaking his head and walking back into the closet. "I don't even know why I'm in here. I have zero pajamas in here. And I know you've never showered with me here before, but Amir's shower is smaller than the one at the loft, so we'll have to be extra careful. And I think I still have sand in my hair from the beach!"

He shot back out of the closet to stand at the end of the bed, his eyes wide as he stared at Mike's relaxed position. "Sand! I think I've had sand in my hair all day! The outdoor showers at the beach are trash! They need to upgrade them! Think of people's hair!"

Mike quickly slid off the bed and stepped over to take Chester in his arms. "I think you've had too much sugar," Mike said gently, holding him close and petting his hands over Chester's back. "I don't think that the beach showers are meant to be amazing. I probably have sand in my hair, too. And we can be careful in the shower, Ches. It's all going to be fine." He wasn't exactly sure why Chester was having a meltdown, but he could feel his boyfriend clinging to him and Mike turned his lips into Chester's neck for a sweet kiss. "I think you're adorable with sand in your hair."

Chester's insides were zipping, but Mike holding him close seemed to help calm everything down by a notch. "No one looks good with sand in their hair," he said, "but thanks for saying it." He shut his eyes, and tried to concentrate on breathing, on feeling Mike's arms around him. "I think you're right about the sugar. I'm jumping inside. I'm a grown man. You would think I would know better than to do this!"

He pulled away and stepped back, his hands fidgeting. "I think I need some water and then we can shower and I need clothes. Pajamas. We didn't stop at your place for your pajamas," he remembered, thinking back to the conversation earlier that day. "I wish my clothes were bigger so you wouldn't be uncomfortable in them. I need to make space for you in my dresser."

He spun around, and two seconds later he had all four of the drawers open, scanning the contents. "We can put your stuff here," he suggested quickly, pulling out two armfulls of muscle shirts, of every color of the rainbow. "I can move these, and this can be your space," he told Mike. He wasn't sure why, but it seemed really important that his boyfriend knew there was room for him, even in the single bedroom that Chester called home.

Mike watched Chester with his hand over his mouth, lost between wanting to reassure his boyfriend and wanting to giggle. It was all outrageous, but also sweet. "It's perfect, Ches, thank you. I don't have anything to put there now, but I will. And how about this? So you don't have to worry about me being uncomfortable, I'll only wear your clothes from the shower to the bed... and then I'll just be naked for the rest of the night. See?" He said, his voice cheerful as though he'd just come up with the answer to world peace. "Problem solved."