Devil's Effect

Avoiding Reality Part 1

After years with Mike Shinoda, Chester should have known better, but he didn't. He looked, and the moment he saw Mike's big brown eyes begging him, he couldn't resist. "I guess so," he gave in easily, not even putting up a fight. "But make it a darker one."

His pleading eyes changing instantly to smiling eyes, Mike pulled a black and blue flannel from the pile. "Perfect. Just like your ankle," he teased as he stood up with the clothes. "I know how much you like to match."

"Okay, that's actually funny," Chester laughed, playfully pushing on Mike's arm the moment he came over to the couch. "Boxers," he mumbled next as Mike handed those over first. Chester held them up by two fingers, like they were infected. "I'm not a fan of these. I mean, they're fabulous on you," he said, winking Mike's way, "but I always feel lost in them."

Mike shrugged. "It's that or your dirty underwear," he said, his tone scanalized. "You'll survive one breakfast in boxers. You might even decide you like them." He dropped back down in front of Chester. "I can help, if you need me to."

"I can do these," Chester assured him as he bent forward, carefully putting each leg in before pulling them up. He leaned to the left and then the right, pulling the boxers over his hips. "See? Weird. It doesn't even feel like I have anything on." He poked at the boxers for a second before he decided to let it go. It was what they had. "You can help with the jeans," he said, brushing his good foot against Mike's still naked chest.

"You'll survive," Mike commented lightly, catching Chester's foot. He looked up at his lover for a moment before he sort of chuckled. "Do you remember our first date? When you were rubbing your foot up my leg and I caught it when you got too high?"

Both of Chester's hands were on the couch cushions, and his fingers dug into them a little as he grinned. "I do remember that. I remember thinking - wow. This guy. What do I do now?" He busted into a short laugh. "You were the first one to ever grab my foot."

"Well, you were pushing the boundaries," Mike teased, letting Chester's foot go and picking up the jeans. "You had me all sorts of confused that night. I thought you were so hot, but I was so terrified of what could happen." He shook his head and slipped the leg of the jeans over Chester's good ankle. He got it up over Chester's foot and then stopped. "I guess I need to wrap this up first. Where's the stuff?"

"On the sink in the bathroom," Chester said. He watched as Mike dutifully stood up and headed that way before he started to think back over their first date. It was always a bittersweet memory for him, a night he wished he could go back and do over. I wouldn't have been so pushy with him. I had no idea I was going to fall in love with him one day.

Chester took a deep breath just as Mike returned. "You just wrap it around and make it firm but not tight. I can do it if you want."

"No, I want to try. Just tell me if I mess it up." Mike wanted to take care of Chester, even if they weren't really together anymore. As he wrapped the ankle and stopped to check if it was too tight, he realized that he hadn't thought about Jason all morning. Not even once. It doesn't even feel like Ches and I aren't together. I need to be careful what I'm doing. I need to decide what I'm doing! This is all a mess. I'm not going to think about it right now. He looked up as he finished the wrap and patted Chester's knee. "How's that?"

"Well, for your first time, I'd say that's pretty good. I'll put the boot back on it after we get these jeans on." He lifted the injured foot, and watched with nervous twitches as Mike carefully got him all the way into the jeans, his bandaged foot coming out the bottom. "These almost fit," Chester decided as he wiggled himself into them, just like he had done with the underwear. "I actually think the boxers help hold them on."