Devil's Fate

Unwelcome Guest

Chester yawned for what felt like the hundredth time as he sat in the airport terminal. It was just after eight, and even though that wasn't super early, he already felt the strain from the morning and the break in routine. He had gotten up with the sun, taking Cheese out for her early morning potty break and then being quiet as he snuck around the small apartment, trying to pack and get ready without waking Mike up before his alarm.

It hadn't worked, which was okay. It had meant a shower of goodbye kisses, and last minute "I love yous" as Chester took his roller suitcase and leopard print backpack out to his car. It was going to be a long four days, and even though Chester was excited for the trip itself, he was really going to miss his boyfriend. They'd never been good at being apart.

"Chazzy, here."

Chester looked up as Ryan sat down next to him, handing off a fresh cup of coffee. They still had thirty minutes before it would be time to board the plane. "Thanks," he said as he took the disposable cup. He could already smell the rich, sugary brew and it brought a smile to his face.

"It's weird, isn't it?" Ryan quietly asked as he took a small sip from his cup before he nodded toward Talinda and Forrest, who were just across the way. Talinda was in the middle of putting on her makeup, and she had things everywhere - eyeliner, mascara, lipstick, her big brush and a massive mirror that Ryan wasn't sure where she was going to put it when it came time to board. The two empty seats on either side of her were cluttered, and Forrest was one seat down from that, looking through his phone, trying to catch up on emails while they waited.

"What's weird?" Chester whispered back as he glanced over at Ryan. It was nice to see him looking better. His dark hair was styled, his sexy scruff in line. He was wearing the matching outfit to Chester's - the white long sleeved shirt with the heavy black lines down the arms - even though Chester couldn't see it. Ryan had a dark hoodie on, his Score appointed winter coat packed away, just like Chester's. It was way too hot in L.A. for that kind of stuff.

Ryan shrugged. "Just the way this feels so different from when we'd go places with YRS," he answered quietly. "I still can't believe we're all flying first class. I've never flown first class. You know Mark and Jay always would, and we'd be stuck in coach."

"I know. I'm excited for that," Chester agreed quickly. He looked Forrest's way. "And we get our own hotel rooms. Mark never would have shelled out the money for that. Do you remember when we went to Vegas? He had both of us and Devon and Josh crammed into that one cheap-ass hotel room. That was awful."

Ryan chuckled around his coffee. "I do remember that. I remember the strip club we went to that one night. All the dollar bills we stuffed into those guys' g-strings," he recalled with a happy sigh. "It was fun." He went quiet for a second, memories of the strip club quickly being replaced by the memory of getting to play a few games with Jason at Caesar's Palace. They'd made a few bets, lost more than they won, and took turns blowing on each other's dice for good luck. It hadn't been hard. Mark was so busy gambling that he didn't notice his husband was off having the time of his life with Ryan. There had been more than one kiss for good luck, and when they sat at the slot machines, they held hands, secretly and out of view.

Ryan's eyes narrowed as the memories stopped, and reality swooped back in. I wonder if he even thinks about that kind of stuff anymore? Probably not. And why would he? That was a long time ago. He was cheating then. I don't know why I was so surprised when he turned around and did it to me. Guess he'll always be like that. It's a damn shame.

"That part was fun. Those guys could really dance," Chester said after Ryan had gone quiet. He pursed his lips before sucking on his piercing for a second. "You okay?"