A Touch Not to Rot

A Grossology fan-fic by JokerCarnage5.

…

Ty had invited Chester and Andy over for a sleepover. They had spent the entire afternoon and night playing a new videogame. It was now 22:30 and they had all fallen asleep, everyone except for Chester. From the mattress he was supposed to be sleeping on he saw that the other two had fallen asleep. He carefully went up and elegantly tiptoed out of Ty's bedroom. He continued to walk downstairs with his head hanging as in shame. He came to the living room and laid down on the couch, trying to cover himself with a small blanket.

He shut his glassing eyes and curled up his body. His chest hurt. He felt hollow, lonely and disconnected from everyone. His conscience told him that it was no more than he deserved.

His descent into the living room had not gone unnoticed, however. Abby had seen him while on her way from the bath room. It had been about six months since Chester was cured from his other personality, the villain known as Kid Rot. Abby was smart enough to know that every heinous act Kid Rot committed wasn't Chester so she and her brother had forgiven him right away. During the last months she had gotten to know him and she could tell when he wasn't feeling well.

She had seen him, Chester at his worst. He would try to avoid contact with anyone, retract his mind from reality so he wouldn't have to deal with it. Those moments pained her more than anything Kid Rot could ever do to her.

She silently walked down and slowly approached the boy.

"Chester."

The angelic voice got Chester to open his eyes and he worryingly looked at her.

"Why are you down here?" Abby asked concerned.

The blond sat up and rubbed his neck. "I couldn't sleep up there because of… um, Andy's snoring." He wasn't a very good lier.

"I didn't hear any snoring." Abby countered.

Chester looked to the floor, his long hair covered his eyes. A part of him wanted her to leave, another couldn't bare the thought. "I just want to be alone." He said with a voice so thick of sorrow that it was hard to hear him. "Can you please leave me alone?" He sobbed.

This was when Abby felt her own chest hurt. A part of her wanted to respect his wishes but she knew that if she left him now she couldn't forgive herself later. She sat down next to him. "Chester please…"

She laid her hand on his only to have him instantly pull his away. He then scurried up to the couch corner, looking terrified at her. Abby got more worried. Chester could definitely be nervous around her but never scared. She swallowed her sadness and carefully laid a hand on his back. "Chester please, if something is wrong you need to tell someone…and, and I would like to be that someone." Abby pleaded.

Abby's concerned voice made him to calm down a bit. He looked her straight the eyes. In her thin blue irises he could see how much it hurt her to see him this way.

"I, I feel uncomfortable being around people." He mumbled.

His answer did nothing to calm her. "Why?"

Chester didn't say a thing, instead he looked at his palms as if they were bloody knifes.

Abby's eyes widen in realization. "You are afraid of hurting someone."

Chester looked at her with teary eyes and nodded. "I know I am cured but I still fear, every time I have to be around people that Kid Rot will remerge and starts decaying everything and everyone around me." He confessed. "I, I don't want to see you hurt."

"So you try to isolate yourself." Abby gasped.

Chester just nodded.

"Oh Chester," The grossologist exclaimed and stroked his back reassuringly. "That's not a solution." She once again placed her hand on his but this time he didn't retreat. "You have people that care about you now. You don't have to be alone anymore." She looped her fingers thru his and held their interconnected hands up to his face.

"See, you don't hurt me." She said with a light chuckle.

Chester smiled warmly at Abby's optimistic expression. Hope, even a sense of self-worth returned to him. "Thanks Abby. You are so good to me." I love you was the next thing he wanted to tell her but he knew he shouldn't. She was his friend, not his lover.

Abby untangled her hand from Chester's. She placed her hands on his chest and gently forced him down on his back.

The boy blushed. "What are you doing?"

Abby smirked at him. "You might not be able to rot me Chester, but you are able to make me melt."

A small voice in her mind scolded her for saying something so cheesy but she quickly drowned it. At this moment she felt like scream on the top of the world what she felt for Chester. She laid her head on top of his chest and rubbed against it until she got comfy. "Hug me Chester and you will see that you would never hurt me. I know you won't."

Chester hesitantly put one hand on her back and the other one on her waist. A pair of happy tears rolled down his checks. He had only touched her like this in his dreams and they always ended with her decomposing into mould. He felt so grateful that she wanted to be close to him after everything his done. The only fear left in him was the fear of her leaving him. He wrapped his arms around her as tightly as possible, although not hard enough to hurt her and rested his head against hers. He hold onto her as if his life depended on it.

"Abby…"

"Yes Chester."

"You are the best thing to ever happen to me."

Abby didn't know how to respond. As long as she was helping him she didn't feel Chester owed her anything. She didn't mind the intimacy either, it showed he wasn't scared anymore.

"Thanks." She finally replied with a grin.

They staid like that until they fell asleep in each other's arms. No fear, no mould.

Author's Note:

Originally I wanted Abby & Chester to have sex in this but I decided it wouldn't fit into a story about a boy with a fear of touching people. It would be like curing a guy of arachnophobia by pouring Black Widows onto his face. One has to work in small steps.

Personally I love the Abby/Chester relationship. I think it speaks a lot about what kind of person Abby is growing up to be.

All reviews are appreciated.