Taking a deep breath, CJ pushed open the of his and Flick’s shared apartment. It had been a long day, the beaver traveled to yet another island, hosting a fishing tournament. Sure it was a lot of fun and the viewers of his loved it, but the beaver was often left all but drained at the end of the day. He was glad to return home after it all. His ears kept flicking, at first just a bit but now he could clearly feel something that made them twitch on their own. It was starting to get rather annoying. 


“Hey, you’re back,” Flick said as he stepped into the living room. “So how was it?” 


“It… It was great,” CJ winced, unable to resist the urge to scratch his ear. “Y-you should have seen it.” Suddenly that inch in his ear was gone but it moved to his shoulder. Grunting in discomfort, the beaver ran his blunt claws through the fur of the spot. The feeling was eased for a moment but now it was on his neck. Starting to think it was just exhaustion CJ ignored the crawling sensation and instead sat down on the couch, inviting his roommate to join him. 


Flick could tell there was something off about CJ but he couldn’t place his fingers on it. But the beaver did look quite uncomfortable. Maybe it was the flight back? Sure that’s what it was, the chameleon thought it best to not press the mammal any further. He instead turned his attention to the fish documentary that CJ flipped the channels to. It didn’t interest him much but he knew that something like that would have his partner feeling just right again. 


CJ was very much interested in the program, but there was something that wouldn’t let him focus on the events taking place on the screen. The inching only grew worse, now stinging and nipping at him in multiple places at once. With a sharp hiss at a particularly strong inch, CJ couldn’t resist the urge to scratch at his pelt, raking his claws through it, but it did little to stop the sensation. 


“What’s wrong?” Flick asked, looking at his partner in concern. The beaver next to him was an itching mess, dragging his claws against his fur over and over, trying to find the source of his discomfort.


“I… I don’t know!” CJ admitted. “Ah! But it itches!” CJ scratched at his neck again and something caught Flick’s eye. For a moment he thought his mind was playing tricks on him, but as the beaver next to him continued to scratch, there it happened again. Something small and brown, hopping along CJ’s body. Flick was sure of what he saw this time and acted immediately. He felt his roommate’s side, rushing off into his own personal workspace, leaving CJ to scratch at his fur, wondering why the itching was only getting worse. 


When Flick returned to the living room he was treated to the sight of his boyfriend taking off his fishing vest, only scratching harder. The reptile couldn’t help but chuckle as he approached the mammal. In one hand he held a bug cage and in the other he held a thin-toothed comb, perfect for situations like this. The chameleon was actually excited as he approached his itching boyfriend, a small grin on his face. 


“It’s alright,” Flick said calmly. Taking the beaver’s paw, Flick led a confused CJ out of their apartment and outside. The reptile pointed to a stump and the confused mammal sat down on it. Flick opened the lid of the bug cage and stepped behind his partner. 


“Just hold still, alright?” Flick said gently, running the comb through CJ’s fur. He looked close, parting the hairs for any signs of the jumping insects that he adored. He didn’t want to hurt them either. It was a win-win in his eyes, his boyfriend would stop itching and soon he would have new muses for his next art piece… 


CJ was soon sitting back on the couch, next to Flick. The chameleon held the bug cage tight, watching the new inhabitants get adjusted to their new home. It weirded CJ out a bit but he figured it was better than having them crawling in his fur. He pulled Flick close and sighed once again, much more content as he watched his show.