Color

Thirty One

(A/N)

HI, I forgot to ask y'all what you were for Halloween!! I know some of y'all don't celebrate it, but still.

ALSO- I wanna post another chapter in this book tonight, so look out for that.

AND FINALLY- This book is about to take a turn, guys. NOT LIKE... ANOTHER CAR CRASH but still. Fair warning xD

**

When they got home, Scott could tell that Mitch was still pretty upset.

Of course Mitch would never say anything, because he said he'd forgiven Scott a little while ago. But Scott knew.

So when Kirstie snuck off to ask how Avi and Alex's date went, Scott reached out for Mitch's hand.

Mitch allowed it of course, but he was heading toward the kitchen. "I'm gonna grab a water, babe. Want anything?"

Scott shook his head sharply. "Mitchie, will you sit with me for a minute?"

Mitch half turned. "Yeah, of course... Can I grab some water first..? How important is this..?"

"Very important. Grab a water."

Mitch quickly did so, but hurried back to sit beside Scott at the dinner table. 

He put his drink on the table, and reached over to set a hand on Scott's leg. "What's goin' on, baby?"

"I didn't mean to upset you earlier. I can tell that you're still a little scattered right now, and... Is there anything I can do? Like... Confess my love to you, or? I could get another tattoo for you?" Scott put his hand on Mitch's. "What's gonna make you feel better? How can I make it up to you?"

Mitch needed a second to process all of that information, before he was shaking his head. "Oh, sweetheart...  You don't need to do anything. I think I just need to sleep on it a little, that's all."

Scott leaned forward to kiss Mitch's forehead, before he nodded and looked down at his lap. "Yeah... I know you tire yourself out when you get anxious like that..."

Mitch tried to catch his eye line, but had to use a hand to lift Scott's chin. "Baby... Is that really all that's on your mind? You still look upset."

"I just don't like not being able to help. I'm an impatient person, Mitch. You know that."

"You are helping, honey. I promise that you are. I'm not mad about it anymore. It's okay."

Scott moved his head so Mitch's fingers would fall away from his face. "I just... I try so hard to make you feel special, and... And then I go treating one of our friends in a way that you deserve to have respectively for yourself. And I'm really sorry, Mitchie..."

Mitch reached over to put a hand on Scott's back, squinting at him a little in awe of those words. 

Ever since high school ended, Scott had been changing into a much nicer person. Hardly violent anymore, doesn't pick fights, doesn't argue... 

And hearing him genuinely upset after merely hurting Mitch's feelings made Mitch wonder if this change in personality was going to be permanent. 

In fact, Scott had taken most of his piercings out and covered his tattoos for the date. 

The person in the chair beside him, Mitch hardly recognized at all. 

And perhaps that should've been the first warning sign.

*

It was the day before Scott and Avi were going to leave for Avi's home, to visit his father's grave on his birthday. That's when Mitch noticed the change again. 

Scott hadn't put in any of his piercings in a long while, aside from the ones in his ears and tongue. And his tattoos remained covered when he was hanging out inside the house. 

Mitch had taken a shower while Scott was packing a bag to leave, though Scott promised Mitch still had a few hours to hang out with him before he left. 

But when Mitch came out of the shower, Scott wasn't in the room anymore. His duffel bag was on the bed, zipped and ready to go. 

Mitch quickly walked to the closet to pull on some shorts, and one of Scott's t-shirts, before he wandered around the house to find his fiancé.

He peeked into the other bedrooms, seeing Kirstie's room empty, and Alex helping Avi pack in the other room. 

Mitch knocked once on the door, although it was open, as he stared at Avi. "Hey... Have you guys seen Scott?"

Avi glanced at him. "He's out shopping, I think."

Mitch nodded once. "Oh... Extra stuff for the trip?"

"Yeah.. Maybe. I'm not really sure, Mitch. Sorry..."

Mitch just nodded. "It's okay. Thanks anyway."

*

Mitch tried texting him, just wanting to make sure he was okay, before he couldn't help but open Scott's bag to make sure he'd remembered to pack everything he needed. 

After all, if Scott was at the store, maybe Mitch could just text him if he forgot something so he could buy it really quick. 

With his back to the door, he didn't hear Scott sneak in behind him. But Scott cleared his throat, so Mitch would turn around. 

Mitch immediately lay eyes on a man with the biggest grin on his face, and a large bouquet in his arms. 

Mitch just blinked. "Scottie... You didn't have to do that, sweetheart." And also since when did you start wearing glasses? Have you always owned those..?

Scott stepped forward to hand it to Mitch. "Sure I did. I love you."

As Scott kissed his forehead, Mitch couldn't help but stare at Scott's shirt. He'd never seen Scott wear a sweater vest in his entire life. "Honey, is that a new shirt?"

Scott moved away to look down, having to push his glasses up his nose a little. "Yeah, just something I wanted to try out... Does it look stupid..? I asked Alex before I left, so I wouldn't make a fool of myself, and he said it wasn't bad, so..."

Mitch checked him out once, and then twice. "Yeah... It actually goes well with your glasses. Also, um... I don't think I've ever seen you wear glasses?"

"I found them in the bathroom when I was packing up my shit, before your shower. So... I was curious if I could see in them or not."

Mitch nodded slowly, having to take a deep breath. How does one politely ask if someone's having a midlife crisis..?

Scott interrupted him though, thank God. "I'm gonna miss you so bad, Mitchie..."

Mitch exhaled loudly. At least he knew how to talk about that. "I'm gonna miss you too, Handsome."

**