Color

Hundred Twenty Three

Mitch and Avi had been talking for hours, it felt like. 

When Alex came back from his shower, Avi offered to take Mitch on a walk so they could keep talking. 

Now walking down the street together, Avi's hands shoved in his pockets, he spoke softly. "He went through some tough times after that. Like... Punished himself. Stopped eating. Shit like that."

Mitch didn't know how many tears he had left, but they just kept coming. He was too stunned to speak. 

"But I took care of him, I swear. I... I told my mom, and she invited him over for dinner all the time, to make sure he was eating. And... I never left his side. He basically moved in with me, until his dad finally started leaving the house to make his bad decisions. Which is kinda where you come into the picture."

Mitch shook his head quickly. "I wish I could've been there. I feel so terrible for him..."

"I wish you were too... I taught him to fight, but it was all I could do. He started fighting back when they'd come around his house, and eventually they left him alone. Because he wasn't small and defenseless anymore."

"God, that's so fucked... I hate that."

"I know... I know. But our boy's strong, Mitch. He never gave up, not once. He got pretty close once or twice, but he never forgot who he was. Never let them win."

*

Alex checked on Scott after he showered, knocking on the door once.

Scott invited him in softly, sitting on the edge of his bed, staring at one of the many pictures of he and Mitch, hanging on the wall. 

Alex sat beside him, giving him a small smile. "You doin' alright? Heard you and Mitchie had a rough conversation in here."

Scott nodded a few times. "Yeah... Hard to talk about that stuff. But I feel a lot better."

"I know it can be hard... But I'm glad it helped a little." Alex smiled a little, wanting to cheer him up. "We both know how curious our little Mitchie can be."

Scott did smile, glancing at him. "Yeah. One of my favorite things about him."

Alex glanced to the side to see what Scott was staring at, and it made him smile a little more. "Do you wanna talk about Mitchie for a little bit? Make you feel better?"

*

Mitch walked Avi to the campus, and offered to buy him a coffee or tea for humoring all his questions. 

Avi just shrugged. "If that'll make your moral compass feel better."

Mitch had giggled at him, and asked for his order. "You grab a table, and I'll go order for us."

"Sounds like a plan. You know Scott's order?"

"Of course. Should I get him one too?"

"No, I just meant... Our order is the same."

"Oh good, that's easy! Be back in a sec." Mitch grinned, walking away, wiping whatever remaining tears might be making him look like a crazy person. 

Not that it was odd to see a college student crying on campus. He probably fit in extremely well.

Avi took a seat at one of the tables by the window, texting Alex where he was in case anybody was wondering. 

Mitch sat down in front of him in less than a minute, giving him the same smile he gave the barista. "Hey."

"I texted Alex where we are, in case."

"Cool."

Avi leaned toward him slightly. "Can I tell you one more thing?"

Mitch reached out to put a hand on top of Avi's. "Of course."

"Just." Avi looked down, unable to be sentimental while making eye contact. "You're the best thing that ever happened to him. Just so you know."

Mitch smiled at him again. "Aw.. Well, thank you for saying that."

Avi shrugged, pulling his hands away to shove in his pockets again, as he leaned back in his seat. 

Mitch leaned toward him slightly, to catch his eye. "And thank you for taking care of him, until I got the chance."

"Oh... God, don't thank me for that." He shook his head and looked out the window. "I love that stupid kid. More than I can even say, dude."

"Yeah, I know." Mitch leaned back in his seat like Avi was. 

"He acts so tough, y'know? But the bravest thing he ever did, was ask for help." He shook his head, and looked down at the table. "He used to tell me... That you only cry out for help, when you think there's help to cry for. And... He didn't think there was."

**