sh•mg | oneshots

Quicksand 🌅

Prompt: A tribute to Avi. Writing is therapeutic for me, and I couldn't take the news without releasing some emotion some way and somewhere.

Setting: IRL Hawaii

Words: 741
•••••

Mitch's feet tread silently against the damp sand, his heart heavy. He stretches an arm back for balance, sitting down on the sand next to Scott. He draws his knees to his chest, reflecting Scott's posture.

They gaze out onto the ocean.

"So, he's gone." Scott states quietly. The waves crashing along the shore almost drown out the melancholy in his voice.

"Well, not completely gone. He's still here for us. You know that." Mitch pokes his finger into the sand, continuously repeating the action in attempt to distract himself from reality.

"Yeah, I know." Scott bites his lip, blinking furiously. Mitch looks over in worry.

This news was a hard pill for everyone in Pentatonix to swallow. Their dreams were so big when they started, and everything was slowly becoming a reality. When Avi sat them down in that restaurant, they were appalled. No one had any idea he had felt that way. There were tears– so many tears. Kevin didn't cry; Mitch later found out that he already knew.

But, they all know Scott took it the hardest.

Pentatonix is Scott's dream; his paradise. Scott's a creator. His mind works at 180mph, and he never runs out of fuel. He starts to feel uninspired? He goes out and finds something to inspire him. He's a trooper; a driver; a leader. Resilient, faithful, genuine, and all around talented.

Mitch knows that.

So, when a situation threatens to take his dream away from him, it's no wonder everything starts to feel like quicksand.

And, Mitch doesn't know what to do. What to say.

"Hey." Mitch starts softly, eyes still zoned onto the sand. Scott doesn't turn, but Mitch knows he's listening.

"You should stop beating yourself up. It's not your fault. It's no ones fault. It's his decision, okay?"

There's a pause, but the waves fill the silence. Scott begins to pick at the loose threads of his shorts.

"But, he said the pace–"

"The pace probably wasn't the only reason. And even so, that still doesn't make any of this your fault."

"How can I not feel some type of obligation–" Scott's voice cracks, but Mitch interrupts him again.

"How do you not realise that you're the reason any of us are where we are in the first place, huh?" Mitch finally turns to Scott, and his eyes are shinning in the worst way.

"How do you not realise that we are Pentatonix, and this isn't the end for us, at least not now?" Mitch finalises, his eyes drifting to the sea.

"We've all been doing solo projects, Scott. This won't fall apart."

"You can't guarantee that."

"I can't guarantee that I'll wake up tomorrow morning either, can I?" Mitch lays a hand on Scott's knee, rotating his body to face him.

"But, what I can do is hope. And, believe. And, expect. Whatever happens happens for a reason. You have enough drive for the whole of us, and I'm gonna need you to be Scott enough fix me when this finally sets in, okay?"

Scott smiles a little smile, but it's enough to make Mitch grin.

"We're gonna be okay, okay?"

"There's so much to fix..."

"We're gonna be okay. Okay?"

"Mitch, I really don't think I'm ready to say okay."

And, he realises. Scott is afraid.

Mitch's smile easily falls into a frown.

"Okay. That's okay. I- I was just trying to be optimistic." Mitch shies away, and he becomes nervous.

Usually Scott is the one whom he runs to when he feels this way.

"Hey, you wanna meet the others at the entrance? They were packing up when I left them."

"Yeah." Scott swallows hard, leaning forward and pushing himself off of the ground, then reaching down a hand to pull Mitch up.

"No, one more moment." Mitch smiles kindly. Scott subtly frowns, but slightly nods his head and begins to walk to the top of the beach.

Mitch turns his head. Nicole already has Scott in her arms, and Kirstie waits patiently for her turn.

"I'm supposed to be his best friend. I'm supposed to have all the solutions to his problems. All of the answers to his questions." Mitch thinks, starting gloomily out onto the muddled horizon.

It's just not every day that you loose one-fifth of your heart.
•••••

#PTXforever

I'm standing by.

Comment if you need me. Everything will be okay, okay?