Color

Ninety

After breakfast the next morning, Avi was packing up his bag beside Alex. 

Scott had left the room for a few minutes, but when he came back he was carrying a cup of coffee.

He immediately handed it to Mitch, and gently bumped him with his hip so Scott could stand in front of his bag and finish packing it. "Pardon me, beautiful."

Mitch allowed himself to be pushed out of the way, now holding the coffee with both hands. "You're sweet... This is what you've been doing all morning?"

Scott just shrugged. "You're just... So supportive and wonderful and I don't deserve you. And I wanted to remind you of that."

"Aw..." Mitch pressed a quick kiss to Scott's jaw. "You don't have to pack my stuff, honey. You haven't even started your own bag yet."

"I'll get to it. I just want you to relax a little before you go back to school. And, uh.. I wanted to ask you about something?"

Mitch nodded, taking a seat beside the bag Scott was packing and looking up at him. "I'm listening."

Avi spoke, reminding Scott that he was in the same room, but offering to give them space. "Alex and I are gonna take these bags into the lobby. Text me, and we'll meet up to find the car."

Scott continued to pack Mitch's bag quietly as the other two walked out of the room with their luggage.

Mitch spoke again after the door closed. "Talk to me, baby."

Scott refused to look at him, zipping up Mitch's bag and pushing it aside. "What would you say if I said I was gonna get a job?"

"I'd probably ask why."

Scott sat down next to Mitch, and stared at his hands. "I want to be busy during the day, so I'm not sitting around waiting for you three to come home from class... And I think it'll make Avi feel more comfortable with getting a job of his own."

Mitch nodded slowly. "I'll support you, if that's what you're asking. I think it's a great idea, for you to get out of the house sometimes."

"But... Do you think I'm capable of holding a job..? I mean, I'm kind of an asshole, I don't have any work experience, I'm a spoiled rich boy and--"

"Aw, baby, that's not true. You're young, honey. You could work in a restaurant, maybe? Start dish washing and then work your way up; that doesn't require previous experience. You can be short tempered sometimes, but I believe you're capable of better."

Scott frowned, and glanced over at Mitch. "But... What if I can't get hired because of my tattoos..?"

"Usually, they just don't want them visible. It's not like you have any face tattoos... And usually as far as I know, they allow one or two piercings. So you might have to take some out when you work, but that doesn't mean you can't have them in at home."

Scott nodded a few times, and then looked away again. "Okay... Will you help me apply and all that..? And tell me what to say in an interview?"

"Of course, baby. I'll help you as much as I can. But you're charming, kind and work well in groups. So you're gonna be just fine."

Scott nodded slowly, and his hands continued to fumble around in his lap. "Thanks."

Mitch squinted at him slightly, and he placed one of his hands over the top of Scott's. "There's something else, isn't there..? What's up?"

"It's just a question, okay? I don't want to scare you or like.. Pressure you. I just kinda wondered if you've been thinking about, y'know... Us."

"Us? What about us?" There are so many things Scott could be talking about, Mitch didn't even know where to start. "Are you talking about our future, or..? Kids or something?"

"No, no, not... Not yet, I just mean, like..."

Mitch squeezed his hand once. "Baby, we're a team, remember? You can talk to me about literally anything."

"I know, I love and trust you more than anybody, I just... I wondered if you've given any thought to us getting married..?"

"Oh, baby--"

"Like, I know you didn't want to rush because you're young and I know that and you've got your whole life ahead of you and I don't mean that I wanna get married right this second I just wondered if you thought of a date or if you were waiting for college or--"

Mitch giggled at him a little because of how fast he was talking, and then he leaned over to kiss Scott's cheek. "Slow down, honey. Start breathing, okay? I'll be honest, I haven't really had time to think about it. But it doesn't have anything to do with you, baby."

"Okay, that's okay, I just wondered if you--" Scott was still talking too fast. 

"Shh, slow down, honey. I promise to let you know when I'm ready, okay? You're allowed to ask though, baby. It's okay for you to ask."

"I just don't want you to feel overwhelmed and then call it off... You didn't want to do this in the first place, and--"

"You gotta have a little more faith in me than that, babe. I promise that I'll let you know, okay?"

Scott nodded quickly. "I trust you.. Thanks for understanding, I was just asking..."

"So, while we're at it, should we talk about kids, or?" Mitch asked with a smirk, trying to lighten the mood.

"I mean, if you promise that it won't scare you away."

"You're not gonna scare me, baby. Just... I think you're trying to rush everything because you think I'm going to up and leave. But I'm not, okay? I'm so fucking in love with you, I can't believe it. And I'm not going anywhere."

Scott nodded. "I just.. I'm not trying to rush, I just... I didn't know if you regretted..? Y'know? Saying yes to me. I'm so, so willing to wait for you."

*

The drive back wasn't so bad, a little over five hours. 

Mitch had fallen asleep for most of it, his head on Alex's shoulder while they both rode up in the backseat. 

Avi sat in the passenger seat, keeping his conversation with Scott quiet for the sake of Mitch's exhaustion. 

Scott spoke softly as well. "I'd be willing to help out, Av. When your mom comes down, I mean. Will it be within the month, ya think?"

"Either this month or next month. Nice of you to offer... I'll tell her."

"I'll honestly feel so much better when she lives around here. I miss her a lot."

Avi smiled a little, and looked out the window. "Yeah, me too... I miss her. And... She doesn't like living around Rick so much."

"Rick?" Scott glanced at him. "What's he got to do with this?"

Avi paused to plan his words carefully. "I, uh... She mentioned to me that he's been stopping by and checkin' on her."

"Are you kidding me? Why didn't you tell me that?"

"I didn't want to make you worry or--"

"But that's something I need to know." Scott glanced at him again, his tone serious. "Avi, if anything ever happened to that woman, I'd never fuckin' forgive myself."

Avi nodded once. "I know, Scott. Don't you think I know that? So... Let's just help her move as soon as possible, and try not to worry any further, okay?"

Scott nodded, and then he sat quietly for a few seconds, before hitting the steering wheel once out of frustration. "Fuck. I can't fucking stand him. I can't believe after all these years he's still fucking everything up."

"I know. But there's gonna come a day that you don't have to think about him at all, okay? I promise you that."

**