Chase Atlantic One Shots

Fading In and Out

Words: 993

Written: June 20, 2022

Summary: Kras scrambles to put together the broken relationship between him and Mitchel.

I wrote this while listening to 10/10 by Troye Sivan if you can't tell. This one hits home after a breakup man.

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"That'll be $27.58" the cashier behind the counter reads off the screen in front of her.

Kras sticks his hand in his pocket and pulls out a thin leather wallet. He opens the small object to find only a few bills left. He sorts through his unorganized cards and pulls out his credit card. He winces as he hands the cashier his card. Christian doesn't have much money but is willing to do anything at this point.

Mitchel has been distant. He is ignoring calls and texts only to reply in hours. His replies are short and stiff. The love between the two boys is going cold.

"Have a good one." the cashier snaps Christian out of his thoughts as she hands him a bundle of yellow roses, Mitchel's favorite.

Christian grabs the flowers and heads towards the exit. The door lets out a jingle as he walks out of it. He holds his keys in his pocket, unlocks the driver's door, and gets in his small sedan. The engine roars to a start and the boy drives off.

-

The door knob twists and Christian unlocks the thin door. He enters the small shared apartment. All of the lights are off and the air is deadly silent. Everything is in order, not a single thing is out of place. Christian sets the flowers down on the kitchen table and walks toward the bedroom.

The queen bed that sits in the middle of the room is neatly made. Both pillows have been fluffed and stood up. The extra blanket Christian needs at night to warm his feet is gently folded at the foot of the bed.

Christian sighs as he sits on Mitchel's side of the bed. He glides his hand over the comforter.

All of the times the two boys have spent together, what happened?

Christian jumps as he hears the apartment door unlock. He runs to the kitchen and grabs the flowers off the table, hiding them behind his back. Mitchel walks in the door with grocery bags lined on his arm and a milk jug in his other hand.

"Hey, bub" Christian rocks back and forth on his toes staring at the man before him.

"Hi" Mitchel mumbles back, "I picked up some groceries for us. We were out of bread and milk."

Mitchel sets the groceries on the counter and walks around Christian without a glance to get to the fridge.

"I got something for you" the smile on Christian's voice can be heard in his voice.

"Oh?" Mitchel bends over and places the milk in the fridge.

Christain pulls the flowers out from behind his back and extends his hands. His smile starts to fade the longer Mitchel keeps him waiting. Finally, the tall boy stands up and turns toward Christian.

"Your favorite." Christian steps closer to Mitchel.

Mitchel takes the roses out of Christian's hand. He stares at the elegant flowers in his hand before glancing up at Christian.

"Thank you." Mitchel places a stiff kiss on Christian's lips.

Glasses clink in the cabinet as Mitchel tries to find a vase of sorts. He finds the biggest glass he can and fills it half with water. He sets the glass on the counter and places the roses in the water. He takes one last look at the flowers before continuing to put away the groceries.

Christian stands in the dining room watching his boyfriend act so cold towards him. His body tenses. He can hardly stand to see the love of his life slip away from him.

"What happened to us?" Christian mumbles as he aggressively grips both of his hands.

Mitchel turns around, "What do you mean?"

"What happened to us? Where did it go wrong?" Christian's eyes start to water and his face grows red.

Mitchel blankly stares back at Christian.

"I don't even know what we were even fighting about. Was it something I did? All I ever wanted was to be there for you. I wanted to be your amen when you're falling apart. I know we aren't what we used to be, so what are we? What happened to what we once had?"

Mitchel steps towards Christian. He gently wipes the tears that are falling from the boy's face before sniffling himself.

"Sometimes love fades out." Mitchel brings his hands down to Christian's and holds the boy in front of him.

"So that's it? This is- this is the-the end?" Christian's voice cracks.

"No my love." Mitchel kisses the tears that fall from Christian's eyes. "I don't know what we are, but over isn't it. Let's be what we are. Try to get what we had. I miss it, I miss you." a tear falls from Mitchel's face.

The two boys press their foreheads together and stand in the moment together. Both boys can feel the breath of the other against their skin. Christian's breaths are big and staggered, while Mitchel's breaths are long and forced.

"We're not what we used to be, but we can try and find it." Mitchel combs his fingers through Christian's hair.

"But I thought- I thought you said that love- love fades out..." Christian takes a deep breath in.

"Love fades in and out. We'll have bad moments, but I swear they'll be short. We just have to find the piece that's worth sticking around for. There will be good days, and there will be so many more." Mitchel places a kiss on Christian's cheek before stepping back.

The two boy's hands are still interlocked as Mitchel looks at the broken boy in front of him. Christian's shoulder jumps up and down as he sniffles.

"We'll figure it out, my love. We always will."