Mitch and Noah

Mitch~ Horror Home

"Oh look! Cows! Quick, tap the ceiling for good luck!"

Watching the shimmering, blue eyes excitedly taking in the field of bored-looking cows, Mitch's heart fluttered hard. He smiled and mimicked Noah's hand touch to the ceiling as he realized being in the car with him was just as electricity-inducing as the day before, if not more-so.

The many times they'd spoken previously, along with their sizzling kisses and warm cuddles from the night before, danced seductively on replay in Mitch's mind. He stole a quick side glance at Noah's plump red lips, his front semi-hard due to his mind's cruel flashes of memory and imagination of what he had done, and still wanted to do, to the man wiggling in happiness next to him.

He looked down at his GPS, focusing his mind on the address they were heading to, the dread shooting its way from deep in his chest to his stomach as he finally accepted that they only had another 8 minutes until arrival at his aunt's nursing home.

He readied his mind for confrontation, as well as for his plan of action.

He had not given them any hint that he might be visiting, as he knew how those things worked. They would do everything they could to make it look like she was being well cared for, when he knew, deep down in his gut, that wasn't the case. There was no way, considering there had been no family members to instill any sort of accountability.

He felt his brain begin to go into his lawyer mode.

"We're almost there, at your aunt's place."

Noah, as if he was a freaking mind reader, put a hand of comfort on Mitch's, instantly calming the sudden urge to smoke from his brain.

"I'll help you with whatever you need. I'm not only good with kids, I'm also braggedly great with old ladies."

Mitch chuckled.

"Is braggedly a word? I've never heard that one."

"Haha. If not, it is now."

Mitch marveled at how quickly Noah had distracted from the anxious burn in his chest at having to deal with his family, with his past.

For a brief second his parents' stern shouts in his mind's eye threatened to bring to surface the pains he had hidden so well with time and distance from them and their toxic ways.

Noah's fingers began to rub up and down Mitch's hand in a soothing mantra that again calmed him and brought him back to them in the moment.

"You're pretty amazing, I hope you realize that."

Mitch regretted saying it for a second, only because the words had caused the hand of comfort to be snatched away. But the look of shocked pleasure on Noah's face at the compliment changed that to a feeling of heat-fluttering desire.

He was just too damn cute. It felt illegal.

"Thanks."

The soft words were met with a comfortable, sunny silence that had both just embracing the feeling of the moment.

Mitch turned to pull into a small, cramped parking lot surrounding a small, beige, one-story compound with a red, shingled roof that looked more prison-like than end-of-life enjoyment community.

The aura of the place was ominous, and Mitch felt himself again shuddering with goosebumps as he parked and looked to Noah.

"O.K. Here we go. You ready?"

He knew he was asking himself more than anything.

"Definitely."

"Cool. Let's do this."

They climbed from the car, heading inside, and Mitch felt the anger seethe quickly as they walked in to the smell of rotting garbage and a shocked looking technician pushing a confused, dirty old woman in a squeaking wheelchair.

"Can...can I help you?"

The technician looked worried as she pulled up her phone and tapped away wildly on it, while simultaneously taking them both in.

"Yes, I think you can. I'm here to visit my aunt. I am her interim legal guardian, officially as of two days ago. I have the required paperwork in the car, should it be required, though, judging by the state of this place, I would assume the normal protocols don't really apply here."

The woman, whose crooked nametag said she was called Tessa, looked again at her phone in confusion.

"We...hadn't heard of visitors. There's a 17-hour notice for visitation, as the residents have very abnormal sleeping schedules."

"I'm sure they do."

Mitch tried to sound professional, but his crazy anger was boiling with every new inch of filth his eyes took in. The poor woman in the wheelchair in front of him was, from what he could see, covered in bruises, and he hated that there might be more he'd need to do than just save his aunt from semi-unsafe living conditions.

"I've traveled a day to get here, so I won't be leaving without checking on the well-being of my aunt. I'd like to speak to the person in charge right now, please, Tessa."

Mitch smiled his best no-nonsense smile as Tessa looked again frantically at her phone before nodding.

"Uh, Yeah, O.K. That would be Jessica. I'll go grab her. If you could just stay right there until she can come guide you."

Tessa grabbed the wheelchair and rushed down the long, yellowed hallway, shooshing the verbally protesting old lady who was obviously uncomfortable with the intense speed in which she was being forced away.

Mitch felt Noah's hand again comforting with small rubs on his suit sleeve, and he smiled his way.

"Looks like I have a lot more work here than I thought. This place needs to be condemned."

"Seriously. I'm pretty sure I've seen a couple roaches...which scares the shit out me if I'm being honest."

"Don't worry. I won't let the roaches get you."

"Much appreciated, haha."

Mitch took out his phone to document as many photos as possible without violating any privacy. He then took out a tiny voice recorder from an inner jacket pocket, switching it to on before putting it in his right-hand side suit pocket.

"Nice."

Noah's words were met with the clanking of heels as a woman with the tightest bun of brown hair slicked onto the top of her head walked stiffly from the far end of the hall. She looked fake from the top of her bun to the bottom of her too high for working with old people heels.

The mood instantly darkened as Mitch turned on his equally-fake smile in return.