Practice

mirandaarenee gave me a whole list of fic ideas she wants me to write. This is one. :)

"Don't laugh, okay?"

Scott immediately laughs, which doesn't give Mitch a lot of confidence.

"I'm serious!" he says. "Please don't be weird about this."

"About what?" Scott asks loudly. Mitch fights the urge to shush him. After a moment, Scott rolls his eyes and pulls Mitch into his arms in a lopsided hug. "Come on, you can tell me anything. I promise I won't laugh."

Slowly, Mitch extricates himself from Scott's embrace and scoots to the middle of the bed, crossing his legs tailor-style. He hides his mouth behind both hands and whispers, "I'm still a virgin."

Scott slaps his hands down on Mitch's knees. "Oh my god, me too!" he says in a hushed, disbelieving tone.

"What? Really?"

"I was scared to tell anybody!"

"I thought you and—Really?"

"Really!"

Relief courses through Mitch like a sudden untwisting of his stomach; he can breathe a little easier simply knowing he's not alone, the last late bloomer of his friend group. He smiles, a nervous chuckle escaping in a breath, and says, "I've just been wanting to meet these guys from Grindr but I'm too scared because I don't know anything and I have no idea what they want or what I like or what to do, and I just—"

"Oh, Mitchy, don't be scared!" Scott says, squeezing Mitch's knee. "I'm sure it'll be fine. I mean, just don't hook up with an asshole. Maybe don't have sex on the first date. I don't know. I'm talking out of my ass. I don't have any advice. I don't have any experience either."

"I've watched a bunch of porn," Mitch admits, his cheeks flushing hot. He can't meet Scott's eyes. "But everybody says it's not realistic, and I mean, I've read a bunch of things too but that's not at all the same and... Like, how can I know what it's like if it's not realistic, y'know? I just... I don't know. I'm just nervous about it, I guess, and I can't talk about it with anyone."

"You can talk about it with me," Scott says excitedly. "Tell me everything. What kind of stuff have you watched? Or read? Do you know what you want to do?"

Mitch exhales. "So much," he says. "I mean, just... everything, you know? I just want to know what it's like to touch somebody, you know? To... to have somebody touch me. To have somebody... interested. I just get so nervous thinking about it, like imagining I'm in bed with some guy and he just expectsme to know what I'm doing and I totally don't and it's scary to not know and what if I freak out on him and—"

"We should practice," Scott cuts in, effectively ending Mitch's anxious ramble.

Mitch stares at Scott, wide-eyed. Scott stares right back at him. Mitch is pretty sure his brain has stopped working, because his mind is utterly blank. He's never been this speechless. Finally, Mitch says, "What?"

Scott is hesitant now when he repeats, "We should practice. With each other. Because I love you, and we won't freak out with each other."

He makes a good point. Mitch finds himself nodding. "Yeah," he says. "We could get the whole scary virginity thing out of the way with someone we trust."

"Right."

Mitch laughs. "I can't believe we're even considering this."

"But it's a good idea, right?"