the book of fluff (that usually isn't)

safe

"Scott's coming over today, so act like you love me," Mitch's boyfriend, Cooper, said, throwing some clothes at him. Mitch whimpered and slipped on the clothes with trembling hands, then wrapped his arms around his stomach, keeping his gaze on the floor. Cooper roughly grabbed Mitch's wrist and pulled him into the bathroom to cover up the bruises with concealer.

Mitch usually hated it when his boyfriend's friends came over, as most of them knew that Cooper hit him, and usually the majority of the time was spent using Mitch as a human punching bag. However, Scott didn't. For some reason, Cooper had chosen not to tell Scott, and Mitch thought he knew why. Scott was probably the nicest person in the world, and he would most certainly call the police. Scott was Mitch's favorite friend of Cooper's, because him coming over meant he was safe for the day. Plus, it helped that Scott was a broad man with a considerable amount of muscle on him, so Mitch felt protected when he was around. Mitch had associated Scott with safety.

As if on cue, a knock on the door sounded as soon as Cooper had finished, and the older man slapped Mitch one last time before he went to open the door. Mitch flinched and wrapped his arms around himself, but forced a smile onto his lips.

"Hey!" Scott said as soon as he opened the door, smiling widely at Cooper. Cooper grinned back and moved aside so Scott could come in. "Hi, Scott," he said, and Mitch timidly waved from behind him. Scott walked inside and gave Mitch a gentle side hug in greeting. "Hi, Mitchy." Mitch blushed and smiled shyly, but it fell as soon as he caught Cooper's eye.

They settled down on the couch to watch TV, and Mitch was allowed to join them after he'd given them some snacks. "I'll sit between you so you don't get any ideas," Scott teased, scooting to the middle. Cooper rolled his eyes, but Mitch sat gratefully on the other side of Scott, feeling even safer now that his strong body was between them. He curled up against the armrest of the sofa and let out a soft, relieved breath, his heartbeat finally at a normal pace.

Cooper and Scott talked as they watched, the TV becoming more background noise. Mitch's eyes drooped closed and he found himself falling asleep, the most comfortable and safe he'd been in forever. In his sleep, he moved over to the warmth next to him and tucked himself under Scott's arm. Scott looked down at Mitch in surprise, but his face soon melted into a smile and he squeezed Mitch gently, and Mitch nuzzled against him. Cooper's eyes flashed as he saw, his fists clenching, and he made a mental note to punish Mitch as soon as Scott left.

"Mitchy's really adorable," Scott said softly as he stared down at the smaller boy. "You're lucky to have him." Cooper bit back a scoff and forced a smile. "Yeah." Mitch sighed softly in his sleep and pressed himself closer to Scott, his small, delicate hands clutching at his shirt. Cooper gritted his teeth, but looked back at the TV, trying to keep himself from whipping Mitch right there.

A few hours later, Scott finally pulled away from Mitch and stood. "I should probably go." Mitch sleepily blinked awake when his pillow moved, but blushed furiously as soon as he realized he'd been sleeping on Scott, scolding himself in his head. You idiot. Look at Cooper, he's seething. Good luck with surviving the night. And Scott's probably disgusted that you touched him, have you seen yourself? You're f*cking hideous. Cooper ignored Mitch and stood as well, forcing another smile at Scott. "Okay, man. Thanks for coming," he said, and Mitch's heartbeat picked up as he realized Scott was leaving — he wasn't safe anymore. "Thanks for having me," Scott replied, smiling at Cooper and Mitch one last time before turning and leaving.

Almost immediately, Cooper threw Mitch down on the floor and kicked him hard. "You're going to regret f*cking falling asleep on Scott, you little sl*t."

+++

When Scott got home, he realized he'd left his phone over at Cooper's. However, he had been over there a long time and didn't want to bother them anymore, so he decided he'd get it in the morning.

Scott quickly changed into his pajamas and crawled onto his bed, laying down with a sigh and staring up at the ceiling. His thoughts went to Mitch, a small smile forming on his lips. He knew he shouldn't, but he had a tiny crush on the small boy. Just a small one.

Okay, a big one.

No matter how much Scott scolded himself for feeling that way about his friend's boyfriend, he couldn't help it. Mitch was perfect in his eyes.

That night, Scott dreamed of Mitch in his arms.

+++

Scott knocked on the door to Cooper and Mitch's house, humming softly to himself as he waited. It took a few moments, but Mitch opened the door, looking warily up at Scott with what looked like fear in his eyes. Scott somehow didn't notice, smiling brightly down at him. "Hi, Mitchy! Sorry I'm here so early, it's just I think I left my phone here last night." Mitch nodded and forced a weak smile at him, not trusting himself to speak. He turned and limped over to the couch, grabbing Scott's phone and bringing it back over to him.

"Hey, are you okay? You seem like you're limping..." Scott asked quietly, frowning as he took the phone. Mitch's heart skipped a beat, and he painfully wrapped his arms around his stomach, shrinking into himself. "I'm fine," he croaked weakly, wincing at his voice. Scott frowned even more and looked over Mitch's shoulder as though searching for something. "Where's Cooper?"

"H-He's at work." Mitch was trying so hard not to burst into tears and tell Scott everything.

Scott scanned Mitch briefly, his heart beating faster as he saw the bruises. "What happened? Wh-Why do you have so many bruises?"

Mitch felt something inside him crack and he whimpered, tears filling his eyes. "C-Cooper hits me, Sc-otty..." Scott's heart broke and he quickly pulled Mitch into a hug, believing him instantly. "Oh, baby, I'm so sorry I haven't noticed. I'll protect you now, okay? Everything will be just fine," he whispered, kissing his hair. Mitch sobbed hoarsely and buried his face in Scott's chest.

"Do you want me to call the police, sweetheart?"

"N-No, please, h-h-he'll hurt me..."

"No, he won't, baby. I promise. You're coming to live with me."

"Y-You'd do that for m-me?"

"I'd do anything for you."

Mitch blushed and wiped away his tears. "Th-Thank you so much..."

Scott just kissed Mitch's tears away, protectively holding him close. "Of course, baby."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

this is horrible ew