the book of fluff (that usually isn't)

promise

a word of advice: don't listen to "can't help falling in love" or "run to you" while reading this

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Mitch quietly unlocked the door to his and Scott's house and slipped inside, closing it softly behind him. He glanced around the dark room before silently making his way up the stairs to his and Scott's room. The blond was curled up on Mitch's side of the bed, his face buried in his pillow. Mitch couldn't help but smile at the sight of him, and he quickly stripped out of his army uniform into just boxers and sweatpants, climbing in bed beside his baby. As soon as Scott felt Mitch's arms around him, he turned around to face him, and he quickly snuggled as close to him as he could. Mitch smiled and pressed a kiss to his forehead, caressing his cheek. "Baby?" he whispered, and Scott shifted slightly in his sleep, mumbling something incoherently. Mitch smiled wider and shook the boy gently, and soon enough, sleepy blue eyes opened and connected with chocolate ones.

Scott stared at Mitch disbelievingly. "Mommy?" he whispered barely audibly, and Mitch nodded, brushing his thumb over his cheek. "Hi, angel," he murmured, smiling softly at him. Almost as though he was in a trance, Scott reached out to trail his fingers over Mitch's lips, and tears filled his eyes as he realized Mitch was actually there with him. "Y-You're real..." Mitch nodded, smiling wider. "Yes, darling. I'm real. It's me." Scott sobbed and pressed himself against Mitch, burying his face in his neck. "I m-missed you s-so m-much..." he sobbed, and Mitch frowned slightly, gently holding his head there. "I missed you too, princess. Don't cry..." Scott sniffled and tried to stop, but failed. "I'm s-sorry," he whimpered, reaching frantically for something to hold on to. Mitch understood, as he knew Scott better than the blond knew himself, and he gently gave the boy his free hand. Scott gripped onto it tightly as he tried to breathe, and a frown once again formed on Mitch's lips as he got worried. "Hey. Hey, angel, listen to me. I'm here. I'm here, and I'm real. I got you. I promise I'm not leaving you again," he said gently, running his thumb over Scott's knuckles. Scott whimpered quietly and pressed himself completely against him, and Mitch began taking slow, deep breaths for Scott to copy. He did so obediently, and luckily he managed to calm down.

"I love you," Mitch murmured, brushing the last of Scott's tears away. Scott blushed and looked up at him, still gripping Mitch's hand. "I love you too, Momma," he whispered back, curling up to set his head on Mitch's chest. Mitch smiled as he felt his angel's soft fingers tracing patterns on his skin, and he gently wrapped his arms around him, doing the same. "Did you have fun?" Scott asked innocently, even though he didn't look up at Mitch, as he was too concentrated on his work. Mitch's smile faded, and he shook his head. "No, baby. But let's not talk about that, okay?" Scott frowned slightly and glanced up at him, feeling bad for upsetting him. "I'm sorry..." Mitch shook his head again and forced a smile back onto his lips. "It's okay, princess. You didn't know." Scott fell silent and curled up, nuzzling against him.

"Is it really you? Am I dreaming?" he whispered suddenly, looking up at him again with disbelief. "No, darling. I'm real. You're not dreaming," Mitch murmured with a fond smile, kissing him softly. Scott melted into the kiss, and, of course, he instantly kissed back, his eyes slipping closed instinctively. Mitch kissed him slowly and passionately, and Scott immediately wrapped his arms around Mitch's neck to pull him closer. Mitch smiled slightly into the kiss, but gently pulled away just to kiss Scott's nose. "See? I'm real. I promise." Scott hesitated, but nodded, and curled up to set his head on Mitch's chest again. Mitch smiled softly and began to gently play with Scott's hair, keeping him close in his arms.

"You should get back to sleep, angel," he murmured, absentmindedly running his hand along Scott's back. Scott frowned and glanced up at him, subconsciously pushing himself closer. "But I wanna be with you," he protested softly, but Mitch just smiled. "I'll be here in the morning, my love. And the next morning. And the next morning. We have the rest of our lives to be together," he told him gently, but Scott frowned and shook his head. "I wanna be with you now. You'll probably disappear when I wake up. You always do." The last three words were nothing more than a whisper, and the boy with the sad blue eyes refused to make eye contact with the brunet. Mitch felt his heart crack in his chest, so he gently tilted Scott's head up to force the boy to meet his eyes. "I'm really real this time. I promise you I'll be here. I'll always be here, from now on. I love you."

"I love you too," Scott whispered, averting his eyes. Mitch sighed and gently tucked his head in his neck, running his fingers through his hair. Scott sniffled, but allowed himself to relax, loosely wrapping his arms around him as well. Mitch began to hum softly to put the boy to sleep, and Scott relaxed fully at the sound of his voice, as it had been a long time since he'd heard his angelic voice and it was comforting to hear. Mitch opened his mouth to sing quietly, running his fingers through Scott's hair.

"Wise men say
Only fools rush in,
But I can't help
Falling in love with you.

"Shall I stay?
Would it be a sin
If I can't help
Falling in love with you?

"Like a river flows,
Surely to the sea,
Darling, so it goes
Some things are meant to be.

"Take my hand.
Take my whole life, too,
But I can't help
Falling in love with you

"Like a river flows,
Surely to the sea,
Darling, so it goes
Some things are meant to be

"Take my hand.
Take my whole life, too,
For I can't help
Falling in love with you

"But I can't help
Falling in love with you."

By the time Mitch finished, Scott was fast asleep in his arms. He smiled softly and pressed a kiss to his forehead, holding him close. "Goodnight, my love."

+++

Scott woke up alone. The house was silent, and the familiar feeling of Mitch's arms around him was fading away. Immediately, tears filled Scott's eyes as he realized what happened, his heart shattering. "No. N-No, y-you promised," he sobbed weakly, curling up and burying his face in Mitch's pillow. "I th-thought- I thought you came back." His voice broke as he sobbed harder, pulling the covers completely over himself.

"You promised," he whispered barely audibly, staring at the old picture of him and Mitch he kept under his pillow. He sniffled and held the picture to his chest, soft, broken sobs leaving his lips. He didn't look at the letter hidden with it.

Hi, baby.
How are things over there? I'm sorry I've been gone so long. My captain said I should be able to return soon, so I'm excited to see you again. It's been so long. I can't tell you how much I miss you. I get lonely at night because I don't have you here to cuddle with. I don't want you here, though. It's much too dangerous. I'd never forgive myself if you got hurt. No, you're much safer at home.
Are you missing me? I hope so. I need you so much, I feel like I'll explode if I don't have you back in my arms soon. You're the only thing keeping me alive, Scotty. The prospect of seeing you again is why I still get up every morning. I love you so much. I can't wait to kiss you and cuddle with you and see your beautiful smiling face. I hope you haven't found someone else. If you have, I'm willing to fight to get you back. I'll do whatever it takes. Unless, of course, you're happy with whoever it is. All I want is your happiness.
Anyway, I promise I'll be home soon. I love you. Goodbye, darling. I'll write to you as soon as I can.
- Mitch xx

Mitch never came back.