The clock read 23:59, and Scott was staring blankly at the ceiling above him. If this were a typical day, he'd be out on the couch watching Spongebob with Mitch, but it wasn't a typical day, so instead he was attempting to sleep. All he could think about was how much he missed Mitch's smile, Mitch's sassiness, Mitch's complaining - he just missed Mitch. He missed the brunette a lot, and it hurt. He ran his fingers through his hair, ruffling it a little as his pulled his hand away before releasing a breath he hadn't realised he was holding. The silence that filled the room was uneasy, and Scott knew he wouldn't be sleeping much - if at all - that night. He looked in the direction of his friend's bedroom and allowed himself to wonder how the countertenor was holding up. I hope he's asleep, Scott thought, staring at the wall.
The deafening silence wore on, and so Scott began to hum quietly to himself but quickly regretted the decision. A few tears dripped down from his eyes and strolled lazily down his cheeks. Singing, humming, laughing, smiling... none of it felt right without Mitch. The blonde sighed and turned over in his bed, pulling the blanket up a little further. The blanket suffocated all of the cold from Scott's body, but also drained him of all movement. Paralyzed by overwhelming fear, Scott broke down. What if, this time, Mitch didn't recover? What if they never spoke to one another again? What if Mitch started to hurt himself again? Gasping for breath, Scott pulled the blanket over his face and allowed the fabric to mop up the tears he was crying. Scott needed Mitch to know Mitch was okay. No. No, Scott just needed Mitch. He didn't understand why, but nothing felt right without the shorter man. It was all so foreign. He'd felt it before, each of the previous times Mitch had shut himself away like this, but he never seemed to recall the emotion when the pair were together. He cried awhile longer until the tears subsided, which left him feeling empty, yet weighed down by thoughts that still dashed around his mind.
Tired of trying to find sleep, the blonde sat up and pulled on a pair of sweatpants before making his way to the kitchen. He poured himself a glass of wine and grabbed a tub of ice-cream before settling down in front of the television. He watched various shows with disinterest as he was intentionally avoiding anything he truly loved. He didn't want to be reminded of Mitch. Mitch... he didn't want to think about Mitch's jokes and his flirting and his sass. Tears began to well up in Scott's eyes, and the rest of that bottle of wine grew more and more tempting as each second flew by. Relenting at last, he stood up and poured himself a second glass before tipping the rest of the bottle into the sink. He didn't trust himself to be left alone with his temptation - he always caved. He drank the liquid, and then walked back over to the tub of ice-cream that he'd left unguarded on the couch. He shook his head when he saw a small, hairless body sticking out of the container. Mitch must've let Wyatt out at some point. With a quiet chuckle, he took the frozen treat away from the cat, which meowed in disappointment, and tossed the tub in the trash. He petted the Sphynx, and then tiptoed to his bedroom. The blonde left the door open slightly, allowing Wyatt the option of sleeping in his room if the cat wished to. Scott sat down on the edge of his bed and ran his hands through his hair a few times before resting his chin on his fists. He took a deep breath to try to halt the flood of thoughts that were threatening to return when an idea popped into his head. He needed to make sure that he could never forget how it felt to be ignored by Mitch if they became close again. He needed to learn to appreciate Mitch more. The tall blonde stood up and walked over to a set of drawers in his room and opened the second. He pulled out his old journal, and then shut the drawer before taking a pink pen from his desk. He sat, cross-legged, on his bed and began to write.
Future Scott,
This is a warning to you. You need to look after Mitch and protect him. You have to make sure that he is happy and you have to be there for him. These are things you must prevent:
1. Breakups - yes, you mustn't let him date. None of them are right for him. They'll only fuck him up.
2. Unhappiness - you mustn't let him be sad. Joke with him, watch Spongebob together, cuddle Wyatt.
3. Pain - you mustn't let him get hurt. This includes self inflicted pain. Note that if he wants to date someone or do something you dislike, you must let him (which defeats point one) because he mustn't hurt.
4. Forgetting - you must not forget how much it hurts to be away from him. That way you'll be able to appreciate him more.
5.
Scott stared at the now-wet page, tears pouring from his eyes once again. His eyelids felt heavy, so he set the book and pen at the foot of the bed, deciding to continue the list in the morning, and crawled into bed. Sleep captured him within minutes, taking him away to dreams where he and Mitch were happy.
When the blonde awoke the next morning, he stretched his legs out and immediately his foot hit something hard. Rubbing his face in an effort to both wake himself up and to dispel his confusion, Scott sat up and looked down at the book. He read it over, perplexed, and broke down in tears when his eyes fell upon the fifth point.
5. You should probably prevent Mitch from reading this. If, somehow, he has read it, he'll probably want you to know that he's sorry.
Also, don't cry, Scottie. It's okay.
YOU ARE READING
Time After Time
ФанфикTime after time, it's always the same for Mitch. He needs something different, something new. But does the new have to be unfamiliar? Is what he's really looking for closer than he thinks?
