September prompts!

water and sandwiches

Prompt 20 - Sandwich for #SePTXCC17

The water looked deep.

The surface was dark and almost foreboding, but it calmed Mitch. It drew his mind away from the turmoil of his thoughts and the anxiety flooding through his veins. There, sitting on the bridge and peering down at the dark water, he found peace.

“Hey,” Mitch stilled, turning to his right to look at the speaker. “I… can I sit with you?”

The boy was watching Mitch carefully, like he was afraid of something. Mitch really wasn’t in the mood but he nodded anyway.

The blonde boy walked towards him and Mitch watched him carefully. He looked at a clumsy person so he wasn’t sure him walking so close to the low bridge railing was a good idea.

“The water’s deep.” The boy said, looking at him nervously, “And probably very cold.”

Mitch frowned and looked back at it, “Yeah, I figured.”

There was a moment of awkward silence before the boy blurted out, “Are you hungry? I have a sandwich!”

Mitch looked at him incredulously but the boy didn’t stop speaking. “It’s the best PB&J ever! You’ll be in heaven, it’s so-”

“Ok, who are you?” Mitch asked, interrupting the boy before he could blabber on about this sandwich.

“Scott,” The boy, Scott, said in reply, “Scott Hoying… we go to the same school.”

Mitch tried to recall but he didn’t remember. He shook his head, “No, I don’t want a sandwich. If you don’t mind, I want to be alone-”

“The water is deep!”

Mitch froze as Scott’s loud words echoed between them. He swallowed and let out a careful breath, bracing himself. “Don’t be so dramatic.” He rolled his eyes and controlled his expression, “I wasn’t going to jump or anything. I just like watching water.”

Scott blushed, “I didn’t mean to assume… it’s just that-” He paused and Mitch looked at him in question, “Nothing, you just looked like you needed company.” Mitch frowned when Scott pointedly listed the paper bag in his hand, “Sandwich?”

---

“The first time we met, you sat with me for two hours and offered me your PB&J sandwiches. I don’t remember anything else, I don’t remember why I was so stressed and anxious that day, but I remember you vividly.”

---

Mitch sucked in a breath when Scott leaned forward to kiss him. It was a soft, tentative kiss, just testing waters. He experienced a moment of pure terror as he gazed into those blue eyes, wondering if it was a prank.

It wasn’t. He could tell it wasn’t by the way Scott cupped his face and brushed another kiss, followed by another, and then another against his lips until Mitch was lost.

Those kisses were special, he knew.

---

“The bond between us was immediate and intense. We could read each other’s minds, understand even the smallest expressions and gestures. We were so in sync that our friends soon started to treat us like we were a single unit. This hasn't changed at all, has it?”

---

The breakup was difficult. They had these intense emotions they didn't know how to handle well. They ended up arguing more often than not. The pressure of being closeted and hiding their true selves took its toll.

So they just stopped. One day Mitch decided they couldn't continue as they were and took the step.

Scott was angry, but he was also relieved. If Mitch was the bad guy, so be it. His relationship with Scott was more important than dating or romance.

He didn't want them to hate each other.

---

“Life happened. We drifted apart, came back together. Soon were back to our old selves, going on little coffee and lunch dates, having fun, just being Scott and Mitch.”

---

Scott went to college while things between them were still bitter and strained. Mitch worried that would be their end, that he would lose the most precious relationship he had known.

Love prevailed.

They met once again on that same bridge. Mitch was once again staring at the deep and dark water.

“I'm not going to jump.” He said as he felt a familiar presence settle by his side.

There was a long moment of silence before he felt Scott move and rest his head on Mitch's shoulder. “Your expression when you look at water scares me.” Scott confessed and Mitch closed his eyes at the feel of his lips, “It scared me then and it scares me now.”

Mitch didn't say anything, just combing his fingers through Scott's hair gently.

“Are you hungry?” Scott said suddenly, showing Mitch the paper bag he had brought with him.

Mitch's lips twitched into a smile, “Sandwiches?”

“The best PB&Js ever.”

---

“Scotty, you’ve made my life a million times better just by being in it. Without you, I wouldn't be the man I am today. You deserve all the love in the world.”

---

Other people came and went but Scott and Mitch remained constant. They were always there for each other, even as they struggled with their own careers and problems.

As long as Mitch had Scott, life was tolerable and his problems a distant memory.

As long as he had Scott, he had happiness.

---

“And I’m glad you finally found someone to treat you right, to shower you with all the love and affection you deserve.”

---

“I'm getting married. Will you be my best man, Mitchy?”

Mitch smiled, “Of course.”

---

“So here's a toast to you. To your relationship, to the strong love I see between you, to your everlasting happiness. To my best friend and the love of his life. To Scott and Danny!”

---

“Your expression when you look at water scares me.”

Mitch shook his thoughts away and looked over his shoulder, smiling faintly. “Scott says the same thing.”

“Well, Scott loves you almost as much as I do, I'm not surprised.”

Mitch rolled his eyes and smiled when he felt his lover wrap his arms around him. “How are you coping?”

Mitch leaned back and closed his eyes, thinking over the question for a long moment.

His lips twitched into a smile, “I’m hungry. Let's go have a sandwich.”

He was alright.