#weekendPROMPTX

03/03

Freedom • Whisker • Outlaw

"We could do it, you know. We could pack a bag and get out of here."

Mitch let his head droop to the side, raising his eyebrow at the illuminated profile of his best friend.

"You're crazy," Mitch simply stated, returning his focus back up to the Texan night sky.

"Maybe." Mitch felt Scott's shoulder shrug from where they were pressed together, lying side by side on top of Scott's roof. "But that doesn't mean we can't do it."

Mitch huffed out an amused breath as he rolled over onto his side, daring to entertain Scott's little plan.

"We're sophmores in high school, that means we can't do it. We have maybe a hundred dollars between us, that means we can't do it. Your car is actually your dad's car, that means we can't do it. We have nowhere to go, that means we can't do it," Mitch listed off, watching as Scott's composure didn't even flicker. Mitch had never seen such determination on Scott's face.

Scott sighed and rolled over to mirror Mitch, their knees bumping together as he manoeuvred his lanky limbs into a more comfortable position, tucking his hands under his cheek.

"All I'm hearing are excuses."

"They're not excuses, they're just fact. There's no way we can just run away. We wouldn't make it two days on our own."

"You don't want to," Scott said, his eyes falling to the space where they connected. Their legs had intertwined sometime during their conversation, subconsciously keeping the other as close as possible.

Mitch sighed. "It's not that I don't want to. Trust me, I would love to just hit the road with you and finally have the freedom we've always dreamed of..." Mitch stopped for a moment when Scott raised his head again. The hope he could see shining so brightly in those blue eyes was almost enough to make him want to take back everything he had said and just say 'yes' but... "But it's just not possible."

"But it is! We can go as far as my gas tank will allow us and then we'll live off the land. I'll grow a beard and you can become a farmer's wife. We'll raise chickens and cows, and live out our days happy and together, away from here. We can be whoever and whatever we want out there."

Scott's voice was barely a whisper as though he was sharing his deepest secret with him, and Mitch knew that he was, but he could hear him perfectly. He heard every word loud and clear, heard the longing and the secret meaning that laced every sentence. He, too, wished for nothing more than being able to escape this town where very few accepted who he was and where even fewer loved him.

"I think your face lost the manual on how to grow a beard." It was the only thing he could think to say because how was he going to crush a dream that he so desperately wished could come true too.

Scott's mouth fell into an over dramatic 'O', his upper half craning away from Mitch in mock disgust. "How dare you. I could grow a beard if I wanted."

"I'm sure you could," Mitch giggled.

"I'm already growing one if you must know."

"Kirstie doesn't count."

Mitch could see the cogs turning in Scott's head as he tried to make sense of that before he burst out laughing, a hand automatically coming up to muffle the sound in an attempt to not disturb the peace of the town below them, something they were all too used to.

"Very funny but I didn't mean her. Look," Scott shuffled closer, sticking his chin out towards Mitch who had to back up just to see it properly.

"What is that?"

"It's my beard."

"That? That's your beard?" Mitch scoffed at the lone, practically invisible hair standing proudly on Scott's chin. "That's more of a whisker."

Scott stuck his tongue out and scooted back to the position he was in before. "Yeah, well that whisker will be a beard one day, just you wait."

Mitch laughed softly as the air changed around them, the night getting colder. "You know our parents won't just let us go. We'll need to keep moving. We'll be like outlaws." He hated himself for even entertaining the idea, for letting himself hope so foolishly. What he hated even more, though, was that he had to dream for something as simple as the right to love in the first place.

Scott pondered for a moment before smiling softly. His eyes scrunching up and his laugh lines only just appearing as he dared to say, "but we'll be outlaws in love."

Maybe they couldn't really run away but he could love Scott and as long as he had him, he didn't care where they were.