Letterman (Scomiche)

Congratulations

Been a long time, huh? Enjoy some sweetness.

-

Mitch was scared.

College was scary enough on its own. Applications, deadlines, choices, responsibly... his future. He was constantly terrified he'd pick the wrong school, or that he wouldn't get into his top choice. And that was before Scott.

Now, Mitch's worries aren't only centered around himself. He knows it is a bit silly, to care so much about someone else's future, but he just can't help it. Scott is part of his future, he just knows it. He can't imagine spending so much time away from Scott, even if he feels their relationship is strong enough to survive distance and time. He simply doesn't want to have to.

So they apply together. Mitch's plans shift as he looks for schools with outstanding football programs and academics. He looks for schools he can imagine him and Scott going to. His parents think it's silly to put so much into a high school sweetheart. Mitch knows they're wrong. He wouldn't be able to thrive without Scott by his side. He can't.

So they apply, and they wait. And when Mitch gets letters from schools, he keeps them unopened in a pile, waiting for Scott.

-

"Are you ready?" Scott says quietly as they sit in the middle of the football field. He has a stack of letters of his own in his lap. They're all untouched, just like Mitch's pile.

"Yeah, I think so," Mitch hums. He lifts the first one up, fingers toying with the edges.

"Y'know that I'll go wherever you are, right? I don't care as long as I'm with you."

Mitch bites at his lip, lets his eyes meet Scott's only briefly. "You mean that?"

"Of course," Scott says. His hand reaches out, cups Mitch's jaw. He leans in, pressing a kiss to Mitch's forehead. "I don't care what anyone says. You are my future, baby."

"I love you," Mitch says in a small voice.

"Love you, too." Scott says, pulling away. "Plus, I already know you got in everywhere. Any place would be dumb not to accept you."

Mitch can't help but look away, his cheeks heating at the compliment. He shakes his head, thumb flicking along the flap of the envelope that's begun to unstick. "You're silly," he says quietly. Mitch closes his eyes, taking a deep breath. "Which do you want to open first?"

Scott shrugs, looking through his stack. "UCLA was your first choice, wasn't it?"

Mitch hesitates. Technically, yes, UCLA had been his dream school since freshman year, but in his heart, he knows he wouldn't go if Scott didn't get in. The reality of that truth should have been unsettling. "Yeah," he whispers, searching slowly through his pile for the letter he'd been dying to open.

"I liked that school a lot, so let's open that one first." Scott says, pulling his letter out of the pile and setting the rest to the side. Mitch does the same, comparing their envelopes. So far, they look the same, but he doesn't know if that means anything.

"Same time, or...?" Mitch trails off, glancing up to meet Scott's eyes.

"Count of three," Scott smiles brightly at him. "One."

"Two," Mitch continues.

"Three."

They both tear open the envelopes, quickly and messily. For a moment, there's only the sound of the wind and the rustling of papers as Mitch and Scott wrestle with their letters. Mitch gets to his first, eyes quickly skimming the letter, until he's jumping up, off the grass. His eyes are beginning to water as the word congratulations repeats behind his eyes. Scott is looking up at him, brows furrowed, as he watches Mitch cover his mouth as he starts to cry.

"Baby?" Scott says, worry laced through his words.

"I got in," Mitch gasps, tears flowing down his cheeks. He's fanning at his face now, grinning madly as Scott jumps up, too.

"Baby!" Scott cheers. Strong arms wrap around Mitch, lifting him and spinning. They're laughing and Mitch is still crying when Scott finally sets him down.

"Wait, Scott, what about you?" He asks, wiping at his eyes. He's reaching for Scott's hand that is still holding his letter, only partially out of his envelope.

"Hold on," Scott says, hurriedly pulling it all the way out. He unfolds it, starts reading it. "Scott Hoying," he says, "I would like to congratulate you-"

But that's all Mitch needs to hear before he's tackling Scott in a hug with a squeal. Scott catches him, hugging him back tightly as they cry happily.

"We did it," Mitch cries into Scott's chest. "I get to spend more years with you."

He feels Scott pressing kisses to the top of his head, his hands rubbing up and down his back. "Yeah, we did it, baby. I'm not going anywhere. Gonna' be right by your side at UCLA and even years after that."

Mitch pulls away, just enough to look up into Scott's glossy eyes. There's a few years running down his cheeks, but his smiling is shining brightly as he looks right back down at Mitch.

"I love you," Mitch says, reaching up to tangle his fingers into Scott's hair and bring his head lower.

"I love you so much," Scott says softly, resting their foreheads together. His eyes close as they stand there, holding each other in the middle of the football field they spent so many days on. Mitch pushes up onto his tiptoes, pressing sweet kisses to Scott's cheeks, his nose, his lips.

"I would've gone anywhere with you," Mitch admits. Scott's pretty eyes open, staring down at Mitch and causing his cheeks to redden as he continues. "It scared me at first when I realized I didn't even care where I went to school if you were with me. But I can't imagine the next four years without you."

Scott smiles so softly, only the corner of his lips turning up. Then, he kisses Mitch deeply, pulling their bodies together as he licks into Mitch's mouth slowly. They're both breathless when he pulls away.

"I am so endlessly in love with you," Scott says, and the sincerity in his voice has Mitch ready to cry again. "You are it for me, Mitch Grassi, I just know it."

"Scott," Mitch whispers, eyes falling shut as he presses incredibly closer. "I can't even describe how in love with you I am."

Scott kisses his forehead again, hands sliding up Mitch's back until they're cupping his face. He brushes Mitch's tears away with the pads of his thumbs, kissing him slowly once more.

"I love you," he repeats, a sweet smile turning up his lips. "Now, let's go tell our parents."

Mitch smiles, squeezing Scott one last time before pulling away to pick up his stack of unopened letters. He doesn't even care about them. He gathers them up in one arm, reaching his other hand out for Scott to hold once his boyfriend has grabbed his pile.

They walk off the field, hand in hand, by each other's side, and both know there's no other place they would rather be than with each other.