Fantasy (Scomiche AU)

The Admission

Mitch started learning to play the cello when he was younger; in this story, he never gave up.

***

"I can't be with you if you're always working!"

"Of course you can. And I'm not always working."

"Yes you are! Besides, we can't be together forever. You wouldn't be able to raise a child, after all. It's not like you really have a childhood. You gave that up. And for what? You have to keep me hidden and all that... this is just a mess. This whole relationship."

"No, it's not!"

"It is."

"Beau, please! We can get through this! Please!"

_

Mitch sighed, the memory coursing through him. He blinked back the tears, and glanced out the window. He could feel Kirstie's piercing stare as she worried over him, but that was fine. He would most likely have to experience heartbreak at some point. 

He closed his eyes, trying to retreat mentally. He heard the teacher talking, and focused in just enough time to hear the question he was asking. He raised his hand, answered the question, and, by doing so, convinced the teacher that he was paying attention. He turned his attention away from the lesson once again.  It wasn't important. He would never have to use this form of calculus in his adulthood anyways. He wouldn't have to use any of this. Not like it mattered if he did. Sighing, he closed his eyes. He was just so tired....

_

Kirstin tracked him down after school. "Look like we're a couple enjoying being together," she hissed, backing against a kind of secluded wall outside. Mitch just nodded tiredly. "Did you sleep last night?" she asked, and the concerned tone in her voice didn't match the contented look on her face. 

Mitch nodded. "Eight," he mumbled, exhausted.

Kirstie started to say, "Goo-"

"Eight minutes," Mitch completed.

She stared at him, then she forced a look of adoration onto her face.

"You are so cute!" she said  loudly as some people walked very close to them. "And that's a very thing for you," she snapped, as they were walking away again. "What do you mean eight minutes of sleep?!"

Mitch sighed. "So, here's what happened," he said; then he explained everything to her.

 Her eyes were wide. "Well, no wonder you didn't sleep last night!" she cried.

"Let's go home," Mitch mumbled.

"Yeah," Krstin said, nodding. "Let's go home."

_

Mitch smiled as the song ended. He leaned against the piano, squealing when it played a sour note. Pianos weren't meant to have someone just drop their head onto it.

Kirstin laughed. "He screams like a girl, doesn't he?" she asked.

Mitch glared at her. "You're so mean!" he shouted over the new cheers of the audience. 

"you're a tenor," Kirstie said, putting her hand on her hips. "It's pretty much a given that you'll scream like a girl, so they probably already knew that you do. And besides, if you don't want me making comments about your high-pitched scream, then maybe you shouldn't play 'notes' like that. Just a suggestion." She added finger quotes to the word "notes." That is to say, she did it with one hand; the other hand was too busy holding the microphone.

"I despise you sometimes," Mitch said as he walked over to her. He didn't say it into the microphone, and he whispered it, so the audience didn't hear him. He put his arm around her waist, but she didn't turn towards him. The adoring look that he usually received would not be given today. He didn't reach out to kiss her on the cheek; none of that would be happening. Not at this concert. Something that was much bigger would be happening instead.

Mitch stepped forward, taking a deep breath as he did so. Kirstin watched him anxiously. Mitch took another deep breath. He chuckled slightly, lifting the microphone to his mouth. "I hate the flight, fight, or freeze response that humans have to terrifying or dangerous situations," he said. "My brain is fighting tigers right now, and I'm just trying to talk to a large group of people."

Everyone laughed a little bit at that, and Mitch felt encouraged by it. "You know," he said, "The most stressful part of this isn't talking to a lot of people- it's talking to a lot of people who think that they know everything there is to know about me. Not that I mind that, of course." He took a small breath. He had everyone's attention. "They- you- know a lot about me," he continued. "I'm a big star, you see. But, you don't know me. And a lot of what you know is stuff that you've just assumed. Not that I blame you. Most of what people have figured has been heavily implied by us, and a lot of it is true. But, there's one thing that really irks me, because it's not true. And it will never be true." Mitch was quiet for a moment as people calmed down a little bit; at his last statement, they had begun to whisper among themselves. Once everyone was quiet, he kept talking. He walked over to Kirstie, wrapping one arm around her waist again. "I love this girl," he announced, and everyone started cheering.

"But," Mitch said, and everyone got quiet very quickly. "Not the way people think. We're not dating. We've never explicitly said that we are. Now, we've never denied it. And, granted, I've introduced Kirstie as my girlfriend before. But, the fact that we haven't denied it isn't the same thing as agreeing with it. And girls call their friends their girlfriends all the time. So, it doesn't mean anything, really"

Mitch was quiet again as he waited for people to relax after having that bombshell dropped on them. It didn't take very long, surprisingly. They were probably just shocked silent. He couldn't exactly blame them.

"So," Mitch said, as people calmed down entirely. "It's time now for tonight's biggest bombshell." People started whispering again. He released Kirstin, and returned to the very front of the stage. People began quieting down as Kirstin walked away. She would probably get Mitch's cello for him- they were going to need it for the next song. Mitch breathed deeply one last time; then he said, "I said that it would never be true. And, well...." he sighed, then just blurted it out: "I'm-"

_

The announcement had gone incredibly well. At least, it had gone better than either of them had expected. They had finished the show, and their photographer had posted the video. They apologized for it not being a music video; they tried to make one music video each month, but there wouldn't be one that month. They were busy trying to figure out where they fit in at school. Even among the other kids in choir, they couldn't really fit in. There was only one person that didn't treat them like they were special, and he didn't seem interested in either one of them. He had a boyfriend, it seemed, but Mitch was pretty sure they had broken up.

He shrugged, turning his mind off those sad thoughts. He no longer had to lie to people. He no longer had to stress about what people would say. And that was on a Friday, so people would have time to come to terms with the fact before school started up again. Overall, life was pretty good. 

Now, just to get that disinterested boy's number....

***

Here's a long chapter because it's been quite a few days since I last uploaded to this story. Also, I forgot to mention this before, but if I ever make a grammatical error of any sort, feel free to point it out in the comments. It always annoys me when other people make grammar mistakes. Even if you're not pointing out mistakes in my grammar, comments are always welcome (don't make me beg)!