Color

Hundred Twenty Two

(A/N)

Just a reminder that the stuff is still being discussed. ❤

**

Alex sat beside Mitch on the couch, passing him a cup of tea. "Feeling better, babe?"

Mitch nodded slowly. "I'm just... So honored, that he was courageous enough to be so vulnerable with me."

Alex grinned. "He's always been very courageous. And you've always brought out the best in him, so. That doesn't surprise me."

Mitch smiled back. "That's nice of you to say."

Avi suddenly walked in the front door, finally home from work. He tossed his keys onto the table, closed the door, and immediately headed toward the couch. "Alex."

Alex turned to look at him, a little struck by the strange greeting. "Hey... Welcome home."

"I'm really sorry, okay? I've been really shitty, since this all went down with Scott. So I'm sorry."

Alex grinned at him. "I forgive you, handsome. Come sit down with us?"

Avi didn't hesitate, walking around the couch to drop down beside Alex. "Thanks..."

Alex leaned over to kiss him once. "You're welcome, honey. I made tea, do you want any?"

"No, no. I just want to sit here and appreciate you." Avi responded, setting a hand carefully on Alex's thigh. 

Alex looked down at his hand and blushed a little, unsure what to say back. 

Avi suddenly leaned past him slightly to see Mitch. "Hey, is everything okay? You look upset. Where's Scott?" He was seemingly piecing things together in his head. 

Mitch just shook his head. "He and I had a really... Emotional conversation. And he's trying to get back together."

Avi's face shifted, to be impossibly more serious. "Oh... Am I allowed to ask what it was about..?"

Mitch glanced at him, before looking down at his hands. "His childhood, mostly. Can I... Can I ask you a little about it..? Or is that crossing a line?"

Alex sat up a little taller. "I'm gonna go take a shower, give you guys your space."

Mitch wanted to tell him it would be fine, if he stayed. But honestly he didn't think it was. He just nodded. "Will you check on Scott when you walk down there?"

"Of course." Alex responded easily, moving from the couch to leave the room. 

Avi took a deep breath. "Alright, what do you need to know? Are you pissed I didn't get him help sooner?"

"No, no, nothing like that." Mitch turned to face him a little more, wanting to make eye contact. "I just wondered if you could... Tell me how it went from your perspective?"

"My perspective..? Mitch, I'm not the one who got... Y'know. Hurt. I don't really have a perspective."

"You're his best friend. You saw everything outside of those doors. You were the only person there to check on him, and keep him grounded." Mitch looked almost desperate. "Just... Tell me."

Avi leaned back in his seat. He hated when these memories came into his mind, but here he was, purposefully bringing them to the front of his brain. "God, I don't even know, Mitch. What can I possibly say to you, that you didn't already hear from him?"

Mitch thought about that for a moment. "How about... When did you find out?"

Avi's face was void of any emotion, as he thought back to how hard that had been. "Well like... He used to text me that he was scared of what was going on in his house, but he was super private about it. So I never knew what he meant, and he wouldn't tell me."