Color

Hundred Thirty Five

Mitch quickly pushed Scott away from him gently, to step away. 

He recognized that voice, and it led him to take control of the situation. He gave Kirstie a smile. "Hey, will you come outside with me for a second?"

Kirstie was staring off toward the front door, but she tore her eyes away to nod. "Okay."

Alex stepped in, to stand in front of the stove and continue cooking what Kirstie was working on.

Mitch followed Kirstie out into the backyard, and closed the door behind him. 

Scott wandered toward the front door, to hear what Avi was telling him. 

Kyle was trying to be as kind as possible. "I just-- I brought the stuff she left. Was hoping I could talk to her?"

Avi stood firm, arms over his chest. "She needs time to think, dude. You gotta give her some space."

"Can I at least apologize to her?"

Scott spoke up then, from behind Avi. "I'll go ask her if she's okay with that. You gonna make a scene if she says no?"

Kyle shook his head quickly. "Of course not."

Scott gave Avi a pat on the back, and then turned to walk through the kitchen. He spoke softly to Alex. "You got this all handled?"

Alex was already turning off some of the burners, finishing off the things being cooked. "Yeah."

Scott nodded once, and proceeded into the backyard to find Mitch and Kirstie. 

The two were sitting at the small table on the patio, and Mitch immediately met his eyes. "Is he gone?"

Scott shook his head, closing the door as he stepped onto the patio. "He wants to know if it's okay for him to apologize to her."

Mitch's eyes immediately shot to Kirstie. "And it's okay if you say no, honey. He's in the wrong, for sure. And the amount of time it takes for you to want to see him again, is fully up to you."

Kirstie nodded, and turned to look at Scott. "Yeah, I... I guess. That's fine."

Mitch spoke softly. "You sure, honey?"

"I'm sure." She stood from her seat, and walked toward Scott.

Mitch stood too, and followed. 

Kirstie walked through the kitchen, bravely walking over to stand beside Avi. 

Scott held the door open for her, and continued to hold it for Mitch. 

As Mitch walked past him, he leaned forward to briefly kiss him.

Avi's eyes were stern, as he stared at Kyle. "Go ahead."

Kyle wasn't even looking at him though, as he stared at Kirstie. "Can we talk outside?"

Kirstie sounded uncertain. "Um.. I'd prefer we just talk right here."

Mitch didn't want to get too close, so he stood beside Alex, sliding a hand onto Alex's lower back to speak softly to him. "Need any help?"

Alex shook his head, keeping his head down so he didn't have to watch what was happening. 

Kyle spoke quietly. "I'm sorry I got so upset yesterday. It was so unfair of me to take it out on you, and... I'm sorry for treating you that way."

Kirstie spoke at the same volume. "Alright. I.. I accept your apology. I just need some time. I need to think."

Kyle took a deep breath, and nodded slowly. "I understand. I just want you to know that... I know it's a mistake, and I know you deserve better treatment than what I gave you."

"I know. I know that. Just... Give me some space. I'll let you know when I'm comfortable to talk about it. Okay?"

He nodded again. "Thank you."

Avi blinked at him. "Alright, time's up."

Alex finally looked up, to watch Kyle walk out the door, and he frowned. "Yikes."

Avi immediately turned to Kirstie. "You okay?"

She nodded, and turned to begin to walk away. "Y'know, I'm gonna head to my room for a little bit. I'm gonna call Kevin."

"Tell him we all said hey." Avi stepped in front of her to catch her eyes. "Hey. Let us know if you need anything, alright?"

"I will. Thank you."

*

After breakfast, Avi walked down the hall to get ready for work. 

Mitch offered to do the dishes, wanting to take some time for himself to think about the situation. 

He was only alone for about three minutes, before Scott walked into the room to stand behind him. "Hey. Everything okay?"

Scott slid his arms around Mitch's waist, gently setting his chin on Mitch's shoulder. 

Mitch leaned into him slightly, reaching out to turn the water off. "Fine. Just feeling kinda tired since, y'know, all the alcohol last night."

"Want me to make another pot of coffee?"

"No. Just want you to stand right there, and don't go anywhere."

"Anything you want, baby." Scott hummed. "You're feeling Kirstie's stress, huh? You cute little empath."

"Yeah, a little... Everyone was doing okay for a little while, and I loved it." Mitch frowned, leaning his head back a little to rest against Scott's shoulder. "Then the stuff with your dad, and like Avi's sad story, and now this..."

"You must be exhausted, worrying about everybody all the time."

"I mean yeah." Mitch spoke a little softer. "I just want everybody to be happy."

"Alright well... Here's a secret. No matter what crazy ass shit is happening in our lives, even with Rick getting out of prison.. I'm always happy, to a certain degree."

"That's a weird thing to say." Mitch responded, giving him a little smile. 

"No, I just mean... You always say that we're a team. And my teammate is such a strong, supportive person. And I know you'll always help me stand back up again."

Mitch continued to smile. "Aw, that's so sweet."

Scott turned his head to kiss the side of Mitch's head a few times. "I just love you. Don't ever want you to forget that."

*

Alex went into his room to grab one of the textbooks he left on his dresser. 

Avi was putting on a different shirt to wear to work, and he glanced back. "Hey."

Alex closed the door behind himself, as he approached Avi from behind. "Hey, handsome. Love those jeans on you."

Avi gave him a breathy laugh. "You mean the only jeans I have?"

"Yep. Love them." Alex walked over to stand behind him, as the both faced the closet. He stepped forward to slip his hands into Avi's front pockets. 

Avi pulled his shirt down to cover his stomach, without pushing Alex away. "You trying to find something?"

"Nope. Found a quarter though." Alex pulled one of his hands out of Avi's pocket, holding the quarter in his hand as he laughed. "I was trying to be cute."

"You don't have to try, dummy." Avi turned around in his arms, to place both hands on Alex's chest, looking up into his eyes. "I'll be back in a few hours."

Alex pouted, and moved his hands to the small of Avi's back to hold him close. "I'm probably gonna study the entire time you're gone. Super lame."

"Have I ever told you how impressed I am by you?"

Alex grinned, a light blush on his face. "All the time, babe."

**