five plus one times

Chapter 4: Nostalgia

The echo of the bass rang through his chest, in sync with his heartbeat. In and out, in and out his breaths went, the blues and yellows and pinks of the lights dimming as he felt the high of performing simmer down. Mitch could feel Scott's breath heavy on his face, as they stood frozen in time, the show ending, the sounds of their fans cheering dying down, the night coming to a close. He could tell their energies were matching, hearts beating in sync, just as their voices had been in tune with each other mere seconds ago. It was exhilarating. If Mitch could capture this feeling and bottle it up so that it could be available to him whenever he needed it, he would. As the lights died down to absolutely nothing, his cheeks began to ache from smiling, and his eyes began to tear up from the blinding of the lights.

"That was a great show guys!" came the cheery voice of their tour manager, her dark eyes wide with lack of sleep, but full of joy nonetheless.

"Thanks!" Scott said, the same joy unmistakeable in his voice, albeit a bit scratchy and quiet from overuse. He turned to Mitch, brilliant blue eyes shining with excitement, the aftermath of the performance, pulling the brunet man close to him. Mitch leaned into Scott, resting his head on the blond's shoulder, letting out a sigh of exhaustion, his grin subsiding into a soft, gentle smile. He peered up at Scott as the blond guided them off the stage and back to their dressing room, smiling softly, and proudly, back at him. "Wow, Mitchy, you sounded amazing tonight!"

Mitch laughed and shut the door softly behind him, fidgeting with his in-ears and taking off his blazer. "Really?" Mitch asked jokingly. "I thought I was a little pitchy."

Scott turned around, and laughed. "Yeah, you were a little off key. Just a little bit."

Mitch cocked an eyebrow and pursed his lips, playing along with Scott. "Yeah, but you..you were just not doing your best tonight. Like I don't want to be that person, but you just didn't sound good..."

Scott burst into laughter, and Mitch found it hard to keep his giggles in as well. To anyone else, their conversation would've sounded confusing as they pretended to degrade one another, but Mitch knew Scott's mind better than he knew his own, and he was fluent in their own secret language. As Scott keeled over, laughing with exhaustion and joy, still riding the high from the end of the show, Mitch grabbed a hold of the taller man's elbow, steadying him. He snuggled closer towards Scott, as they flopped down on the dressing room couch, noticing the heavy rise and fall of the blond's chest and the sweat soaked fabric of his button-up from the intense night of performing. Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, Mitch allowed himself to be here, in the moment, with Scott, his heart content.

"You know, I was joking, right?" Scott urged. "You sounded incredible. Like you always do."

Mitch leaned his head against Scott's chest, tilting it upward so his eyes met the blond's. "Of course, stupid," he teased, reaching to pat Scott's cheek gently. "And thank you, you sounded incredible as well."

They had spent a few months like this, on the Superfruit Future Friends tour. Just the two of them. Going on tour in small bars around the country, it was a nice break from the high-demand, high-energy tour lifestyle they were used to. This was more relaxed, more laid back. Mitch noticed that he and Scott were able to have more fun, be more flamboyant, more risque, during these performances. They'd grinded up on each other during Bad 4 Us, caressed one another's faces in Keep Me Coming, and gazed longingly into one another's eyes in Future Friends. The intimate venue and smaller crowd was a nice change as well, allowing them to freely express themselves in any way they pleased.

For a while they laid there, letting themselves relax and breathe and mull over the events of the show. After a moment of catching their breaths, Scott wrapped an arm around Mitch and turned to him, laughing gently. "You've got glitter in your eyelashes, Mitchy."