Incurable

Ten

Kirstie sat next to Alex, and then Avi sat on her other side.

Avi smiled at Scott. "So you asked him? All six words?"

Scott nodded, and smiled back.

Mitch sat down next to him with his tray, and grabbed Scott's hand immediately. "Hi! How are you guys?"

Kirstie rolled her eyes. "Don't pretend there isn't something you want to talk about. Tell us about you and Scott!"

Scott looked down at his lap, where Mitch was holding his hand.

Kirstie noticed immediately and reached her hand out to touch Scott's arm. "I didn't mean to embarrass you. Please don't run away again."

Scott shook his head and smiled at her, and then looked back down.

Mitch leaned over and kissed Scott's neck, before whispering in his ear. "I don't have to talk if you don't want me to. But I want to tell them how excited I am..."

Scott gave him a nod. "It's fine." He whispered right back, trying not to let anyone else hear him speak.

Alex looked up from his food when Jake sat down across from him, Kevin sitting down as well.

Mitch smiled at all of them. "Yay! Now that you're all here, I have to tell you that Scott and I are dating! Yay!"

Kevin set a hand on Scott's shoulder briefly. "Congratulations to both of you."

Scott smiled at him and then back to his lap.

Jake whispered something to Alex, which made him laugh, and then he started to eat.

Avi shook his head at the new couple. "You guys...I swear."

Mitch started eating too. "Hey, Kit?"

She looked up. "Yeah?"

"Are you going to the movie thing later?"

She shrugged and looked to Avi. "Are you going?"

Avi looked around at everyone. "Um. I mean, I don't know. What's the movie thing?"

Kevin answered for everyone else. "Like three times a week, they show movies in the Group Meeting Hall. I think it's in the room where the Greens meet, since it's the biggest room."

Alex looked up at him. "I have a question. And you seem to have all the answers. How many groups are there?"

"At least... Six. Maybe seven or eight. I'm not sure." Kevin replied with a shrug.

Avi inquired something too. "Are they all named after colors?"

"I think so. Based on the severity of the disorders in that group. Like.. Greens are the people that only stay for a day or two. Yellows are usually monthly, just like Reds and Blues. Then they have Grays and Blacks that are here for a year or more."

Scott nodded, already knowing this.

Mitch seemed to already know it too, because he was eating his meal and touching one of Scott's legs to distract himself.

Avi's eyes were wide with interest. "Wow. Why do they have three different groups for monthly ones? Like.. What makes Alex's group different from Kirstie's?"

Kevin tilted his head a little in uncertainty, and looked at Jake, who usually knew lots of stuff too.

Jake met his eyes and then looked to Avi. "They keep different types of disorders in groups with disorders that are compatible. Like.. They keep Mitch out of my group because he's like... Distracted easily, and that's something that people with a compulsive disorder can't handle."

Avi nodded slowly. "Who knew? That's interesting."

"Yeah, I guess. Scott belongs in the Yellows, but they moved him up to be with Mitch, because he won't talk to anyone else. Especially in the beginning of his stay at the institution."

Avi nodded slowly. "That's kind of cute."

Scott blushed, eyes on his food.

Mitch giggled loudly and nodded. "Of course it's cute. Because he's cute."

Scott looked like he wanted to flee again, so Kevin put a hand on his arm and changed the subject. "So... Um. Movie night. Are we all going?"

Alex sighed and looked down at his food. "I don't think I'll be able to stay awake through a movie."

Scott smiled at him, wishing he could sleep too instead.

Kevin noticed the action. "Scott? Are you not going to go either?"

Mitch answered for him, hugging Scott's upper arm. "No, he has to go. He was going to hang out with me."

Scott's smiled faded a little and he looked down at his food.

Kirstie frowned. "You don't have to go if you don't want to. Mitch, you hang out with him all the time."

Jake nodded, still eating. "Absolutely. Scott, just go with Alex. Power nap central."

Scott looked over to Mitch for permission.

Mitch pouted at him. "You don't want to go with me?"

Scott frowned at him.

"You just don't want to go at all?'"

Scott nodded.

Mitch sighed, gazing down upon his food. "Fine. Fine. But I demand extra snuggles tonight if you're going to make me go alone."

Scott looked to his lap again. "Not alone."

Kevin agreed. "Yeah, Mitchie. You'll have all of us. You're not alone."

Mitch waved him off, digging into his dinner again. "Unless one of you is willing to snuggle with me, I'm going alone."

Avi chuckled. "Well, if you close your eyes and wish real hard--"

Scott spoke loud enough to interupt. "No." He put his arm over Mitch's shoulders and pulled him closer. "Mine."

Avi held his hands up in surrender, and looked back to his food.

Kirstie frowned at him. "You're gay?"

Avi froze and looked over. "Of course not. I was just joking."

Mitch scoffed. "There's nothing wrong with being gay."

Kirstie pretended to ignore him, still speaking to Avi. "So you're straight?"

"That's correct. You too?"

Mitch kept talking, mostly to himself. "Love has no gender. Why is that always so hard for people to grasp?"

Kirstie smiled at Avi, still not listening to Mitch. "Yeah, I am."

Kevin watched the interaction with a small smile. A smile that grew a little larger when the pair got lost in each other's eyes.

Alex stood up to dump his tray, and when he sat back down, his shoulders slumped in fatigue.

Kevin dumped his tray too, carrying Scott's as well.

Alex stood up and gave Scott a nod. "You ready to go? My power nap is calling me."

Scott nodded, standing up quickly, but Mitch stood too and hugged him. "I'll come get you as soon as the movie is over. Okay? I'll miss you. Will you miss me too?"

"Yes." Scott whispered to him, before pulling away, kissing his forehead, and then following Alex out of the room.

*********