Worried: A Scomiche Short Story

Part 11: Offline

The pair made their way slowly back through the winding hallways towards the studio that the band had reserved for the afternoon. Mitch had his hand hooked securely around the bend in Scott's arm and walked closer to the wall, leaving Scott to handle pleasantries from any studio employees they encountered along the way. It had been a long time since he'd been allowed to be this blissfully offline and he was going to take advantage of it for as long as he could. It felt a bit fuzzy, like he was just floating adrift in a sea of waves, but he knew Scott would keep him anchored and steer him in the right direction.

When they approached their stop, Scott noticed the water bottles sitting just outside the door and an amused look crossed his face. Kevin. It had to be him and his attention to detail. When he bent to retrieve the water, he felt Mitch leave his side and step across the hall to lean against the white brick. "Here," said Scott, loosening the cap, "you probably want this."

Mitch willingly accepted the bottle and took baby sips as Scott opened the door and leaned against the door frame. He vaguely heard the chorus of 'Hey there you are!' and 'Where's Mitch at?' before tuning out the conversation that followed, leaning his head back against the cool wall and closing his eyes. Scott would take care of it.

"He's right here." Scott widened the door a bit so they could see for themselves. "So, I know we have this cover to finish but would y'all mind if we just-"

"Don't you even worry about it, Scott," Avi interrupted.

"Yeah man, we already talked while you guys were gone. You two go home and relax, it's more important. We can come back to this when everyone is feeling up to it," declared Kevin.

Before Scott could even argue, Kirstin was flittering around the room gathering up all of their belongings. She handed Scott his laptop and Mitch's bag before moving past him out into the hallway to get a good look at Mitch for herself. She stood awkwardly for a moment before she asked, "Can I give you a hug?"

Mitch mustered a tired smile at how she was always so considerate of him and his space and pushed himself up off the wall to open his arms towards her. He could never turn down one of her hugs, no matter how off he felt: it would simply be a crime. She all but launched herself at him in a blur of blond curls and pulled him in close. Scott couldn't make out what she whispered in his ear, but he did hear a faint 'I will, Kit, I promise,' from Mitch when she finally released him.

Satisfied that her friend would be feeling better soon, she turned and set a fiery gaze on Scott. "You," she said, pointing a perfectly manicured nail at him. "You take care of him, got it? Call me if either of you need anything."

"Yes, Momma Bear, we will," Scott said, holding his hands up in innocence.

"Good. I love you both," she said, her gaze softening as she drew Scott into a hug as well. "Go easy on the wine. Sleep. Take things slowly. We'll see you guys soon, alright?"

"Sounds good. Love you too," chuckled Scott. He caught Avi's and Kevin's eyes through the door and mouthed a quick "thank you". He hoped they could see the sincerity in his eyes as he did so, and gauging by their nods and smiles of empathy, they could. He shuffled all of their things to his other arm and let the door close behind him. Turning to Mitch, he offered his arm out once again to guide him and said, "If they're going to kick us out, I say we skip lunch and just head home, unless you're actually hungry?"

Mitch shook his head and told him that no, he wasn't hungry. He'd eaten a protein bar not too long ago and had been munching on the fruit spread the studio had left out for them. Besides, if he was being honest, his stomach was still churning a little bit, and he didn't quite trust it with any more food. Taking his word for it, Scott ordered an Uber with Mitch latched to his side as he guided them down the elevator and to the lobby to wait for their ride. 

A/N: Who here loves cute little Trio moments? Thoughts? Short little chapter for you, with more likely tomorrow. :-)