the book of fluff (that usually isn't)

the talent show (xxx)

It was the night of the talent show, and Mitch was almost shaking in his seat. It was the first time he had ever performed in front of anyone other than his boyfriend, so you could say he was a bit nervous. See, Mitch was considered a "nerd". He used to get bullied, but luckily, it stopped when he got together with his boyfriend.

"And now, Mitch Grassi," the principal announced, and a smattering of applause rippled through the audience. Mitch sighed shakily and gave Scott a quick kiss before he got up and rushed up the stairs to the stage.

The audience murmured when they saw the pink dress that Mitch wore, and Mitch's cheeks heated up immediately. His hands shook as he adjusted the microphone down to his height, but he clutched onto it to hide it. "Um, hi," he practically squeaked, and there was an audible "aww" from Scott. Mitch blushed and shifted his weight from foot to foot, his dress swishing between his legs. "So, m-my name is Mitch, and I'm going to be singing a song I wrote called 'Valentine'. It's- It's dedicated to Scott, the best boyfriend in the world." There was another "aww", but this time, it wasn't just Scott. Mitch blushed more and brushed his hair out o his eyes, sitting down on the piano and placing his shaking hands on the proper keys. His heart was pounding in his chest, so loudly he was surprised the people in the front row couldn't hear it.

There was silence. Mitch's hands shook harder, and all he could think about was how he could feel everyone's gazes burning into his soul. He wanted to run. He couldn't do this.

Scott was getting worried, and the audience started to murmur again. This didn't make things any easier for Mitch, his breathing starting to pick up. As soon as Scott noticed Mitch was beginning to panic, he got out of his seat and rushed up the stairs. "Mitchy? Hey. Calm down," he murmured, kneeling down beside the piano bench. Mitch looked up at him with wide eyes, his chest rapidly rising and falling as he hyperventilated. "Hey. Shh. Breathe, baby girl. You're alright. Do you need me to hold you?" Scott asked slowly, rubbing calming circles into his thighs. Mitch nodded quickly, so Scott sat down beside him and gently pulled the boy into his arms. Mitch buried his face in Scott's neck, his shaking hands clutching onto Scott's shirt. Scott rubbed his back and rocked them slowly, murmuring a string of sweet nothings into Mitch's ear. "It's okay. You look so beautiful tonight, princess. In your dress, and your heels, and your makeup, but you know you don't need makeup to be beautiful. You're so, so stunning, inside and out. You always make me so happy just by being around me. Your smile lights up the room, and your voice is like an angel's. I love you more than anything else in the world."

The girls in the audience "aww"ed, and Mitch slowly calmed down. "Thank you. I'm sorry," he whispered, his voice still shaking slightly. Scott shook his head and tilted Mitch's head up to peck his lips. "Don't apologize, darling. Do you want to get down?" he asked gently, but Mitch shook his head and nervously fixed his hair. "No. I... I want to do this." Scott was uncertain, but he nodded and started to get up. Mitch panicked and quickly pulled Scott down again. "No! Don't leave me..." Scott smiled and rested his hand on Mitch's thigh, rubbing comforting circles with his thumb. "Alright, my love," he murmured, pecking Mitch's lips again. Mitch drew in a shaky breath and put his hands back on the piano keys, trying to gather his courage.

"Fags!" a voice shouted from the audience. Mitch flinched and immediately took his hands off the piano keys, his breathing picking up. "Yeah! Why are you wearing a dress? You're a man, not a girl!" another one called, and Mitch felt tears forming in his eyes. It had taken him forever to work up the courage to wear this dress, and these boys were ruining it. Scott frowned and carefully wrapped his arm around Mitch's shoulders. "Don't listen to them, sweetheart. You're doing great."

Suddenly, everything was too loud. Mitch's throat closed up and he couldn't breathe and he needed air and he needed water and he needed to take off this stupid dress. Mitch ripped himself free of Scott's arms and rushed off the stage, almost tripping in his heels. The boys who had been making fun of him cheered, and Mitch choked out a sob, running out of the auditorium before the boys could see him cry.