30 Days of Drabbles

30: Chain

Prompt: Chain
Warnings/TWs: maaaaybe anxiety, just be careful pls <3
Tags: Anxiety, Hurt/Comfort

Note: THIS IS FOR SOPHIE, WHO CAME UP WITH AND WROTE THIS PROMPT HERSELF (read it here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11937138) love u babe

--

There's so many people and so much noise and so little space and too little time and Mitch isn't doing well, at all. He's doing his best, puts on his best neutral face, because there's no way he has enough energy to expend on even the smallest happy face. He's trying, he really is. He needs to get away, needs space before he panics, needs something or someone to hold onto until he can pull himself together but he can't go anywhere, they're in the middle of a meet-and-greet and after they'll have a few to regroup but he can't last that long, needs to get away now, now now nownownow-

They're moving onto pictures, which is a little better than the full mingle time just because he has to interact with less people at a time, it's a little quieter and he can focus a little better, feels the way each foot hits the group as he shuffles around to make room for fan after fan, most of them standing between him and Scott, which shouldn't throw his balance off as much as it does, but it does, because Scott's usually the one to press him back together when he's scattered like this, when he can't pull himself together on his own, when everything's too much all at once and every single voice is too loud and every hug is too tight, no matter how gentle.

It's too much, even the little amount of contact he's having with each fan is just not sitting well with him at all, and he's going to break, he can feel it, he knows he's about to snap and the whole façade will come crumbling down and he's going to have to leave, god, no, please, not now, not when everyone needs me here, no, please-

And then there's a hand. Scott's. Mitch knows it by touch. It's resting on his shoulder over the fan between them, and Mitch focuses every ounce of energy into grounding himself into Scott's hand, into the warm, solid pressure against his shoulder. After that fan, Scott drops his hand and Mitch catches his eye.

You okay? Scott mouths, and Mitch shakes his head the slightest bit. He really isn't, and he hopes Scott can see it.

Another fan approaches, their jittery, giggly energy feeding Mitch's anxiety a little more. Scott's hand comes back up to cup the back of his neck gently, thumb rubbing up and down, pressing down into the bone. It helps Mitch a little more than the hand on his shoulder did, but he's still jittery, still feels like he's on the edge and about to snap, still needs more to keep him from flying off.

The next one who comes up, Mitch remembers as being particularly enthusiastic and loud and bright and just overall a lot, and while those are fantastic things, Mitch doesn't think he'll be able to hand them right now.

They wedge themselves between Scott and Mitch, and Mitch tenses up and he's trying not to jerk away, just a minute, it'll just be a minute before you can go back to the greenroom and recollect yourself, c'mon, Mitchell, get it together god fuck fuck fuck fuck i can't i can't can't can't can'tcant't-

Scott's hand is still on his neck but it's not enough, he can barely feel it over the prickling under his skin, can barely feel the warmth with how fucking cold then hot then cold then hot then cold then hot oh god fuck, it's too much and then Scott's hand moves and Mitch feels him slip his fingers under the chain of the necklace he's wearing.

Mitch holds back a shiver as Scott's fingers loop once, twice, thrice in the chain, pulling it taut against Mitch's neck. That grounds Mitch like nothing else. He leans into it a little, making it press harder into his skin, and he thinks the familiar pressure at his throat should keep him there enough for the last few pictures.

Thank god for Scott's quick thinking, Mitch wants to say, but he can't, so he glances over as Scott as the next fan comes up and he hopes Scott can read his thank you, I love you without him having to move anything besides his eyes.

The tiny twitch of the corner of Scott's mouth and the softening of his eyes says of course, Mitchy. Always. I love you too.

-fin.