Color

Seventy Six

When Friday rolled around, Alex was the first to come home.

Kirstie and Kyle were nowhere to be seen, and Mitch was still in class. 

Or at least he thought he was home alone until he walked into his bedroom to change out of his uniform and head for the shower.

He heard the shower already turned on, and he peeked in to see Avi's back to him. 

Alex grinned, dropping his uniform onto the floor and walking as soundlessly as he could toward the shower. 

He snuck in behind Avi, and slid his hands around Avi's waist. 

Avi wasn't scared at all, because he'd heard Alex come in. "Don't get shampoo in your eyes, babe."

Alex leaned down to kiss the top of Avi's shoulder. "I'm a little taller than you, don't worry."

"You love reminding me of that." He muttered, before turning around in Alex's arms to meet his eyes. "How was practice?"

"Good. Exhausting."

"Hot water will be good for you." Avi's face took on a different look. "Oh, sorry, should I get out of your way?"

"No, no. Please stay?" He asked softly.

Avi nodded slowly. "Also... Do you have any idea where the fuck Scott is taking us?"

"Mitchie told me it might be haunted, but I don't know."

"Haunted? What the Hell kind of vacation--?"

"It's gonna be fun." Alex smirked a little. "Don't be scared."

Avi smacked his arm once. "Oh please."

*

Mitch walked into the house, and almost immediately Scott could tell that he was upset. 

Scott approached him quickly, taking the books from his arms. "Hi baby, are you alright?"

Mitch just shrugged. "I'm just excited to go wherever we're going."

Scott set Mitch's books on the table, and then grabbed him in a hug. "What's wrong..? What happened at school?"

"Nothing specific. I'm just tired." Mitch responded softly. 

"I'm sorry, baby... Is there anything I can do..?"

"Honestly..?" Mitch pulled away a little, only to meet his eyes. "I would love some coffee."

Scott grinned at him. "Well, you're in luck. Avi's at the store getting snacks for our trip, so. Shoot him a text, and tell him I'll pay him back."

Mitch nodded slowly, deciding to not even fight him on the topic of money. "Okay... Where's Alex?"

"He was in the shower when Avi left, so... In his room probably." He backed up a step. "Want me to go grab him?"

"No, no, I was just curious."

"Okay, well... Do you still need to pack for the trip?"

"No. I mean, I should go check and make sure, but I think I've got all I need."

Scott nodded at him, and smiled. "Okay. How about... You go watch some TV and I'll try to find something for you to eat?"

Mitch nodded slowly, and then turned to walk down the hall. "I promise I'll thank you and be a lot nicer when I'm in a better mood, I promise."

Scott just chuckled. "Okay... I love you."

"I love you too." Mitch responded softly, as he knocked on Alex's bedroom door. "Allie? Are you in there?"

Alex was quiet for a few moments, before speaking up a little. "Hey, uh.. Mitchie? Can you do me a solid, and get Avi for me..?"

"He's at the store, honey. What's wrong? Can I come in?" Mitch answered, already panicked.

"No, I--" He paused. "Is Scott here..?"

"Yeah. You need him?" Mitch was already walking back into the kitchen to grab him. 

As soon as Scott walked into the bedroom, Alex called out to him. "Please close the door."

Scott met Mitch's eyes and then closed the door in front of him. "Just give us a few, baby."

He glanced around the room, but didn't know where Alex was. 

Alex spoke quickly. "Okay, so... Let me just put it out there, that I maybe fell in the shower, and maybe can't get up because the ground is wet and I maybe hurt my arm?"

Scott stood still for a second to process the information. "Okay... You're sure you don't want Mitch in here..? I mean, I don't mind. I just don't want Avi to fight me for seeing too much of you."

"I was thinking in terms of arm strength, that's all."

Scott nodded once. "Oh, that makes sense." He walked over to the bathroom door, slowly opening it. "I mean... Are you okay? How hurt are you?"

"I don't know, really. Just... Get your ass in here, please."

Scott opened the door fully, being completely certain to keep his eyes on Alex's face. 

Alex tried to break the tension. "This is going to upgrade our friendship a few levels."

Scott chuckled a little, walking over to drop a towel onto Alex's stomach. "Just... Cover yourself as much as you can, okay? I don't want you to be uncomfortable. If I try to pick you up, am I going to hurt you..?"

"I don't know. I didn't land that hard, I just.. It's too slippery and I fell when I tried to get up the first time."

Scott slid his hands underneath Alex's shoulders, only to gently start pulling him up off of the ground. "Just tell me if it starts to hurt. Are your ribs okay..? You've been injured a few times in your life..."

"No, I'm.." Alex tried to help Scott, by getting his feet underneath himself. "Sorry to bother you with something so stupid." He laughed a little, uncomfortably.

Scott held onto Alex even after he stood up, just to make sure he wouldn't fall. "Don't be dumb. Are you okay?"

Alex nodded quickly. "I'm fine... I hurt my arm, though. But it's okay."

Mitch walked into the room. "I'm sorry, can I come in now? I'm worried."

Alex wrapped the towel around himself, and then walked out of the bathroom to see Mitch. "Don't be worried, I'm okay. I just.. I fell in the shower, and needed Scott's help."

Mitch peeked into the bathroom to see Scott drying all of the water off of the floor as he closed the shower door.

Alex sat on the bed, holding the towel tightly around his waist. "Thanks for all that, Scott... Sorry, I'm a mess right now."

Mitch stood in front of Alex. "Let me see your arm..?"

Alex offered it. "I don't think it's broken, I just think it's sprained or something. I can probably sleep it off."

Mitch gently touched several places on Alex's wrist. "Does any of this hurt..?"

"No. I really don't think it's a big deal, no worries."

Mitch nodded slowly. "Okay... Well, please be honest if it starts hurting? Remember that you're a college athlete now, and you can't take that shit lightly."

Alex nodded slowly, and then looked up at him. "Can I ask you something?"

"If it's about where we're going for our vacation, I'm not allowed to talk about it."

"No, no. Just..." Alex sat up a little, a small smile on his face. "Do I look good?"

Mitch giggled a little. "Yeah, you look great."

Scott finally walked out of the bathroom. "Yeah, and to answer your first question that wasn't technically a question, we're going to a hotel in San Francisco."

Alex gasped loudly. "I love San Francisco!"

**