Mitch wakes up to the smell of fresh coffee and the sound of Jake's bedroom door creeping open.  He's tempted to pull the sheet over his head, but instead he clutches the hem of it under his chin and looks up at Jake under heavy eyelids just as Jake sets a mug on the nightstand and cradles another one in his hand. He groans grumpily as Jake crawls onto the bed, over Mitch's lump of a body and settles himself beside him.

"I don't know how you drink that shit," Jake says casually. "It's too strong for me."

Mitch rolls his eyes and pushes himself up to lean against the headboard, grabbing the mug with both hands. "Thanks." He murmurs.

Jake nods, but remains silent, like he's waiting for Mitch. He's there to listen if Mitch needs to talk or if he just wants to sit in silence.

Mitch sighs...talking about it is both the thing he wants to do more than anything and the thing he wants to avoid more than anything. He drops his head back against the headboard and stares at the ceiling. "Scott and I have been...or were...seeing each other." His voice is rough, having cried his throat raw most of the night. He knows he doesn't have to actually say it, knows that Jake heard what he said last night, but he feels like he needs to say it out loud. "Well, not seeing each other. I thought we were seeing each other but I think we were just...fucking."

"I know."

Mitch's gaze snaps towards Jake, taken aback and a bit confused. "How?"

Jake shrugs. "I always knew you kinda had a thing for him. And I know you guys have sort of lived in each others' back pockets, but lately it's been like, twice as obvious. I mean, you haven't even slept in your bed in ages Mitch. Plus, I went over to Scott's to get something of mine and he was too lazy to get it so I went to his room and saw his laundry basket was filled with half of your clothes. I know you like to wear some of his things, but he obviously can't fit yours so..."

Mitch just blinks at him. "You never said anything."

"I figured there was a reason you guys didn't say anything and you'd let me know when you were ready." Jake explains.

Mitch snorts, rolling his eyes. "Yeah, and I'm still not even 100% sure why."

Jake frowns and rubs Mitch's blanket covered leg. "Does that have something to do with why you crawled in my bed this morning?"

"I'm just..." Mitch sighs again as he trails off, looking down into his mug. "I'm just tired of hiding, Jake..."

Silence falls between them and Jake gently squeezes Mitch's knee.

"Like, I know coming out is a big deal for him," Mitch starts to explain absentmindedly. He can already feel the weight lifting off of his shoulders, to finally be able to talk to someone about it. "Especially since I'm the only guy he's been with, and I know he's got commitment issues... and I was okay with all of that at first. I didn't like it sometimes... especially when he continued to sleep around with girls, but then he told me he didn't want to be with anybody else and it started to feel less like we were just friends with benefits and more like we were in an actual relationship. I thought we were getting somewhere. I thought... I thought we were finally on the same page."

"What happened last night then?"

"Well, more like what happened two night ago..."

Jake sits in silence, staring at Mitch, waiting for him to elaborate.

Mitch finally takes a sip of his coffee, and relishes in the taste, as well as the warmth it spreads through his whole body. He lowers the mug, cradling it between both hands and continues to stare into it. "He...he told me he loved me-"

Jake snaps forward, nearly spilling his coffee in the process. He stares at Mitch. "He what?!"

Mitch shakes his head, lifting his gaze up to meet Jake's. "Not... I mean, not like that. It's not... it was during sex. I didn't think anything of it at first, but then he said it again and then I asked him to say it a third time and...and then I said it. It wasn't like, special or anything, but it happened and that's all I care about y'know? And then his mom showed up yesterday morning and he told her I slept in the guest bedroom like we aren't... like we didn't just..." He trails off. His voice is starting to crack and his bottom lip is starting to tremble and he can feel the tears coming again. His chest feels tight, like his heart is breaking apart all over again. "They wanted me to spend the day with them, like I normally would," He continues a moment later, "but I couldn't so I left and then we got into a fight because he couldn't understand why I was upset. And then he showed up early this morning and we sort of got into another fight and he couldn't... I don't need him to make an announcement. I just wanted him to tell his mother and he couldn't choose that over losing me."

"So...that's is? It's over between you two?"

Mitch shrugs. "We...we want different things... or, I don't know. Maybe we want the same thing but I'm just the only one who wants it enough to stop denying it. And I can't... I can't be his secret anymore. I can't live in denial or live in a lie."

"And you shouldn't have too Mitch. You deserve more than that." Jake assures him gently.

Mitch lets out a shaky breath as he moves to place his mug back on the nightstand and then presses the palms of his hands against his eyes. There's a sob bubbling in his throat as he curls in on himself, toward Jake. "Fuck Jake, this is so hard." he mutters.

Jake reaches out immediately to place his own mug besides Mitch's before gathering him into his arms. "I know." he whispers, rubbing his hand up and down Mitch's back.