I'm snowed in with 16 inches of snow outside so I've gotten a few one shots done in my spare time. If I die of boredom make sure my mom doesn't see any of this okay? Cool.

It's Scott who wakes him up this morning. Which is weird, because Scott loves sleeping more than anyone (except maybe Avi, because Mitch has never met anyone who sleeps as much as him). Usually, it's Mitch who's up first, because as much as he loves to sleep, he loves being awake more, likes having his eyes open and feeling everything around him. That's kind of hard to do when you're sleeping. So he'll crawl out of bed, make some coffee and toast, and then it's a little while before Scott is stumbling out all bleary-eyed and yawning, kind of like a lion cub..

But this morning, it's Scott, jumping onto the bed and Mitch is groaning and trying to roll away. Scott is screaming something, yelling loudly and Mitch blinks his eyes, glances at the clock that says it's just past 7. He didn't go to bed until about 5, after drinking quite a bit to ring in the new year. His brain isn't quite ready to function after only 2 hours of sleep.

"Mitch get uuuuuup!" Scott whines, flopping down next to Mitch on the bed, and Mitch squeezes his eyes shut because Scott has opened the curtain and the sun is over the horizon and demanding to be seen and it's so bright. "Mitchieeee," Scott continues, shaking the other boy's shoulders.

"Sleepy." Mitch mumbles, turning onto his stomach and shoving his face into a pillow. "Why awake?" He's not one for coherence when he's tired and there's a hangover tingling in the edges of his brain.

"Snow!" Scott yells, reaching out and tickling Mitch and that's just not fair. Mitch's dangerously ticklish and Scott knows all of his weak spots and before Mitch is even fully awake he's rolling around in bed, squirming to get away from Scott's unforgiving fingers and laughing and crying because it hurts.

"Stop!" he yells. Before he knows what's happening, he's on his back and Scott is sitting on top of him, holding Mitch down and tickling his sides repeating, "Snow, Mitchie!" over and over again.

"You gonna play in the snow with me?" Scott giggles as Mitch hollers and laughs harder as he screams yes, because he'll do anything for Scott to just stop.

He does then, smirking mischievously and pulling his hands away, and Mitch instinctively reaches out to him. He just wanted Scott to stop tickling him, not to pull away altogether. Besides, Mitch just likes to feel Scott, likes the way he's always kind of warm, because sometimes Mitch feels cold and flustered, and Scott just seems to warm him up.

Scott smiles down fondly at Mitch, hands interlocking and eyes shining snow flurry blue. Mitch can't really think of how to describe Scott's eyes, if he's honest. There's a million and one things they look like, but they also look like something completely new and unknown. Sometimes he just stares at them, because what the hell Scott, why do his eyes has to be like that? Why does Scott have to be difficult?

"Get up so we can go play!" Scott cheers, squeezing Mitch's hands before standing up on the bed, and Mitch laughs, stretching out his limbs.

"Are you sure you're older?" Mitch laughs, and Scott jumps over him and lands on the floor gracefully, while Mitch pouts because just thinking about trying to do that makes his ass hurt from where he would definitely bust it.

"Only by a year!" Scott cheers, and he runs out of the room. "I'm making breakfast, be downstairs in ten!"

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It's cold. Like really cold. Being home, they get this heavy kind of cold, that even when the sun is shining it's still freezing, and Mitch shivers in his two jackets and two layers of thermals. LA spoiled him, he's sure, with warm weather and a sun that doesn't contradict the temperature.

Scott is already flushing red, the tip of his nose becoming pink and his breath coming out in little white puffs. He's smiling wide, teeth all straight and white like a pearl necklace, and Mitch tries to remember how it looked before the braces, but he can't picture it.

"Let's goooo!" Scott cheers, grabbing Mitch by the arm and running to the side of the house. His footprints hit the snow, earning a crunch, and Mitch follows after, tripping over his own feet. "We've got sleds!"

Mitch laughs, but follows, tripping and slipping. "Are you five?" he chuckles, letting Scott pull him down like a rag doll.

"I'm happy," Scott sighs. He spins around suddenly, kicking up snow and sticking his tongue out, even though no flakes are falling. Mitch laughs, shoves him lightly and Scott is grinning, lighting up like a christmas tree and fireworks. "This is the first new years I've been able to enjoy the snow, ya know? And you're here!" He reaches out and he's grabbing Mitch by the shoulders, smile so big it makes his cheeks hurt. "I'm just happy, Mitch, ya know?"

And he does, does know how it's nice that nothing needs to happen, not pictures or gigs or smiles to force. It's so nice, and yeah he gets that Scott is happy. Because now that he thinks about it, he doesn't remember the last time he's played in the snow either.

So he smiles and lets Scott pull him into a hug that's constricted by their jackets and layers, but it's still nice. Scott leans down, pecks Mitch's cheek, before he's running off again, screaming about sleds, and Mitch is laughing, following behind him.

-------

They sled and roll around, and half an hour in Scott is dying to make a snowman. Mitch indulges him, rolls little balls of snow along the ground and watches as they get bigger and bigger. When he turns around, Scott is laughing and holding two snowballs to his chest and trying to make it look like he has boobs, and he's so immature that Mitch falls back laughing, feeling like he's falling in love with Scott one hundred times over in one heartbeat.

"You're ridiculous!" Mitch shouts, because it's the only thing he can think of to say in between laughs.

"Am not!" Scott yells, throwing one of the snowballs and hitting Mitch's stomach. It doesn't hurt, ( he has too many layers on to really feel it) but he doubles over and groans like he's been shot, mumbling something about telling his mother he loves her, before reaching down and packing a weak snowball in his gloves, throwing it and hitting Scott's back as he turns to run.

Mitch chases after him, tailing him and throwing snowballs at him while Scott ducks between trees, throwing his own ammunition. Mitch's heart is pounding in his chest but he feels his smile is growing wider by the second, as more laughs escape from Scott.

Mitch's chasing after him, just barely catching Scott's elbow, before he's sliding on a patch of ice, slamming into Scott's back and toppling them both over. It's laughter and screams as they land with a thud, and Scott is rolling them around, while Mitch is laughing too hard to fight back. Scott has him pinned on his back in the snow, straddling him and gripping on to the front of his jacket. Mitch's hat has been lost in the midst of their war and the struggles pulled his scarf down his neck, so the back of his head is freezing and there's snow on his neck. The longer he lays there laughing, the colder his back gets. It'll be unbearable soon, and the grip on him isn't too strong. He thinks about trying to roll them over until he's not in the snow anymore.

Except the thing is, Scott sparkles. He fucking sparkles when he looks like this and so it's okay that Mitch is cold and getting wet. Before he realizes it the words are spilling out, "I miss you too much."

Scott's giggle slow, his smile going to something fond and his eyes softening. It's not the first time Mitch has said it, that he misses Scott too much when they're not together like this, that even after being on tour together for months, Mitch misses him when he's gone. It may not be the first time he's said it, but it always feels like a childish confession. Because he shouldn't miss Scott as much as he does, not enough to fly out and spend new years with him and his family, impose so he can curl up against him in the middle of the night and hold his hands when he's cold. It shouldn't ache as bad as it does, but the thing is, it does, and he tells Scott every time he remembers.

"I miss you too." Scott whispers, leaning down and nudging their red noses together, closing his eyes and smiling softly.

Mitch grins, dimples in his cheeks as he picks his head up, pressing kisses to the tip of Scott's nose. Scott's smile grows, and that encourages Mitch to peck his nose again and again until Scott is squirming and laughing. When Mitch finally flicks his tongue out, licking the tip of Scott's nose, Scott laughs harshly, rolling off and landing on his back.

When Mitch looks over, Scott's eyes are closed and his tongue is sticking out, even though nothing is coming down. His hair is dripping with melted snow, his whole face is red, and he's so pale. Mitch is so in love with Scott Hoying, that sometimes he kind of forgets how to breathe.

He rolls over, landing himself on top of Scott with an "oof" and Scott is smiling, while Mitch frames his face with his hands. Everything about them is so perfectly placed and balanced, Mitch never wants to be away from Scott again.