(((Most of this is, again, written by the perfection that is _opheliac so go show her some love.  <3 )))

"I feel like I ran a marathon. Mama is hot and sweaty and not in a happy fun way."

Mitch flopped down sideways on the couch in dramatic fashion. He could hear Scott laughing as he followed him through the door.

"Well maybe you shouldn't wear black long sleeved shirts in the middle of summer."

"I will suffer for fashion...Oof" He made a noise as Scott sat down right on his stomach. "Oh my God, get off!" 

Scott laughed, his entire face lit up with it. "Chill."  He scooted backwards so his bottom was between Mitch's hip and the back of the couch, his legs looking freakishly long as they draped over the tiny man's stomach.

"What are you even doing!?" Mitch half whined, half squealed. The younger man tried to appear annoyed but he just couldn't stop his own giggles as he squirmed to get comfy in the awkward position he was stuck in.

"Forcing you to pay attention to me." 

Scott directed an eye twinkling smile at him and the protest he was about to unleash died on his tongue. Instead he figured an exaggerated roll of eyes would suffice. 

"I think we should start making rules about fan poses for meet and greet pics. That one guy made me uncomfortable." Scott made a face as he thought about the awkward encounter where a father had wanted to do the awkward prom photo specifically with him behind Scott. 

Mitch couldn't help but laugh. "I couldn't tell who was a bigger fan, his daughter or him.  I swear I've never been so skeeved out when he did that exaggerated wink at you.  I'm all about older men, but ..." 

"Wrong kind of daddy." 

"Ewwwa"

"I'm desperate but not that desperate." Scott  shook his head. 

"Biiiitch, all you have to do is walk into a room and you can get laid. Stop acting like you're some troll who no one wants a piece of.  If you don't want to appreciate the body you have then feel free to switch with me. I'll gladly take it for a test run or twenty." He smirked. 

Scott shot him a look. "Would you now?" He let his brows rise and fall suggestively.  "Speaking of me and desperate, we should go out tonight."

"That's a negative." Mitch struggled for a second to get his arm down beneath him to pull out his phone and made a face as he wiggled down into the couch a bit to try and get comfy again once he was successful.

"You can't get laid sitting in a hotel room, Mitch." 

"My phone says otherwise. There's an app for that."

"Fine, fine. Do you want to watch a movie or something in my room after the show instead?"

Scott sounded hopeful and when Mitch finally looked up at him he knew there was no arguing with that face. He made a show of pretending to be inconvenienced, but he knew Scott could see through the huff and eye roll. "I guess I can pencil you in... but only if you order room service." 

"God, such high maintenance. We should work on Superfruit ideas."

Scott was smiling and though Mitch was practically dying of heat underneath the overgrown toddler's beanstalk legs, he didn't really mind. Still, he was sweating buckets and they still had to get through sound check before he could change.

"Alright...up!  Get up before I melt into nothing."

"Nooooo, I'm comfy."

"I will kill you."

"Wait this is the perfect position.... for... "

Mitch squirmed as Scott's fingers somehow managed to find his side, tickling until he let out a strangled, "Nooooo" His phone hit the carpet and he tried to pry those hands away as unwanted laughter spilled from his lips. "Stopppp"

Scott gave one last second of intense tickles before he finally got off of his friend and hurried to the other side of the room. He ducked just in time to miss the stuffed animal one of their fans had given them at meet & greet that Mitch had launched at him as he sucked in air.

"I hate you so much."

"You love it." 

Scott was still giggling when Esther poked her head to remind them, "15 minutes until sound check..."

"Ugh, now I'm gross.." Mitch wiped at his eyes daintily and waved the hem of his shirt to try and get some air flow. "I hope it's dark out there."

"Ok, Princess, I'm gonna go get us some water.  I'll be back."

"I'll just be here standing in front of the AC and hoping I don't have sweat stains in the light of flash photography."

"Just change shirts!" Scott called out as he walked out the door. 

"I'd rather die." Mitch sang back.

-----
-----

He was cold.

That was the first thing that Scott noticed upon waking up, his eyelids still heavy from the deep sleep he had fallen into. It took him a couple of minutes to be fully conscious of his whereabouts, his mind spinning and his stomach feeling like he was about to throw up. It was hard to keep his eyes open, and for a good few minutes he felt like he was floating, unable to focus enough on the present.

He couldn't remember one thing from the journey - could he even call it that? The last thing he could remember was the blinding light that had surrounded him, and nothing else. He would have thought he had only passed out if it wasn't for the general feeling of sickness and exhaustion that was running through his body - and he definitely wasn't a sporty guy. He couldn't remember the last time he had ran, unless it was to go get his food.

When he was finally able to sit up without feeling like he was about to faint, a mix of different feelings hit him and made his stomach turn into knots. Again he hadn't known what to expect, but this place wasn't exactly it. It's not that there was something wrong with it, either - more than that, it was exactly the opposite. Nothing seemed out of place.

The room where he had woken up looked, to Scott's eyes, completely normal. It was a large space, filled with tables and couches, one of those places where you would organize a huge gathering. There wasn't much clutter around, nothing that could give him more information about where he was. Large white curtains covered the windows, so that he wasn't able to see outside - which was exactly what he wanted to do. He had heard so much about the whole parallel universes theory, and from what he knew he was one of the very few people that had been selected for the project.  He wanted to see with his own eyes if all the talk was actually true.

He waited long enough for his legs to feel steady again, not wanting to crash on the floor and attract unwanted attention, since he had no idea where he was and what he was gonna say to explain his sudden presence in the room. The rational part of his brain was telling him to go hide somewhere more private so that he could figure out what he had to do next, and maybe try to contact the team back home, but curiosity got the best of him. He needed proof.

He wondered if that was how researchers must feel, holding their breaths as they discovered something new and tangible after years of only studying the theory. He wouldn't know.

The view outside the windows was breathtaking. It was obvious enough that he was in a city, tall buildings surrounding the streets; everything sounded loud and alive, rows and rows of cars filling up the roads, while people walked around in colorful outfits. It didn't seem that much different from his own universe, and he would have thought he was still in his own world if it wasn't for some details that, albeit being small things, stood out to him in a blinding way.

The sky was spectacularly blue, with fluffy white clouds splattered around, creating such a unique pattern that he had only seen in paintings. There was nothing glossing the perfection of the clear sky above him, no orange shade blending with the blue or dirt particles filling the air, perfectly noticeable by the human eyes. Scott figured it was because of the trees that he could see scattered everywhere, luxuriant and beautiful. He wondered if there were flowers around too, and what they would smell like. He had never smelled a real one, he only knew that they were supposed to be very good, if perfumes very true to their words.

He didn't know how long he stood there, his hand placed against the glass, eyes moving fast almost like he was trying to capture every single detail that he was witnessing. He had the sudden urge to leave the room and go out, already wondering if the air would feel cleaner in his lungs, if it would make him feel different. At the same time, though, there was a sting of fear running through his veins, a need to hide in a corner and curl into a ball, goosebumps already surfacing on his skin, overwhelmed by all the different emotions.

There was no time to decide though, the door opening with a loud bang and startling him, making him jump on his spot and almost slamming against the glass. He turned around quickly, heart beating fast as he suddenly remembered that he wasn't supposed to be there. He could feel his brain working hard to try and find some kind of explanations for his presence there, and he really wished that whoever it was would not question him too much.

The person barging into the room was a young woman, and a pretty one too. She didn't look any different than how women looked in his world, with fairly long mahogany hair and a lovely roundish face, dark eyes sticking out with her fair complexion. She was dressed in black from head to toe, and Scott guessed she was probably part of some kind of entourage, if the black shirt with STAFF written in bold white was of any indication.

She seemed surprised to see him in there, but didn't scream or ran away, which he truly appreciated. Instead, she just frowned, making her way towards him. "Hey Scott," she greeted him, and he had to force himself to stay still, suppressing the startled gasp that wanted to leave his mouth. How did she know his name? "What are you doing here? I thought Esther told you to not wander around. There's a sound curfew at this venue, remember? Tight schedule."

"Uh.. I.." He struggled to find words, his eyes darting around as if to get some magic idea. He almost sighed in relief when they landed on the nameplate that she was wearing around her neck, where a name was written along with her picture. Kate. "Listen.. Kate. I don't - "

"And what in the world are you wearing?" He blinked, trying to understand what that weird girl meant by that, his clothes nothing more than black pants and a simple white shirt, but he didn't have time to reply. She grabbed his wrist without warning and started leading him out of the room, her grip surprisingly stronger than what he had expected. He couldn't do anything else but follow her, turning around to cast one last longing look to the world he could still see outside the window, wondering when he would be able to actually experience it.

Their footsteps reverberated through the long corridor they were walking, both of them staying silent instead of engaging in a conversation, Kate way too focused on scrolling through what seemed a small square device that Scott didn't really know what it was. It might have been a telephone or some other kind of electronic device for what he knew. It's not like he was paying that much attention, though.

He was pretty sure that his eyes were as big as lightbulbs as he looked around, his mind spinning in circles as he tried to figure out what the hell was going on. Her words kept echoing in his mind, and the more he tried to make out any sense of them, the more he couldn't succeed. What kind of press was she talking about? Who was Esther? Why didn't she seem surprised to find a complete stranger in the room, and again, how did she know his name? She sounded like it was completely normal for him to be there, and it definitely sounded like she knew him - but he didn't. It made absolutely no sense, and he couldn't figure out what was going on. He wanted nothing more than stop her and ask for explanations, but he didn't want to cause troubles.

She must have confused him with someone else, there was no other explanation. Sure, it maybe didn't help that he seemed to have the same name as the guy she was looking for, so when she had called him he had instantly turned around, and she must have thought that it was him. He only hoped that wherever she was leading him to he would end up having enough time to figure out what his next move was going to be, and then leave the building unnoticed. He couldn't wait to explore this new world.

A new world. The idea was enough to make him dizzy again. As he walked behind Kate, he let his mind wander back to the endless conversations he had had with Roger, when the man had first reached out to him to explain how the program worked.

He honestly couldn't remember much, the subject way too complicated for him, but he had tried to grasp at least some pieces. He kind of remembered Roger saying that to make the journey possible, the scientists had needed to create a link between their universe and the one he was currently in, almost like building a path where a person could walk onto. That link, Roger had explained, had been how the researchers team of both universes had found out about the others, and discovered a way to make the connection work when they needed it to, and not just randomly. It had been a very complicated speech that Scott hadn't really been able to grasp, especially as soon as the string theory had been mentioned.

There was one thing he had been able to understand, though: the connection only worked from their universe to this one. They had told him countless of times, trying to make sure that he understood all the different aspects related to it. First, it meant that he couldn't tell the people of the other world where he really was from, because they were not aware of the program. Only few people on the other side knew about the connection established between the two worlds, and Scott had to make sure to not reveal the big secret..

Secondly and most important, though, it meant that it was a one-way journey. Roger had focused a lot on that point, concern displayed in his dark eyes every time they landed on him, clearly trying to comprehend why he was so eager to leave everything he had behind. Scott had always been reticent when it came to the subject, but in the end the time had come when he couldn't keep it a secret anymore, not if he wanted to advance in the selection. The scientist hadn't commented on it, only pursing his lips and nodding, sensing the discomfort and the sorrow coming out of his mouth, and for that Scott would forever be thankful.

Funnily enough, he already missed that madman that had kept him company during the last months of preparation. He moved his eyes to his wrist, where a simple black band was placed. It was supposed to be a communication device, something that the program had been trying to develop since they had sent the first guy, but it had never worked. They had still given it to him, hoping that this time would be the lucky one. Of course, the device was completely dead, which meant that there was no way to contact home. Not that Scott had any hope - he had wanted to escape from it, after all. Maybe if the device would have still worked, he would have been nostalgic. This way, he was free.

Free, and scared.

A surprised gasp left his mouth when Kate suddenly stopped in front of him and he almost knocked her down, only her reflexes saving them from a hard fall. She turned to look at him with wide eyes, probably wondering why he was acting like he had no idea where he was - which was the exact truth, even if he couldn't tell her.

"Okay, you obviously need to rest before the show. I have no idea why you're wearing long sleeves in the middle of summer, but you kids are weird. Just take that off, it's obvious that you need to cool down, the heat must be making you insane." She talked fast, not stopping to take a breath until she was done, her hands moving to put the weird device in the back of her pants before she took a white card out of one pocket and used it to open the door in front of them. "Okay, here you go. Show is in two hours, don't you guys go running around like all the time, please."

She pushed him inside the room and he just let her, way too confused to even try to argue. She just went on and on about how someone called Genevieve was supposed to go check on them soon and fix their make up. Scott had no idea who them was supposed to be, or why someone was going to put makeup on a guy, but decided to not worry too much about those questions. It might have been a parallel universe, but he already had proof that some things were different.

When she finally closed the door behind her back and left him alone, he let out a sigh of relief. He was surprised by how tired he felt, almost like the brief walk had taken away all the energy that he had started to get back. He also still felt on the edge, almost like he had to keep a facade like he had done with Kate - even if he had done nothing more than nodding at her blabbering.

Finally allowing himself to look around, Scott was kind of disappointed. It was a spacious room, with big mirrors all around the walls and sofas that looked very comfortable. Different bags were scattered around, all of them overfilled with what looked like clothes and envelopes. A small window covered with thick curtains was on the other side of the room, but not much light came through it, and the space in front of it was filled with coats and even more bags. A grimace appeared on his face. It's not that something was wrong about it, but the space was cold, clearly not meant to have a homey feeling about it. But then again, Kate had mentioned a show, so maybe this was supposed to be some kind of dressing room. Sure would explain the clothes.

The only thing that caught his attention was the vase filled with colorful flowers on one corner of the table, next to a bowl with what looked like fruit in it. Marveled, Scott walked towards it, his hand soon cupping one small purple blossom. It had a weird texture, something that resembled velvet and silk mixed together, and it was cold at the touch, humid but not wet. And the smell... the perfumes could never give it justice. It smelled like fresh grass and something sweet, but without the hint of alcohol that colognes always carried around. He could have spent all day just seated at the table, inhaling it, bathing in the smell of something so simple and yet so forgotten as flowers.

Mitch would have loved them, he thought all of a sudden, the idea making his stomach twist. His Mitchy would have loved the idea of a world that looked so similar to theirs, but where flowers and trees were something real and not just pictures, where the sky was blue like movies showed, where the fruit looked colorful and healthy, not like the one they used to buy that tasted like paper. But his love liked it so much, and Scott could remember when they would save enough money to have some good stuff, feeding each other with big grins on their faces, and how he had never been happier than watching the brunette that held his heart enjoy something so simple and yet wonderful as a strawberry.

Scott had not eaten fruit since Mitch had taken his last breath, all those months ago. The taste had become poison to him, almost like it carried with it all the memories of their life together, and all the ones that they would never be able to build.

He was still trying to regain control of his own emotions, his eyes still threatening to spill from that memory alone, when he heard footsteps outside the door, and he remembered that he wasn't supposed to be there. He straightened up, eyes darting around looking for some last minute refuge, when the door opened and he could hear someone talking as they entered the room.

"... backstage in like 15 minutes, okay. Bye mom!" That voice was enough to make his heart sing and his mind spin. It was enough to destroy him and build him back again. That voice that he hadn't heard in so long but he could still remember so clearly. "Hey bitch, where...  wait what are you wearing?!"

Scott was pretty sure he had lost every ability to speak, to breathe, to do anything. The person standing in front of him looked so different than what he remembered, but he would recognize him anywhere, in any time, in any way. It was his Mitchy. A bit skinnier than how he used to be before the sickness, with a much edgier haircut than he would ever imagine him wearing and with clothes that looked too expensive for their finances, but it was him. He still had the same eyes, so dark and sparkling that they could capture you with one single gaze, completely owning your heart. The same lips, so soft looking and pink, that so many times had traced Scott's body as they made love, whispering promises and sweet nothings. And his nose that he loved so much and that Mitch would always complain about, unless Scott kissed him all over just to hear him giggle.

A punch in the guts would have hurt less. That beautiful guy was undoubtedly Mitch. He looked like him, sounded like him and god.. he even smiled like him, bright enough to fill the entire room and make him forget about everything else, his whole presence pulling him in like a magnet. He wanted to forget about every discretion and just wrap his arms around him like they used to do, engulf him in a hug, burying his nose into his neck and inhaling his scent just to see if he still smelled like he did in his dreams.

But it wasn't him, Scott realized as tears threatened to fall once again. It might have been a Mitch, but it wasn't his Mitchy, and he felt like he had lost him once again. He wanted to curl into a ball and cry all the tears that he had managed to keep away, cursing a fate that wanted nothing more than destroy every chance of happiness Scott would try to catch.

If there was a god out there, he sure as hell had pissed him off, because there was no way that, even in another world, he would end up feeling like he had found the love of his life only to realize it wasn't really him. It really wasn't fair.

"Was the spray tan Gen's idea? Scott??  ...   ... Babe, what's-"

Before Mitch could finish his question, the door of the dressing room opened again and closed immediately after, and if possible, he felt even sicker. He had to resist the urge to fall on his knees and laugh and yell against the god that sure was having such a great time making fun of him.

"Mitchyyy! Where the hell did you- - what the fuck?"

Maybe Scott should have felt relieved that, even in another universe, they were together. But as his tears filled eyes looked up from the crouched down spot he had been in, and found two pairs of wide eyes set on him, he couldn't help but think how cruel it was that he didn't have his own Mitch from his side like this other Scott did.