Scott hears a loud noise from inside the kitchen. CLANK! He glances at the clock. He must have really overslept. Wyatt arches his back and hisses.
"Mitch, is that you making all that noise?" Scott asks.
"Oh, good morning." Mitch says in a peppy voice. Scott turns around and sees Mitch in a suit of armor.
"What are you wearing?" Scott asks laughing at how silly he looks.
"Why? Do you like it? It's a suit of armor to keep you from tickling me." Mitch says trying to strike a pose under the weight of the armor. For some reason Scott is not surprised by Mitch's behavior. He's seen him do much weirder things before.
"You are so ridiculous. Are you trying to teach me a lesson or something?" Scott asks.
"Is it working?" Mitch asks hearing his voice echo into the helmet.
"You're going to have to take that thing off eventually." Scott says. Mitch can hardly hear him through the helmet.
"To go to the bathroom and take a shower, yeah. Other than that I'm never taking it off." Mitch says.
"Isn't that uncomfortable?" Scott asks.
"Not at all. Sure I have no peripheral vision, but it's totally worth it." Mitch says.
"You are not going to The Cracker Barrel looking like that." Scott says. Mitch had nearly forgotten about going to eat with Kirstie, Kevin, and Avi. He dreads the idea of wearing the armor in public, but if he takes it off, Scott wins.
"Is that a challenge?" Mitch asks. Scott grabs his keys and heads out the door. Mitch staggers behind him clanking at every step. The sound of the metal hitting the floor is starting to get on their nerves.
"You're taking forever." Scott says forcing Mitch to piggy back ride him onto battle.
"Wait! The suit is too heavy. If you drop me I will kill you." Mitch says feeling Scott wobble underneath him. Scott manages to get both of them into the car in one piece.
CLANK! CLANK! CLANK!
"Now what?" Scott asks exasperatedly as he holds on to the steering wheel.
"The stupid seatbelt." Mitch growls.
"Forget it. Even if we do get in an accident you'll be the safest one here." Scott says.
"Excuse me. Are you suggesting that I should break the law? I am not about that life, sweetheart. Click it or ticket." Mitch says trying to get even more on Scott's nerves.
"I can't even handle you right now." Scott says pulling over and letting Mitch buckle his seatbelt.
"Maybe next time you'll stop and think before you invade my personal space." Mitch says loving the fact that he has the upper hand. Scott parks the car in front of The Cracker Barrel.
"People are staring at us. Would you take that thing off already?" Scott asks.
"I know you want to see me strip, but this is not the time or place for that kind of behavior." Mitch says somewhat seductively as Scott lugs him into the restaurant.
"There you guys are. What took you so long?" Kirstie asks. They are enough of a distraction for Kevin to steal a few fries off of Kirstie's plate.
"Um, Mitch… Why are you dressed up like a knight?" Kevin asks.
"Don't ask." Scott sighs resting his head on the table.
"Do I even wanna know?" Avi asks looking up over his menu.
"I do!" Kirstie says curiously. Kirstie always loved a good story.
"He's such a child. He won't take the stupid thing off." Scott says burying his face into the menu.
"Seriously, Mitch? Just take the darn suit off." Avi says trying to be the reasonable one in the group.
"I can't. He'll tickle me." Mitch whines.
"That's what this is about?" Kevin asks.
"Yep. This could have all been prevented if someone kept their hands to themself." Mitch says. Scott playfully hits the metal unintentionally creating a gong like noise inside of the suit. Mitch is so startled that he nearly leaps in front of the chair. He quickly removes the helmet knocking over a drink on the table. The food Scott ordered is now all soggy.
"That actually sounds pretty cool." Kevin says lightly tapping the metal.
"Stop it! I am not an instrument." Mitch says trying to get away from Kevin. Scott sees the tables turning in his favor. If he torments him enough he'd be bound to take the suit off.
"Is mayonnaise an instrument?" Avi asks squeezing his sandwich and making the mayonnaise seep out of the bread. Everyone sitting at their table laugh in unison. They give the waitress extra money on her tip for putting up to their antics. After paying for their meal, Scott drops an ice cube into Mitch's suit.
"Wait! What are you doing?! NO! Oh my god! That's really freaking cold." Mitch says failing to use his indoor voice. He really didn't want to make a scene any more than he already did.
"Guys! You're going to get us all kicked out." Kirstie says. She is the only one who seems to notice the people at the other tables staring at them.
"That was not cool, Scott. He's shivering." Kevin says.
"He wouldn't be shivering if he would just take the suit off." Scott says.
"Never!" Mitch hisses.
"You're such a drama queen. Tickling isn't even that bad. It's not like it hurts or anything." Scott laughs.
"That's not the point. He trusted you and you broke a boundary. If you ever want him to take the suit off, you have to earn that trust back." Kirsie says.
"Let's not fight anymore. We're supposed to be a big happy family." Kevin says.
"We still are, Kevin. It was just a little prank. It's going to take a heck of a lot more than a hunk of metal to get in between our friendship." Scott says reassuringly.
"I have to agree with Scott on this one. You can't wear that suit all of the time. What about the show on Friday? How are we supposed to hear each other if he has a helmet on? Besides you can hardly move in that thing." Avi says stroking his beard with his fingers.
"He does have a point you know." Scott says.
"I know." Mitch growls feeling the ice cube melting on him.
After returning home, Mitch uses every shred of will power he has to keep the suit on. Getting up and down the stairs is like running a marathon in heels and sleeping in the suit is nearly impossible. Wyatt won't go anywhere near him because of the horrible clattering noise. Even after decorating it with Pokémon stickers, he still isn't fond of the way it looks on him. It will be well worth it once he gets his apology from Scott.
