Wonderful Things

It was at a school dance when they met. In the 8th grade - it was one of those ‘semi-formal’ dances that the school always threw to send the kids off to high school. There were actually two middle schools in the small city in Michigan, so they combined the two dances in to one, allowing the kids to mingle with the kids they’d be with when they got up to the lone high school.

Vic noticed him staring at him from across the room at a different table. He was instantly intrigued, but he was practically socially crippled when it came to making new friends, so he shyly looked away at the dance floor. It would be an hour or so later when he’d run in to that boy again, as he nearly knocked the skinny Mexican over during some stupid song that Vic didn’t like.

“Oops!” he said. “Didn’t mean to bump you!”

“Don’t worry about it,” said Vic, holding out a hand to steady Kellin, who still looked a little wobbly on his feet. His body was so warm, that was one thing that Vic would notice. He could feel the heat radiating from under Kellin’s dress shirt.

“You were staring at me earlier,” the kid burst out, looking Vic dead in the eyes with way too much confidence. He laughed, smirking at him. “I notice these things.”

Color flushed in to Vic’s cheeks and he moved his hair out of his eye, feeling like he’d been caught doing something bad. “Uh, you were staring at me too, that’s why,” he shot back.

He had short hair at the time, and it was a lot lighter than it would grow to be, making his pale skin seem… not quite so pale. “I’m Kellin,” he said, sticking out a hand. “We’re friends now.”

A smile came to Vic’s face as he gave his own name and shook the boy’s hand. They had actually spent the rest of the night talking about normal 8th grade things - gym class, girls, guitars, classes for next year, everything and anything. And Vic would go home that night and smile when he saw the friend request on his Facebook page.

—-

Freshmen year they became best friends. As luck would have it, they had almost every class together and they had a blast giving their gym teachers hell. And Kellin was by Vic’s side when he sprained his ankle, and he helped him hobble down to the nurses office. It wasn’t even weird to them when the pale boy laced his fingers with Vic’s, squeezing his hand every time the pain got too intense.

Nothing really happened until Junior year when Kellin came out in early September, not to anyone’s shock - not even Vic’s. He’d had his suspicions about his best friend, but he never voiced them, being the still-awkward teenager that he was. Vic was, however, the first person that Kellin told.

“Of course we’re still bros,” Vic had smiled, slinging an arm around Kellin’s shoulders. “Just cause you like it up the ass doesn’t change a thing.”

“Hey! I never said I was a bottom,” Kellin laughed. “I’m still figuring my own shit out, you know?”

Vic nodded and they kept going on their walk home. Kellin had suggested they walk rather than take the bus to give himself the perfect opportunity to say what he needed to get off his chest. It was almost like nothing happened, because Vic had accepted that they might be having this talk a long time ago. It didn’t make a difference to him at all whether Kellin was gay or not, because he was just glad to have the boy there with him.

And it was later in the year that things started to heat up. Go figure, it was at another dance. Only, it was prom this time.

Vic stood leaning against the wall in his suit that was tailored to match with Shaunah, the girl he’d brought. The same girl he was watching on the dance floor with a bunch of other guys because Vic was frankly too awkward to join in with them. He averted his eyes from her though, because she didn’t matter.

Across the room, he was looking at Kellin. The now long and dark haired boy was standing next to his date - a girl that couldn’t find any other date, and seeing as Kellin wasn’t interested in anyone else as far as Vic knew, they decided to go together. That was fine. It was normal - the only thing Vic didn’t like was that they ended up at separate tables, but that didn’t matter.

No matter how much he wanted to deny it, however, he felt a little… jealous. Here he was, all by himself, and there Kellin was laughing and looking well… gorgeous in ways that Vic didn’t really understand. A flush of warmth invaded his face when Kellin caught his eye and smirked.

Like he had done so many other times in the past week, Vic felt like running and dying from embarrassment, even though this was his best friend. It didn’t make sense for him to be afraid… right? Still, his insides were squirming as Kellin made his way over, his smirk growing in to a full smile.

“Hey, Viccy poo,” he said, his voice sounding cool. The girl Kellin had brought looked around and saw him talking with Vic and immediately shrugged it off and turned back to the friends she was conversing with. “You’re looking snazzy tonight, aren’t you?”

“Th-hanks,” Vic stuttered, hiding his nervousness with a quick cough.

Kellin was chuckling, watching his every move. Vic didn’t understand the pressure he was feeling under his intense stare… it was like butterflies. “Can I tell you something I find kind of wonderful, Vic?” said Kellin. Even though he was scared of what it was, Vic gave him a stiff nod to let him continue. “Couldn’t help but notice you were staring at me too, Vic. I probably shouldn’t say this… but I think you’re falling for me.” He winked and shoved his hands in to his pockets.

Vic could have thrown up. “W-what?!” He exclaimed. “What gives you THAT idea?”

“I can tell,” said Kellin, stepping closer.

“Y-you’re my best friend,” Vic shot back, backing himself in to the wall, even though his heart was screaming at him to take just a few steps towards the paler boy.

“Am I?” asked Kellin. “Its okay, Vic. What’s up? We’re best friends, you can tell me what’s on your mind.”

The other boy was laughing, but Vic didn’t see this as any sort of laughing matter. His heart and his head were all screwed up and nothing was making much sense to him anymore. “I-I uh… Fuck, you make me feel…. You’re like a girl,” he spat out finally.

“So you do like me.”

Vic frowned and stared, feeling as if he’d been caught red-handed. Kellin grinned and shook his head, finally taking those last few steps forward. No one really noticed when he closed the gap between them and pressed their lips together - neither of them able to deny the absolute fireworks that went off inside at the contact.

—-

Twenty One years later-

“Why are you telling me all this, Uncle Vic?” asked an amused and slightly confused fourteen year old boy. He had tan skin and brown hair that almost went to his shoulders. He looked a bit like his Uncle, if it weren’t for the light blue eyes. Vic was surprised his brother hadn’t done something crazy like bleach the boy’s hair yet.

“Because,” his uncle started to answer. “Sometimes life can do wonderful things. Terribly wonderful things. Now, do you want to hear the rest of the story or not?”

Of course the eager boy did. He didn’t want to admit it; he was growing out of that curious phase (or at least, the other kids in school were so he figured that he should too. They weren’t around for right now though), so he gave his uncle a stiff nod and willed him to continue from his spot on the carpet, looking up at at the older man in his recliner.

—-

After prom, the other students may have been a little shocked at the fact that Vic had come out. But one thing that didn’t surprise anyone was the sight of Kellin and himself holding hands as they went down the hall way, just a tinge of color to their cheeks and small, happy smiles on their lips that were a bit chapped after the class they had skipped.

That’s how they finished their senior year - together. And just like everyone thought they would, they stayed together, all through the Summer. Countless beach trips and adventures to concerts to see their favorite bands and hanging out with their friends.

It was on one of those outings that they figured out just how they felt for each other. They were at the beach - their friends Jaime, Justin, Jesse, Tony, and Vic’s little brother Mike had all tagged along. When they discovered the water was too cold the group devoted a good hour to building a massive sand castle that earned them strange looks and lots of laughter from the people passing by.

Not all the attention they got was well-received. Vic watched as two girls in skimpy bathing suits strutted by, simply oggling at his boyfriend and giggling when he winked at them.

“What was that?” he asked after they had gone.

“What was what?” Kellin frowned.

“Those girls that walked by?” Vic nodded in their direction and crossed his arms, waiting for Kellin’s response.

The paler boy frowned and looked after them and shrugged. “What are you, jealous? I’m gay, Vic,” he reminded him. Vic gave him an indifferent look and turned back to their friends, but Kellin placed a hand on his shoulder. “Vic, come on,” he said quietly. He hated when they were mad at each other, especially in front of their friends. “Let’s go for a walk, okay?”

Sighing, Vic nodded and turned back towards him. “We’ll be back in a minute,” he called over his shoulder to the others. They nodded, completely enraptured by the sand castle they were still constructing.

As soon as they were alone Kellin slipped his hand in to Vic’s. They strolled along the shoreline at an easy pace, neither of them saying anything at first. There weren’t too many people out on the beach, but they weren’t the only ones there, either.

“How’s it going?” Kellin asked after a minute, breaking the silence. He knew he’d have to be the one to start the conversation. It took forever for Vic to even work up the courage to text him first when they first started going out.

“Fantastic,” Vic said sarcastically.

“You’re mad at me?”

Vic nibbled on his lip and cast his gaze towards the ground. “No…” he trailed off. “Not really.”

“Scared?”

“You know me so well.”

Kellin squeezed his hand and looked at him with a sad smile. “Vic, you know I think you’re perfect, right?”

That wasn’t the first time that Kellin had called Vic perfect. He’d said it once before when they were laying in a field outside their high school once, a bottle of Jack Daniels between them. They were just laying under the stars, talking and cuddling. And he’d said it another time over dinner, when he couldn’t take his eyes off him.

But it was the first time that Vic actually believed him.

He couldn’t help but smile and blush and as the water came up a bit further and washed over their feet, Vic moved closer and hung his arms around Kellin’s neck and kissed him. The raven-haired boy smiled in to the kiss, moving his lips against his perfect boyfriend’s.

—-

That day on the beach was one of the happier days of their life together. But what happened a few years later really took the cake. Of course, to absolutely no one’s surprise, they stayed together all throughout college. Vic would always look back on the nights Kellin would drive up to his campus during a school week, almost an hour away from his own school, just to bring Vic some cookies or coffee and give him a kiss.

And of course Vic, found a way to bring Kellin his favorite muffins during finals week, and that night they made plans to drive off in to some isolated place and spend the week there once they were done with their junior year. All their friends weren’t even surprised to see them last through college. According to them, it was “Obvious they’ve been in love for years before even they knew it”.

And the two boys just nodded happily, linking their fingers and smiling at each other because they still got butterflies like pre-teens when they looked at each other.

It was Kellin that proposed to Vic a year or two after they graduated. It was a memory that both of them would cherish forever. It was a Friday night, when there was supposed to be a meteor shower that night. The paler boy thought it was perfect as he made a thermos of hot chocolate for them to share before he went and told Vic to get dressed because they were going out.

“Where are we going?” Vic asked as he pulled on his shoes.
Kellin just smirked and shook his head, waiting with his arms crossed and checking his watch. It was nearly eleven; the showers would start soon.

Vic cocked and eyebrow and grinned when they went out to the car and Kellin opened and closed the door for him. That was a little out of the ordinary, but that was okay. Kellin was always trying to surprise him. When he got in on the other side he immediately slipped his hand in to Vic’s after starting the engine.

“Ready?” he asked as he backed out of the drive way and started out.

“I only wish I knew where we were headed,” admitted Vic, looking out the window.

Kellin smirked and turned on to a different street. “You’ll know in a second,” he said softly.

And Vic did know after a few minutes, although he didn’t know why. “Our old high school?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Kellin admitted softly as a smile crossed his face. They drove the rest of the way in silence, past familiar sites and old haunts and places they would go with their friends. Vic smiled when they went by a little patch of woods they had snuck out of class to go make out in once. So many memories were circling around them, and now Kellin wanted to make one more.

He pulled up to the empty parking lot as close to the baseball/soccer field as he could and stopped the car. “Let’s go,” he said, reaching behind him for the thermos he’d thrown in before getting Vic, so that he wouldn’t have any idea of where they were going before they’d even left.

“The field?” Vic asked although he already knew the answer. They used to lay out here all the time, even before they were dating.

Right smack in the middle was their favorite place to just exist and talk and hold hands. Kellin plopped right down on the cool grass, just like when they were younger. “Hot chocolate?” He looked at Vic, unscrewing the cap on the little container.

“I’d love some,” said Vic, sitting down next to him and looking up at the stars. Kellin passed him one part of the cap that served as two cups. “Kellin look!” Vic nearly spilled the warm liquid as he quickly pointed up towards the sky. Kellin barely caught sight of the streak of light as it shot across the sky and smiled. It was starting.

“Make a wish,” he whispered.

Vic looked to him and smiled, with wide eyes, then leaned in and kissed him. “I love you,” he said against his lips, warm and sweet from the drink.

“I love you too,” Kellin replied, moving his hand to cup Vic’s cheek. “And as much as I wanna look at your pretty brown eyes, I want you to look skyward for right now.”

They each drank a bit more of the hot chocolate as they watched the sky, and slowly they sank back and lay down in the grass like they used too. Shooting stars were coming every few minutes; getting more often as time went by. Kellin laced his fingers up with Vic’s and took a deep breath, inhaling the fresh air.

“Oh wow,” said Vic as three meteors went across the sky consecutively. “I’m so glad you brought us here.”

“Me too. Have you been making wishes?” Kellin asked.

“Why would I need to? You’re already a dream come true,” Vic murmured, turning his head to catch Kellin’s eye. The pale boy smiled and moved closer to kiss him.

“You know, this isn’t the only reason I brought you here tonight…” he started. Slowly Kellin sat up and smiled at an confused looking Vic. The Hispanic boy got up as well and was pulled to his feet by Kellin just before he reached in to his pocket. “I also wanted to give you a little present.” He pulled out a box made out of paper, held together with a little string, and handed it to him. “Open it carefully.”

Vic stared at him as he pulled the little bow and opened the hand-made paper box to reveal another little black box.

“You know I love you, Vic,” Kellin whispered as Vic opened the second box to reveal the silver ring on the inside. Slowly, he dropped to one knee and took Vic’s hand, noting that it was trembling. “Marry me?”

Tears filled both their eyes as they giggled and grinned at each other. “Of course,” Vic said, dropping down to Kellin’s level to pull him in to his arms and kiss him. “Of course I’ll marry you, I wanna be yours forever, Kellin,” he said, nearly sobbing.

“I’m already yours forever, Vic,” Kellin whispered. “Fuck, I’m so fucking glad I have you in my life. I love you more than anything, okay?” he nearly cried.

Vic nodded, unable to speak. “Love you too, Kels,” he choked out, leaning forward to press their lips together once more. Kellin kissed him back twice as hard before pulling away and pressing their foreheads together. Overhead, they saw lights out of the corners of their and turned to look up.

Hundreds of beautiful lights were streaking across the sky. It was illuminated so beautiful against the dark of night, lasting for minutes. It was the most wonderful thing either of them had ever seen. As they watched, they kept their arms around each other, never wanting that beautiful night to end.

—

“That’s really cute, Uncle Vic,” smiled the teenager. On the inside he couldn’t help but take note of how his uncle had gotten engaged. That seemed like it was worth repeating to some girl (or guy; he hadn’t really figured it out yet) in the future. “Did they live happily ever after?”

Vic smiled as he looked at his nephew, already recognizing that curious look in his eyes. It pained him to see it. “I’m only telling you all this to show you something, Cameron,” he explained, preparing himself to tell the rest of his story. “Sometimes Life can do such wonderful things… But life can also do such horrible, awful, terrible things as well…”
The curious youngster hugged his knees to his chest, completely enraptured by the tale…
—

They had such a happy wedding. It was held on a beach on a beautiful sunny morning in the summer, surrounded by their closest friends and family. They cried happy tears that day as they walked along the waters edge, both trading dress shoes for Toms and Vans. They said their vows with teary-eyed confidence that only lovers can share, swearing to stay with each other forever for rich or poor, in sickness and in health, till death.

And they had a happy marriage, too. For the most part, anyways. They lived in a cozy apartment with a cat. They talked about having kids and decided that it should wait until they had a house and had settled in to their respective careers - especially Vic, who was looking in to becoming a veterinarian, while Kellin looked in to teaching.

It wasn’t for about two years after they were married that suddenly, something started to go wrong. Usually Kellin was home at 4:30 at the latest on the days when Vic wasn’t at the pet clinic or when he beat him home, so he grew concerned when he didn’t walk in the door until half past seven.

“Where were you?” he asked, his face full of worry.

“Out.” The paler boy shoved passed him and walked directly in to their bedroom, his husband hot on his heels.

“Kellin, what’s wrong? Everything alright?”

“I’m fine,” he said, taking off the button-up shirt he wore for work to put on something more comfortable. It slid off easily; Kellin had always been tiny.

Vic stood there nibbling on his bottom lip. He’d seen Kellin upset, but never like this. He had to be hiding something, and he didn’t know how to make him talk. The little awkward bit of him had never really left. “Um… I love you?” he said, stepping closer to try and get him to open up.

“You say it like its a question,” Kellin shot back, moving passed him once more to get to the bathroom, where he promptly shut and locked the door. Moments later the shower turned on, and Vic was left to stand there, absolutely dumb founded.

Once would have been fine, Vic just assumed it had to have been a bad day at work that he didn’t want to talk about. It happened again a week later though, and again Vic was too scared to pursue the matter. But when Kellin wasn’t home when Vic returned on a Saturday afternoon, he knew this was something he should know about.

He waited in the living room for an hour before he heard the door open. And he didn’t get up like he normally would have. He just watched Kellin stomp in to their bedroom without the normal greeting.

“Really?” he muttered to himself before getting up and following him in after a minute or two.

He hadn’t even bothered changing, just laid face down on their bed with his head in the pillows. He had at least bothered to kick off his shoes. As he approached, Vic felt his own stomach drop, although he didn’t know why. His voice shook as he finally spoke.

“Where have you been, Kellin?” he asked. No answer, not even a twitch or anything. Vic gulped down his emotions, daring himself to ask his next question, facing his biggest fear. He felt like he was betraying the trust and everything they’d ever built by asking this, but he had to. He just had to. “Kellin… do I still make you happy?” It was worded too gently; he had to say it. “Are you cheating?” he whispered.

Kellin didn’t say anything, but Vic saw all the muscles in his body stiffen. Finally he lifted up his head, his eyes filled to the brim with pain. “Come here,” he croaked, turning himself to sit up. Vic gnawed on his lip and crawled over, and almost immediately Kellin snatched him up and pulled him close to his chest.

He held him for a few minutes before releasing him so that he could look in to his eyes. Tears were already streaming down his pale face. “Nothing in the world, with all the shooting stars and beaches and sunsets and every other beautiful thing in this universe, could amaze me and make me as happy as you do. You are perfect, Vic. Absolutely perfect. I never want anything other than you. Ever, for… for as long as I live… tell death do us part…” His voice shook as he started to trail off.

Although his heart was swelling, Vic felt it breaking. “What’s wrong?” he breathed, wiping the tears from Kellin’s face.

His husband’s hands reached up to cup Vic’s face. They were trembling and Vic felt himself on the edge of tears as well. “I have to tell you something terrible, Vic,” he started. The room was filled with silence. Not a sound in the apartment could overpower their shaking voices.

“What?”

“The place that I’ve been going… was the doctor’s…”

“No,” Vic said, shaking his head. Kellin wasn’t even speaking yet, and he was already fearing the worst. It couldn’t be. It just couldn’t be.

Kellin tightened his grip, holding him steady. “I’m sick… and…” he broke off in to little sobs, tears streaming down both their faces. “I don’t.. have long…”

“NO!” Vic screamed, pulling Kellin’s hands from his face and shoving him away. “No, you’re lying! YOU CAN’T DIE KELLIN!” His whole body shook. He didn’t feel himself fall, but he knew his body had collapsed when he felt himself being supported by Kellin’s arms.

“I… I…” Kellin couldn’t bring himself to speak as he cuddled Vic against his chest. “I don’t want to leave you…”

They cried together for hours. Neither of them slept that night. They lay together in each others’ arms, expressing their love over and over until the sun came up.

Vic never thought he could hate the sun so much. What used to mean light, a fresh new day to do new things, now meant he was closer and closer to losing the thing he loved most. They barely slept; they were too eager to spend their last moments together. Kellin quit his job and Vic nearly lost his, but he couldn’t work in the mental state he was in.

On the night before Kellin finally passed, he held Vic close, so that he could hear the beating of his heart. “Memorize that sound,” he whispered. “Don’t forget it. When you think of me, I want you to remember me with my heart beating. And I want you to know that right now, it’s beating for you. You were the greatest thing that ever happened to me, Vic.”

—-

Vic buried his face in his hand, unable to look at his nephew, sitting in tears on the floor before him. “That was eleven years ago. He had pancreatic cancer,” he explained slowly. “And he didn’t tell me anything before that night so I wouldn’t worry. It’s hard to detect in the early stages. Hardly anyone survives. And cases before the age of forty are so rare… He was only twenty-eight when he left me.”

“I-I’m sorry, Uncle Vic,” Cameron sniffled. He was biting on his thumb like a child; he’d never heard a story so sad.

“I’ve grown used to it,” smiled his uncle. “He’s still here with me, isn’t he?”

The younger boy nodded, but still couldn’t bare the thought of falling in love and losing that person. The pain in his uncle’s eyes as he spoke was plain as day.

“That’s it, that’s the story. That’s the man in the picture with me,” he said, motioning towards the picture frame on the table in the living room that Cameron had looked at for years whenever his parents left him to be watched at his uncle’s house. Finally he’d asked who it was, and the whole story behind it that Vic had happily told.

The older man sighed, looking his nephew up and down. “Don’t fall in love, Cameron,” he said quietly. “There’s just… too much to lose.”

His words struck the boy as odd, and he lowered his gaze to the floor. “You can’t really control that. Like you said, it’s kinda just meant to be. You didn’t mean to feel stuff for Kellin when you were in high school either. It’s… written in the stars.”

“Which book did you get that last line from?” his Uncle chuckled.

Cameron grinned and shrugged. “I think I heard it on the radio,” he admitted. They laughed until they heard the doorbell, but neither moved as whoever was there opened the door and walked right in to the room.

“Hey dad,” said Cameron, smiling as Mike stood in the doorway.

“How was he?” he asked, looking at his brother.

“Fine. Told him a little story,” Vic winked.

Mike nodded and motioned for Cameron to get up and follow him out, as they couldn’t stay long. Dinner was nearly on the table back home as Mike’s wife had gotten home a bit early today. “Well, thanks bro. I’ll see you later. Let’s go, Cam.”

The younger boy scrambled to his feet and began to follow his father, who was already walking out the door. “Thanks for telling me that, Uncle Vic,” he said quietly. “It was a good story. I hope I can make someone as happy as he made you.”

Vic smiled at the boy and waved as he left. He looked out the window, watching him climb in to the passenger’s seat of Mike’s Honda Civic. “Oh dear God, don’t do to him what you did to me,” he whispered as a single tear rolled down his cheek. He closed his eyes and wiped it away.

When he reopened them, he reached back over for the picture that sparked his entire conversation, running his thumb over Kellin’s face. It was an old photo - both of them were dressed up, Kellin’s arm around Vic’s shoulders as he laughed. Vic smiled, remembering the night it was taken, so many years ago, when they were Cameron’s age. Kirstie, who happened to know both of them, snuck up with her Camera at the dance they had met at and taken the shot at just the right time.

“I love you so much, Kels,” Vic whispered. “To the stars and back.”

He looked up to the sky through the window, noting that the once rainy day had turned to bright, beautiful sunshine. “Wonderful,” he murmured.

“Wonderful.”