Times Change, Friends Leave and Life Doesn't Wait for Anybody

Vic was still adamant about never leaving the apartment without Kellin. Or, to be honest, leaving the apartment at all. Kellin had tried his best to get the other boy to calm down, resorting to getting Beau to drive to their apartment and forcing Vic to go with him to classes because Vic was so good at getting what he wanted from Kellin.
But Kellin had to admit that he was on edge as well. Not as much as Vic, because he’d decided to try and be rational about the situation, but he was still worried. He was frightened for Vic.
“What’s up with you?” Laila chirped, drumming her fingers on the counter as they waited for somebody to come in.
“Nothing.” Kellin shrugged.
“There’s clearly something wrong, Kellin. You look as though you’re waiting for someone to come in with a machete or something.” Laila shook her head and prodded at Kellin’s arm.
“It’s nothing, Laila. Don’t worry.” Kellin tried to persuade the older girl, tapping her shoulder and turning away.
“If you’re sure... Gerard!” Laila said happily, waving to the man who strolled in with a small smile.
“Hey guys,” Gerard greeted the two workers with a wave.
“How’s Frank?” Laila asked with a laugh, waggling her eyebrows suggestively and snorting when Gerard blushed.
“He’s fine,” Gerard muttered. “You guys?”
“Good.” Laila nodded.
“Yeah, I’m fine, thanks Gerard.” Kellin lied.
“No boyfriend today?” Gerard continued, looking at Kellin curiously.
“He’s got a lecture or something.” Kellin shrugged. Thinking about Vic immediately made him think about Ronnie, which made him feel sick, fearful and angry at the same time.
“Cool.” Gerard and nodded and turned to Laila expectantly, who then sighed dramatically and flounced through to the kitchen to give Gerard’s order.
____
“You okay, Vic?” Kellin called when he entered their apartment later that day.
“Hey, Kellin.” Beau stepped into the hallway, looking somewhat nervous.
“Beau?” Kellin frowned confusedly at the other boy, unsure as to what he was doing in his apartment.
“Vic’s um... Well he’s in your room... He made me bring him here early, and he told me I couldn’t leave until you got back... What’s the matter?” He concluded.
“Well...” Kellin paused, not completely sure of he should tell the other boy. Of course, he was close to Vic, but he wasn’t aware of how much Vic actually wanted to tell anyone else. He didn’t even know if he’d ever told Jaime or Tony. “His, um... His ex is kind of milling around and Vic’s worried that he’s gonna... You know.” Kellin shrugged.
“Shit. Have you, like, gone to the police or anything? If he’s hanging around here-“
“Yeah. We, er, we know what we’re doing.” Kellin interrupted. Even if he had set aside his differences with Beau, he still wasn’t comfortable with the other boy trying to give him advice, just because of his pride, more than anything.
“Alright. Dude, if you ever need anything, if you want me to drop Vic to class or you want someone else to help you pummel this fucker, just give me a call, alright?” Beau offered, clapping Kellin on the shoulder before exiting the apartment.
“Vic?” Kellin called again, entering the bedroom and seeing Vic curled in a corner on the floor, staring down at his hands blankly.
“I hate you.” Vic whispered. Kellin sighed and sank to the floor next to the other boy, slipping an arm around his shoulders. Vic struggled for a moment before relaxing into the gesture.
“What’s the matter?” Kellin asked, kissing Vic’s cheek lightly.
“Why do you keep on making me go out, Kellin? I literally had a panic attack in chemistry because I thought that I saw him. I’m so fucking scared...” Vic muttered, burying his face into his arms and breathing deeply.
“I know you’re scared, Vic. But hiding isn’t going to help. Look, he hasn’t tried anything so far, maybe he won’t at all. You’ll be fine.” Kellin insisted firmly.
“I will not.” Vic argued hotly, and Kellin could hear his pout.
“Why are you so determined not to be?” Kellin asked exasperatedly.
“It’s not that I don’t want to be okay- do you think I like having a heart attack whenever somebody comes behind me?- It’s that I know I won’t be. I mean, look at last time. My younger brother had to come and pull him off me. If I’m by myself he’ll be able to do whatever he wants.”
“He won’t get you by yourself though.” Kellin said softly. “Don’t worry. You’re stressed out enough as it is; don’t add something that you don’t even need to worry about.”
“But I do need to worry about it.” Vic argued quietly.
“We’re just going to go back and forth on this, aren’t we?” Kellin watched as Vic nodded sullenly. “I love you.” He tried. Vic didn’t respond, instead he slipped one of his own arms around Kellin’s waist and rested his head on Kellin’s shoulder.
Vic murmured, “I feel safer with you. I feel safe.”
____
“Explain to me why we aren’t just going to the police again?” Kellin sat on one of the worktops in the kitchen, drying the cutlery that Vic was handing to him the next night.
“They won’t do anything.” Vic sighed, rinsing a fork and then setting it in Kellin’s hand. “The restraining order doesn’t count here.”
“Even so. If we tell them that-“
“It won’t count, Kellin.” Vic interrupted. “It doesn’t matter. We can’t ask for another one just because we saw him.”
“That’s stupid.” Kellin said.
“I know.” Vic agreed, turning off the tap and drying his hands. “Come on.”
Kellin hopped off the counter and followed Vic back to the living room, where they both sat on the sofa, Vic curled next to the arm rest with Kellin pressed next to him.
“Are you alright?” Kellin enquired.
Vic shrugged. “As alright as I can be.”