Status: Let's see how this goes~

Strangers in Love

Came Out Swinging

Kellin and Vic had been officially dating for about three weeks now, and the pair couldn't be happier than they were with each other. They were practically inseparable at times and spent most of their time in each other's living rooms watching movies while being curled up on the couch. Things weren't all that different between them than when they weren't dating, though several kisses were often shared between the two with no apologies or embarrassment. Kellin was more than thrilled with how the relationship was going for them, he couldn't remember a time he was happier than he was with Vic.

Another thing that had Kellin feel upbeat and excited was that Vic had been feeling much healthier this last week. It seemed like his health was finally taking a turn for the better. It had been a rough two weeks for him, though Kellin was staying true to his word and being sure to do his best to take care of Vic whenever he could. He also made sure to do his best at hiding how concerned or worried he really was about Vic, because he didn't want him hiding things to make Kellin feel better. The pale skinned male would never admit it, but he had taken off a whole week from work when Vic had been feeling particularly bad, just to make sure he'd be able to take care of him. He had simply told the other they were remodeling the store.

It was the middle of the night, Kellin had curled up in his bed after a night spent in Vic's living room. They had ordered Panda Express and settled under Vic's favorite blanket, exchanging kisses and sweet words back and forth. It was Kellin's turn to pick the movie they watched and he picked The Shining as it had always been one of his favorites. Though, thanks to Vic he had missed a majority of the movie. All in all, it had been a good night.

His peaceful slumber was disturbed when he phone began to ring on the bedside table, rousing him awake. He blindly reached out and felt along the table until his fingers made contact with the noisy object. Kellin's annoyance at being woken up so late melted away when Vic's name was lit up across the top of the screen.

"Vic, are you alright?" his voice was still groggy, the fact that he had just woke up was evident, but he was quickly coming around.

"It's not Vic. It's his brother, Mike, I'm at the hospital- with Vic." the unfamiliar voice explained, his words causing Kellin to jolt upright in his bed.

"What happened to him? Is he okay?" The dark-haired male was already making his way around the room, gathering clothes to put on. His felt like he couldn't breathe, his stomach turning in knots at the thoughts on what could have happened to Vic.

"He told me he wasn't feeling too well earlier, then the next thing I know is he's calling me saying they're emitting him into the hospital. All I know is I can't see him and they're running some tests on him to figure out what's happening. The doctor said he keeps asking for you, I figured you want to be here." The emotions Mike must have been feeling in that moment were running through the phone lines and to Kellin, causing his heart to lurch in sadness.

"Yeah, I'll be there as soon as I can." He was already hurrying down the stairs into his living room, he just wanted to see Vic, hold his hand and tell him everything is going to be okay, and the was there so nothing was going to happen to him.

"See you soon then." Then there was a click signaling that the call had been ended. Kellin rushed around his living room looking for his keys and his shoes. He felt like he was on the verge of a panic attack, his hands shaking as he tried to pull himself together enough to make the drive to the hospital.

The length of the drive was just under half an hour, but it might as well have been hours to Kellin. his mind was racing, his thoughts ripping his to shreds in the silence of his car. All he could do at this point was try to convince himself that everything was fine and that Vic was going to be okay. That's what Vic would want him to do in this situation, he would look at him with that smile of his and go 'I'm fine Kells, you worry too much.'

Inside of the hospital was fairly empty, not many people took up the space within the waiting room, which is why it was so easy for Kellin to spot Mike sitting there. He had never actually met with Mike face to face, though Vic had told him plenty of stories about the two of them growing and how close they were, he was also in most of the picture Vic kept around the house. Needless to say, Vic cared a lot about his brother and it seemed that love was returned to him.

"Have you heard anything? Can we see him?" He asked once he was in speaking range of the older male. Mike stood from his seat at the sound of Kellin's voice before shaking his head.

"No, they're still running the tests on him. I haven't heard a thing yet." His eyes were tired and exhausted, worry hidden deep within them. They shifted to the chair next to his before he sat down once more, Kellin taking the one he had looked to.

"Despite the circumstances, it's nice to finally get to meet you. Vic talks about you a lot." Mike spoke up, breaking the silence that had fallen between them. Kellin was somewhat thankful for the distraction, the company was keeping his mind from racing so much, though his hands were still slightly shaking.

"Yeah you too. He tells me a lot about when you guys were kids, says you used to get into trouble together all the time." Kellin explained, recalling a few of the stories Vic had told him late at night. His thumb was running over the back of his other hand, trying to recreate the feeling of Vic's hand in his own. It lacked the warmth and comfort that he knew only Vic could provide to him.

"We did, mostly me, but Vic was always there to have my back. I remember he used to take the blame for me a lot of the time too." Mike laughed, but it was dull and almost sounded like it was forced.

"That sounds like Vic, always worrying about everyone else before himself. He's a really great guy." A smile managed to find it's way onto his face, how could it not have?

"I'm glad he found you, I haven't seen him that happy in a long time," He made eye contact with Kellin this time, his words sinking in. "He told me you take care of him when he starts to get sick again." Kellin nodded his head a bit at this, confirming the other's words. "Good. He needs someone who can stick with him."

"Meeting Vic was the best thing that could have happened to me. I couldn't imagine being without him. He told me about how he could get sick every now and then, but I couldn't imagine leaving him because of it. He's worth every second of it," Kellin stopped, realizing he had been ranting. His cheeks tinted a slight pink color. "I'm sure I don't have to tell you how great he is."

"No," Mike nodded. "You don't, I already know. It's nice to hear that you know too. Vic deserves someone real special, I really think that he might have found that someone in you, Kellin." Mike's eyes were trained on Kellin, his voice holding a deeply serious tone. It was almost intimidating for him, the male was quite bigger than he was. "I'm trusting you to take care of my brother."

"Yeah, yeah," Kellin nodded his head quickly. "I will, I promise." It was nice to see how much Mike cared about his brother, but he didn't have to worry. He'd never do anything to hurt Vic.

It was about an hour or so of more talking until a doctor walked out, he was calling Vic's family name, as if he and Mike weren't the only ones in the room.

"So you're family then?" He questioned looking between the two, to which they both nodded their heads. "Well, Mr Fuentes is in stable condition, however, our tests are showing that he may have a high-grade form of osteosarcoma." He explained, never looking up from his clipboard.

"What does that mean?" Kellin interjected quickly, confused by the unfamiliar medical term. "Is it curable?"

"It's like bone cancer, he got it when he was about seventeen, but I thought he beat it?" Mike's brow furrowed, his explanation making Kellin's body go numb.

"That's what it had seemed, but it looks like there's another case forming in his proximal tibia, or his shinbone." His eyes traveled to Kellin as he explained himself. "It appears to be generating quickly as well, so we're not sure how well we'll be able to contain it before it spreads to other parts of his body." The doctor finished, his arm holding the clipboard going back down to his side.

"Can we see him?" Mike asked, appearing as if his face had drained of all color. That wasn't a comforting sign for Kellin, his head was completely reeling at this point. He felt like he could faint at any second.

"You may, he may not be all there though. We've put him on some morphine for the pain from all the swelling." He gestured down the hall he had come from, telling them the room number they had him in.

"He beat this once so he can do it again, right?" Kellin asked Mike as they made their way down the hall. A part of him was just looking for reassurance, but Mike gave no reply to his question.

Once they reached the room, Kellin wasn't sure if he was ready to face Vic yet. The idea of his boyfriend lying in a hospital bed wasn't one that he was sure he was ready to handle, but he promised he'd be there, and now was the time for him to prove his word.
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I've been really inspired to write this so here you are! The question has finally been answered~