Days Like These

It was awkward the next day when Kellin got back home from school. Katherine was sitting there; saying a curt hi to Kellin who gave a thumb up in response. During the rest of the afternoon, Kellin would go downstairs and enter the kitchen, looking for something healthy to eat and even with the fridge stocked up to the point where things fell out, he couldn’t find anything.

In this particular trip, as he walked down the stairs, he heard someone knocking on the door. He ignored it, walking past it even, and went to look again. As he looked, he sat on the floor, and Katherine opened the door.

He heard her gasp, so he became instantly quiet. “What are you doing here?” he heard her whisper-yell. The person at the door must’ve answered because then she said, “It’s too soon for that.” There was another pause. “He isn’t ready for that!” she practically shouted, and then quietly once again, she said, “It’ll cause him too much stress and we don’t need him relapsing back into old habits. He’s progressed too much to fall back now.” He. Who is he and why is he being talked about? “Look, he doesn’t know about you ok? And … he’s … so yes, this is bad timing.” Kellin decided it was time to go back to his room so he got up and closed the fridge. “That was nobody.” Katherine quickly said after the fridge door slammed shut. Kellin walked towards her and when he got to the door, he stopped.

“Katherine,” he saw her body stiffen. “Who is she?” there was a woman at the door. She about Kellin’s height, she had blonde hair with icy blue eyes like his. Said woman’s eyes went wide upon seeing Kellin and she brought a hand to her mouth.

“She’s my client Kellin.” Kellin looked at Katherine oddly before looking back at the woman. Her eyes began to water and soon enough tears spilled over the edge. Katherine gently banged her head against the door and sigh in irritation. “Come in, please.”

The woman shook her head as she said, “I-I …”

“Kellin, be a doll and put water for coffee.” Kellin did as he was told and heard them come in. when he turned around, he saw the woman staring at his baby bump. Self-consciously, Kellin wrapped his arms around it and bowed his head. “You can go over to Vic’s for a bit, until I at least finish talking with her.” Kellin nodded and left the kitchen.

*

“Mike, no, we’ve already talked about this. She isn’t his mom!” Vic said irately. “I’m not telling him!”

“Then why did the nurse call her Miss Quinn? Quinn, Vic, Quinn! Kellin’s last name is Quinn! There’s a fucking connection!”

“Maybe she messed up.”

“Then why she didn’t correct her?”

“I don’t know Mike but you’re wrong.”

“Well if you don’t tell him I will.” Mike said as he glared at his brother.

“No you will not!” Vic yelled as he stood up from his bed.

“Why shouldn’t I? He has a right to know.” Mike responded rather calmly.

“Do you realize what he feels towards his mother Mike? He fucking hates her.” Vic said as tears began to collect in his eyes. “Kellin doesn’t hate that monster of a stepfather for all the shit he’s done but he hates his mother.” Vic began crying. “You don’t know what it’s like for Kellin. No matter what people said about him being kidnapped by that monster, he believes and always will believe that she abandoned him. I’ve had to hold him while he cries in the middle of the night because he thinks his mother never loved him. Mike, if he knew she was there, living with him, who knows how he’d react. If he reacts badly, think of the harm it could cause peanut.”

“Ok, you have a point but also think about the future. When he finds out that we knew, especially you, he won’t forgive us. He’d be mad because we didn’t tell him. You of all people should know that he doesn’t like being left out of the loop and this is a big fucking loop.” Vic sighed as he sat back down, wiping the tears off his face. “Look, you don’t have to tell him now, but tell him soon because he’d never forgive us for not telling him.” with that, Mike walked out of Vic’s room and Vic let his bad fall against the bed, sighing in irritation.

He stayed like that for ten minutes until he heard a knock on the door. Since his mom was grocery shopping, he walked down and opened it. “Hi.” He said as he saw Kellin. “I thought you weren’t coming over?”

“If you’re bu-.” Kellin was cut off with a kiss to the lips. “Oh-ok?” he said after they parted. “Um?” Vic gently pulled him inside and into the living room where they sat.

“Is everything ok?” he asked after a few minutes of silence.

“Yeah.” Vic replied absentmindedly. Kellin began pushed himself off the couch. “Where you going?”

“Somewhere else.” Kellin replied.

“Why?”

“You obviously don’t want me here so I’ll leave. I don’t need to be somewhere I’m not wanted.” Kellin said once he was sitting on the edge of the couch. It’s hard to get up now that he’s showing.

“N-no, Kellin. It’s just … there’s something on my mind.” Kellin still stood up. Vic stood up too and held Kellin in his arms from behind.

“Let me go Victor.” Kellin said as he tried to wiggle his way out of Vic’s grip. Vic simply shook his head and placed it in the crook of Kellin’s neck. “Victor, I’m not fucking playing with you. Let me go or I’ll scream.” Kellin threatened.

“It has to do with you.” Vic said against Kellin’s skin, watching as goose bumps began forming. “And I want to tell you but I don’t know how.”

“If you wanna break up then just fucking do it.” Kellin said bitterly.

Vic released Kellin and walked in front of him, grabbing him by the shoulders and looking angry. “What is it with you and think that I’m always gonna break up with you?” Vic said, his voice slowly rising. “Is that what you want? For me to fucking leave you alone and pregnant? Because if that’s that case then ma-.” Mike came rushing down the stairs when he heard the screaming and tackled Vic to the ground as Kellin stood there, stunned.

“Dude chill!” Mike yelled as he wrestled Vic. He quickly pinned him to the ground. “Vic, chill the fuck out,” he said quietly as he stared into his brothers eyes. “You need to stop yelling at Kellin like that.” Mike slowly got up, leaving Vic on the ground as he went towards Kellin. “Kells?” he said cautiously as he looked at him. He stood in front of him, before bringing him into a hug.

“He-he … he was gonna …” Kellin cried onto Mike shoulder.

“No, no.” Mike whispered as he rubbed Kellin’s back. “He wasn’t gonna do anything.” He felt Kellin nod against his shoulder. “Vic would never hurt you Kells, you know that.”

“B-bre-ak u-up.” Kellin whispered.

“No, Vic is just mad. He’d never break up with you ok?”

Vic got up and looked at them. Kellin’s eyes made an appearance. They stared at each other for a bit before Kellin hid his eyes again. Mike kept whispering comforting words into his ear, feeling him relax.

“Thank you.” Kellin whispered as he pulled himself away from Mike’s arms.

“Now can I leave you two here alone without fighting?” Mike asked as he looked between the two. They both nodded and Mike walked back to his room.

“Ke-.” Vic began as he took a step towards him.

“It’s fine ok.” Kellin interpreted as he took a step back. Vic noticed and stopped moving. He wiped the tears off his face and sighed. “This was too good to be true so I understand if you don’t want to be with me. I wouldn’t want me either, honestly. I don’t blame you.”

“But I do want to be with you Kellin.” Vic said as he walked towards Kellin. Kellin backed up until he felt the wall against his back. Vic raised a hand and ran it through his hair, feeling Kellin stiffen and letting it fall back next to his side. “You’re all I ever think about. The way you look, the way you smile, the way you laugh, the way you giggle,” Vic continued as he looked into Kellin’s watery eyes. “The way you sound when you talk, the way you moan,” he began kissing Kellin’s neck, ignoring the stiffness of his body. He stopped and whispered in his ear, “The way you move when I fuck you so good, god the way your body moves does something to me. What I think about the most though, is the way you look when you cry. You’re so beautiful when you cry.”

“V-Vic.” Kellin said as he shut his eyes tightly. “Stop, please.” His was scared. This wasn’t his Vic. “Not n-now. We-we need to talk.” Vic stopped and pushed himself away from Kellin. He saw the fear in his eyes and the stiffness his body possessed. “I-I don’t know what came over you.” Kellin said shakily. “But this,” he waved his hand towards Vic. “Isn’t you.” He wiped the tears off his face again and blinked a bit. “You were fine in school and now you’re scaring me.”

Vic blinked once and it was as if Kellin saw him become the boy he’s in love with. “Kellin, I-I … I don’t know what came over me. I’m sorry.” Vic looked devastated and heartbroken. He saw the way Kellin’s eyes scanned over him. “I swear Kellin; I don’t know what came over me.” Kellin walked towards Vic cautiously, watching every move. When he was standing in front of him, Vic said, “Kellin, please, please, please; believe when I say I don’t want to lose you. Breaking up with you is the last thing I’ll ever do ok. When I tell you that I wanna talk to you, never ever think that it’s because I wanna break up with you, ok?” Vic carefully took Kellin’s head in between his hands. “You’re the only person I see myself with Kells.”

“Vi-.”

“No, sh.” Vic interrupted, placing his index finger against Kellin’s lips. “Kellin, I can see myself with you when I think about my future. I see us together, getting old and wrinkly with our grandchildren playing outside on the yard while our children and their husbands or wives are cooking on the grill.” Vic said with a smile. “We’re too young to get married but we’re not too young to be in love.”

“You-you still love me?” Kellin said, giving Vic’s finger a peck because it was still there. Vic removed his finger.

“Yeah Kells, I love you. I’m in love you and all the beautiful things about you.”

“There’s nothing beautiful about me.”

“I’ll tell you this until you believe it; all the flaws you have are what makes you beautiful. I have flaws too but those flaws make me, me and you love me with them right?” Kellin nodded. “See? If you can love me and all my flaws, then I can love you with all flaws.” Vic said making air quotes around the word flaws.

“Is that what you had to tell me?” Kellin asked. Vic smiled and nodded. “I have to go home, it’s getting late.” Kellin said.

Vic walked Kellin home, laughing because it was more like a step rather than a walk, and took him to the door.

“I really am sorry for acting like an asshole earlier.” Vic said as he stood, staring at Kellin. “I don’t know what came over me but if I ever act like that again, which hopefully never, you have all rights to knee me in the balls.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Kellin said with a giggle. “But I accept your apology. You really did scare me.”

Vic hugged Kellin, asking if it was ok to kiss him, which of course, Kellin allowed. While they were kissing, the door opened and there stood the woman from earlier. Behind her, Katherine was heard saying ‘oh shit.’