there's so much beauty in a storm » k.q + v.f

2| old scars future hearts

the next afternoon had seen kellin sneaking out of the house, barely escaping his parents arguments as he closed the door. it was odd for him to be going to the cemetery knowing he would be getting anything but the quiet. that was the usual reason he went there. it was the only place he could find that sanctuary, but now his reason was simply because he was making a new friend.

maybe it was a little weird to make friends with a voice, but kellin's curiosity would never let his brain see that. that was a regular occurance of his; being blinded by curiosity.

it wasn't a good thing.

a few minutes after entering the gates, he came to the white mausoleum. vines scaled the walls just as he did too, occupying his usual seat as he waited for vic to reveal himself— well, make himself known.

kellin didn't have to wait for much longer than three minutes before he heard that same voice, bringing a smile to his face.

"hello, kellin." vic said, rather cheerily. it was odd interpreting emotions when you couldn't see someone's facial expressions, but kellin soon adjusted to assumptions.

"hi, vic." kellin replied, eyes falling to land on the horizon that was lined with trees and bushes. it was rather early, but that didn't stop a noticeable amount of people surrounding the cemetery and going about their lives, unaware of the strange goings on inside of the walls.

"you didn't tell anyone about me?" vic asked. kellin could only imagine that vic must have been in this situation at least once before, and that person must have told people about him. that was a stupid thing to do in kellin's mind, you never get any answers if you scare the source away.

"what could i have said? besides, i don't really have anyone to tell." kellin admitted truthfully.

"a cool guy like you that always hangs in the cemetery has no friends? who would have guessed?" vic teased, making kellin laugh airily. he hadn't done that in a while.

"you're pretty sassy for a— well. i don't think you ever did tell me."

"i am indeed a ghost. i just wanted to sit on my high horse for a little while." vic admitted, filling kellin with an amount of wonder that not even vic could have realised.

"so you're dead? that's so cool!" kellin exclaimed with more enthusiasm than he would have liked to show. vic laughed shortly, catching kellin's attention once more as a realisation struck him. "that means you have a body."

"yeah, i do." vic sighed, causing kellin to raise his eyebrow. he couldn't help but feel like he struck a nerve there.

"you don't show it?" kellin asked softly, the two falling silent for a little while. neither wanted to say the wrong thing and upset the other, but they also wanted to be open.

"i didn't die of natural causes, kellin. it wasn't peaceful. it wasn't— it wasn't an open casket funeral. my parents couldn't bear—" vic said and kellin automatically understood. "i dont want to disturb you."

"i hang around in graveyards and think it's cool that i am talking to a dead person. i don't think i'll be afraid of a little mutilation." kellin replied, trying not to make himself sound too humorous since he wasn't convinced that vic wasn't self-conscious about his human form.

"you're sure?"

"i'm positive." kellin said, eyes lighting up in hope as the space beside him was filled up with a baby-faced figure who couldn't have been past 18. putting a face to vic's name was so eye-opening to kellin in a way that seemed to shift his perspective of the dead. it wasn't so distant from the living at all. he couldn't help but stare into vic's pooling brown eyes as he waited for something to say.

kellin gasped when the beauty of vic's eyes left his gaze to be replaced with a large scar running down the left side of his face. vic's lip was torn, too, only causing kellin's eyes to well up as he took in the horrible sight. only some of them were completely scarred, some were deep wounds that would now never heal. vic's pastel, faded clothes were bloody, scars littering all of his exposed skin. he must have been slashed up pretty mercilessly. who could do this to such an innocent looking boy?

it didn't make sense. who could have villainised him to this extent? whoever did it must have been very mad, the way it looked as though he had been sliced at was purely unnecessary. there were so many of them. it was dreadful. he couldn't have fathomed anything quite so upsetting.

the second kellin drew in a shaky breath and a tear rolled down his cheek, his ghostly friend had disappeared with a groan. "i'm so sorry, i knew that was a bad idea. i'm an idiot, please don't cry." vic pleaded.

"no, it's— please come back. i just- i can't believe anyone would- you're so kind a-and— it's just so infuriating to think someone would do such a thing to you. to anyone. i hate it. i h-hate it." kellin babbled, trying to wipe his tears away with his sleeve. "i promise i'll s-stop crying. please just come back."

these weren't just scars. they represented so much hatred and agony. so much passion and fear. altogether it was an overwhelming sight for kellin to take in, having had quite emotional run ins with each of these things. to say it hit home would he an understatement. but seeing all of that emotion in it's physical form was something much worse.

a rather distressed vic returned to kellin's view, and now that the initial shock had subsided, kellin was able to focus on the fact that vic was actually there in a human form. he may be dead, but he was real. kellin didn't even doubt his sanity any more now that he could see vic. the tears had near enough dried, but kellin's breathing was still uneven and careless, trying to stop his mind from wandering to even begin to picture what vic had been through.

"i think you look pretty. even though there's blood on your shirt." kellin said, not realising he even thought those things until they left his mouth. vic looked confused for a second before he became deep in thought.

"thank you." he smiled, that not being something he ever thought he'd hear with an appearance like his.

when kellin's thoughts caught up with him he had to do a retake. pretty? he found vic attractive? that was absurd. although, vic's doe eyes and chestnut brown hair did make it a lot harder to disagree with that, especially when kellin found himself wondering if vic could do other things a living person could do.

"kellin?" vic asked, captivating the other boy with the way his lips moved to form words. "will you come back and see me tomorrow?"

"of course i will." kellin replied, noticing how cute vic looked with a small, joyful smile on his face. kellin was determined to see that smile some more.

†

i think i may hate this, but i suppose most people feel that way about their work at first.