Wanderlust (Kellic)

Chapter 21 (FINAL)

So, back around Chapter 14, I stated that this fic would have 21 total chapters. Oh, look at that. It’s the 21st chapter.

Which means that, yes, this is the final chapter, as it states in the title.There’s gonna be a message at the end, so make sure you read that. THANK YOU for reading this fic!

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Chapter 21 - Traveled All These Miles Just to Get Back Home

Vic ends up at his house, having not crashed the car or anything of that nature. When I find him, he’s already asleep in his bed, expression deceivingly peaceful as his chest rises and falls. For a brief moment, I smile at the sight of it, before realizing that it’s a lie. Beneath that calm demeanor is a storm raging inside of him.

I crawl underneath the covers, resting my head against his chest, just thankful that he’s okay. Physically, at least.

For a while, I just lie awake, thinking about what happened, about Craig, about “our last kiss”. It all swirls around in my head, but eventually, my eyelids start to feel heavy, and I find myself falling asleep to the sound of his heartbeat.

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Vic is different in the morning, dazed and lifeless and seeming to be thinking so deeply about something that he’s disconnected from the rest of the world. I’m not surprised; after a night like that, who’d just get over it?

That doesn’t stop me from worrying, though. Of course I’m worried. I just want him to be happy, and I want to be the one to make him happy. But I don’t know how to do that if I don’t know what’s wrong.

He doesn’t really talk to me, and I try to hold back my questions. He made it clear last night that he feels he needs to figure this out on his own, so I’m trying to let him do that. But it’s so hard to watch him and not at least try to help.

At one point, at around almost noon, Vic pulls Jaime into the room next to Vic’s, saying that he needs to talk with him about something. On the one hand, I’m kind of upset that he didn’t turn to me—I’m probably involved in this somehow, judging by the things he did and said last night, and I start to worry that maybe he doesn’t trust me, though I’m not sure why he’d feel that way. But on the other hand, I kind of understand—Jaime is Vic’s best friend, and he’s known him a hell of a lot longer than he’s known me. I know I’d turn to Matty if I were having some issue with Vic and needed to talk it out with someone.

Still, I can’t help but catch bits and pieces of their conversation as I’m sitting on Vic’s bed in his room, mostly just thinking and twiddling my thumbs. I catch Vic saying things like “I’m so confused, Jaime” and “I don’t know anything anymore,” things like “I hate myself so fucking much” and “Why does it have to be so fucking hard?”

And even though I don’t know why he’s saying these things, listening to him say them gives me a physical pain in my chest. I just want him to be okay.

I lie down on my stomach on his bed, resting my head in my folded arms and closing my eyes. I’m not trying to fall asleep; I’m just resting, giving myself a little break from all the tension of the day. It doesn’t work as well as I hoped it would, but it still works somewhat, so I stay that way for a little while.

Finally, Vic comes into the room and closes the door behind him, standing at the edge of the bed and staring at me. I look up at him, sleepily blinking a few times and rubbing my eyes—I’ll admit, I have been getting tired as I’ve been lying here.

For whatever reason, the movement causes Vic’s breath to hitch ever so slightly as he watches me, some emotion I can’t figure out shining in his eyes. “We need to talk about something,” he says finally.