It was morning. I didn't remember how Vic and I even got back to his dorm. Everything was a blur after yesterday.

I had no idea how Vic had survived. How he managed to endure what had happened to him. Being ten years old? I didn't even know my left or right when I was ten.

Not only did he make it through each day from age 10 to age 20, but he applied to college, he got into college, and he became the best player Michigan State has ever had.

I couldn't even begin to imagine the amount of trauma Vic had buried deep within his brain. How many memories he had kept hidden away for years, only for them all to come rushing back that night in high school.

The overwhelming emotions that he had to experience when every memory rushed back into his consciousness.

Coach Briggs - I hated even thinking that name - was the most awful person on this Earth. For someone to be in a position of power and use that power to hurt children, was unspeakable.

Vic and those other kids admired this man at one point. They wanted to impress him. They just wanted to be kids and play soccer. And he took that innocence away from them.

He broke down their trust in one single moment and left them all confused, scared, hurt, and traumatized. His actions will affect them for the rest of their lives.

And then for him to have the fucking nerve to hurt Vic again; to hurt all of those guys again, was too hard for me to even think about.

For Vic to see hope, to see a future that could be better than his past by going to college and starting again, only to endure being drugged and assaulted again, years later.

I felt my hands crunch into fists as a few tears dropped from my eyes and down my cheeks. My body tensed up suddenly as I thought back to our conversation yesterday.

It was the stirring of a warm body currently pressed up against me, that pulled me from my thoughts. I glanced down, shifting my body a bit so I could see that wavy mop of brown hair that I had engraved into my mind.

Vic was clung to me like a koala; his arms were wrapped around my neck while his legs were around my torso. Even in his sleep his upper body strength was better than mine. His grip on me was strong, as if he were to fall off a cliff if he were to let go.

I fished around in my jeans pocket trying to find my phone. When I clicked on the screen I was surprised to find it was after one in the afternoon.

My eyes fell on the coffee machine that Vic and Alex shared. I knew Vic would be exhausted and I wanted to have some coffee ready for him when he woke up.

I tried slowly lifting up and moving Vic's arms from around my neck when he stirred in his sleep. I immediately froze, not wanting to disturb him when he so desperately needed this rest.

"Mmhm, Kells?"

Whoops.

I grinned sheepishly at him as he slowly lifted his head and looked up at me.

Vic's eyes looked heavy and bloodshot as he pried them open. Dried tears had crusted over onto his eyelashes. He must've felt them because he started furiously rubbing his eyes.

"I didn't mean to wake you. I wanted to have coffee ready but someone was clung to me like a snake." I smiled as he sat up in bed, repositioning himself next to me.

"That was me, wasn't it?" Vic replied, yawning and stretching out his limbs.

"Either you or a very good look-alike."

Vic pondered this for a moment, his face changing for a moment before he answered.

"I wish I could find a look-alike, and extract these memories from my brain and put it into theirs."

I felt a lump in my throat and my stomach drop. Last night wasn't the kind of conversation that can be talked about, cried about, and then forgotten in the morning.

"Vic...I am so...so unbelievably sorry for what happened to you. If I could take the pain -"

"No. No I would never want you feel this pain. Why do you think I reacted the way I did when I found...Alan...with you?" Vic interjected.

My mind rushed back to that night. That night I had buried deep in my memories just like Vic had with his.

Alan's hands on my waist, his grip so hard as he pushed me into the brick wall behind me. The scratches on my skin from when my shirt rode up. The way his breath felt on my neck, the sound of his voice in my ear.

I had to squeeze my eyes shut for a moment and hold in a breath as I pushed the memories back down.

Vic's hand hovered slowly above mine. I felt his fingertips lightly brush across my knuckle. I opened my eyes and let out the breath, meeting Vic's concerned stare.

"God I'm so sorry, Kellin. I shouldn't have brought that up, I shouldn't have said his name. Look at me, you just faced the Dean and weren't even taken seriously, and here I am dumping all my problems on you." Vic said, his voice cracked and throaty sounding.

"No it's okay, I'm fine. And don't worry about me right now. All you've done for the last two months is worry about me. If you never followed us outside...I'd be way worse off than I am right now. You saved me." I started, rambling as I gripped both of Vic's hands and looked directly into his eyes.

Vic was staring back at me with glassy eyes. I could see the tears forming, about to start pouring down his gorgeous face any second. He was hunched over, sitting on his knees as he squeezed my hands desperately.

The way he was looking at me made me feel like I was the only person in this world. The way his eyes searched mine. The way he still held so much regret for that night. He still thought he should've gotten to me sooner. It filled and broke my heart at the same time that even after spilling his soul out to me, the main thing on his mind was making sure I was okay.

The way he made me feel so safe, so wanted, so beautiful, so seen for the first time in my life.

It was at this moment that I realized I was falling in love with Vic Fuentes.

This was absolutely not the time to spring that on him. No. But one day, when the timing is right, I will tell him how I feel.

It was at this moment that I knew I would make it my life's mission to protect him and make him feel safe, just like he does for me.

"Vic. Listen to me. You do not need to feel bad for telling me what happened to you. In no way does it diminish what happened to me. I care about you so much. I care about you more than I care about myself. I am going to help you get through this, if you feel comfortable with that of course. We are going to get through this together. You don't have to be brave anymore. You don't have to go through this alone anymore."

Vic's eyes didn't leave mine the entire time I spoke. I reached forward and brushed my thumb underneath a falling tear, removing it from his cheek.

"Kells..." Vic started, his eyes widened slightly as he scanned my face.

"Yes?"

A small smile broke out on Vic's face that he immediately softened by biting his lip. It happened so fast, if this entire situation wasn't such a high emotional intensity, I probably never would've noticed.

Vic looked down briefly before returning his gaze to mine.

"I'm terrified... but with you...I feel okay." Vic answered softly.

That was all that needed to be said right now. We would find a way to get through this time together. We will be there for each other every step of the way. For the first time since what happened to me that night, I felt hopeful that things would get better. And I think on some level, Vic was starting to feel that way too.

I blushed slightly at Vic's simple admittance as he gently pulled my face closer to his.

He slowly connected our lips as he kissed me sweetly. Our mouths moved against each other's intoxicatingly slow.

Vic's touch always left me lightheaded. His kisses though, they always left me with this overwhelming warmth. Like when you get into the bathtub at the end of a long, winter day. As you sink yourself under the water, your entire body gets warmer, inch by inch as you sink deeper in the comforting water.

That's how Vic's kisses made me feel. With each movement of his lips, each gentle touch from his hands, my body warmed up.

So that when he disconnected, I could physically feel the cold start to creep back in. The warmth was addicting so as I felt him start to pull back slowly, I couldn't help myself but to lean forward more, until my body weight was leaning against him. His hands on my hips tightened just slightly, making sure we didn't fall over.

I pressed my lips against his a little harder, more needy. I let my lips tug on Vic's bottom lip gently, biting just a little.

I heard a low groan escape from the back of his throat. He smiled against my lips and pulled back, letting our foreheads rest against each other's.

"You're something else, Kellin." Vic smiled, his cheeks a little red.

"What does that mean?" I asked playfully, trying to get my breathing to slow down.

Vic's hands were still on my hips, "It means that...." He trailed off, pausing for a moment as he looked deep in thought.

"It means that you make me feel things I honestly never thought I would be able to feel. Or I guess I should say, things I never thought I would be able to let myself feel."

"My whole life was filled with fear and suppression. Any good feeling I had, I immediately brushed it off.. because I had a good feeling when I played soccer...and look what happened..."

"I associated good feelings with hopelessness and I was numb for so long."

"But with you, I can't even try to suppress the good feelings. It's impossible. I have no desire to. With you, I feel so... happy. So happy and safe... and warm. As silly as that probably sounds." Vic finished.

I felt my heart race in my chest.

"No. It doesn't sound silly at all." I answered.

A comforting silence filled the room as we stayed holding each other.

"You know what? I'm going to do something for you today. Something I promised I'd do the first night you noticed me, when we met." I broke the silence, sliding from Vic's grasp and hopping off the bed.

Vic perked up as he grinned, "Ah the Halloween party."

"You remember?"

"Darling, of course I remember. But that wasn't the first time I noticed you."

"It wasn't?" I asked.

Vic shook his head, "I noticed you the second I walked in the dorm building, and saw you talking with Jack during Mike's freshman orientation."

My eyes widened, "What! No way! That's when I noticed you too, obviously."

"I tried figuring out your name all week but Mike wouldn't tell me. He said it would violate his Resident Advisor code." Vic laughed and rolled his eyes.

"But then I finally figured it out because I overheard Jack scream your name across the dining hall the day before our homecoming game." Vic admitted.

"Look at Jack and his big mouth finally coming in handy." I laughed and covered my face with my hands.

Vic laughed along with me as he moved off the bed, gathering a change of clothes and a towel for the shower.

"Yup and then I saw you at our game and knew I had to talk to you. I actually was the one who encouraged Alex to go invite Jack to the Halloween party. He was nervous but I had to get him to invite you too."

"What? Why couldn't you have invited me yourself?"

"Um...because I was super nervous..." Vic trailed off.

"No way! You were always so confident in the beginning."

"Uh hello, I didn't exactly have much practice or familiarity with the overwhelming feelings I was having." Vic teased but his face immediately turned red.

"It was all new to me. Yeah I got by through putting on that overly confident front all my life. But it was a defense mechanism to block out any real feelings. You made me start feeling those real feelings from the second I saw you." Vic admitted as he started grabbing his toiletries.

I felt my cheeks redden, "Well since you're being so honest with me... I didn't think I'd ever have a chance with you."

Vic's head whipped around to face me, "What?! Seriously? Darling, there was never any competition."

I crossed my arms and pouted over dramatically, "Um what about Ashley? You went with her to the Halloween party."

Vic's eyebrows furrowed for a moment before he started laughing.

"God no. She's not my type. See, I only confided in Alex about my crush on you. Unfortunately by the time I got back from my class, Jaime had already made the pairings. He's hopelessly in love with Camille. Wherever she goes, we all have to go. Jaime paired me with Ashley."

Vic peeled off his shirt and tossed it in his hamper. It was a simple motion. He was just getting ready to take a shower. But I couldn't help my eyes from quickly glancing at this chest as he turned to face me.

He walked over to me and grabbed my hand, spinning me around once before pulling me against him.

"But you? Dressed up as one of my favorite singers of all time? Now that was my type." Vic whispered, smiling at me.

"T-that was all Jenna's idea. She practically forced the blonde dye on my head." I stuttered, trying to compose myself.

"Remind me to thank her next time we see her. Wait, how did you even know I liked -" Vic started but I interrupted him.

"Mike." We both answered at the same time.

"I have a feeling that Mike bringing up your obsession with Kurt Cobain was all intentional." I said playfully, wrapping my arms around his neck.

"So Mike telling me your name was breaking his code of honor, but not blabbing about how I like Kurt Cobain." Vic rolled his eyes.

"I believe the word he used was obsession." I smirked.

Vic grinned but I could tell he was trying to hide his embarrassment.

"Oh shush. Kurt has got nothing on you." He winked as he gave my hips a squeeze.

I felt butterflies erupt in my stomach at his touch. Jesus, one wink from him and I can't even keep it together.

"I-if that's the case, do you not want me to give you a private concert anymore?" I asked, widening my eyes and shooting him my best innocent look.

"Hey now, nobody said anything about that."

"Then go shower and meet me back here."

"Anything for you." Vic smiled, removing his hands from my waist as he backed out of the room.

Once he was gone I went back to my room to grab a change of clothes. I quickly changed into a white t-shirt that was ripped and frayed in places. I pulled on this oversized oatmeal colored sweater that was so big on me, the hem fell to my knees.

I rummaged through my dresser for the pair of baggy jeans I wore for my Halloween costume. They weren't my usual style but as I stepped back in the mirror, I kind of like how they hung loosely around my waist. I changed my Toms to my worn black high top Converse.

I ran my hands through my hair and tousled it up a bit. I didn't make that great of a Kurt without the blonde hair but it would do. Vic did say he liked me with my brown hair anyways.

I made a quick judgement call and decided to spice the outfit up a bit. I shook off the cardigan and removed the t-shirt. I put the cardigan back on and buttoned it up a few buttons so my bare chest was exposed.

I quickly made my way back to Vic's room and positioned myself on his bed. I gently took his guitar in my hands and held it up. I had no idea how to play this thing but I was going to fake it.

The door opened and Vic came in wearing a different set of clothes. His hair was still a little damp on the edges. How he could look absolutely perfect at any moment of the day was a mystery to me. His beauty was effortless.

I immediately felt self-conscious and wished I didn't take off my t-shirt. I probably looked ridiculous.

Vic stopped in his tracks and his mouth dropped open slightly.

"Well hello there."

"H-hi...um...come here." I walked over to him and grabbed his hand, pulling him to his desk chair.

I pushed Vic down onto the chair gently, and he was quick to listen. He stared up at me with glowing eyes, a huge smile on his lips.

I took a small step back and cleared my throat, moving Vic's pick that was in my hand across the strings.

"Here, let me help -" Vic started.

"Shhh nope. This is your private concert experience. You just sit back and relax." I put my finger to his lips.

Vic smiled again and folded his hands in his lap, looking up at me with that same glistening look. He motioned for me to continue and I started strumming the guitar. I'm sure it sounded horribly wrong, but I was more focused on getting the lyrics right.

I had been practicing this song for the last few days. I wasn't sure when I would gather up the confidence to sing it for Vic. But here we are.

I'm going for Marilyn Monroe when she sings Happy Birthday to John F Kennedy vibes. My execution is probably off but I'm trying. I'm singing extra slowly, drawing out every line as I walk closer to Vic. He doesn't take his eyes off me for a second. I should be so nervous. But I'm not.

"One baby to another says, "I'm lucky to have met you"

I don't care what you think unless it is about me

It is now my duty to completely drain you..."

I pause for a moment as I stop right in front of him. His eyes watch me as I gently place the guitar on the floor. I slowly straddle him and his hands are quick to run up my back, holding me close. His eyes darken slightly as he bites his lip, never disconnecting his gaze from me.

I continue singing.

"I travel through a tube and end up in your infection

Chew my meat for you

Pass it back and forth in a passionate kiss

From my mouth to yours

I like you..."

By the last line our faces are practically touching. I didn't even sing the last line, I merely whispered it, my voice getting about as husky as possible. The second I was done singing it was like I was snapped out of a daze. I blushed like mad, feeling super silly trying to be sexy in that moment.

I glanced down at my lap, still straddling Vic in the chair.

"A-anyways...sorry Nirvana doesn't have any songs that are more romantic. That was the best I could find." I stuttered, back to my usual awkward self.

"Come here." Vic grinned as he grabbed my face in his hands, connecting our lips hard.

I was quick to kiss him back, matting my hands in his hair as I wrapped my arms around his neck. Vic suddenly stood up, lifting me with him. He kept his hands under my butt as I wrapped my legs around his waist.

He carried me back towards his bed, never disconnecting our lips. Vic gently laid me down on his mattress, our kisses getting more passionate. We rolled around so I was on top of him, his hands quickly found his way to my hips again.

Our mouths were moving feverishly, biting at one another's lips, teeth knocking against each other's. We broke the kiss to look at one another, smiling and panting.

I leaned down and buried my face in Vic's neck. I pressed my lips to his throat, leaving kisses down his skin. I could feel myself getting more...frustrated...and I could feel Vic was too. I started rolling my hips against his creating friction between us.

"Kells?" Vic spoke, out of breath as I continued to kiss his neck, moving to his jawline.

"Yes?"

"Kells...s-stop." Vic spoke urgently.

I immediately sat up and moved off of him. The panic in his voice was all too familiar. I knew in that moment how he was feeling.

"Vic I'm so sorry. I went too far. I should've known."

"No Kellin, don't worry it's not your fault! Everything was going amazing. I lov - like you so much and I want this to be perfect. But I just...I'm... uh...a virgin..." Vic trailed off.

"What do you mean? -" I started but was interrupted.

"I mean, I know logically that I'm not a virgin. But, I've never let anyone touch me like that before... consensually at least..."

"I've never given or received. For my whole life I had a negative view of sex. I was terrified...that I would somehow make someone feel like I did..." Vic trailed off, staring ahead.

"Hey. We don't have to talk about it right now. Let's just watch The Office? Oh and I...I'm actually a virgin too." I confessed, reaching out to hold Vic's hand.

Vic crawled back over to me and pulled me close to him. I was quick to cuddle up against him as he pulled the blankets around us. We settled into watching the tv show, a comfortable silence around us. After the day we had, there was nothing more that needed to be said right now. We both knew that we would be by each other's side through it all.

We were both emotionally drained and I felt myself slipping into sleep soon after. I felt Vic's lips on my forehead as he whispered gently,

"Kellin, you're the absolute best thing that has ever happened to me in my entire life."

Authors Note (please vote!)

Hi everyone! I hope this update was a bit quicker for everyone. I'm pretty proud of myself for this turn around time. Anyways, y'all got a little bit longer of a chapter. I hope this was cute enough after how emotional the last one was.

How're we feeling about these two? What was your favorite part?

Alright, that's all for now I think. OH did you see how Vic shared that meme on his insta story saying to put "She Makes Dirty Words Sound Pretty" on Spotify? PLEASE we need that song on spotify so bad. Also, his tik toks kill me lol they're too pure.

Anyways, stay safe everyone and I'll see ya on the next one.

-Cassidy :)