After days in immense pain, Vinny had called out a private doctor—someone who could look to the wound and keep his mouth shut when it came to Johnathan. It was a simple house call—a cleaning of the area, and a quick look at the stitches; which were, as he described, "textbook-flawless". It was comforting to know Jahni had such a grasp on these things. If it weren't for him, Kailan would have bled out. Gigi's illusion would have been a reality, and the thought of it made Vincent ill to the core.
But Kailan was alive and well, and by his side as they neared a nightclub by the name of Solstice. The place was shabby, but the club itself timeless. It was owned and operated by Jeff's parents, and on the rare occasions that they were out of town, he used it for his own selfish desires. Tonight of which was a get-well-soon party for Vincent himself.
He had planned to keep his wound a secret, but once a brace was strapped onto his shoulder, the injury became impossible to hide. Instead, he had been telling others that he'd gotten into a small crash while speeding on the outskirts of the city. The brace on his shoulder was from a "fracture", the rings around his neck quickly became burn marks from the seat belt. That was all it took, and suddenly his near-death experience was just another excuse for one of Jeff's drink-'til-you-drop revelries.
He had no interesting in coming at first, but there was one reason alone that sparked a motive. Now he was dragging Kailan inside, to the penetrating bass and the resounding clank of shot glasses. The party was smaller this time. More formal. No football players, no strangers—namely just those Vinny knew from classes, those he'd become close to at one time or another, and of course, those he'd left after a long night of sex; only to be forgotten and supplanted with another just the same.
The club scene was nothing new—he'd been here many times before. He loved the dark ambiance but hated the cramped atmosphere. That's why it was nice, having the entire place to only a few dozen of them. Everyone was dressed to match the scene; particularly the women, who sashayed by in high heels and tight dresses. He had never been one for this type of party, but it mattered little to him. They wouldn't be staying for long.
As for Kailan, he was sighing and shaking his head at the music. It was a bit too loud for his tastes, but as always, he'd manage through it. He himself had no real reason to be at the party. Something about them had lost his interest in the years, but as always he was dragged into the festivities one way or another. Tonight, it was a simple "you're coming" on Vincent's part. Kailan hoped it would be over quick, like ripping off a Band-Aid.
"This music is going to give me a migraine," he complained, rubbing at his forehead. Vinny's lips curled into a side-lifted smirk at his whining.
From the moment they stepped inside, eyes attached to them like morbid moths to the hostile flicker of a flame. Of course, most eyes were on Vincent; he was the man of the hour. But even without reason, he drew attention like a six-foot-two blonde-headed magnet. It annoyed Kailan.
"Bear through it," Vinny muttered back to him, "We'll leave in a bit."
It was a struggle not to take Kailan's hand, but it felt as if the world was watching them in that moment. No one outside of their cluster knew about the relationship. That was why Vinny had come to the party, why he had dragged Kailan along. He didn't want to keep it a secret, but he was far from a plan.
In the meantime, something to sooth the discomfort would help. "I'll get us a drink."
He could spill it to a single person; a secret so large would never be kept in confidence. Maybe make the rounds—introduce Kailan as his boyfriend and ignore the questions that followed. He needed a drink, he'd find a solution then. But as left Kailan's side, he felt a sudden grip on his arm.
It yanked him back, the pain jarring his shoulder. He followed the hold with a grimace and found himself slung back on a leather sofa.
"Jenny, his shoulder!" a voice reprimanded from beside him. He turned to look at her, but her features didn't register. She was familiar, that was for sure. As were the two on the other side of him; one who rose on her knees with her fingers through his hair, the other running her hand along the brace on his shoulder.
"Sorry. Does it hurt, Vinny?" she asked with a pout.
"Yeah," Vinny responded absentmindedly. His eyes were on Kailan, who stood with discomfort in the spot he had left him. There was a disappointment in his side-cast eyes.
"We were supposed to play your nurses tonight."
"Yeah, but Sarah chickened out."
"I didn't chicken out, alright? I just thought it was a little weird buying a costume so late after Halloween."
"Hey, we can still pretend," one of them offered, "right, Vinny?"
"That's alright, I have to go," Vinny rejected, hoisting himself from the couch. Leaving Kailan behind sure as hell wasn't his intention. Pretending they weren't dating sure as fuck wasn't it either. He waded his way towards him, but before he could reach Kailan, he was yanked back again.
"You don't like it?" The taller of the women stood with her long acrylic fingers coiled daintily around his wrist. In her towering heels, she could meet his eyes, overwhelming him with her own inquisitive gaze. "The party?"
"Leave him be," one of the men called out in an exasperated breath. This person Vincent could remember. A friend from his auto-class. "Two of you I know have boyfriends."
"I don't," the taller responded, her eyes fixed Vinny, traveling over his face as if she planned to make a meal of him. "You're not enjoying the party?" she asked him again, her warm palm rising to take him by the cheek. She forced his head away from Kailan and leaned in until he could smell the mint on her breath. "Let's get out of here, then. I'm not sure where the hell you ran off to lately, but you said we'd hook up again." There was a slight whine to her voice as she brought her lips to the side of his mouth and smiled against it. "I've been bored."
All the while, Kailan was watching with a hard stare. He was waiting for the second Vinny would push the woman away, but the moment never seemed to come. He looked uncomfortable in her grip, but he didn't fight her. Why would he?
Rubbing at his neck, Kailan dropped his gaze to the mottled patterns in the flooring. It hurt, but it was foolish to think they could ever be exclusive. Vinny had never been monogamous—never with anyone. It wouldn't happen now, not if this kept up.
Vinny watched in dread as Kailan turned to leave, and suddenly, he was pushing the woman's hand away; ripping abruptly from her grip. A look of offense drew her mouth agape, but Vinny didn't spare her a second glance. He was already cutting the crowd, disregarding the shouts of his name behind him. Instead, he shoved past bodies, bumping drinks onto dresses, and nearly knocking over Jeff in his haste.
He caught Kailan by the wrist, and he was wrenched back hard and sudden. Vinny took his face in his hands, forcing it up to meet him, and as he kissed him before everyone, the room fell silent. The laughter and colloquies had come to a halt, the ghostly house music the only wasted remnant of celebration. The party was but a skeleton now, every eye on them, scrutinizing in deafening silence. But Vinny kissed him, and he didn't allow a word in between.
As Kailan returned the affections, it was almost as if he had suddenly forgotten where he was. He felt Vinny's hands slip from his cheeks and suddenly Kailan was lifted from the ground. His arms wrapped securely around Vinny's neck as he kept himself hoisted up at the waist. No one said a word, only watching their exchange in stupefied silence.
Then finally, Kailan pulled away for air, his question brushed soft against Vinny's lips, "What the hell are you doing?"
Vinny relaxed into a grin, and though he could feel every eye in the room boring through his skull, he cared little for their attention. "Making you very unpopular with the girls, I think," he replied softly. Then the silence in the room began to dissolve.
At first, it was one or two whispers. Then a pair of girls—ones who obviously weren't too bitter—broke their peace with a cheer of praise and bubbly laughter.
"Got bored of girls, did'ya Vinny?" Jeff shouted in teasing.
He looked over his shoulder at the crowd—most still staring in aghast, but many smiling wide and toasting their glasses. A few had been taking video, some still flashing their cameras.
All the while, Kailan had a hand covering his face, laughing into his palm. He hated being the center of attention. "Yanno, you were this close to being single again," he warned, but he did so with a small smile. At least, people knew now. Hopefully, that would keep them away from Vinny.
"Are you gonna let me down?" he asked, his voice quiet as he ran a hand through Vincent's hair. The chatter around them grew as time went on, but even then it was still hushed—silent compared to when they first arrived.
"No," Vinny shook his head with a laugh. Instead, he shifted Kailan's weight, supporting it with his stronger arm. Though he knew Kailan hated it, Vinny himself typically enjoyed the spotlight now and again. The fact that it made Kailan flustered was only more enjoyable for him. Thankfully, the club was vacant enough that they didn't have to drive through a throng to make it outside. He adjusted Kailan's weight with a gentle bounce and swept a bottle of bourbon from a catering tray as they passed.
Though many eyes still stuck to them, a trickle of the girls had fled from the sofa to dance under the festive flashing lights. A handful of others watched them pass with daggers for eyes, but one way or another, things would fade away into normalcy.
"Thought you'd stay my dirty little secret?" Vinny asked, passing Kailan the bottle to carry him with both arms once more. He felt lighter than he remembered.
"I didn't know what to think, honestly." Kailan ran his fingers along the neck of the bottle as the music faded behind them. He didn't mind being carried off, instead pressing his lips against Vinny's jaw. Vinny was serious about their relationship. Serious enough to out himself in such a dramatic way. It made Kailan happy.
"Though, next time, push the girl away," he grumbled, biting down harshly on Vinny's jawline in spite. He could feel a gentle chuckle pass his throat.
"That's something I've never had to do before," Vinny admitted, relieved once they had made it through the doors. Still, he didn't put Kailan down. Instead, he took a seat on the steps, his hands bracing Kailan's sides to hold him steady on his lap. "What?" he asked with a smirk, taking the bottle from his hands, "Don't trust me?"
"Who knows, you might suddenly change your mind about all of this." Though Kailan chuckled, the idea truly terrified him. There was a nagging voice in the back of his mind, telling him time and time again that this was all going to end horribly.
Vinny sighed, twisting the lid from the bourbon. His good arm tightened around Kailan, pulling him against his chest, and from over his shoulder, Vinny tipped back the bottle and took a draft. He was never good at putting these things into words. He couldn't promise Kailan that this wasn't a total mistake, but even if it was a blunder from the start, he had no intention of fixing it.
Kailan's chin came to rest against Vincent's shoulder, and his body sunk against him with a sigh. "If you even try getting drunk tonight I'm kicking your ass," he muttered, voice muffled as he pressed his face into Vinny's shirt.
"Nah." Vinny set the drink aside, his thumb trailing up the ridges of Kailan's spine. "Just wanted to take the edge off."
"If you want, I have a joint we can smoke." Kailan leaned back, just enough to take Vinny's face in. "Better than getting drunk."
Vinny laughed and reclined backwards, his elbows resting on the steps behind him. "I haven't smoked pot since the last time we climbed your roof to get high." His smiled remained, but his eyes fell to trace the folds in Kailan's shirt. "I can't anyway. Getting baked isn't really my thing anymore."
"But you'll get drunk?" Kailan asked, his tone only teasing. But his expression shifted into something curious, and he tilted his head slightly to the right. "Does it have something to do with what that guy said?"
Vinny took the bottle back and dumped down another short draft. It was a long time before he actually answered Kailan, only staring at the bourbon in his hands. "Yeah," he said at last. It was a part of his past he wasn't inclined to think about often. More so, it was a part he couldn't really remember to begin with.
"Stuff was bad." He laughed lightly, watching the liquid slop against the glass. He set the bottle down, already sickened by the stuff, and sat up to envelop Kailan in his arms again. "And as much as I miss getting high as a kite with you, I promised myself I wouldn't. It's just pot, but you know what they say. Gateway drug, or whatever bullshit."
"Don't worry, you won't be getting any peer pressure from me," Kailan joked, a shard of a smirk on his lips. He took Vinny's shirt between his fingers, playing with the fabric absentmindedly. "We've both done shit we regret." His voice sounded distant, in thought. But a smile spread over the enigmatic emotions beneath.
A couple stumbled down the steps beside them with cigarettes in their hands. They laughed drunkenly, faltering over themselves as they did little to hide their prying eyes. Vinny slung them only a glance, before they were out of sight, only their insufferable laughter left in their shadows. Then he leaned his forehead against Kailan's shoulder, his hands sliding up the warmth of his back.
He was in a bad place with bad people. It wasn't Kailan's fault—it had nothing to do with him at all. It was just Vinny, weak against his emotions. Lonely.
Kailan had been the comfort that made every tragedy into a comedy premise. After he left, Vinny found that comfort in other places. But it all turned him into something he'd never wanted to be.
"If it wasn't for Sage, I never would have quit." His voice held a light hearted tenor, but he hid his face in Kailan's shoulder. "And yeah," he laughed, "I guess the white-collar rehab helped a bit."
"It's a shame she killed herself. Though that's my fault, right?" Kailan sighed, but his words weren't bittered by Vinny's past accusations. Indirectly, by disappearing, he caused all of this to happen. If he hadn't come out to his parents that day, he would have never left. Maybe Sage would be alive. But despite the sullen thoughts, Kailan ran his fingers through Vinny's hair and a smirk slowly found him. "If I stayed in the closet a couple more years, none of this shit would have happened, would it?"
"She didn't kill herself because of you. I don't know what Sage was thinking, but she wasn't selfish enough to do something like that over a guy. Whatever it was, there was a bigger reason behind it." His arms tightened around Kailan, his chin sliding up to rest on his shoulder. "I said some stupid shit, but nothing that happened was your fault. Just,"—he paused, furrowing into Kailan's neck until his voice became muffled—"don't leave again."
"I never really planned on it the first time." Kailan scowled. "I didn't have much of a choice, being disowned and all." He ran his hand down Vinny's back, chuckling to himself as if the situation weren't so disheartening. As if their lives hadn't all been one-hundred percent fucked by the dogmatic oppression of his adoptive parents. "But I'm not going anywhere, okay?" he promised.
Vinny stayed buried in his neck for a long while before he huffed out a heavy sigh and helped Kailan up from his lap. Emotions were a strange thing for him, and as he stood to take Kailan's hand for the walk back, there was something almost unsettling about the way he felt in the moment. For as long as he could remember, every emotional turmoil was conquered by anger, and anger conquered by sex. But at the idea of Kailan disappearing again, that turmoil was almost torturous, and yet he wasn't angry. Sad perhaps, but not angry. It felt like a long time since he'd been angry—forever since he'd needed sex to cope with that anger.
He felt the coarse scarring on Kailan's palm, and suddenly he began to understand why there hadn't been a rage ablaze in him for weeks. He dropped his hand and slung an arm around Kailan's neck, upsetting his mane with a rambunctious tousle. And as Kailan gave him a shove and went to work fixing the mess he'd made of his hair, Vinny could do nothing but laugh and pull him into his side again.
Inch by inch, Kailan was slowly putting out his fire.
☪ ☪ ☪ ☪ ☪ ☪ ☪ ☪ ☪ ☪ ☪ ☪ ☪ ☪ ☪ ☪ ☪ ☪ ☪ ☪ ☪ ☪ ☪ ☪ ☪
_________________________________________________________
AN:/// Like the story so far? Feel it deserves attention?
We NEED your vote! Voting helps to push wattpad stories farther up onto the Hot List. Comments and library adds also help. Show your support with a simple click of a button. That little star can make a world of difference. ☪ Thank you!