Walking into the lobby of the Five Seasons, Kevin grinned at the familiar figure he saw standing behind the front desk. Gone was her typical biker attire; instead, today Toni Topaz wore a dapper concierge uniform of a pencil skirt and blazer. To complete the picture was a pillbox hat that sat just above her prim and proper bun, covering the pink streaks in her hair.
"Hey, Toni," he greeted her amiably. "How are you doing?"
"I'd be better if it were the end of my shift," Toni grumbled. She sighed. "I'm grateful that Joaquin got me this job, but hell if I don't get fed up with working for a bunch of snobby rich people."
Kevin nodded in understanding. Joaquin was his boyfriend, and before he had moved to San Junipero, he had also worked part-time at the Five Seasons, frequently venting about the entitlement of its patrons. It was through Joaquin that Kevin had become friends with Toni, getting to know her when he would stop by to bring Joaquin lunch. Through them he'd also befriended Fangs and Sweet Pea.
"You must get lonely without Joaquin here to keep you company," Kevin noted sympathetically. He missed Joaquin as well; at the very thought of his boyfriend, his hand automatically rose to his throat to finger the St. Dominic medal Joaquin had given him just before he'd left. Kevin wore it every day.
"Not that much, thankfully," Toni replied with a shrug. "Sweet Pea took his job, now, so I at least have someone to hang out with. But—"
One of the desk phones jangled, and Toni sighed.
"Speaking of snobby rich people," she muttered. "That'll be that St. Clair kid, demanding I bring him even more liquor."
"I'll see you up there," Kevin told her. "I left my jacket in his room last night." What he didn't say was that he'd been too distracted by getting his drugged-out friends home to care about retrieving his jacket at the time; all of the other party-goers had hit the jingle-jangle hard, but after years of being being lectured on the dangers of drugs by his father, Kevin had been too reluctant to indulge himself.
Lifting up the phone, Toni raised an eyebrow at the information, but did not comment on it. Instead, she just gave Kevin a parting wave as she resignedly held the receiver to her ear.
Opting for the stairs over the elevator, Kevin climbed all five flights to get to where Nick was staying in one of the penthouse suites, checking each numbered door carefully until he was sure he had the right room. When he knocked, Nick answered the door in a long bathrobe of dark blue silk, the front open to allow his toned chest to show through. Kevin couldn't resist an appreciative glance, admiring both his attributes and his boldness for brazenly coming to the door as exposed as he was. Even though he was with Joaquin, he couldn't help but find Nick incredibly attractive, due to his charm and confidence just as much as his looks.
"Oh, hey, Kyle," Nick said disinterestedly. "Here for a follow-up after last night? Finally decided to do some JJ with me?"
Biting back a sigh, Kevin inwardly rolled his eyes. So much for charm.
He didn't bother to correct Nick on his name, instead getting right to the point. "Sorry to bother you," he said politely. "But I left my jacket here last night, and I was hoping to get it. If that's okay."
Nick blew out a long breath. "Fuck, it's fine," he said, turning away from the door and leading Kevin into the room. Almost instantly, he diverted to the minibar, leaving Kevin to himself.
"Thanks," Kevin said, stepping over the threshold into the elegantly decorated suite. A quick sweep of the surroundings didn't reveal the jacket to him, and he walked over to the sofa to check behind and beside it.
Ice clinked as Nick added cubes to an empty glass. "You want a drink, Kyle? Or," he challenged, "is it going to be like the jingle-jangle last night? Too scared of scared of having fun?"
Kevin hesitated. Normally, he would say no, but he couldn't help but want to impress a guy as cute and sophisticated as Nick. Prove that he wasn't some sort of square country bumpkin that Veronica was stuck spending time with, but that he was exciting and not afraid of getting wild at the right moment. Last night, he'd probably rendered himself boring and timid in Nick's eyes, someone who didn't know how to relax. But he didn't want that reputation for himself.
He wanted to be someone whose name Nick would actually remember.
"Sure," he replied, aiming for his most confident tone. "And by the way, my name is Kevin. Not Kyle."
Nick smirked at him. "All right, then, Kevin ."
Turning away from him as he prepared the drinks, Kevin prowled about the room, searching for his jacket. By the time Nick handed him his glass, he still hadn't found it.
"I was sure it was here," Kevin said, scowling. "Where the hell could it be?"
"Take a moment and let it come to you," Nick told him with a wave of his hand. "Come on, enjoy your drink."
Kevin sent a skeptical glance down at his glass. "Exactly what is this?"
"Mint julep," Nick replied promptly. "Or the best I could do with this dump's pedestrian ingredients, anyway. Try it, you'll like it."
While he wasn't one for any kind of mixed drinks, preferring straight liquor as a rare indulgence, Kevin obligingly took a swallow. Though he didn't care for the taste, he tried not to let it show on his features, instead giving a brief nod. "Thank you," he said neutrally, and in his haste to be rid of the drink, swallowed the rest of it in one go.
Nick chuckled, a satisfied expression on his face. "You liked that, huh? I can make you another."
"That's okay," Kevin told him. "I didn't really plan to stay, you know? I just need to find my jacket and get going."
Nick shrugged. "All right. I might have mistaken it for mine and put it away it my luggage. Come on, I'll show you to my room."
He led the way across the plush carpet to a lavish bedroom. It was only a brief distance, and Kevin was grateful for it: once he began moving, the walls suddenly seemed like they were tilting around him. He couldn't walk straight any longer and stumbled several times. Overcome with dizziness, he barely managed to make it to the bed before collapsing down.
"Sorry," he gasped out, only then realizing he was short on breath. "I don't know—something's wrong—"
"Hey, don't worry about it." Nick ambled over to the closet, slid open one of the doors, and immediately extracted the lightweight cotton jacket Kevin knew as his own. "This one yours?"
Kevin nodded and then regretted it immediately as a wave of nausea rolled over him. "That's it."
"Good." Nick tossed it to him; Kevin just barely managed to reflexively catch it out of the air, and when he lowered his arm again, he raised he was trembling violently. His body felt like it was overheating; he could feel sweat beading on his forehead.
"You know, you don't look so good," Nick observed, sidling up to the bed and taking a seat beside him. "Maybe you should lie down."
"No—" Kevin began, automatically shaking his head, but then cut off and pressed a hand over his eyes as another surge of dizziness hit him.
"Hey, relax." Nick moved closer, and it took a moment for Kevin to become aware that he was hooking an arm around his waist.
And it took a few more moments of what felt like wading through wet cement for it to register that Nick was kissing his neck.
"What—" Foggy as his mind was, panic spiked through Kevin when he realized he what Nick was doing. Still, he determinedly gave another try. "What is—"
Nick pushed him down, laying him out on the bed. As if he'd been paralyzed, none of Kevin's attempts to rise up again proved useful. It was as if his limbs had suddenly decided not to obey him.
Nick leaned in to whisper into Kevin's ear, pressing his weight down onto Kevin's chest. "I've wanted you from the moment I saw you."
The words sent alarm bells shrilling through Kevin's mind, even as his intoxicated brain fought and failed to locate the precise reason why. Fighting back as best he could manage, he tried to shove Nick away but only wound up pushing the jacket into his hands.
Nick rolled his eyes. "Would you get with the program already? It'll be easier that way." He made another move toward Kevin, but then a sharp rap on the door interrupted him.
"Room service!" A deep voice called from outside the room.
The voice sounded vaguely familiar to Kevin, but his hazy mind couldn't recognize it. The more he tried to think, the more ill he felt.
"Fuck!" Nick snarled, displeasure twisting his face. With quick, angry movements, he reluctantly thrust away from Kevin, getting up off the bed and disappearing into the main room.
Kevin heard the door swing open, the wood smacking against the door stopper, and a conversation started. Even though he could understand each word, his thoughts were too cloudy to process their meaning.
"What do you want?" Nick sneered.
"We have the bottles of Grey Goose you ordered," a female voice answered. Kevin recognized this one as well. "All six of them."
"Take them inside and set them on the minibar," Nick ordered.
There were several pairs of footsteps, and then the clanking of heavy objects being placed on top of a hard surface.
"Hey, is Kevin still here?" the female voice questioned.
" What? " Nick's tone was sharp. "What are you talking about?"
There was a slight pause.
"Kevin," the female voice repeated. "He came up here a few minutes ago. He was getting his jacket."
"Oh, him. He took his coat and left."
"No, he didn't." It was the male voice that spoke this time, his tone cold. "You're holding his jacket in your hand right now."
" Get out. " Nick's voice was venomous. "Both of you, leave. And don't think you're getting a tip."
"Where is he?" the female voice demanded again. "Kevin! Kevin! "
"Shut up, you little—"
The female voice let out a pained cry. "Let me go!"
There was a sharp crunch of a swift fist squarely meeting a face, and Nick let out a stream of swears. Then there was a crash and what sounded like the start of a fistfight, but Kevin was distracted by someone shaking his shoulder.
"Kevin, hey. You okay? Talk to me!"
Blearily opening his eyes—when had he closed them?—Kevin found Toni sitting next to him on the bed, worry and anger clear on her face.
"Toni . . ." he wanted to explain what had happened, but it took him several tries. "Can't move," he managed finally, his eyes falling closed again against his will.
"That dickhead must have roofied you," Toni seethed. "Hang on. Let me get Sweet Pea."
Footsteps fell on the carpet, moving away from him this time. The unseen struggle in the other room continued, a mix of growls, bone colliding with flesh, labored breathing, and vicious, frustrated cursing. The footsteps halted, but then there was a series of what sounded like forceful impacts of one object being driven against a solid surface, and after each one, Nick let out a groan of pain. Then silence.
Two pairs of footsteps hastened across the carpet, and Kevin found himself being jostled again.
"Hey, it's us," Toni said.
Toni. She been the woman Nick had been speaking to earlier. That had been Toni.
"Shit, he looks really out of it," the deep male voice said. "Kevin, listen, we're all going to leave now, all right? Toni and I will help you. Toni, c'mon, we need to get him up off the bed."
Prompted by the voice, Kevin opened his eyes with a Herculean effort and looked up at a pale face with dark eyes and dark hair. Several seconds passed before he realized the face was familiar to him.
"Sweet Pea," he croaked out. Sweet Pea had been the male voice. Toni had been the female voice. They'd been the ones arguing with Nick—it made so much sense that he didn't know why it only occurred to him now.
"Yeah, that's right. Don't worry, you're okay now." Sweet Pea hauled him up into a sitting position and then looped one of Kevin's arms around his shoulders, holding it there with one hand, and then wrapped his own arm around Kevin's waist.
"We're getting you out of here," Toni added, following Sweet Pea's example and moving to take some of his weight. "Okay, Sweets, let's stand on one . . . two . . . three."
They heaved him upward and started across the floor. Even just that motion made Kevin's stomach churn, but he tried to concentrate on simply moving his feet and being as little of a burden as possible to Sweet Pea and Toni.
The two of them guided out of the room, only pausing once, so Toni could stop and give Nick's prone, motionless form several powerful kicks in the ribs. Then she rushed back to them, and they helped Kevin down the hall and then into the elevator.
"We're going straight down into the lobby," Toni told him, punching the button, bringing the elevator doors to ding closed. "Jughead and Betty are there—they were going to meet us once we finished our shift."
The two names she mentioned—they sounded familiar, and Kevin felt oddly certain he knew them, but he couldn't reconcile either with the scattered images that swam in his mind.
He couldn't think, he realized, panic rising inside of him. He couldn't move.
And, as he abruptly slumped heavily into Sweet Pea, backing him against the elevator wall, he became aware that he also couldn't breathe.
"Kev? Kev, what is it? Hey, stay with me!" Sweet Pea's tone was frantic.
"Sweets, what happened?!"
"I don't know! He just—"
The elevator dinged as it reached the lobby, the doors sliding open.
And then blackness.
By next evening, Kevin had told his story to so many people—his father, other police investigators, Mr. and Mrs. Lodge, and his friends—that he was exhausted at the very thought of the events in the hotel room with Nick. He was sure Toni and Sweet Pea were drained as well; they both looked tired and worn when they all met that night. Seven of them—Archie, Veronica, Betty, Jughead, Kevin, Toni, and Sweet Pea all met, squestering themselves inside Jughead's trailer so they could catch up. While it was a tight squeeze to fit that many people in the small space, Kevin was grateful for the privacy after spending as many hours as he had with either hospital or police staff.
"I'm pressing charges against Nick, obviously," Kevin told the group, a strange sense of calm filling him. Since he'd woke up in the hospital and everything had flooded back to him, he'd felt oddly detached from the situation except on occasional moments.
His father had told him that it was fairly normal, that he just needed time to process what had taken place. He'd also brought up the possibility of counselling for Kevin to consider.
"My dad told me the St. Clairs tried to frame it as a random attack by the Serpents on Nick," Kevin continued. "He wouldn't listen to it, though, and with all of our statements," he nodded at Sweet Pea, Toni, Jughead, and Betty, "combined with the hall security camera footage, there's no chance that the charges are going to be dropped."
"It's about time your dad saw reason about the Serpents," Jughead remarked.
" Jug," Betty hissed, giving him a sharp elbow to the ribcage.
"Not the time," Toni warned him.
"You're right," Jughead admitted to them. He turned to Kevin. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."
"Don't worry about it," Kevin told him honestly. "You've really helped me out, and I'm grateful for it. The only person I'm angry with is Nick."
"As you should be," said Veronica firmly. "My parents were absolutely disgusted when they found out the truth about him. They ended all of their agreements with the St. Clairs and refuse to continue to do business with them."
"Please tell me Nick is going to lose something other than money in this," Jughead said fervently.
"There's a good chance he's going away," Veronica reassured him. "I've told Kevin's father, the other police, and my parents about his lifestyle back in the city, and I've also revealed some sordid details that he confided in me earlier this week. And I gave the police some pointers on where he likes to hide his stash, so he'll probably face drug charges, too."
"He already is," Kevin replied. "I heard my dad talking on the phone." After overhearing that conversation, he'd been more glad than ever that he'd refused the drugs Nick had offered him at the party.
"I hope he goes away for a long time," Archie growled. His tone softening, he reached over and gave Kevin's shoulder a squeeze. "I'm glad you got through it okay." He directed his next words at Toni and Sweet Pea. "And I'm really grateful you two were there to help him."
"I'll never turn a blind eye toward a rapist," Toni said resolutely.
"Me, neither," Sweet Pea added with conviction. "And I would never let someone Joaquin values as much as Kevin come to any harm. Serpents take care of each other's loved ones, after all."
The declaration brought surprised glances from Kevin's non-Serpent friends, and he found his face coloring slightly. He'd never been completely honest with his Northside friends about the extent of his relationship with Joaquin nor explained just how deeply they were involved. In contrast, Joaquin had never hesitated to make it known how he felt about Kevin to the other Serpents.
Luckily, Kevin was saved from an explanation when Betty's phone pinged several times in quick succession.
"That'll be my mom," she predicted resignedly, sighing as she checked the screen. "Yeah, it is. She wants me home, Kev, and she says you probably should be getting home, too."
"Veronica and I should probably get going as well," Archie agreed, rising from his place on the couch.
"And we ought to head out, too," Sweet Pea said, indicating himself and Toni.
Most of the trailer's occupants began moving toward the door, and in the commotion, Jughead seized the opportunity to speak to Kevin.
"I really am sorry for what I said about your dad," he said sincerely. "And I'm sorry about what happened to you, too. I'm glad Toni and Sweet Pea got some good punches in. Wish I could have been there to do that as well."
"Thank you," Kevin said with a slight smile. At the moment, he was grateful for any kind of supportive he could get. "I appreciate it, Jug."
"No problem." Jughead rested a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, if you need anything, don't hesitate to stop by or give me a call, okay? Even if it's just to talk."
"You're very kind," Kevin told him, and Jughead looked away at the compliment, his cheeks pinkening.
Jughead wasn't the only one to offer a helping hand. Veronica stopped to talk to him before she and Archie left.
"If there's anything you need—" she began.
"I'll let you know," Kevin finished for her. "You've already done more than enough. It's okay, Ronnie, really."
"I just want to help," she said, drawing Kevin into a hug. "When I think about what almost happened . . ." she shook her head. "Please let me know, Kev, if I can do anything."
"Me, too," Archie added. "We're here for you, both for the big things and the little things."
"Thank you both," Kevin said warmly. "You've been very generous."
Kevin was waving goodbye to them when Sweet Pea and Toni also exited the trailer.
"Betty will be out in a minute," Toni told him.
"Yeah, she's giving Jughead a private goodbye," Sweet Pea said with a smirk.
"Just as well," Kevin remarked. "I wanted to talk to the both of you alone."
They both looked at him expectantly, and Kevin swallowed, trying to force down his sudden swell of nervousness.
"I wanted to thank you both," he said quietly. "For protecting me from Nick. You didn't have to do what you did—"
"Yes, we did," Toni interjected fiercely. "Bastards like Nick need to be stopped."
"It wasn't anything special, what we did for you." Sweet Pea shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "Just basic decency, s'all."
"Just because it's basic decency doesn't mean you shouldn't be thanked for it," Kevin returned. He took a deep breath. "And it just means a lot to me that you would help me. I know I'm Northside, and I know who my family is, so I would understand if you held a grudge."
"No grudges here." Toni hesitated, but then wrapped Kevin into a rib-crushing hug. "You've already proved that you're our friend time and time again, preppie. I stopped holding a grudge when you started bringing me lunch at work when you brought over Joaquin's."
Sweet Pea stepped up, circling his arms around both of their shoulders to join the embrace as well. "Northsider or not, we'll look out for you. And we'll look out for anybody as far as the likes of St. Clair are concerned."
"Thanks." Kevin didn't hesitate to return their embrace.
There was a brief, comfortable silence where they simply stood, holding one another, taking comfort in each other's arms. Toni was the one to break it.
"Have you told Joaquin yet?" she asked tentatively. "About what happened?"
Kevin shook his head. "No." Yesterday he'd been feeling too many of the effects from the ordeal to even consider it. While he'd known since he'd woken up in the morning that he should give Joaquin a call, he hadn't been able to bring himself to do it yet.
Sweet Pea pulled back so that his dark eyes could meet Kevin's green ones. "He'd understand. He wouldn't hold this against you. He's better than that."
"I know," Kevin answered. "It's just . . ." he was unable to keep the weariness from his tone. "I'm just tired ."
There was a rare softness in Sweet Pea's gaze, and he tightened his grip around Kevin, as did Toni. "S'all right. That's okay, Kev. That's okay."
When Betty reached Kevin's home to drop him off, he turned to her to say goodbye. But she surprised him by switching off the ignition, a serious look on her face.
"Can you stay for a moment?" she asked softly.
"Sure," Kevin replied, studying her. "What is it?"
Betty let out a long exhale. "I know I never apologized to you after our argument at Fox Forest," she admitted. "And I want to apologize to you now. I'm sorry about what I said to you. I'm sorry I said you didn't have enough respect for yourself. For me to say that and then for this to happen, it must seem like—"
"I know you were just trying to look out for me with Fox Forest," Kevin told her quietly "Betty, we already made up. This is all in the past."
"But it's not, is it?" Betty clenched her jaw. "There are always going to be guys like Nick St. Clair. Toni and Sweet Pea stopped him this time. Who's going to stop him next time?"
Kevin put a hand on her shoulder. "Betty, I'm pressing charges. There's not going to be a next time."
Several tears streaked down Betty's face, and she impatiently wiped them aside. "There is always going to be a next time for Nick, for men who think they can buy their way out of trouble. You're pressing charges, but do you think that's going to make any difference with how powerful his family is? They'll probably work out a way for him to get off scot-free. He might never have to face any kind of justice for what he did to you."
Kevin's stomach twisted unpleasantly, and he was caught between the urge to comfort his best friend and a need to end the conversation immediately. "Betty, I get what you're saying," he said desperately. "But I can't talk about this anymore. I just . . . I can't ."
"You're right. Oh, I'm sorry. I'm just making you feel worse, aren't I?" Betty shook her head helplessly. "Listen, I promise I'm going to do something about Nick. I'll make sure he never hurts you or anyone else again."
Though flummoxed by her statement, Kevin offered her an uncertain smile as he opened the car door. "I appreciate you trying to be my very own avenging angel, Betty. But don't get yourself into any trouble for me, okay? What I want most if for everything to go back to normal."
Betty's own smile was tinged with bitterness. "Don't worry. I'm not going to get into any more trouble than I'm in already."
They exchanged their goodbyes, and Kevin walked to the front door and entered the house as Betty waited to make sure he made it inside safely. Her odd words were replaying in his mind during his entire approach—what could she possibly do about Nick? Write an expose on Nick for The Blue & Gold ? Or maybe The Riverdale Register ? But the way she'd talked, she seemed convinced, like her methods absolutely guaranteed action . . .
But the moment he stepped over the threshold and found his father waiting in the living room, all thoughts of Betty fled his mind.
"Oh, there you are," his father said, trying and failing to disguise the obvious relief in his voice. "Do you have fun with your friends?"
"We had a nice time," Kevin replied reflexively, wanting to reassure him. The shadows under his father's eyes were clearly visible, and he didn't want to bring him any more stress.
"I'm glad," his father said, standing and drawing Kevin into a strong hug. "I'm so glad that you're safe, sweetheart, you have no idea."
Without hesitating, Kevin returned the hug, taking comfort in the powerful arms wrapped firmly around him. Guilt twisted within him as it occurred to him what his father must have gone through in the past thirty hours or so, enduring rage at Nick, fear at Kevin's near-rape, and helplessness when regulations forced him to step back from the case due his interpersonal connection.
"It's all right, Dad," he whispered. "We made it through. We'll make it again. We're okay."
In response, his father just held him closer, gently stroking at his hair.
When the hug finished, Kevin gave his father a kiss on the cheek. "I'm going to call it an early night now. I'm feeling pretty tired."
His father nodded, gently cupping his cheek with one hand. "I understand. You've been through a lot. But I'll be right down here if you need me."
"Okay." Kevin gave his dad a smile before going upstairs.
Occupying himself with getting ready for bed, Kevin brushed his teeth, showered, and changed into pajamas of a t-shirt and flannel drawstring pants. All too soon, he was finished, and he found himself lying in bed, holding his phone in one hand and putting off the inevitable.
Kevin sighed. As sick as he was of explaining to people that Nick had tried to rape him, he still had one person he needed to tell.
Steeling himself, he hit the button on his phone. San Junipero was six hours behind Riverdale, so Joaquin would be awake to take his call.
The phone only had to ring once before Joaquin answered.
"Hey, preppie. I tried calling you earlier today, but I just got your voicemail. Were you ignoring me?" he teased.
"Actually, yes," Kevin admitted, playing with the St. Dominic medal Joaquin had given to him before he left. "Joaquin, are you someplace you can talk? Because there's something I have to tell you."