Then

Kevin first met his mother during his initial Hunger, but he didn't remember their introduction. He didn't remember most of that time; it seemed distant and unreal, like a half-recalled dream.

What he did remember was waking up in an unfamiliar bed, every inch of his body burning as if it had been lit aflame from the inside, overcome with an aching need so desperate that it was painful. But his eyes could barely focus, all of his limbs were sore, and the intense heat in his body left him exhausted and sluggish. He wanted to close his eyes and go to sleep, but the inferno raging beneath his skin prevented him from fully fading into unconsciousness.

As he lay in the bed that was most certainly not his own, he became vaguely aware that someone was there beside him. A small part of his mind was alarmed by this revelation, and he had the dim notion to leave, to get away from whoever it was, but his body was too overcome by weariness to be convinced to act.

For an indeterminate time they remained there beside each other until Kevin felt a hand cup his chin, tilting his face upwards. Blearily opening his eyes, he struggled through his haze but couldn't manage to discern the person in front of him. The scent the cologne that clung to the other person's skin was masculine, so it was likely a man, and the only detail of his features he could detect was a pair of green eyes, the color worn and faded like old dollar bills.

No words were spoken but there was a soft sound from the man, a heavy sigh. Then he let go of Kevin's face and, with a shift of the mattress, stood and left the bed.

Then Kevin must have fallen asleep, at least for a while, because when he came to cognizance once again, voices were conversing in furious, threatening tones.

"If you can't get your people under control, Raith, I will not hesitate to take action. You think you can violate the Accords without repercussions?" It was a masculine voice, angry but controlled.

"I can assure you that this situation will be handled immediately," a female voice replied, icy but incandescent. Kevin would later come to know this voice as Lara's. "Madeline's actions do not represent the House of Raith, but you are free to challenge her as an independent agent, should you wish."

The effort of concentrating on the voices was too much for Kevin, and they dwindled away as another fiery wave seized his body and it became a battle to get enough air inside his lungs.

The next time he regained awareness, someone was picking him up off the bed and lifting him into their arms, and by that point he had enough strength to struggle weakly, trying to resist.

A hand gently stroked his hair, and a warm and familiar voice spoke to him soothingly. "Relax, Kevin. It's all right. I'm here."

Relief coursed through Kevin as he recognized his father's voice. "D-D-Dad?" The word rasped so harshly out of his throat that it was barely decipherable.

"Yes, it's me." His father was beginning to walk, carrying Kevin with him. "Don't worry. You're safe now. You'll be safe with me. I promise."

There was an undercurrent of anger in his father's voice, but Kevin didn't have time to concentrate on it was he was seized by another intense, desperate ache, and he drifted off again.

Now

After making dinner plans with Joaquin over text for Friday of the upcoming week, Kevin surprised himself by eagerly awaiting that night. All day in school he watched the clock, counting down the number of hours he had until classes ended, and then cross country practice couldn't finish quickly enough. Finally, he arrived back at his house to shower and freshen up before driving over meet Joaquin at the restaurant.

It was a nice feeling to be wanted, Kevin decided as he changed into the outfit he'd selected after painstakingly considering his choices. To not just be desired for sex, to sate someone's lust (even if he had directly inspired it), but for someone to want to actually spend time with him and talk to him. After a few months of just endlessly falling into bed with God knew how many men, it was refreshing to be approached by a guy just looking for dinner and conversation. Kevin was ready for that change.

Well, hopefully this date would provide it. However, Kevin hadn't completely put aside the idea that Joaquin could be an enemy in disguise, out to uncover information from either Lara or himself.

Before he left, Kevin scrutinized his reflection in the mirror one last time. He wore a thin V-neck sweater of deep crimson over a white collared shirt with the top two buttons left undone and the sleeves rolled up. His slim cut jeans were black, as were his lace-up leather dress boots. All of the clothing was tailored to highlight his slender, leanly muscled form, but considering all the effort he'd devoted to selecting his outfit, it really wasn't anything particularly special. It could have been sexier or dressier, he supposed, but given that he'd never been on a date before, he'd wanted to play it safe.

His first date. Heart thrumming with nervousness, it was a struggle to remain calm as he drove to the restaurant and then walked inside. What if he screwed this up? What if it turned out to be a disaster? He found himself close to wishing that Joaquin would turn out to be an undercover agent after all, if only so that he wouldn't have to feel bad about being too awkward.

Get it together, Keller , he scolded himself as the restaurant hostess led him out to the patio to Joaquin's table. It's just dinner. You've taken on ghouls and Red and Black Court Vampires. You can do this .

Joaquin grinned widely as Kevin joined him. "Hey, you made it! Nice place, huh?"

"It's great," Kevin replied honestly, looking around appreciatively.

The restaurant had a rustic design, with exposed stone walls, scrubbed wooden surfaces, and copper light fixtures. The patio had various outdoor standing heaters and fire pits so that diners could enjoy the autumn night without having to endure the chill. Since the restaurant was set back from the road, patrons also had plenty of privacy, a notion aided by by the brief stone walls that curved out from the exterior of the building to form alcoves around the tables.

"Thought you'd like it," Joaquin commented, leaning back in his seat. "It seemed like your style—low-key but classy. But I wasn't sure if you still preferred a diner scene."

Kevin paused, unsure of what Joaquin was insinuating. "Oh?"

"Yeah." Joaquin shrugged. "I used to see you at that Pop Tate's place all the time."

"I've been busy." His tone was more defensive than intentional, and seeing Joaquin's eyebrows rise, Kevin quickly softened his tone. "It's just been a hassle for me to keep up, with school and sports and everything. I don't have much free time these days."

"So, you're still in school, then?" Joaquin asked. "Thought you might have been, but I wasn't sure."

"I'm a sophomore at Riverdale," Kevin confirmed. "You?"

"Graduated from Southside High last year," Joaquin replied easily. "Can't say that I miss it."

"I won't, either, once I finish," Kevin said in commiseration. School bored him now there was no challenge to it, and with all that he was doing for Lara, the concerns of the clubs and committees with which he was involved seemed petty and ultimately pointless. The only purpose school served to him now was a feeding ground.

Joaquin scoffed. "A preppie like you? Aren't you the president of the student council or some shit? You've got it made!"

Kevin's suspicion was piqued. "You know about me being class president? How?"

"I heard you, Blondie, Red, and FP's kid planning your campaign last spring at Pop's every other day," Joaquin told him casually. "And then I was there when all of you went out for victory milkshakes once you won."

A burst of sadness surged through Kevin at the reminder. He hadn't wanted to talk about Pop Tate's, hadn't wanted to deal with the memories of all the times he spent there with Betty, Archie, and Jughead over the years. He didn't want to dwell on the friendships he no longer had.

Time to change the subject.

Kevin leaned forward, giving what he hoped was a flirty smile, dosing it with just the slightest push of glamour for help. "All right, DeSantos. You seem to know an awful lot about me. So why don't we talk about you?"

"Sure thing." Joaquin lounged back in his seat. "What do you want to know?"

Conversation flowed quite easily from that point forward, so much so that Kevin was surprised. He didn't even need to resort to his glamour for the remainder of the night. Kevin learned about Joaquin's family: his parents were dead and he lived with his older brother, but has a close relationship to his grandparents. He also discovered Joaquin's deepest passion: street racing and modifying cars to do it.

"So that's why my father's been giving you speeding tickets," Kevin remarked, amused.

Joaquin gave him a devilish smirk. "Hey, if you want, I can get behind the wheel sometime and show you everything I can do."

Before he realized what was happening, Kevin agreed. "I'll take you up on that," he said, and unexpectedly found the sentiment to be sincere.

After dinner, they ended up ordering dessert and then lingering over coffee. It wasn't until around ten o'clock that they left, splitting the bill and each giving generous tips, which helped cement Kevin's opinion that he'd enjoy going out with Joaquin again.

They left the restaurant together, walking out to the parking lot side by side.

"Any chance of getting this date to go on any longer?" Joaquin asked.

"You know they say about too much of a good thing," Kevin teased lightly. But he turned to look at Joaquin directly. "I had fun tonight, though. Thanks for taking me."

"Up for doing this again sometime?" While Joaquin offered him a cocky smile, Kevin detected a hint of insecurity in his pale blue eyes.

"I'd love to," he said, holding nothing back and again surprised by how forthright his response was. What was it about Joaquin that made him want to be so open, so honest? Maybe it was because Joaquin didn't seem to be affected by Kevin's appearance and allure as so many others were, but Kevin felt like he could respect Joaquin, could value him as something more than just a one-night stand.

"Would you, now?" Joaquin's tone was clearly an attempt at being laidback, but he couldn't quite disguise the happiness in his voice or on his face, and a thrill zipped through Kevin as he realized just how much Joaquin liked spending time with him .

"Same time next week?" Kevin invited him.

Joaquin shook his head. "Friday's out, but I can do Saturday. And since I'm picking the day, how about you pick the place?"

Kevin smiled at him. "Sounds good. I'll text you about it later."

Joaquin laughed softly. "Baby, I'll be up waiting all night for it."

In a split second decision, Kevin leaned in to give Joaquin a brief kiss on the lips, acting quickly before he could lose his nerve.

Joaquin looked stunned, clearly not expecting him to be so forward, and Kevin just shrugged and began walking to his car.

"That's something else for you to think about when you're lying awake tonight," he called to him with a wave, and turned away to hide to embarrassed grin stretching across his face.

This night had been everything he hadn't known he so desperately needed and wanted, Kevin decided as he drove home. He'd had fun. He'd connected with someone, building a type of rapport he hadn't managed to form in a long time. And not only had he liked that person, but that person liked Kevin in turn, even without his vampire glamour.

Simply put, being with Joaquin was a much-needed escape.