Archive of Our Own ^beta

Beep

Beep

Beep

Kevin’s alarm blared in his ear. He reached over for his boyfriend, expecting to feel his peaceful breathing and warmth. 

He felt none of that.

Instead, he was met with the painful reality that Streber wasn’t curled up in bed with him. That he never would again. Kevin reached for his phone to turn off his alarm and was met with yet another reminder of Streber’s death. 

His lock screen.

It had a picture of Streber, grinning with those vampire fangs that he always wore, without a care in the world. He couldn’t bring himself to change it.

It was all he had left.

Why the fuck am I scheduled so early? Kevin thought to himself, pulling his Candy Club uniform over his sweater. He didn’t give enough of a fuck to care if it was wrinkled or not. He checked his hair in the mirror, not caring how messy it was. He didn’t have the energy to. 

Autopilot took over him, and he performed the tasks he performed every day. Pretending everything was normal. That everything was ok. He checked the time. 7:23.

“Shit, I’m gonna be late.” he muttered to himself, grabbing his coat. He looked at the cobwebs, the bats, the pumpkins, the ghosts, everything that still decorated the house. Streber always went all out for Halloween. He never particularly enjoyed it, but enjoyed seeing Streber happy. 

Now, he hated Halloween with a burning passion.

It wasn’t until Kevin arrived at the Candy Club that he realized he forgot his lunch.

The one Streber normally packed for him. 

He put his head down on the counter and sighed. He didn’t know how long he stayed there, but he looked up when he heard that god awful, annoying ring of the bell.

Fuck.

Not them.

“Hey Kevin!” The kid in the pumpkin costume said, looking up with his friend, who was wearing a skeleton costume.

“Can we have some candy?” 

Kevin groaned. He didn’t have the energy to put up with this. Not today.

“Go… away…” Kevin mumbled. 

“We just want some candy!”

“Yeah, Kevin!”

After deciding he had enough of their whining, he grudgingly reached down for the first candies he could find, tossing them over the counter.

“Thank you Kevin!” The skeleton kid said, waving. His friend followed suit.

“Bye Kevin!”

He checked his phone as they left, his lockscreen taunting him, once again. 9:45. He sighed

Today was going to be a long day.