Work Text:
Kevin was at home on his sofa watching a horror movie tired from his earlier shift, he remembered a customer being rude earlier. What separated this customer from the standard rude customer would be that each time they came in they seemed more and more paranoid of something or someone . Today Kevin’s shift almost changed when they walked in, their eyes were wide and erratic until they focused onto Kevin, in that moment the customer yelled at Kevin about being watched and stalked almost becoming more and more terrified as they took everything out onto the raven-haired candy store employee that stood behind the counter they were gripping onto for dear life. As much as he tried to shrug it off he couldn’t ignore that something was off , Kevin stood up and proceeded to clean a little bit before noticing a figure in the corner of his eye. He flinched but he was met with nothing.
Meanwhile, in an opulent yet desolate house shaky breathing could be heard as footsteps approached. A head peered from a doorway checking if the coast was clear, the breathed in relief as the coast was clear but the step they took would soon come to haunt them as they were tackled to the cold marble floor.
“ STAY AWAY FROM KEVIN, YOU PRICK!!! ”
The attacker screamed as they plunged the blade deep into their back, blood seeped into the once stainless floors. They stabbed and slashed until they seemed to be satisfied, although it was exhilarating they were out of breath from the chasing and stabbing. Panting his chest heaved as he moved the body down to the ground floor still opulent but now desolate and lifeless as the body was placed at the bottom of a stairwell. Diamonds ,how fitting, almost poetic ;however, it would make sense. He plunged a diamond statuette into the chest as hard as he could before pushing the body down the stairs. His work was now finished and done, but before he could leave the sounds of cars driving close to the house filled his ears.
“Shit”
He said quietly under his breath as he ran to the bathroom, opening the window and making his escape. Red viscera, cherry red viscera almost reminded him of Kevin’s lips. Jumping into an alley, he caught his breath as he removed his mask. He wore that mask during halloween, he and Kevin went as their favorite slashers, Ghostface and Candyman. He cleaned his glasses, the duo-toned lenses now clean of any blood that could have gotten onto them. He walked down the pavement closer to Kevin’s apartment, he snuck in through a window. The place was small but it didn’t matter to him, if anything it was cozy. Kevin walked into his room but stopped in his tracks as he looked at him.
“Radford?”
Radford turned to look at Kevin unsure of what to do now, his costume still was covered in blood. Kevin backed up slowly as he noticed the blood on Radford’s clothes as he asked.
“Radford? What happened? Why are you covered in blood? ”
“ It’s grenadine, for cosplay. Kevin? Are you sure you’re alright? You seem a little scared of something”
Radford was lying through his teeth as he spoke, the last thing he’d want would be having to sacrifice the man he loves because he found out about what he had done. He knew that he could try getting him to join the church if it came down to last resorts. But Kevin wasn’t entirely convinced despite leaving the subject. He trusted Radford for years, since they both were so close as friends. Radford loved Kevin, he wanted to be with him, he wanted to be the one Kevin would cry into, he wanted to whisper sweet nothings to him, but most of all he just wanted to be with Kevin.
“ Why are you in my house?” Kevin asked Radford, The blonde lied through his teeth when he responded.
“I wanted to just check in on you. With all the murders lately.” Radford was partially lying through his teeth. He just wanted to be with Kevin, the murders were just a thing needed to be done for the church . But there were other perks they had as well like giving Radford some way to show his darker sides in a way outside of film creation. He always wanted to be a film director, if anything most of the films he’s written had always some type of subtext to them. Kevin was Radord’s unknowing muse, He was the faint inspiration to every love interest he ever wrote, and one day he hoped that he could take Kevin to a place far away from this town and give him everything he deserved.
Though sadly Kevin seemed to suspect something was off with this town, he was getting closer to the revelation of a cult. Having him know about the cult would be one thing but to have him find out that his best friend was involved in it would be absolute hell. So he got an idea. He didn’t want to force Kevin into joining so he would slowly break him down until one day he would have only Radford to cry into. Despite it seeming like Kevin and Radford were inseparable, Kevin was very solitary in handling his issues in private, which annoyed Radford to no end. As Radford cleaned his clothes he plotted in his head about his next move. Kevin looked at Radford but he was met with a quick and bright smile like usual as he fixed Radford some tea.
“Hey Rad?” Kevin said
“Yeah?”
“I’m gonna go on a walk tonight,you wanna come with me?” Kevin asked as he got his shoes on, Radford had to mask the excitement in his eyes as he accepted the candyman’s invitation.
The cold autumn air grazed over Kevin and penetrated through his pink sweaters he and Radford walked close together. They talked about many things, Radford was methodical underneath his bubbly and sunny personality. Slowly but surely he got Kevin to open up more about working at the Candy Club and the horrors he endured. Heartstrings tugged inside of Radford as he felt pangs of sympathy as he wanted to take Kevin away from this cruel place and keep him close like a songbird. As they walked Radford would guide Kevin to the house on the hill, He talked about exploring to take their minds off of work. Kevin and Radford both stepped into the large and aged house as the door closed behind them,leaving them both in darkness. They agreed to split up as they both explored.
Tonight was a night where very few cultists would be in the house but as Radford walked down an old hallway as if to check on something he was greeted by a voice from behind him. The voice behind him had the intentions of a cheshire cat and the suave and persuasive tone of an old song with a romantic sound but dark meaning.
“Radford, I’m impressed with the lengths you will go in order to keep your muse from going away.” Radford turned to face the man that spoke to him.
“ Father Atticus, he needs me. He can’t keep relying on himself, so I am merely trying to shield him from the horrors you helped cause.” Radford said, his happy exterior dying like a bird shot from the sky as he spoke. Obsession was a subtle whisper in his words as the tall, raven-haired cult leader stood in front of him.
“ Don’t act like those horrors didn’t benefit you as well, but nonetheless I recommend not letting your affections stifle your true nature. Anyways I wish you luck my child” Atticus said before disappearing into the shadows.
Radford hated the horrors Kevin endured but He also considered them a necessary evil. He walked back to try to find Kevin but Kevin was in a part of the house that was Radford’s domain. As he walked through now feeling more suspicious of his “ friend ” he continued to walk into a room downstairs, He called out to Radford but only echoes would grace his ears. As he found what looked like an unfinished script for something thrown in front of a door to a room he would soon be exploring. He looked at the last page to find scribbled writing that looked erratic and rushed.
“Kevin, what are you doing down here?”
Radford’s voice echoed as he asked that question only to step in his tracks as he saw Kevin with an unfinished script in his hands. His smile widened as if he was excited by not having to hide his obsessive and possessive nature anymore or as if he were masking some deep anger in him finding what was essentially his idea of their life together. He stepped closer to Kevin but the Ravenette backed up from the blonde.
“Rad, I want to go home” Kevin said as he tried to mask the anxiety in his voice as he now fully caught onto what the man in front of him was involved in. Radford’s expression went cold as his voice lost any of the light that could’ve been, He was eerily calm as he spoke.
“I’m sorry Kevin, but I can’t let you do that” Radford spoke, his voice robotically cold in sound but the undercurrent of possessive venom was hard to ignore. Suddenly he lunged at Kevin and tackled him to the ground as he pushed him into a dark room. Evin panted as he spoke up, his voice terrified but betrayed.
“Why are you doing this? Where am I?! ” Radford’s arms crawled around Kevin like the vice grip of a silver chain as he pulled him close to him. He was so happy for this moment, it was the moment he spent years waiting for as his grip tightened like a boa constrictor suffocating its prey.
“I want to take you away from all the horrors, I love you Kevs can’t you see that.” Radford’s voice showed genuine glee as possessiveness mixed with his happiness as he spoke.
“Please just let me go, I'm fine Radford.” Kevin said as he begged for his life. In that instant something set Radford off as He pushed Kevin into what felt like a soft surface as his voice lost any joy and swapped to a cold and controlling venom.
“ Don’t give me that bullshit, You need me Kevin, You’ve always needed me and now I don’t want to let you go, I want to keep you safe from the horrors because I love you. You aren’t fine, You. Need. ME “
The room was set up to be as soft and cozy as humanly possible. Radford’s grip kept tightening as pushed Kevin into a pile of blankets. Kevin felt terror course through his being as he saw what once was his best friend morph into something else. Kevin tried to get out but that seemed to anger Radford more and more slowly. Radford seemed to have gotten an idea as his anger was replaced by a calculated concern that his tone contained as he grabbed something.
“You need me, You didn’t mean those words earlier love, I only want to keep you safe from the horrors you endured. You said that yourself earlier. ” Radford’s voice swapped from the cold venom from earlier to a comforting coo of a dove as he continued. “I love you Kevin, and I think it's time we both get some rest for the night, okay honey? .”
Kevin tried to get away from Radford but before he could say anything Radford pushed a cloth over Kevin’s mouth and nose as the sickly-sweet smell of chloroform filled his nose as his vision slowly blurred into darkness. The blonde whispered sweet nothings into his lover’s ear as he slowly was knocked out. Radford kissed Kevin as he whispered the words he ached to say for years as he looked at his muse and his lover.
“
No matter what I’ll always love you
”