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— KEVIN KELLER HAD NEVER BEEN A HEAVY SLEEPER. Sometimes he found himself woken up by cars passing his bedroom window, or flickering street lights. It annoyed him to no end, how easily he was roused from sleep.
It used to be a blessing when he was younger, and the sounds that woke him up turned out to be Johnny, throwing pebbles against his window and urging him to come outside and watch the sky bleed into a new day.
Deep, seemingly intrinsic purples and dark blues that swirled above the earth, becoming reds and blazing oranges before the yellow sun became blindingly bright and they had to look away.
Kevin missed the beauty. The moments when everything was simple, and there were no shadows and darkened corners at every edge of town.
He missed the safety he felt, when he and Johnny would climb a ladder leaned against the Keller house and sit together on the roof.
When they'd talk for hours before the sun woke, kicking each other's shoes, giggling to themselves, making silly little promises they'd never have to keep, and telling secrets like liars finally speaking truth.
Until the sky changed, and they fell silent in such awe of the morning. How the sun seemed to twirl in a velvet ball gown painted with the most beautiful shades of every colour, and as if smiling down on the world, brightened in greeting.
Kevin felt safe as he leaned his head against Johnny's shoulder, feeling tired but not fatigued. Of course he was tired, how could he not be after staying awake most of the night- but nothing could keep the soaring of his heart at rest. Tired, obviously, but never fatigued. Not with Johnny.
He missed those moments.
Tap!
Kevin groaned into his pillow, shoving his face further against the now warm and uncomfortable fluff.
Sitting up momentarily, he flipped his pillow over and smushed his face back against it, reveling in the now colder feeling.
One eye opened as he glanced at the bright green line letters of his alarm clock, reading the time.
2:46.
Kevin was surprised he hadn't heard anything from his father since they argued. The man was hardly home anyway but it would be around this time Kevin would be awoken to his father's snoring from down the hall.
The house, it seemed, was quiet tonight, maybe on account of Tom Keller spending most of a restless night at the Sheriff's station- allowing a coffee to cool as he hunched over Johnny's case files.
Tap!
If only that damn clicking sound would stop, Kevin might be able to savour a few moments of sleep.
Tap!
He clenched his eyes shut even tighter, folding half the pillow over his other ear as if that should stop it.
Tap!
Finally, the boy sat up in a burst of anger and annoyance, his thick socks hitting the floor as he moved to his bedroom window, nearly tripping on a desk chair to get there.
Kevin's eyesight betrayed him in that moment, as he looked down at the slightly blurry street- his eyes begging to be closed so he could rest for a while.
Another little tap was heard, and Kevin noticed it was from a pebble being thrown at the window.
Who in their right minds is up at nearly three in the morning, throwing rocks at random windows?
There were two figures on the sidewalk below, both looking like simple abstract blobs until Kevin blinked and rubbed at his eyes a bit as he unlatched and opened the window.
"Skittles!" A familiar voice called, making Kevin's heart stutter for a moment.
"Johnny?" Kevin asked. "What the hell are you doing?" He leaned his forearms on the windowsill, his head just barely hitting the top of the window.
"We uh- we could use your help." Johnny muttered nervously, falling on deaf ears as it was too quiet for Kevin to hear properly.
"You what?"
"We could use your help!" Andie yelled louder, so he could hear.
"It's three in the morning!" Kevin exclaimed, moving away from his window momentarily to grab a sweater, pulling it over his pyjama top.
"He sounds happy." Andie laughed, nudging Johnny.
"Please, just come down here?" Johnny asked, ignoring Andie's playful shove.
In nearly- what could have easily been three seconds, Kevin had a pair of lace up boots on and was out in the front yard, not caring that he was still in his flowy blue plaid pants and looked like an absolute disaster.
"Johnny, why aren't you back at the hospital?" Kevin made his way closer to the sidewalk where the boy stood.
"I'm- I'm gonna ask you a favour. It's gonna be really weird, I know, and I apologize in advance for this but-" Johnny cut himself off, his head jolting to the side, staring at nothing, glaring into the darkness. "Shut up!"
Kevin knew that this was just Johnny's psychosis, it wasn't really him. But still, the far away look in those chocolate eyes gave him an unsettled feeling.
Maybe he had every reason to feel this way.
Especially as Johnny turned to him, a certain turn of his lips as they pulled into a frown, a kicked puppy kind of look to his face, and spoke words Kevin never- ever- thought he would hear.
"I want to go find their bodies." Johnny stared at the grass, knowing how absolutely ridiculous- how creepy that actually sounded.
And this is when Kevin realized. No one in their right mind is up at nearly three in the morning, throwing rocks at windows.
Because Johnny wasn't right in the head. He wasn't even close, and that thought scared Kevin beyond belief. How easily a childhood changes.
What scared him even more, was how quickly Kevin agreed.
"I'll grab a flashlight." He muttered, ducking his head and finding his way back into the house.
Because Johnny may be clinically insane, this may be the dumbest idea Kevin had ever gone through with- but that's how it worked, right?
Love made him do crazy things.
It made him stupid.
It made him blind.
author's note
we're so close omg also I have no way of knowing if the start of chapter gif actually uploaded I'm sorry if it isn't there 🙏🏻
