Chapter Text
The year 2019 was all too quickly approaching for Kevin, Connor, and their friends. They were finally in their senior year of college and would be graduating that May and leaving Mother Mary to find jobs or go onto grad school. Well, most of them. Kevin would be staying an additional year to finish his five-year Physician’s Assistant program out. Kevin had a single room that year, since Arnold had moved into an apartment with Nabulungi, and Kevin needed a quieter and less distracting environment for his large workload that year anyway. The two best friends still kept in frequent contact though. In fact, Kevin and Connor’s original friend group had expanded beyond the two of them, Arnold, Nabulungi, Chris, David, and James. Over the past two years, they had become even closer with Kathryn, Dan, and Sam than they originally were, and they had integrated into the friend group easily. The friends frequently had game nights, movie nights, and adventures, constantly willing graduation away. No one was ready to say goodbye or step out into the “real world” and were trying to soak up every experience senior year had to offer. Arnold and Nabulungi, Chris and James, and Kevin and Connor were all still very much in love and happy with each other, much to their reliefs. They had each gotten their soulmate mark for their respective partner when they touched each other for the first time, which meant that they should be meant to spend their lives with each other. No one was disappointed to find that this seemed to be maintaining its truth. Everything was going well for the group of seniors.
Until it wasn’t.
***
*Kevin*
It was September of 2018 and the choir was already in preparation-mode for their annual Christmas Concert. They had about three months to learn the music and do it well. At the end of a fun and successful practice, Brian, their beloved choir director, stopped everyone from getting up and leaving.
“Okay, guys. I, uh, I have an announcement to make,” Brian said before dismissing the choir. Kevin smiled and sat up a little straighter in his chair, paying attention, but also ready to leave so that he could get to go to Marian Morales with Connor. Brian picked up a paper from his music stand, fiddling with it nervously. “I really don’t wanna do this…” he said in a quiet voice, chuckling strangely through it. Kevin furrowed his eyebrows as the corners of his mouth dropped a bit.
What’s going on?
“I just want you all to know that it has been an honor to work with you these past few years,” Brian’s voice wobbled. “And that’s what makes it so hard to tell you that…I received an email last night telling me that… that my contract will not be renewed for next year. This will be the last year I work with you,” Brian swallowed hard.
If he said anything else, Kevin missed it. He was vaguely aware of Connor grabbing his hand and tears streaming down his own face, but just barely. Kevin’s body felt entirely numb and the world seemed to be spinning. Before he realized what was going on, he noticed his peers standing up to put their chairs away. He glanced over at Brian and saw Kathryn hugging him, likely crying too.
The Chapel was eerily quiet. After rehearsal, the choir members are usually bustling around, chatting with their friends. But it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Kevin was still seated, in shock, when Connor placed a hand on his shoulder, quietly urging him to stand up, not wanting to break the solemn silence. As Kevin stood up, Connor pulled him into a hug. Kevin gripped his boyfriend’s back as though his life depended on it. He didn’t want to believe what just happened. He wanted to think it was a horrible dream that he would wake up from.
But it wasn’t. And he wouldn’t.
Kevin walked over to the chair stands to put his chair away when he heard a crash behind him. He jumped and spun around to find Brian and Kathryn staring at the bench they presumably rammed the piano into. Kathryn looked horrified, while Brian just looked disassociated.
“Whoops,” Brian said, numbly. He looked over at Sam. “You weren’t going to practice tonight, right?”
“Uh…I don’t know. Kind of,” Sam sputtered.
“Just use a chair,” Brian said, not unkindly. “We’ll have to order a new bench,” he said to no one in particular. Everything was just wrong. Not one damn thing seemed right.
“Come on, let’s go,” Connor murmured in his ear. Kevin looked into his eyes. They were filled with unshed tears. Kevin nodded and allowed himself to be led out of the Chapel. Things felt as though they were simultaneously moving too fast and far too slowly. It was a confusing feeling, though Kevin supposed that was appropriate for the night. Kevin held it together as Brian passed them and said goodnight, driving away. Kevin collapsed onto Connor and began to sob. Connor held Kevin close to his chest and rubbed his back.
“I—I don’t—I don’t under—stand,” Kevin choked out between gasps of air from his crying.
“I know, sweetheart. I don’t either,” Connor whispered into his hair. Kevin felt the undeniable feeling of Connor’s tears hitting his head, leaking into his hair.
“He’s the best thing that ever happened to this place. Everyone loves him. How could they do this?” Kevin cried.
“I don’t know.” Connor hugged him tighter. “Listen, we don’t have to go to Marian Morales tonight. We can just stay in,” Connor offered.
“No, let’s go,” Kevin decided. Connor pulled back from their hug and studied his face. Kevin gave him a small smile. “It’s either sulk about it and feel horrible all night or make an attempt to keep our minds off of it for a little bit.”
“Are you sure?” Kevin nodded.
“Yeah, let’s go.” The pair hung out in Evermund Hall, as usual, but Kevin decided to write an email to the university president, appealing for Brian’s job. Connor told him he would write his later on, once he cleared his head a little bit, but agreed to proofread for Kevin.
Hello Father Kessler,
I hope you are doing well. My name is Kevin Price and I am a senior Medical Studies major in the first year of graduate school as a P1. It has come to my attention tonight that Brian Richmond’s contract will not be renewed next year and I am struggling to understand why.
Brian has been nothing but a blessing to this university. He is a personable, caring, and intelligent individual. He works exceedingly well with our choirs and is a wonderful professor. I have been under his instruction ever since he joined the Mother Mary family. I have been in all three choirs with him and was fortunate enough to take Music of the Baroque Era with him last year. He has always been extremely professional and only wants the best for his students.
Not every professor at Mother Mary has a personal relationship with their students, but Brian absolutely does. If I seem even slightly off or upset, he asks me what is wrong and allows for me to vent if needed. In fact, within a few months of knowing him, he helped me through a really tough time in my life and gave me advice that helped me to become happier and get through it. That means so much to me because it shows that he cares about my wellbeing. I cannot say the same for many other professors or faculty members.
When Brian announced to us this evening that his contract would not be renewed, I was completely heartbroken, and I know the rest of the choir was too. This man has been an incredible addition to the Mother Mary family and it is such an injustice and disservice for him to be let go. He fits in so well with the Mother Mary community and is a wonderful example of our mission statement.
I am unable to understand why he would be let go due to all of these reasons and more. I know that you are probably very busy, and may not be directly involved with this decision, but if you could consider what I said and possibly revoke this decision, it would mean the world to me and the rest of the choir. Additionally, if you would like to meet with me to discuss this further, I would be glad to. If there is someone else I could talk to about this decision, I would be happy to talk to him or her as well. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Kevin Price
“Sound okay?” Kevin asked, tears streaming down his face. Connor took his hand.
“It’s perfect, Kev. I think you’re good to send it,” Connor said. Kevin searched the man’s blue eyes and found nothing but love, honesty, and concern. Kevin looked down at his phone and tapped “send.” It was done.
“I love you,” Kevin looked up at Connor again. The redhead smiled.
“I love you too, sweetheart.” Connor pulled Kevin into a hug and the two stayed like that in silence for a while until Kevin broke it again.
“I just…if Brian can’t hold onto a job that he was amazing at…what hope is there for the rest of us? I mean…none of us have jobs lined up yet and half of us don’t even know what we want to really do with our lives. I mean, I’ll still be here for one more year finishing up grad school, but like, what happens after that? Will any hospitals or doctors’ offices actually want me? What if I do clinicals and I absolutely suck at them and they hate me? What if—”
“Kevin, love, you’re spiraling. Take a deep breath,” Connor said, patiently. He paused and took a few exaggerated deep breaths for Kevin to mimic. Once Kevin was breathing normally again, Connor continued. “Nobody has all the answers, and we might not know for sure what is going to happen in the near future. But we’re going to be there for each other. All of us. And we’ll be there for Brian too. We’re going to fight this. And remember, I love you. Nothing is ever going to change that. Whether we’re living our dreams or just barely getting by, I’m not going to leave your side. You’re stuck with me, Price, for better or for worse,” Connor joked. Kevin choked out a laugh, overcome with emotion. Connor placed his hand on Kevin’s cheek and stared into his eyes. “I’m here for you. No matter what.”
“I love you so much, Connor,” Kevin cried, placing his own hand over Connor’s.
“I love you too, Kevin. I always have and I always will,” Connor smiled. The two kissed each other, relaying every emotion—stated and unstated—to each other in that kiss.
For just a moment, Kevin felt like everything could be okay.
*Connor*
Once they wasted enough time in Evermund, Connor and Kevin made their way over to the Copperhead for Marian Morales. They found Dan and Kathryn already sitting at a table, looking absolutely devastated, and joined them.
“I just can’t believe this is happening. He’s the best thing to happen to Mother Mary,” Kathryn said softly, tears welling up in her eyes again. “Did you guys send any emails yet? We were going to ask everyone to send one to Father Kessler and go from there. Start at the top of the food chain, you know?”
“One step ahead of you,” Kevin smiled weakly. “I just sent one to him and Con’s gonna send one tonight too.” Kathryn nodded.
“Good. Maybe if enough of us send emails we can get through to them. All I know is that we’re not going down without a fight. It doesn’t hurt to try, and Brian’s not going to get in trouble from us sending these, so what the hell?” Kathryn stated with a fire growing in her eyes.
“Absolutely,” Connor agreed earnestly. Brian meant so much to all of the choir members. He had never heard a single bad thing spoken about him. Everyone loved him. He and Kevin even owed their relationship in part to his advice. Brian had noticed that Kevin was going through some sort of hardship during their sophomore year when Kevin was questioning his feelings for Connor, and reached out to him when he needed it most. He also spoke with Connor after he pieced together what was going on and offered him advice and a listening ear as well. He had transformed from purely a professor and choir director into a mentor, role model, and friend. Even though he was graduating that year and the decision did not affect him on an academic or choir level, it did affect him in that he did not want to see someone who meant a lot to him suffer an injustice. He was going to fight this with everything he had.
The group of friends were discussing “The Situation,” as they had dubbed it, when a man they did not know approached their table.
“Hi, would it be okay if I sit with you all? I’m a new faculty member at Mother Mary and I’m trying to get to know people from campus better. Unless this seat is for someone else?” The man gestured at the empty chair at their table.
“Sure, you can join us!” Dan said with a smile. “My name is Dan and these fine people are Kathryn, Connor, and Kevin. We’re all seniors.”
“It’s so nice to meet you all,” the man replied with a smile, moving a hand through his wild dark brown hair.
“What’s your name?” Kathryn asked. The man opened his mouth to answer but was interrupted by the Campus Minister announcing the start of the event and beginning the prayer. After they had blessed themselves at the end of the prayer, tables began to be called to get their food. Connor’s table was called up first since they were all seniors, but the man lingered behind, allowing for the students to have first dibs at the food. When the group returned to the table with their plates of mozzarella sticks, quesadillas, and chicken fingers, the man stared at the food hesitantly.
“Is it all fried food?” he asked.
“Yeah, we all just use this as our dinner. You can’t really eat before you come here. It’d be too much food,” Kathryn explained. The man scrunched his nose in disgust.
“Yeah, I think I’m going to wait until I get home to have dinner. I need to watch my figure,” he said, patting his undescended stomach. Dan snorted.
“Whatever you say, man, it’s your loss,” Kevin shrugged his shoulders.
“I do want a beer though. How do I order that?” the man asked.
“There’s a waitress walking around taking orders. You’re going to have to pay for it yourself though—that’s not included,” Connor explained.
“Ah, I see her. I’ll be back,” the man all but jumped out of his seat, hurrying over to the waitress to place his order. The group of students gave each other a curious look but continued on with their conversation. Soon enough, the man returned, beer in hand, to the table. Dan spotted some friends at another table and sauntered over to them to say hello.
“Why does he walk like that?” the man questioned. Connor looked up from his food and glanced over at Dan, who was admittedly doing a funny walk, but with the intentions of being goofy.
“That’s just how Dan is,” Kathryn said nonchalantly.
“He’s…an interesting person…” the man commented, unsure. Connor and Kevin frowned, not liking his tone, while Kathryn did her best to keep a neutral face. Soon enough, Dan returned to the table and no one brought up the kind of rude comment that the man had made. The actual talk began a few minutes later, discussing the importance of relationships and how to best be yourself within life. Everyone enjoyed the discussion and Campus Ministry organized a group picture at the end of it. The man disappeared in the crowds at the end of the event.
“We never did get his name, did we?” Kathryn asked Dan, Connor, and Kevin.
“No, we didn’t,” Connor frowned. “He was kind of judgey, don’t you think?”
“Yeah, Dan, when you went over to say hi to Matt, he made a comment about the way you walked over to him,” Kevin informed him.
“Wow, what a dick. I’m sorry I’m having fun in my life,” Dan huffed, rolling his eyes.
“Whatever, you’re a cool guy, Dan. Don’t let him get you down,” Connor encouraged.
“Oh, I’m not, don’t you worry. Well, I think I’m gonna bring Kathryn back to campus and then head home. I’m pretty beat,” Dan replied.
“We could bring Kathryn back, if you want. That way you don’t have to go out of your way,” Connor offered. Dan glanced at Kathryn and at her nod, agreed and thanked Connor. They all said their goodbyes and Connor, Kevin, and Kathryn piled into Connor’s car to drive the short distance back to Mother Mary. They dropped Kathryn off at her dorm before Connor drove to Kevin’s dorm. Kevin stared down at his lap when Connor pulled up to the door of the building, not making any attempts to move. After a beat, Kevin opened his mouth.
“Would you mind stopping by my room for a little bit? I know it’s getting kind of late and we still have classes tomorrow, but—”
“Of course, sweetheart,” Connor interjected, pulling into a parking space outside the dorm instead. Kevin swiped his ID at the door and the two walked in and up the stairs to get to his floor. Once Kevin unlocked his door, Connor immediately entered the room, hopped on his bed, and opened his arms without a word. Kevin sat next to him on the bed and relaxed into his arms, allowing Connor to just silently hold him. After some time, Connor started to feel tears seeping through his shirt.
“Kev, sweetheart, are you okay?” Connor asked. He supposed maybe it was a stupid question, but he wanted to be there for Kevin in any way possible. Kevin gave a small shake of the head—No. Connor’s heart just about broke from the simple action.
I wish there was something I could do or say that would make him feel better. It kills me to see him like this.
Connor tightened his grip around Kevin, trying to tell him that he was there for him as best he could. He felt Kevin pull away a little bit. When he pulled away as well and looked at Kevin, the boy captured his lips in a kiss, which Connor returned. He swiped his thumb under Kevin’s eye as he held his cheek, brushing away some of the stray tears.
“I love you,” Kevin whispered against his lips.
“I love you too,” Connor murmured in reply, pressing their lips together again. Even after nearly two years, Connor still felt the same swoop in his stomach when he kissed Kevin. It was as though he was dying of thirst and Kevin’s lips were a glass of water. Like Kevin was the fuzzy blanket and mug of hot chocolate in front of a fireplace at the end of a difficult and cold day. He was everything Connor ever wanted or craved. He was the addiction Connor never wanted to let go of. The answer to his question. The person who made all of the troubles and doubts in Connor’s life all but disappear and much more manageable. His home. Even the things that some people found annoying about Kevin, Connor found endearing. His passion and stubbornness showed Connor just how much heart and care Kevin put into things. Even his anxious tics were kind of cute as long as Kevin didn’t get hurt from them. His tendencies to wring his hands, fiddle with his bangs, and shove his thumbs into his pockets while shuffling his feet made Connor smile, and often resulted in Connor giving Kevin a kiss on the side of his head, silently encouraging him to breathe and calm down. It usually worked. There weren’t many things Connor McKinley wouldn’t do for Kevin Price. He meant everything to him. And if that meant staying too long in Kevin’s dorm to return to his own dorm room and pull an all-nighter to finish a paper due the next morning, he would do it.
Because Connor McKinley was still absolutely crazy for Kevin Price and wanted nothing more than to make him happy.