days go by, give me a sign (Joaquin DeSantos x Kevin Keller)
Summary: Joaquin has been stuck in Riverdale since he died, only able to watch his friends and family from afar as a ghost. Watching Kevin try to move on with his life has been particularly hard, and so Joaquin decides that he wants to try and give him a sign to show him that he's still around, although that task is harder than he originally anticipated. AKA: Three times Joaquin tried and failed to give Kevin a sign and the one time he succeeded.
Word count: 3.3K+
WARNINGS: None.
Author’s note: I’m submitting this for @southsidearchive‘s event (Falloween) and @riverdale-events‘ event (Tricks and Treats of Riverdale), both under their respective supernatural themes. Enjoy!
MASTERLIST
ONE
Joaquin had been wanting to make contact with Kevin for a while, but being a ghost made that significantly harder for him. Observing his friends moving on with their lives since he died had made him feel forgotten, but seeing Kevin and not being able to reach out to him had been the hardest part. It was one thing having to watch people’s lives continue without him, but it was harder and more frustrating to not be able to communicate with those people anymore.
Joaquin’s life had been full of trials and tribulations, but he found life as a ghost lonelier than anything he’d ever experienced, being sent to San Junipero included.
He’d had been racking his brains for weeks trying to figure out how to get Kevin’s attention, and finally he’d managed to come up with a few ways to contact him and ensure that he knew it was him.
On a dark Friday night in Riverdale, Joaquin knew that it was officially time to put his plan into action.
Kevin sat lazily on the sofa, legs hanging over the arm of the chair with his own arms behind his head, propping it up. He was snuggled up under a warm blanket watching Modern Family- a typical Friday night for him.
Joaquin watched carefully, studying the boy he’d grown to love all those years ago, biding his time. Ghosts had a reputation for being able to affect electrical appliances, and Joaquin had been practicing whilst Kevin had been at school and Tom had been out at work, occasionally blowing a lightbulb or setting off the siren on the cruiser.
He was planning to try to use this new-found power to give Kevin a message that he would understand loud and clear.
Once the show went to its commercial, Joaquin tried with all his might to change the channel.
Kevin’s brows furrowed confusedly as the Netflix logo appeared on his TV, searching around to see if he’d laid on the remote and accidentally changed the channel, eventually catching sight of the remote on the coffee table and chalking it down to an electrical malfunction inside the television. It was on the older side, and they probably could do with a new one, so it wouldn’t have been too farfetched to have assumed that something weird was going on inside that old thing.
He started the worry however once the TV ‘randomly’ selected Kevin’s Netflix account and began scrolling through his recently watched shows.
Kevin’s pulse was in his throat as it finally stopped scrolling and settled on Great British Bake Off.
That had been their show. One night when the pair had first started dating, they’d been laid in Joaquin’s bed and had randomly decided to watch Great British Bake Off together. Eventually, they made a pact to never watch it without each other. It was their Friday night thing; Kevin would come around to see Joaquin after hitting the bakery on Main Street, ready for them to watch the show until they fell asleep with each other, stomachs full of goodies. It was stupid to some people, but to Kevin and Joaquin, it was the highlight of their week.
Kevin hadn’t been able to stomach watching the show since Joaquin had been found dead in Tent City months ago and seeing it on his screen made his ears feel hot and his stomach tie into knots.
Joaquin selected the show from where he stood at the back of the room, listening to the jingle as he watched Kevin carefully. He thought he’d know right away that it was him, being that it was their thing, but instead Kevin came undone right in front of him, turning the show off and going to his room in tears.
Guilt crept through Joaquin and he mentally cursed himself. Maybe it was too soon to be contacting him, especially in a way so personal, but it had been months since the funeral, and he knew that both of them would be grateful for an interaction. It would help them both heal in a way that time couldn’t allow, and so he had to try harder next time.
TWO
Joaquin had a different tactic this time- one that he hoped would upset Kevin a little less and make him understand that what was happening was something good, not something to be upset by or afraid of.
Kevin was a creature of habit; he got home from school at the same time every day, besides when he had wrestling practice, and so by Joaquin’s calculations he was due him imminently and this was when he was planning to make his next attempt at contacting his favourite boy.
Buried deep inside of Kevin’s closet was Joaquin’s Serpent jacket. He’d been given it by the Serpents when the boy had died as a token of their appreciation for all Kevin did for him and for the gang, and since receiving it, it had become his most prized possession. He wanted to have it framed and displayed on his bedroom wall, but for now, to keep it safe, he had it in his closet where he knew no one would find it. No one except Joaquin.
Joaquin pushed through the polo shirts and jumpers to eventually find his old jacket. As he pulled it out, he ran his ghostly hand over the leather, grinning has he looked over his old snakeskin. The leather still smelt the same and was still as battered as he remembered it being, and the black inner lining was still littered with patches of different fabric where it had been torn during scuffles and repaired by Kevin.
His favourite patch was the lime green one that was about an inch in length and width and sat just below his right pocket- Kevin had tried to teach him to sew that day and although he’d ended up stabbing himself with the needle more times than he could remember, he’d managed to sew it in, in the end. It was nowhere near perfect and Joaquin had hated the colour at first, but the memories attached to it had made him so fond of that little old patch that it made him feel something special even looking at it.
Joaquin laid the jacket on Kevin’s bed, smoothing it out as he took a seat at the desk a few feet away, ready to watch the scenario in front of him unfold, hopeful that today would be the day that the pair finally got to connect again.
It wasn’t long before the front door unlocked and Kevin came home. He almost instantly bound up the stairs to unpack his bag and get changed ready to go to Pop’s with the gang, not wanting to waste any time as he knew they’d be waiting for him given that he lived the furthest from their treasured diner.
Upon entering the room, Kevin stopped, eyeing the jacket suspiciously with knitted brows and a bemused look inching its way across his face. He cautiously circled the bed, not taking his eyes off the leather and touching it gently, like if he touched it too hard it would turn into dust before him and his last piece of Joaquin would be gone forever.
“Dad,” Kevin called out, straightening back up as he dragged his fingertips away from the jacket. “Have you been in my wardrobe today?”
“What would I be doing in your wardrobe?” Tom shouted up the stairs. “Looking for a v-neck to wear which would shred the second I tensed? No, Kev, I haven’t been in there.”
“Alright, alright, no need for the roast,” the teen laughed in response, grabbing the leather garment off of the bed, looping the shoulders over the arms of the coat hanger he’d had it hung on. “Just wondered.”
Joaquin watched as Kevin studied the jacket suspiciously, his shoulder hunched with tension and a newly found stress adorning his face. He hoped Kevin would finally put two and two together, crossing his fingers on his lap as he rested his elbows back against Kevin’s desk.
“This house is so weird, I don’t like this one bit,” the preppy boy mumbled to himself as he tried to brush off the feeling that he was being watched, slipping the jacket back into its place at the back of his wardrobe, utterly confused as to how it had ended up on his bed. “Out of sight, out of mind. C’mon Kev, get it together.”
Joaquin sighed. Although this was another failed attempt, he knew he was getting closer and Kevin was finally beginning to realise that someone or something was trying to get his attention.
He just hoped that he could make him realise who it was that was trying to communicate with him before he was too scared to even open his mind to the idea that it might be something good instead of something bad.
THREE
Joaquin had been doing some thinking, and he knew that this time he was going to have to step it up to make sure Kevin knew it was him. His plan was to make physical contact with the boy this time, hoping that the saying ‘third time’s a charm’ would be applicable to this situation he’d instigated and that they’d finally have their reunion.
It had been two weeks since his first disastrous attempt at communicating with the boy, and once again tonight he was lounging on the sofa watching TV, however this time with his Dad in an armchair across the room.
Joaquin had overheard Kevin on the phone talking to someone about what had been happening around the house, and part of him felt awful for how freaked out he’d made him feel, but he’d also heard him talking about how much he was struggling with the Serpents boy’s death and so that was the only thing keeping him going with these attempts. It was the desire to help Kevin move on that made him persevere, hoping that he could mend his heart in a strange kind of way.
Joaquin crept around the room, behind the sofa Kevin was sat on and to the right of him, approaching carefully. He passed past their houseplants, accidentally brushing them with his hand and causing the leaves to rustle and sway.
As if at once, Kevin sat up panicked, looking right at the ghost boy and then at his Dad.
“Dad, did you just see that?” He asked frantically, continuing when Tom shook his head. “The house plant just moved by itself, I saw it with my own two eyes!”
Kevin’s finger pointed to where Joaquin was stood frozen, his eyes flicking between the two Keller’s as he waited to see what would happen and whether he’d been rumbled.
“Easy, son,” Tom started, a low, laugh rumbling through his chest. “It’s probably just the warm air from the radiators, so just relax. You’ve been so paranoid lately about nothing- just enjoy some TV with your old man.”
Kevin sighed, sitting back into his seat as he tried to concentrate on the show, but his mind wouldn’t stop racing, thinking about all the things that had been happening around the house. Something was up, he knew it was, but he couldn’t prove any of it and it was driving him mad.
After a few minutes of waiting, hoping the situation would calm down, Joaquin finally approached Kevin taking a deep breath before he grabbed his hand, squeezing hard three times like he always used to when Kevin was scared to let him know that everything was okay.
Kevin yanked his hand away from Joaquin’s grasp, standing frantically up out of his feet taking a few steps away.
“Something just touched me! I know it sounds dumb, but something just touched me, I’m not lying,” he turned to his Dad, hands shaking, goose bumps rolling up his arms. He looked down at his hand, spotting rosy fingerprints blemishing the skin from where Joaquin had squeezed. “It was like something grabbed me. Look at these fingerprints, Dad!”
Tom took Kevin’s hand, gazing over the fingerprints. They were undeniable. “Kev, I see them, I do, but I honestly don’t know what to say. Is there no other explanation?”
Whilst the two men were talking, Kevin’s ginger tabby cat strolled in. Upon sensing Joaquin’s presence in the room, it hissed loudly, hunching its back and erecting its tail with a hook shape at the end, ears lowered, bearing its claws and fangs at him.
Kevin whipped his head around, noticing the cat looking right at the spot where Joaquin stood and where Kevin had thought something had grabbed him.
Joaquin watched as Kevin’s face deadpanned, his hands dropping to his sides dramatically. “This house is haunted, even the cat is freaking out! If this stuff carries on, I’m moving out- I’ve seen enough movies to know that if I stay here, I’m gonna die. I don’t know what is in this house, but it certainly isn’t me- I’m staying at Veronica’s. Hopefully you’re still alive when I come back.”
Joaquin stormed out of the room, shooting the cat a dirty look as he did so. He’d tried to give Kevin all the signs he could think of to let him know that it was him, and all he’d succeeded in doing was scaring him.
Maybe it was time to give up on him and any hopes he had of the two having one last goodbye.
FOUR
Kevin had become uncomfortably suspicious of his place over the last few weeks, feeling unnerved when his Dad wasn’t home and jumping at every creak or thump that he heard.
He’d never been an open believer of ghosts, but deep down he always thought there might be something, and the events that had unfolded in his quiet Riverdale house had confirmed to him that the paranormal was as real as real could be.
When he’d told Betty, she’d reassured him that he shouldn’t worry- Riverdale’s houses were old and his mind was probably playing tricks on him, but Kevin hadn’t completely bought it and his mind hadn’t even been close to settled. Josie, on the other hand, instantly recommended saging the house- she didn’t want to risk even playing around with the paranormal, especially with Halloween fast approaching, and so Kevin had heeded her advice and bought some sage ready to use tonight to banish whatever it was that was haunting him.
Kevin had gotten home late because of an intense wrestling session after school today, and Josie was due home from school in an hour after her rehearsals had finished, ready to help him cleanse the house of spirits, and so he opted to shower quickly before she got home.
The shower that Kevin decided to run was boiling hot, steaming up the mirror and the windows as he washed his hair and scrubbed his body absentmindedly, wondering what would happen when he saged the house.
Joaquin was sat on the toilet seat, miserable. His attempts at communicating with Kevin thus far had been so unsuccessful that he’d ended up driving the boy away from his own house and making him a nervous wreck.
As he sat in the steamy bathroom, moping whilst Kevin showered and sang show tunes, an idea popped into his head that was going to make or break this entire operation.
He stood up and cautiously approached the mirror, holding his finger a few millimetres away from the glass, a hesitation bubbling away in the pit of his stomach. Kevin was mere minutes away from banishing him from the house forever, and he’d come to realise after all these failed attempts that he was fighting a losing battle.
But he knew that Kevin was always worth fighting for, no matter how tough it was or how high the odds were stacked against him.
Joaquin dragged his finger gracefully down the mirror, grinning as the condensation disappeared under his touch.
Behind him, Kevin shut off the water and slung a towel lazily over his hips, ruffling his hair in another towel as he approached the mirror ready to wipe the condensation away so that he could style his locks into his signature quiff before it dried into a knotted mess.
Just before Kevin could get his hand on the mirror, Joaquin began writing in the condensation.
The preppy teen stopped in his tracks, his eyes widening and mouth falling open as he watched, letter by letter, a message appear on his mirror that made his heart hammer and his chest, neck and face flush red.
In any normal circumstance Kevin would have been out of that bathroom as quickly as he could, ready to move out and call in professional poltergeist hunters, but suddenly in his mind the pieces began to come together.
Their show, his jacket, the squeezes on his hand and now the message on his mirror that spelt out ‘Preppy’ with a crooked love heart at the end.
It had to be Joaquin.
It just had to be the boy he’d lost all those months ago without a goodbye, the one he’d spent nights tossing and turning about; the one he loved with a fervency that made his heart feel like a hand grenade ready to explode.
“Joaquin?” Kevin asked timidly, looking around the bathroom as the hairs on his arms and the back of his neck prickled.
Joaquin took Kevin’s hand, squeezing it three times to try again to let him know that it was him. Almost instantly a stress rolled off of Kevin’s shoulders, a smile quirking at the end of his lips as his eyes became glassy and his chin began to quiver.
“It’s been you this whole time- you scared me half to death!” A breathless laugh rolled from both boys. Although Kevin couldn’t see Joaquin, he felt whole again for the first time in months, and like for the first time since Joaquin had died, he was Kevin Keller again. “God, I missed you. We never got to say goodbye.”
Joaquin’s gaze dropped to the ground, not finding the strength within him to look at Kevin’s face which was a dichotomous mixture of hope and grief. Sure, he hadn’t intended to just die, but he hadn’t made the effort to connect with Kevin sooner and for that he felt guilty.
With his free hand, Joaquin reached towards the mirror and wrote a simple message to Kevin, telling him that he loved him, before draping his arm around shoulder, pulling him in for a hug.
“And I love you,” Kevin whispered, voice catching in his throat. This was everything Kevin had been secretly wishing would happen deep down. All he’d ever wanted was a goodbye, one more moment with Joaquin, and he never thought it would ever be possible. “I literally can’t even explain how happy I am right now. But, as much as I want you to stay, you need to be at rest- you can’t be here, trapped in this godforsaken town after what it did to you. Please, Joaquin, go and be free, put your soul to rest somewhere. You deserve to be at peace.”
Joaquin smiled sadly, reaching up to wipe Kevin’s tearful face. Letting Joaquin go for a second time was even harder than the first, but they both knew this was the goodbye that would afford both of them a closure that they’d never been able to achieve before.
Joaquin scribbled a quick love heart on the mirror, carefully writing their initials underneath in his best handwriting. Kevin added a smaller heart next to it, a fond smile enveloping his face as he realised what was happening.
“Goodbye, my beautiful ghost boy. I may not see you again in this life, but I hope to see you again in the next.”
