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By the time Kelvin got Keefe out of the club, into the car, and back on the compound, Keefe was relatively coherent, but Kelvin didn’t miss the way he shook in his arms as he helped the other man into the house.
"You should, uh, take a shower." Kelvin tells him, and Keefe nodded and moved silently toward the guest suite. He took a few steps away from Kelvin before freezing, turning back to face Kelvin with panic in his eyes.
"Will you be here? When I'm done?"
"Yeah, of course buddy." Kelvin assured him, waiting until Keefe was out of sight before heading to his own room. The plastic pants were chafing.
By the time he'd changed and returned to the living room, Keefe was standing in the middle of the hall, a towel wrapped around his waist as looked around like a lost puppy.
"Hey buddy." Kelvin greeted him gently, and Keefe's eyes immediately locked onto him. "You okay?"
"I...I was afraid that you had left."
"I'm sorry, I needed to change."
"I don't have any clothing." Keefe replied, gesturing to the towel.
"Oh, uh, right. Because I...kicked you out." Kelvin felt shame swirl in his gut as he thought of how he had treated Keefe, one of the sweetest people he'd ever known.
"You are struggling. I understand why you told me to leave."
"I never should have done that." Kelvin admitted, stepping closer to Keefe. He fought down the lump in his throat and the tears welling in his eyes. "I'm sorry."
"This is your home, I was a guest."
"It can be your home too." Kelvin replied before he could stop himself. "I mean, if you wanted. If not, that's cool too, y'know, it's not like a-"
"Thank you." Keefe replied, his voice soft. "I like being here with you."
"I like you being here. Sometimes I feel like you're the only person who's here just for me."
"You're the most important person in my life. You're everything to me." Keefe admitted, easy as breathing, and Kelvin just couldn't understand how it was so easy for Keefe to say what he was feeling while Kelvin could never dare.
"Keefe..." Kelvin began, his breathing growing faster as he stared at the other man, his damp hair causing rivulets across his shoulders and down his bare chest. The faded 666 tattoo in the middle of his chest - the one that had caused such revulsion the first time Kelvin had seen it - was comforting and familiar now, and he had reached out and rested his hand against it before he could finish the thought. He felt Keefe's sharp intake of breath and looked up to find him watching Kelvin with both anticipation and fear.
He wanted to tell Keefe what he meant to him, that he was just as important to Kelvin, that he had felt like he was missing a limb while they were separated. That, in all the chaos he and his family were going through, when he had seen that Keefe had slid back into the arms of Satan, he had been all that he could think about until he was back in his arms.
That...well, that Kelvin loved him.
He raised his hand from Keefe's chest to the back of his neck and tugged until their lips met. Kelvin had kissed a few girls in his life, but nothing compared to the electric spark down his spine he felt at the simple, chaste press of his lips against Keefe's. It only lasted a moment before Kelvin pulled away, but it was enough to be filled with fear at Keefe's reaction.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that." Kelvin pulled away, taking a step back until Keefe's hands flew up, grabbing his arms and holding him in place.
Kelvin felt lost, like the only thing holding him up was Keefe's hands on him. His father had always preached love and acceptance, but he knew that he would not welcome the idea of a son who had kissed his male best friend. A son who was in love with his male best friend.
"It has been a long day." Keefe said, breaking Kelvin out of his panic. "You should rest, and we will talk tomorrow."
"Okay." Kelvin nodded, and felt Keefe's hands squeeze his forearms. "Okay."
Kelvin looked up and saw Keefe staring at him, a soft smile on his face.
"Night-night." Keefe leaned in and kissed Kelvin's cheek, as if it was the most natural thing in the world to do.
"Night-night to you as well." Kelvin replied, feeling cold as Keefe's arms slipped away from him as he returned to the guest room. He was alone again, but for the first time in a long time, he no longer felt alone.