Keep swimming, I guess

(author: Boloto)__________(App: telegram and Pinterest)

Also Kevin Day: wakes up diligently early in order to get protein shakes made for the three of them; takes his vitamins and gets Andreil's ready for when they wake; picks out tube socks for Neil because it's Tuesday, that means his bf/fellow striker is going to want a certain pair; drizzles chocolate syrup over Andrew's pancakes the most perfect and exact way bcs he knows exactly how Andrew likes them to be drowning in the extra sugar and carbs (even tho Kevin turns his nose up at the sight)

After Neil left Nathan trained Kevin to take his place as the Butcher for the Branch side of the Moriyama family.

Here’s some headcanons I have for it:

-Kevin’s main weapons are knives and axes which one he uses depends on the kind of task he’s been given. He has a preference for axes as they’re less finicky than knives and he can swing it similar to how he does an Exy racquet.

-Kevin and Nathan’s relationship is that of student and mentor. Nathan does not see Kevin as a son but as a protege, as a tool for him to shape as he pleases. He does care about him in a rather messed up way though he’d never admit it.

Nathan is just as harsh if not more so on Kevin than he was Neil because (similar to the Nest) if Kevin fails Nathan is also punished and then Kevin is punished too on top of that.

-Riko has tormented Kevin with the idea that one day he’ll force him to kill his own father knowing Kevin won’t be able to refuse him.

-The first person Kevin ever killed had been very close to killing Riko. He fell into a blind rage and brutally murdered them in the Butchers basement. When Kevin realised what he’d done he threw up and couldn’t look away from the sight for hours.

He still gets nightmares about it to this day.

-Riko and Jean are the only Ravens who know about Kevin’s double life. Kevin tried to keep it a secret from Jean, afraid of what he’d think of him but of course he found out soon enough.

To Kevin’s surprise Jean never treated him any differently. There were times he’d sneak out of his dorm when Kevin would return to Evermore to help clean him up and comfort him. He never pressed for details and would try to remind Kevin he was human.

-Nathan has locked Kevin in the basement as punishment surrounded by dying and dead bodies for hours on end and even overnight. Kevin would eventually stop trying to scream and cry for help and just sit there while the bodies around him cursed his name and begged for death.

-Exy is Kevin’s whole world. It’s where he gets to escape the nightmares and play like he was born too. He clings to that light so desperately as he plays his mother’s game. Here on the Court he is Kevin Day, son of Exy not a killer, not the Butcher and it’s the most like himself he’s ever felt.

-Kevin has had to leave celebrations to do his job at the Butcher. Spending his night zipping body bags and cleaning blood off the basement floor instead of partying with the Ravens. In the beginning Nathan wouldn’t acknowledge it at all but now he brings it up every now and again.

Kevin calmly responds in kind careful not to seem too enthusiastic. Nathan will nod and carry on his work and on rare occasions he’ll pat Kevin on the back as if to congratulate him. It’s never anything more than that but it means more to Kevin than either of them realise.

-One time when Jean was so depressed and so utterly broken he begged Kevin to kill him. For one fleeting moment Jean saw Kevin not as his friend but as the Butcher, saw himself as just another person for him to get rid off.

A second later it dawned on him and Jean was mortified. But the damage was already done the pained look on Kevin’s face hurt so much. It took a while for him to open back up to Jean about that part of his life, to let him help him again when he was hurting without feeling like a monster.

They never spoke of it again. Kevin remains haunted by that night and Jean will never forgive himself for it.

-Nathan was the first person to give Kevin alcohol. It was to calm him down after he broke down after an interrogation when they still had work to do. Kevin wouldn’t develop his dependence on alcohol until after leaving the Nest but this is where it all started.

And why Kevin often uses it as a way to curb his emotions and calm down to do what needs to be done.

-Kevin has to carry the expectations of both being the Number 2 Exy player and the Branch Family Butcher. He is to succeed at being both the charismatic celebrity and the cold hearted killer and is not allowed to fail at being either.

-Kevin misses Neil every day, he sees so much of him in Nathan but knows better than to mention his missing son. And no matter how hard it gets, no matter how much being the Butcher destroys him from the inside out Kevin never regrets taking Neil’s place.

It takes him a moment to comprehend the information. They're escaping, but from what? From who?

Maybe he should be overwhelmed by the implications. His soulmate is a runaway. He's in trouble. However, Andrew can't help but feel safe. The signs along the road imply that he is far from his foster home. Far from him. At last, a day of rest.

Curiosity finally gets the better of him, and he studies his reflection in the mirror, knowing it's a face he'll never see again.

Nathaniel wakes up in darkness. The walls are too close to each other, it's hard to breath. He's so used to not having a roof over his head that the overwhelming sensation isn't unexpected. What he finds surprising is the presence on the bed next to him. Riko Moriyama.

His first instinct is to run. He can't get recognize if he wants to survive. He has spent so much time being someone else, it takes him a moment to realize this isn't his body. There's no doubt he has woken up as Kevin Day. The person who makes Nathaniel remember who he really is. There's no time to think about what this means because the alarm sounds, and Riko is already walking toward him. Nathaniel has seen creepy smiles before (his own even) but this one was new and unfamiliar. He endures for whatever comes next.

Kevin finds himself in a cozy house. Warm colors, open windows, a garden full of flowers, and the smell of homemade food. That's everything Kevin has been trying to forget. What at first seems like a cruel dream turns out to be his soulmate's life.

He spends the day baking with what he assumes is his soulmate's mother. It's nice to have a mother again. The woman is sweet and tender, patient with her task and soft-spoken as she gives him instructions. If he makes a mistake, it doesn't matter. She doesn't yell or strike him, and he can't get attached to this.

His mom is gone. His home is the Nest. His life is Exy and that's all he has.

As torturous as the reminder of everything he has lost is, Kevin is glad his soulmate is loved and cared for.

The woman hands him a rubber spatula, and out of habit, his hand stings with the need to grab an Exy stick. He just lost a day of practice. What an absurd thing to focus on.

Kevin thinks his mind is the only enemy today. He isn't aware the real demon is just next door.

We all know about Kevin's love for Vodka, Andrew's love for sweets and overall the monsters rather unhealthy food habits but who.... who eats that much cheese?!?!? Like huh?????

like, the fact that Nora has surgically removed kandreil from the books shows in basically every interaction they usually have (obviously)

honestly, how can you write

It took a while, but at last Kevin visibly relaxed. The dead edge melted out of his eyes as he absorbed every ounce of strength Andrew could give him. The unwavering trust Kevin has in Andrew was amazing.

After Neil left Nathan trained Kevin to take his place as the Butcher for the Branch side of the Moriyama family.

I am lowkey obsessed with the idea of Kevin being the one who takes Riko’s life in this. Of it being the loyal knight who spent his years dutifully guarding the crown only to be the one to kill his own King.

I can see Ichirou having him do it as a way to prove his loyalty to him.

Kevin served the Moriyama’s as the Butcher for the Branch side of the family and with Ichirou essentially destroying them, it leaves Kevin with a choice to make. Either abandon his old position and swear his loyalty over to the new Lord or join his King once and for all.

After everything Kevin has worked for, the friends he’s made, the family he’s regained, his position as the Queen of Exy finally proving he is better than Riko in every which way, he has to choose whether to forsake it all or lose the person he loves most in this world.

To choose Riko or choose himself.

Neil tries his best with his own deal to make amends but this is a decision that only Kevin can make. It’s almost poetic in the sense that the first life he took was save Riko’s and now he has to choose to save himself by killing him.

Only one of them can make it out.