Koose

"Guys like us — like you — in a town like Riverdale. We don't have a lot of options."

- Moose

Koose is the slash ship between Kevin Keller and Moose Mason from the Riverdale fandom.

Canon
Kevin and Moose casually hook up, although Moose is squarely in the closet and Kevin breaks it off, uninterested in Moose's issues. Moose continues being with his girlfriend, Midge, although he cheated on her with Kevin and despite the fact that Moose doesn't really consider himself and Midge compatible. When the Black Hood shoots Midge and Moose, Kevin finds them and later visits an injured, but alive Moose in the hospital. They have a sweet, intimate talk, although Kevin is frustrated with his life and Moose tries to reach out to him. It seems like Moose has real feelings for Kevin.

After a few months, Kevin tries to ask Moose to go see a film on the weekend and Moose asks Kevin to join him and Midge, telling Kevin that Midge knows they hooked up. Kevin balks at the idea, but agrees to eat with Moose and Midge when they run into each other at Pop's. Kevin discovers that Midge is woefully unaware (or possibly in denial) about Moose and Kevin's true relationship and Moose's being bi or gay. Kevin's frustrated at being put in the middle of a bunch of lies and seems exasperated at Moose's continual evasion of dealing with his feelings. After Midge is brutally murdered at the school play, Kevin and Moose join Reggie in wanting to avenge her as the Dark Circle and they face off against a group of the young Serpents led by Sweet Pea. They help Pop fend off the Ghoulies attacking Pop's and succeed, along with the Riverdads. Kevin supports Moose after Midge's murder and, following the riots, comforts Moose when Midge's locker has been demolished in the chaos. Moose responds by kissing a surprised Kevin, who then kisses him back and they make out at school, with Moose seemingly not keeping his feelings for Kevin secret anymore.

Juniors
They spend the summer before their junior year together and seem to be out to their friends, spending time together at Cheryl's end of summer pool party. However, Moose seems somewhat reluctant to get close with Kevin, who seems to be pushing that they have sex. When they return to school, Kevin kisses Moose who pushes him off because Moose's military father is nearby, indicating that Moose's father would not be accepting of Moose being with a guy. Mr. Mason is setting up the Riverdale ROTC which Moose joins. Kevin thinks Moose is trying to push Kevin away as Moose spends time alone with his ROTC friends and Kevin asks him if Moose is ashamed of him. Kevin attempts to get closer to Moose and his day-to-day life by joining the ROTC as well, which Moose seems kind of uncomfortable with.

Moose attends the opening of the speakeasy with the other ROTC members to support Kevin, who's the host, but they don't interact on screen. After Kevin starts playing G&G with Josie and Reggie, he and the ROTC guys seem to get into it and the accompanying Fizzle Rocks as well. They run around having fun together in a daze, Kevin and Moose making out in empty classrooms at school, until Cheryl and Veronica enlist them to help take down Hiram Lodge. After Hiram's quarantine of Riverdale, Weatherbee starts policing the school and enlists the RROTC, notably Kevin and Moose, to enforce his petty rules. Kevin and Moose continue sneaking around together, as Moose doesn't want to come out to his Dad. Kevin asks Moose to be his date to his father's wedding to Sierra, and Moose declines because it's a public event. Cheryl comforts Kevin who's sad about his status with Moose, and he tells Cheryl that Moose needs a major push. Thought well-intentioned, Cheryl makes a misguided attempt to help Kevin by outing a "certain RROTC member" as a school-wide announcement. Moose is flustered and Kevin's upset with Cheryl, but tells Moose that he feels like they have to move in some direction, whether it be that Moose is ready to come out, or breaking up.

Moose surprises Kevin with a very public kiss at the lockers in school and tells him that he's come out to his father, and that he thinks everything was okay. Moose agrees to be Kevin's date to Tom and Sierra's wedding and they're both really happy, planning to finally have their first time together. They agree to meet at the bunker in the woods, as it's the only place they know they can be alone. Kevin lights candles to set the mood and they have sex for the first time. Afterwards, they cuddle as there's suddenly someone entering. They're shocked to find it's the Gargoyle Gang, who take Kevin and Moose by force into the woods. They face the Gargoyle King in what looks like an inevitable poisoning and Kevin volunteers to go first as he doesn't want Moose to get hurt.

They're both terrified, but at the last second Cheryl and all the parents arrive, saving them and unmasking the group as the RROTC and Moose's Dad, Marcus, as the culprits. FP takes Marcus in for questioning, and it turns out that Marcus was in love with Tom Keller when they were young and was sent to conversion torture at the Sisters of Quiet Mercy. Marcus was now suffering from repressed self-hatred and had been brainwashed by the SOQM. Moose is freaked out by what happened and leaves Riverdale to live with his aunt in Glendale, although he and Kevin love each other. They share a tearful goodbye and last kiss in the student lounge and break up.

Seniors
What happened to Moose's family tore it apart and Moose suffered a nervous breakdown and was in treatment for a while. Afterwards, he wanted to put everything behind him and start anew, and so he enrols at Stonewall Prep, a boarding school outside of Riverdale. Moose goes by Marmaduke, his real name. Meanwhile, Kevin puts the horror of The Farm behind him by starting over with his friendships in Riverdale.

Songs

 * thrills | DONNA MISSAL
 * Kevin and Moose have sex for the first time

Fanon
The ship has mixed reactions with the fandom, mostly due to the lack of screen time for Kevin which has resulted in the storyline being abandoned for 2/3 of a season before being randomly mentioned again, and then more radio silence. Therefore, most criticism of this pairing is an overall criticism of the low quality of Riverdale, especially its 2nd season.

Some find the ship problematic, with Moose being closeted and cheating on his now late girlfriend, Midge. Others have cheered on the ship when Moose was in the hospital, but mostly have been frustrated with minimal screen time afforded the ship. It's unclear whether Moose is struggling with being gay, or is bi, and after two seasons no furthering of his storyline has happened, merely repeated bad behavior on Moose's part towards both Kevin and Midge.

Fandom
FAN FICTION
 * Moose/Kevin on FanFiction.Net
 * Moose/Kevin on FanFiction.Net

TUMBLR

WIKIS
 * at

Trivia

 * Moose leaves Riverdale as Cody Kearsley (Moose Mason) has been cast on another show