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migleefulmoments · 5 years ago

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Debunking

We’ve talked about this scene before- the Kurt rant given by Santana. Naya just said she was uncomfortable and she mentioned that Chris was upset. sugdendingle just posted that Chris “liked” her Tweet where she called out how much she didn’t like it. She added a second comment that includes:

sugdendingle

None of the other cast were personally attacked in the ways Chris was and to the extent Chris was. I don’t know what Ryan Murphy’s issues were with Chris but he clearly he had some....I’m talking about real life here. About how Ryan Murphy and his writers used the character of Kurt to personally attack Chris Colfer on a regular basis and it’s clear Chris agrees to some extent as he liked my tweet.

That scene in season six was one of the worst examples but hardly the only one. Chris not being traditionally masculine was like a running joke on that show. As was remarks about his voice, his appearance, his sexuality, how he danced, etc. Yes other characters faced insults but it never got as personal as it did with Chris and it wasn’t as extensive either. The insults to Kurt went on right to the end of the show you can’t say the same for the other characters. It’s just really sad that Chris had to endure a work enivorment like this especially considering he was bullied when he was younger.

Abby adds:

My opinion. The poor treatment stems from extreme jealousy. For many, many reasons. And of course c’s refusal to do as he’s told.(X)

Debunk #1

None of the other cast were personally attacked in the ways Chris was and to the extent Chris was. Was Chris harassed by the writers “more than any other character”? I spent a few minutes looking at Santana’s rants-and Santana seems to be the ranter on Glee. I don’t believe her rants about Chris’s failings is any worse than she she said about Finn’s weight. Rachel or really Lea’s nose being too big had an entire episode-and several comments through the years- and Kurt staged a flashmob at the mall to talk her out of plastic surgery. Sam was called Trouty Mouth as a running joke including a song “Trouty Mouth” sang by Santana.

“Every time you open your humongous mouth to do an impression or to moisten a enormous stamp for a lazy giant you take on step closer to everyone seeing that you’re actually a dork” (X)

“I just heard the news that Trouty Mouth was back in town. I’ve been keeping a notebook, just in case this day ever came. Welcome back, Lisa Rinna. I’ve missed you so much since your family packed their bags, loaded them in your mouth and skipped town. Can’t tell you how many times I’ve wanted to enjoy a crisp pickle, but couldn’t find anyone to suck the lid off the jar. I assume you’ve been working as a baby polisher where young mothers place their infants’ heads in your mouth to get back that newborn shine. So glad you’re back. I haven’t seen a smile that big since the acclamation abominable snowman got his teeth pulled by that little gay elf dentist. Love, Santana” (X)

This gets loooonnnngggg so under a cut

This one she also hit at Tina’s Asian eyes and Rachels nose- though I didn’t include that part.

Santana: Hold up, could we all just get real here for a second? I hear that Rachel has a bit of a schnoz. I mean I wouldn't know because like Medusa I try to avoid eye contact with her. But can we all just stop lying about how there aren't things we don't want to change about ourselves? I'm sure that Sam has been at the doctor's office and riffled through pamphlets on mouth reductions. I'll bet Artie's thought about getting his legs removed since he's not really using them anyway. And I'm definitely sure Tina has looked into eye de-slanting. Tina: That's extraordinarily racist. Santana: Just keeping it real. Tina: Sorry Santana, I'm a beautiful person. I'm in love with myself and I would never change a thing. Mike: Is that why you're wearing blue contacts today, Tina? [whispers] Self hating Asian. Tina: Not too many Asian sex symbols, Mike. I'm just trying to mirror what I see in magazines. Finn: My dancing kind of bothers me. It almost killed Rachel but I like the way I look. Santana: Oh please. You have weird puffy pyramid nipples. Sam: [tries to look at Finn's nipples] Finn: [slaps Sam's hand away] Santana: They look like they're filled with custard. Or you could dust them off with powdered sugar and pass it off as some sort of dessert. Look, maybe Rachel is fine with having an enormous beak. Maybe she needs it to crack hard seeds. All I'm saying is if you look in the mirror and you don't like what you see, you should change it.”(X)

“I’ve kissed Finn, and can I just say… not worth a buck. I would, however, pay a hundred dollars to jiggle one of his man boobs”. (X)

Santana: “Please stick a sock in it or ship yourself back to Scotland. I’m trying to apologize to Lumps The Clown. I am sorry, Finn. I mean, really, I’m sorry that the New Directions are gonna get crushed by the Troubletones. And I’m also sorry that you have no talent. Sorry that you sing like you’re getting your prostate checked, and you dance like you’ve been asleep for years and someone just woke you up. Have fun riding on Rachel’s coattails for the rest of your life, although, you know what, I would just watch out for her come holiday time if I were him, because if I were her, I’d stick a stent in one of those boobs and let the Finn blubber light the Hanukkah lamp for eight magical nights.” (X)

Santana: “Why is everyone staring at me like I’m Finn and I just won a butter eating contest” (X)

She even hit him during The Quarterback “Okay, I know that Finn had his doubts about God but I am convinced that Squishy Teets is up in heaven right now plopped down next to his new best friend Fat Elvis helping themselves to a picnic of baby back ribs smothered in butterscotch pudding and TaterTot grease so this is for you Hudson” (X)

She also did a combo Finn/Sam rant “Not only am I giving you full visitation rights to the set of rambunctious twins that live on my rig cage, you get the chance to show that pastry bag Finn that he can’t mess with Sam Evans. And not just because you can unlock your humongous jaw and swallow him whole like a python…” (X)

The Kurt rant

“Kurt I took what you said to heart, and I thought long and hard about it, and it occurred to me that you may have a point. Okay, maybe Brittany and I are too young to get married. I mean, after all, that's why it didn't work out with you and Blaine, right? Or maybe it didn't work out because you're a judgmental little gentrophile with a mouth like a cat's ass. Maybe Blaine got tired of hearing your shrill, self-aggrandizing lecture about how you felt the two of you were at the very apex of the gay rights movement every time you so much as cooked macaroni and cheese together or farted. Maybe Blaine didn't want to be with someone who looks like they just removed their top row of dentures every time they smile or someone who doesn't dress like an extra out of one of Andy Dick's more elaborate wet dreams. Maybe Blaine grew weary of dating a breathier, more feminine Quinn Fabray. Maybe he finally got freaked out about your strange obsession with old people that causes you to skulk around nursing homes like one of those cats that can smell cancer. Maybe he got tired of watching you drape yourself on every piano you happen to pass to entertain exactly no one with, say, some song that Judy Garland choked on her tongue in the middle of or some sassy old Broadway standard made famous by another dead alcoholic crone. Maybe Blaine woke up one day and said, "You know what I don't want to marry a sexless, self-centered baton twirler. Maybe I need someone who knows more than three dance moves: "the finger wag", "the shoulder shimmy" and the one where you pretend to twirl two invisible rainbow-colored ribbons attached to your hips. So, you know what, maybe that's why it didn't work out. Maybe it has nothing to do with me and Brittany. Maybe it's just that you are utterly, utterly intolerable. Maybe that has something to do with it."(X)

Conclusion: Chris was not attacked more than other actors on Glee. The writers were pretty vicious about the physical characteristics of Rachel’s nose, Finn’s weight and man boobs and Sam’s nose. They also wrote about Damian’s height referring to as Leprechaun. All are very personal attacks about the actor; not the character. Finn’s boobs were used as fodder for humor after he died so the idea that no other character was humiliated throughout the show is untrue.

Debunk #2

I don’t know what Ryan Murphy’s issues were with Chris but he clearly he had some. Ryan didn’t write Santana’s vicious lines-Brad Falchuk did. I spent enough time researching this and finding late-season interview is hard but earlier interviews show that Ryan really respected Chris and Kurt.

Ryan did an interview with NYT in 2010 Q:Is this story in any way autobiographical or a reflection on your own experiences growing up?

A:It wasn’t really true to my experience at all. But I know so many people that it was true to. It was very true to Chris Colfer’s experience, and working with him for the past year, he would tell me stories. It’s amazing to me — last year when we did the “Glee” tour, every time Chris Colfer came out on that stage for his bows, 100 percent, he got the loudest cheers and applause, from all groups of people. Little girls, parents. A lot of people have embraced him and he’s part of their television-going family, so to see an episode in which he’s physically threatened is very upsetting for people, I think. But it puts a face on it.

Q: It’s still rare to see gay characters on prime-time network programs, let alone one who is out in the way that Kurt is, and at a young age. Is there ever any pressure on you to tone down the portrayal of that character?

A: No, surprisingly not. Three episodes into the series last year, when we did the “Single Ladies” football number with him, he became an audience favorite and people started to write about that character and Chris Colfer. I think that character is in many ways the most important character on television, particularly for kids. When I was growing up, there was nobody like that. I think that character changes lives. I think that character launches conversation, both good and bad, and that’s a very powerful thing. I’ve done shows where if a character is a little bit controversial, the network and the studio are like, “Could you please tone that down?” They never did that at all with this character, and they were all very supportive of the story line. (X)

“Growing up in Indianapolis, Murphy sang in his church choir and immersed himself in high school musicals. His father was a semi-pro hockey player who was baffled by a son who requested a Vogue subscription when he was 5 years old and performed in his bedroom, holding a hairbrush in front of a mirror. He may not have understood his son, but he accepted him, even when Murphy revealed that he was gay at 15″.

“Having a dad that loves you as a young man is a very powerful thing that you carry into the world,” Murphy said. “Because no matter what you do, in some weird, unconscious way, if you’re a guy, you always try to please your dad. I think it’s a great thing to put on television. You’ve seen the gay character that gets kicked out of the house or is beaten up. You haven’t seen the gay character that is teased a little bit, but wins and triumphs.”

“The scene in which he tells his father was taken verbatim from Murphy's own life. Murphy felt that the scene was "a great thing to put on television", because, while gay characters are often isolated and attacked, audiences have rarely seen an openly gay character who "wins and triumphs". He further explained, "The show is about making you feel good in the end. It's about happy endings and optimism and the power of your personal journey and making you feel that the weird thing about me is the great thing about me. I've done other shows with gay characters, and I will say that in many of those cases, the gay characters didn't have a happy ending. And I thought you know what? Enough."(X)(X)

We also know that Ryan created the role of Kurt specifically for Chris.

We don’t know what happened with the fall out(s) on set. Chris said he wouldn’t work for Ryan and

“To this day, I'm devastated by everything that happened with that show." (X)

Other interring things I found:

“Over the course of six seasons of Glee, which petered out earlier this year, there was plenty written about backstage drama, fractured relationships and the death of star Cory Monteith from a drug overdose. All Murphy will offer are his own misgivings about his role on the show. "I was there with them all day long, and then we'd finish work and we'd go out and have fun all night, and I guess in a weird, twisted way, I was trying to relive the childhood I never had," he says. "I thought they wanted a parent, and they didn't. They didn't want me to tell them what to f—ing do. They didn't want me to tell them how to treat each other or what the world was like at the end of the day. I wish I could go back and do that differently with a lot of those actors. Some of them I'm still very close to: Lea Michele, Chord Overstreet, Darren Criss — but there were some that didn't work out well, and I regret that. I guess I just wish I had been able to let them figure it out for themselves."(X)

Conclusion: Ryan is a grown man and didn’t have it out for Chris. He respected Chris and used the Kurt role to tell his story of being a gay boy in small midwest town.

Debunk #3

The poor treatment stems from extreme jealousy. For many, many reasons.

Abby has claimed Ryan is jealous of Chris many times over the years-it still isnt’ true. Ryan is a very successful producer, writer, creator. I found a few quotes to back that up.

“It's a peculiar thing to be asked by Murphy, 50, the closest thing the TV industry has to a proven hitmaker, save, perhaps, for Shonda Rhimes. Over the past decade and a half, he's made pop-culture juggernauts out of plastic surgeons on Nip/Tuck, high school misfits on Glee and witches, nuns and nymphomaniacs on American Horror Story. And in that time, he's become a name brand himself, more famous than all but the biggest stars in his sprawling casts. The showrunner, both pop savant and provocateur, has one of the richest eight-figure deals in television and a coterie of loyalists that includes Gwyneth Paltrow(with whom he's about to pitch a musical dramedy), Julia Roberts, Jessica Lange and now Lady Gaga. He's hosted President Obama at his home for a $40,000-a-couple fundraiser, and when he mentions his friends Norman, Barbra and David, he's referring to Lear, Streisand and Geffen.(X)

"There's a limited number of creators in film or TV where if you put the title plus their name — if you say, 'Steven Spielberg's blah blah blah' or 'Marvel's blah blah blah' — you're going to get a different answer than if you don't," Landgraf says, "and Ryan is one of those guys."(X)

Chris is a successful writer and if he is successful in writing and directing the TLOS movie, he could be a power player in Hollywood. But right now- even with his Time 100 award, he isn’t anywhere near Ryan Murphy. I suppose Ryan could be jealous of something other than Chris’s success but I have seen no evidence of that.

Conclusion: Nope.

#cc #ccer #ccers #cc fandom #cc family #cc blog #crisscolfer #darren criss #santana rant

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the-mrs-k · 3 years ago

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Happy Friday Everyone! The bulk of the snowstorm is over where I am! Still at least 8+ inches on my driveway after plow service came through yesterday around noon and removed 4+ inches. Streets were too treacherously icy to venture out yesterday, but I’m hoping today is better so I can get out of the house a bit. ~ Anyways, my today consists of: Drinking ☕️✅ Getting dressed ✅ Starting laundry ✅ Doing dishes ✅ Hand washing delicates ✅ Crocheting my fingers off 🤷🏻‍♀️ (in process) Make simple dinner😉 (burgers & tatertots) Take that hot bath & shave 🤪(serious monkey growth happening here) Relax while scrolling & watching horribly horrible old horror movies! ~ What is your plan for today? ~ #stayingbusy #helpsme #staysane #chronicpain #hypermobility #fibromyalgia #ibs #gerd #arthritis #adhd #bipolar https://www.instagram.com/p/CZj57yjOZpS/?utm_medium=tumblr

#stayingbusy #helpsme #staysane #chronicpain #hypermobility #fibromyalgia #ibs #gerd #arthritis #adhd #bipolar

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an-absolute-travesty · 3 years ago

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Royal Screw Ups Side Stories 2: Wedding Redux

Happy last day of pride my friends, all month I’ve been working on this in celebration!

Important note: If you haven’t read RSU you really won’t know what’s going on. Its the very first thing linked in my masterlist :)

Warnings: caps, swearing, death references/recovered grief

Those warnings are very misleading this is very fluff heavy dw

About: keefex royalty au

Pairings: keefex, sophiana

Word count: 8.3k

Tag list (let me know if you want to be added or removed): @catboyruy @percabetn @sewersewersewercouch @everyonehasthoughts @imaramennoodle @enbies-and-felonies @blxckh0les42 @rainbowtay-11 @callas-starkflower-stew @impostertamsong @appalyneinstitute1 @stars-and-splendor @anna-without-an-e @mistythegenderqueermess @we-have-no-bananas-today @we-wont-dissapear @jadenightthewriter@cadence-talle @ruewen-and-rising @lemontarto @a-lonely-tatertot

Keefe sat at his desk, unable to stop the movement of his foot.

Tap

Gosh, he was anxious.

Tap

Maybe he should make some tea, that would help his nerves.

Tap

No it wouldn't, he was too anxious.

Tonight was the night. Like the night. The night he would... would... the thought made him too sick to think.

Not in a bad way! In like a really, really, good way, but still a bad way because there was the chance of it all going wrong.

A slim chance, he reminded himself. He loved Dex and Dex loved him back, they'd been loving and loving the other back for ten years, if Dex ran away now that'd be really... just- lame of him.

He upgraded his tapping to pacing.

They were to meet tonight at midnight, Keefe told Dex it was for a late-night picnic and that he had been so busy running the country and such that it was the only time he could get away.

A lie. Or a pseudo lie, as he would have been busy, but he trusted the councillors enough to take over for the day so he could prepare. It wouldn't be much different than usual for them, they just wouldn't have an easy tie-proof amount of votes. Twelve running the kingdom instead of thirteen. Oh, goodness, how could they ever survive without that little wax seal at the bottom that gave the king's approval.

At one point, a day when the king didn't work really would spell chaos for the kingdom (which meant there were quite a few days of chaos with Cassius in the big chair) but Keefe had been more sensible and decided the council should have a bit more say in things and should be able to vote against or with the king, rather than have to jump through a multitude of legal loopholes to challenge his decisions. Also, council members were now voted on by the common people, but Oralie and Bronte had managed to stay on the Council for the last ten years, as they were highly beloved by the public.

Before Keefe knew it, the clock tower struck eleven chimes. It was time to prepare.

He walked quickly through the dark castle, trying not to look at the ever-staring portraits of his ancestors that lined the halls, also trying to avoid the chance of running into his partner, who could be roaming the place at any time.

As he passed the kitchens, he hurried in to pick up his pre-prepared basket of food before exiting via the servants' door.

He slowed as he walked across the lawn, eventually reaching the Queen's Garden, as it was still called. He no longer had to climb over a wall, they had made an archway door to temporarily give entrance until they could knock the barrier down all together.

He carefully laid out the blanket next to the pond they had sat by on their first trip out here, and many more after that. He sat the basket of food atop it and started setting out the various baked goods, sandwiches, and fruits inside.

He heard the clock strike twelve and knew Dex would be coming soon.

He was right, as he looked over the horizon he saw Dex approach, outlined in the light of the moon.

Keefe walked up to Dex and as he bowed with great flourish, said, "Your picnic awaits."

Dex laughed, taking hold of the arm Keefe offered to walk them to their spot.

"How romantic," He commented sincerely, looking at the setup.

"Thank you, thank you, took a whole five minutes of thinking to come up with this idea, a true challenge for me."

Dex laughed again. Wow, he loved it when he laughed.

Keefe sat down and, with a pat, invited Dex to join him, which he did.

They sat in a comfortable silence as they ate, Keefe's right arm around Dex's shoulders.

At some point, Keefe began simply staring at Dex in the moonlight. He remembered doing this when they were teens, to escape from the world and the stress and everything else. His old sketchbooks were filled with drawings of Dex in the garden, special snapshots he was sure to remember. There was this one he would stare back at all the time, Dex with his head pointed up to the sky, the stars reflected in his eyes, drawn in graphite, though it was in vivid color in Keefe's memory. He would stare at it any time he couldn't actually be with the boy, which was quite a bit as a too-young king.

Of course, they weren't boys anymore.

Keefe noted the changes since they were kids, Dex's face had gone from boyish and round to a triangle-ish jaw with a light coating of peach fuzz he had yet to shave. Something that hadn't changed was that there was still always a smudge of some kind of dirt or oil across his nose or cheek, Keefe had stopped trying to wipe it off a long time ago, it always showed back up.

He supposed they were still just boys, in a way.

Especially considering Keefe was just as scared to pop the question as he was asking Dex to officially be his boyfriend all those years ago.

After a few more minutes of procrastination, he worked up the courage.

"H-Hey, Dex?'

"Hm?"

"I want to ask you a question."

"Shoot."

"I- um- shit I forgot what I was gonna say, where'd I put my cue cards?"

Keefe began patting his pockets as Dex chuckled. Yeah, the stuttering bit was a lie, he knew exactly what he planned to say but chickened out last minute. Also, he didn't have cue cards. Maybe he should have had cue cards.

"Eh, fuck it," Keefe said. He got onto one knee. "Dex Dizznee, would you please consider marrying me, because I like you a whole lot and I have a feeling it's mutual."

Here he pulled out the simple golden band from his pocket and offered it to Dex.

"I- I mean hell yeah!" Dex said with another laugh, putting out his left hand for the ring to be slipped onto.

"Thank goodness, that'd be really embarrassing if you-"

Keefe was cut off by Dex suddenly grabbing the collar of his shirt and kissing him.

"Sometimes you can talk less, you know."

"Why should I? My shining personality is one of my best features," Keefe said with a smirk.

"Oh, hush, you aren't fooling anyone. It doesn't take an empath to realize you've been a nervous wreck all night."

"That obvious, huh?"

"I read you like a book, my love," Dex said, laying back on the blanket.

"So, you knew?"

"Well... you did invite me to a midnight picnic in the spot we would sneak out to as kids and you've been 'busy' all week, so you could say I had a hunch."

"I tried?"

"Yes, Love, you did a great job. I couldn't be happier."

"Good. That's my whole goal."

"Funny, making you happy is mine!"

Keefe laughed and pulled Dex's face in for another kiss.

"I love you," Keefe muttered after they broke away.

"I love you, too."

~*~

"Okay, so the roses can go over here-" Dex started.

"Wait, I thought we were putting the roses by the reception tables?"

"Yeah, but wouldn't the entrance be better so people don't get poked by the thorns?"

"You're the expert, how long would it take to de-thorn a bunch of roses?" Keefe asked.

"Too long."

"Ugh."

Wedding planning wasn't exactly the sweet little romantic endeavor Keefe expected it to be. In fact, it was so stressful he was worried his ears were going to get prematurely pointy.

Normally weddings would be planned by professionals or servants, but even though same-sex marriage had been legalized (one of Keefe's first acts as king, and a controversial one at that), it was still discriminated against quite heavily. Keefe figured he should probably ease his people into the fact that he wasn't the straightest... straightest... nail in the coffin? Whatever, metaphors are overrated, he decided. The point was, ten years into his reign wasn't enough to be confident his people wouldn't revolt if they knew his preferences.

Of course there were rumors, mostly contained within the castle itself as many found it odd he was so close to a "servant man" but rumors are impossible to prevent, as his mother always said, so Keefe had stopped trying.

Keefe sat back, frustrated.

"Can we work on something simpler?" he said.

"Alright, how about the invites?" Dex offered.

"Hm. Sounds worse, let's try."

Dex chuckled.

"Okay, start writing the names down to remember and I'll list them off."

"Ready," Keefe said, picking up a pen.

"Uh... Sophie and Biana, Fitz and Tam, Linh and Marella, Stina and Maruca-"

Keefe made a noise of frustration at the last names.

"I know, we have to invite them though, she's your cousin and... cousin-in-law, I guess."

"Yeah, yeah. Keep going."

"Wylie and his dads. Elwin and his partner. Oh, and then my parents and siblings and the like, all the rest of the Ruewens, that's about it on my family, I think."

"What about all the Dizznee uncles and aunts?"

"Way too many, we'll just do the Ruewen side to be safe. Oh yeah, and how could I forget Bronte and Oralie?"

"Woo, that'll be fun with Sophie."

Sophie had told them and the rest of their friends her full "weirdness" about her biological parents and the like. Sophie and Oralie were still on rocky ground, but they could normally be in the same room without a fight starting.

"Oh and Amy!" Keefe realized, "We have to have Amy there, who else will get too drunk to stand and fall into the pond?"

"Of course, of course, although I'm pretty sure Marella will do that too. Anyone else?"

"Uh... do we want to start a fight?" Keefe asked hesitantly.

"Normally no, but keep going."

"In theory, we could invite Cassius."

There were many of those impossible to avoid rumors in reference to Cassius' location in the few years after his disappearance, but they had been confirmed about 2 years ago. Someone had spotted him in a mega-private vacation town for the highly wealthy somewhere up a mountain around Gildingham.

Dex sucked a bunch of air in through his teeth, making a pained noise.

"I know, I know, it's a bad idea," Keefe said.

"Yeah, you said start a fight, not cause a hate crime," Dex said lightheartedly.

"It'd be nice to see him mad, though."

"It would, but it's not worth it, Love."

Keefe sat up straighter (hah), satisfied.

"Alright then, I suppose that's everyone."

"Suppose so."

Dex glanced up at the clock that sat upon the hearth of the unlit fireplace in the castle's family living room.

"I have to get going, I have that meeting with all the rest of the servant overseers at four. They still aren't giving their workers long enough for breaks."

"Okay, good luck, Dear."

"Thank you, Love."

Dex quickly pecked him on the cheek before leaving the room.

Keefe sat there a few minutes longer, trying to put off what he knew would be an inevitable argument with Bronte about not coming to enough of the council meetings, but after a few more moments of procrastination, decided to get it over with.

~*~

"KEEFE SENCEN."

"Oh, boy."

"YOU MAY BE THE KING BUT I HAVE BEEN ASSISTING IN RUNNING THIS KINGDOM SINCE FAR BEFORE YOU WERE BORN AND I WILL NOT STAND FOR THIS ABSOLUTELY DISGRACEFUL-"

Bronte would have continued to yell at Keefe if it wasn't for Oralie walking into the conference room and giving a stare that could terrify the most battle hardened knights.

Bronte (who was almost a foot shorter than Keefe) lowered himself from the tips of his toes and took his wagging finger from Keefe's face.

"Hello, Oralie. I was just explaining to our young king here why we shall no longer tolerate the negligence of his duties."

"Yes, I heard from down the hall. I was just coming in here to make sure you don't commit regicide."

"If I managed a couple centuries of Cassius I can handle a decade of Keefe without murder, however, I have gotten close."

"Wow, thanks for the support. I'll make sure to lock my door tonight," Keefe muttered.

Everyone ignored him.

"So," Oralie started, "perhaps we can reason with each other without yelling so loudly you'll wake the dead. Keefe, dear, may I respectfully ask why you haven't been attending meetings?"

At "respectfully" she threw a pointed glance at Bronte.

"Well... I... um... I'm not sure I should fully disclose at this moment."

Bronte looked like his head was going to explode, but before he could say anything else, Oralie began to speak.

"Well, in the last ten years you have barely taken breaks and have been extremely diligent and kind so, frankly, Bronte, I do not see the reason you are so upset. I'm sure Keefe has a good reason."

"Yes, Keefe, and what is that reason exactly?" Bronte said with venom dripping from his voice.

Oralie's expression seem to say, "Just say it and get it over with."

Bronte's said, "I wish I had convinced your mother to put you up for adoption."

"Well-" Keefe sighed, "I guess I can tell you, but you're going to have to keep it a secret. We haven't told anyone else yet, it was meant to be a surprise."

"We?" Bronte questioned.

Oralie and Bronte both knew about Dex, they were his closest confidants -- even through Bronte's intense criticisms of him (or perhaps because of them) -- and it would only hurt to keep that sort of thing from them. They were supportive, they both voted yes for same-sex marriage and Keefe had his suspicions about their own preferences, but he knew that fact wouldn't save him from the wrath of Bronte.

"Yes, we. Dex and I are to be married."

Oralie made a sound of extreme joy that sounded a bit like a creaky door hinge.

"Oh my goodness! Why didn't you tell us earlier? We could've excused you for a whole month-"

"That's a bit excessive," Bronte cut in.

Oralie ignored him.

"Are we invited? Do you need help planning? I don't have much experience, to be honest, but I could try to help with-"

She was cut off again, this time by Keefe.

"Yes, you're invited, but otherwise we want to keep this on the low. We don't want a big wedding."

"Not after the first time," Bronte muttered.

"Exactly. We're planning it ourselves, and that's the reason for my absence."

"No excuse, plenty of kings have had weddings and have continued to rule," Bronte commented.

"Well, those kings also weren't planning it all by themselves while keeping the secret of their homosexuality to the world and hiding an entire fiancé. They also didn't have a council of trustworthy members working to run the country smoothly, and were attempting to do it all on their lonesome."

"Buttering us up won't work."

"Works for me," Oralie said with a smug grin. "Enjoy your wedding planning. We will be right on our way out and pestering you no longer."

She proceeded to grab Bronte's arm in a way he would only let someone he had been working with for centuries, and led him out of the room, still slightly fuming.

In that moment, Keefe was very glad Bronte wasn't a pyrokinetic.

~*~

"Hey Dex?"

"Hm?" He muttered, looking up from whatever device he was working on. It seemed like an improved version of the fire starter he had used when they first met.

"I just realized something."

"What's that?"

"I never asked your dad permission to marry you."

Dex chuckled.

"Well, I'm pretty sure he approves, I don't think you have to. Besides, it's a bit archaic anyway."

"Yeah, but it feels right, y'know?"

"I mean, go for it," Dex said with a shrug, returning to his tinkering.

"I will," Keefe said decidedly. "He's going to give me so much damn permission that he'll beg us to get married right on the spot."

~*~

Despite his previous confidence, Keefe was feeling extremely nervous as he stood in front of the Dizznee family house.

He knew Kesler would give his permission, but it was still a bit nerve wracking to stand in front of your in-laws and tell them you wanted to marry their son.

Keefe took a second to remind himself that he was the literal king and had no reason to be nervous before knocking on the door.

He tried to wear that kingly confidence as Juline opened the door.

"Oh, hello Keefe! Come on in. Perfect timing, there's some mallowmelt in the oven right now. What brings you?"

"I came to talk to you and Kesler, if you don't mind."

"Of course, let me go get him, he's off in his workshop messing around. Make yourself comfortable."

Keefe sat down on the couch in their main room.

The Dizznees weren't servants anymore, Keefe claimed to "recognize Kesler's talents" and put him in charge of making the medicine Elwin, Biana, and newer hire Livvy used in the infirmary (the people of the castle hadn't been healthier since). This gig provided Juline and Kesler with a nice house just outside of castle grounds. Well, both Kesler's job and Juline's new job, she had moved on from working in the castle kitchens and had her own bakery in the city.

As Juline walked back into the room with a Kesler covered in soot in tow, Keefe realized his leg was bouncing and made himself stop.

"So, what's up, Blondie?" Kesler asked, wiping grease from his hands on a towel that hung from his belt.

Keefe stood up.

"I- uh- well," he sighed, "I want to ask your permission to marry Dex, but also I already proposed so if you say no that'd be pretty awk-"

"OF COURSE!" Juline nearly yelled.

"Yes, yes, full permission," Kesler said, wide smile on his face. "I mean, honestly, it took you long enough."

"We were both just busy, was all," Keefe said, looking down, a bit embarrassed that he thought the Dizznees would even consider denying the request.

"Another thing," Keefe said, looking back up.

"Hm?" Juline questioned.

"Well, it's traditional to take the name of the higher standing person in the relationship, but we aren't fans of tradition and 'Dex Sencen' doesn't have the same ring as 'Keefe Dizznee', in our opinion. What are your thoughts?"

Both of Dex's parents looked damn near tears.

Keefe was afraid he didn't sell it well enough and cut back in, "I-it couldn't be an immediate change, the wedding will need to be a secret because we don't want a riot on our hands and-"

Juline rushed forward and cut him off with a hug, Kesler joining in right after.

"Of course you can take our name, Blondie."

"Thank you, Mr. Dizznee."

"Call me Dad."

~*~

"Ok, how are the flowers looking?"

"Doing well, I found a variety of roses without thorns."

"Awesome."

"On your side of things, are the invites ready?"

"Painted and prepared to send out."

Keefe and Dex sat in the castle library, preparing, as they had at every opportunity for the last few weeks.

Between Keefe's responsibilities as the king and Dex's as the head supervisor of the garden and agriculture servants, plus being on the ground making sure the servants were being treated fairly, they didn't have much time to meet up. They found little ways around it though, as they always had. Meeting at night or in their scant breaks.

"Anything else?" Keefe asked.

"Uh... don't think so. We have the place, the time, the people, the food... I think we're ready."

Keefe cracked a smile.

"Alright then. At the end of this month, we shall be wed!" He said, with a horrible imitation of an exaggerated posh accent and a flourish of his hands.

Dex laughed.

"You're such a weirdo."

"Oh! It will be a spring wedding!" He continued with the bad accent, standing up and reaching down to grab Dex's hands and pull him into a dance, circling around their various planning materials on the ground as if they were playing ring-around-the-rosie.

Dex kept laughing as he pulled them into a stop.

"We both need so much sleep," He said with a chuckle, rubbing his eyes.

That was true, the grandfather clock read almost 3:30 a.m.

"Okay, okay," Keefe gave in, "Yes, let's go sleep for the total 2 hours we have before it's time to wake up, it'll certainly help so much," he said with sarcasm.

"Better than nothing, last one to the room has to make the bed tomorrow."

"Bet!"

~*~

The day the invites were sent, just one hour later, there was a knock at Keefe's office door.

Before he could open it, it was practically kicked opened by a familiar pair of women.

"AH! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US SOONER!" screamed Biana.

Sophie looked mildly embarrassed at her girlfriend's outburst from behind her.

"Sorry! Sorry! Don't kill me!" Keefe said, putting his hands up and using his desk as a shield.

The wrath of Biana was much scarier than the wrath of Bronte.

Luckily, she wasn't actually in a murderous rage and rounded the desk to hug Keefe.

"Keefe, I've literally never been happier in my life, when did this happen?" Biana asked, shaking Keefe by the shoulders.

Sophie didn't seem to take offense at the "never been happier in my life" comment, but it felt like she should.

"Well, I'm glad my relationship gives you so much joy, for whatever reason. We got engaged last month, we didn't want to tell everyone immediately, because well, this."

Biana let go of his shoulders and put her hands up like she was the most innocent person in the world.

Keefe turned his head towards the still open door and saw Fitz running towards it like a mad man.

Guess he'd be feeling the wrath of both the Vackers today.

He slid to a stop right before almost crashing into Keefe's desk, he noticed Fitz still had his Royal Guard uniform on.

"They beat me here?" He asked, breathless.

"Yep."

"Damn. Already went through the 'Why didn't you tell us sooner?' thing?"

"Yep."

"Okay, I'll skip to the practical. How the hell are you going to pull this off with no one finding out?"

"Same way we pulled off everything else with no one finding out," Keefe said, shrugging as if the last time they- er- "planned" a wedding it was the simplest, easiest thing in the world.

"What I'm hearing is that you're going to need our help again," said Sophie from the door frame.

"You're hearing right. Mind gathering some people for me?"

~*~

One week later, Keefe sat with a multitude of familiar faces in their old spots.

Their exact old spots, he noticed. Marella sat on a love seat, Linh by her feet, getting her hair played with. Sophie took up the corner seat just behind Biana. Dex sat on the couch just to the side of where Keefe's seat was right in front of the fireplace, Fitz and Tam right in front of him. Maruca and Stina in the opposite corner of Sophie, as though they were still gossiping teens. Wylie floating around, never in a seat for more than 10 minutes at a time.

"So," Keefe started, standing up. "—we made a wedding go wrong once, you think we could make one go right, too?'

Marella raised her hand.

"Will arson be involved again?"

"I doubt it, but I love the spirit!" Keefe said excitedly. Laughter filled the room.

Dex stood up.

"We've assigned everyone a responsibility, tell us if you aren't okay with yours and we'll adjust, but... we're pretty sure you're gonna like them."

Keefe passed out everyone's papers with their respective assignments on them, they confirmed their acceptance (Marella seemed particularly excited), and they quickly scattered from the area, as to not gain suspicion.

That is, everyone but Sophie.

"Hey, can I talk to you guys?" she asked, after everyone else had left the library.

"No, you cannot," Keefe said sarcastically.

"Of course," Dex said.

She nodded before turning around and walking all over the room, frantically waving her arms around, apparently finding nothing.

"Sorry, had to make sure she wasn't still in here. She's getting suspicious of me."

Keefe and Dex gave each other a quick look that said, "What the hell?" before turning back to Sophie.

"I want to propose to Biana. This is a no-pressure request, but with the wedding coming I was... I was wondering if I could do it there?"

Keefe's face broke out in a huge smile.

"Absolutely! If it's good with Dex, I mean. It's absolutely good with me."

Dex smiled too.

"Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. 1,000%, totally yes."

"Thank goodness," Sophie said with a sigh, "You have no idea how nervous I was to ask."

"What'd you think we were gonna say?" Keefe asked with a laugh, "No, Sophie, our friend of years, cousin, and soon to be cousin-in-law. You are now banished from the kingdom forever. You may escape tonight at midnight by alicorn back."

"Who knows! You could've. I have to go back now, Bi says if I procrastinate hosting the Vackers at our house anymore this week she'd send me to Havenfield and tell Eda and Grady I needed to clean Verdi's cage. Normally I'd have bitten the bullet and hosted already, it's just there's so many of them."

"Good luck, soldier," Keefe said with a salute, "I'm afraid the king won't be making an appearance to that particular family dinner."

The Vacker family could be a nightmare sometimes, he already had to deal with a lot of them because of their high political status, and most of them still saw Keefe as that little prince friend of their nephew.

Sophie sighed before squaring up her shoulders and exiting to go deal with the most hard-headed family that side of the continent. Internally, Keefe thanked goodness he didn't have to marry a Vacker and deal with all of that.

~*~

This was it.

The night before the wedding.

Well, the night before the night of the wedding. If having it in daytime was an option, they would've taken it, but there was too much of a possibility of there being witnesses. Keefe hoped none of the guards noticed that no one had been scheduled for duty on the west wing of the castle or the lawns.

Just as Keefe laid down in his -- cold and empty -- bed, he heard a knock at the window.

Peering over, he saw the face of his fiancé staring through with a wide smile.

A few years ago, they installed a ladder up to Keefe's room (covered in ivy as a disguise) for Dex to say goodnight on nights where sleeping in the same room wasn't an option.

Granted, with their separate areas of work and secrecy of their relationship, that was most nights.

Keefe walked over to the window and opened it, Dex nearly tumbling through before bracing himself on the sill.

"I don't have much time," Dex explained as he shifted to sitting on the sill. "I have to get up way early tomorrow for a meeting they wouldn't let me reschedule. I just couldn't help myself, I had to come see you, I guess," he said with a chuckle.

Keefe smiled, wrapping his arms around his lover in the window, steadying him and making sure he didn't fall backwards, Dex bracing himself on Keefe's shoulders.

Keefe looked up into Dex's eyes, the most perfect shade of periwinkle blue, they were his favorite color. The idea of looking into those eyes for the rest of forever put butterflies in his stomach and made him feel like a little kid again. They had never quite gotten out of the honeymoon phase of their relationship, after the rose colored glasses faded away, Keefe had found a just-as-amazing man underneath.

"I love you," Keefe said unprompted, not able to contain his thoughts.

"I love you, too," Dex replied, a crooked smile still playing at his rough lips.

"... And that is why you need to go and get some sleep for tomorrow. It's gonna be a long day."

Dex rolled his eyes.

"Oh, come on, you hypocrite. I've seen you go to important interspecial meetings on two hours before."

"Well, yes, but that was me, and you are you, so, naturally, there's a difference."

"Sweetheart, you're a king."

"Exactly! Just another dirty politician! But you? The backbone of the management of the castle? Ensuring each and every servant gets a warm bed and a table full of food each night? Now that is a man that needs a full eight hours."

Dex laughed again, the sweetest sound in the world to Keefe's ears.

He leaned forward, placing his head on Keefe's shoulder and pushing his face towards his neck, taking a deep breath in as if in preparation.

"I'm scared," he said quietly, like it was a secret.

Keefe pulled back a little, prompting Dex to look up so he could view his face.

"About the wedding?" Keefe asked, just as quietly.

Dex nodded hesitantly.

Keefe shrugged.

"I think we're all a little scared. I mean, destroying the last one went pretty smooth. Making one go right seems like it should be easier, but it feels harder."

Dex nodded.

"It's also easier when your only job is throwing what was more or less a fancy firework."

"It was a pretty impressive fancy firework."

"I could do better," Dex said, Keefe could practically see the gears turning in his head of how he could improve on his previous bomb design.

"Well, we don't need fireworks or bombs for tomorrow, so don't worry about that," Keefe said to cut off Dex's possibly explosive ideas.

"But you know what we do need for tomorrow?" Keefe asked, pulling in Dex's attention.

"Hm?"

"You to be awake for the ceremony. So, please, go get some rest."

Dex sighed.

"As you wish."

With a quick kiss on the forehead, Dex turned around on his perch and climbed down the ladder, leaving Keefe to attempt to get some sleep in his own room. Although, Keefe wished Dex could stay in his. One day they would be able to, when the public was more accepting. Perhaps even then they'd have a second, more typical royal wedding. But for now, their midnight garden rendezvous would have to do.

~*~

At exactly 11:05 pm, Keefe began to get ready.

He knew it was exactly 11:05 because he had been watching the clock closer than a little kid on the last day of school before break.

As he struggled to fool with the various buttons on his annoyingly complicated dress coat, he heard a knock at the door.

He cracked the door open, just barely sticking his head out in case it was a nosy servant or something. Luckily, no nosy servants were to be found, and it was merely Elwin at his door.

"I thought I'd swing by," he said, "wanted to make sure you were able to put your pants on by yourself. Figured someone else probably always did it for you."

"Haha, funny," Keefe replied dryly. "But um... I am struggling with my coat."

Elwin chuckled before Keefe further opened the door as an invitation into the room. Elwin began straightening the coat, which Keefe had apparently managed to put on inside out.

"So, how're you feeling?" Elwin asked, still fussing with the devil coat.

"Nervous. Excited. Nervou-cited, I guess."

"Understandable, Huz and I felt about the same."

Huz was Elwin's partner, apparently of quote unquote "A long goddamn time" according to Livvy. He was some kind of doctor too. Keefe didn't know he existed until he was invited to their wedding almost immediately after it was legal.

"And... you're all set!" Elwin said, backing up and looking at the now correctly fastened coat.

"Thanks," Keefe replied, turning around to inspect himself in the mirror. Indeed, the coat looked much more correct now.

Did he have it upside down before?

His confusion was interrupted by Elwin.

"Better?"

"Way," Keefe confirmed.

"Good. I better get going, I need to get ready myself. Tell me if you need any more help, kiddo."

"Thank you, again. I appreciate it. You've always been like a father to the whole castle."

Elwin smiled and looked like he was tearing up a bit before ruffling Keefe's hair.

"Good luck," he said, then leaving the room for Keefe to finish getting ready.

~*~

Their "venue" was beautiful.

Keefe had never seen the Queen's Gardens dressed up quite so nicely.

Orbs of light floated in the sky, a combination of fireflies and the work of Wylie. In the middle of the pond sat the altar, an arch structure covered in vines and blooming flowers, floating on what was more or less a large flat boat. Oralie sat in the centre of the altar as the officiant.

The aisle ran directly through the pond itself, wooden slats temporarily upheld by Sophie and Fitz's telekinesis. On either side of the aisle were fountains created by Linh, moving around the blossoms that sat in the water with the gentle tide.

The light of the precession was covered by a ceiling of darkness made by Tam, false stars sat just under the created sky, they were also made by Wylie.

Most of the rest of their friends had more mundane tasks, Stina's was to organize the reception tables (Keefe had the last minute thought that perhaps they shouldn't have found a type of roses without thorns). The exception being Marella, who would destroy the evidence afterwards, as it was about the closest thing to arson they had this time around.

Keefe stood a few feet from the end of the aisle, Dex by his side, they had decided to walk in together.

Dex took in a deep breath.

"Ready?" Keefe asked.

"As I'll ever be."

Biana started, casting flower petals down the way to form their path, they walked between the very few seats of their guests, containing family and friends that might as well be. The silence was loud, they couldn't afford to be too noisy and had to go musicless. About halfway down, Keefe began to hum the traditional wedding march, earning a few chuckles.

After what felt like both a millisecond and an eternity, they reached the altar.

Anyone who they would've chosen as their "best" whatever was slightly occupied, Sophie and Fitz being their best friends and both still trying to keep the aisle up, so it was just them and Oralie on the floating alter.

"Welcome everyone," she started, "relationships formed by blood and by... certain shared experiences."

She cast a glance out to where everyone who helped with the initial wedding sat, a few people laughed lightly.

"After said experiences, I'm sure no one is particularly interested in a long-winded ceremony, so I'll do my best to keep this short. I believe I can speak for our grooms here and say they're incredibly grateful everyone could come today, and incredibly grateful no one will say a word about this to anyone else, yes?"

The crowd went into nodding and mumbled agreements.

"Fantastic," she continued, "At the previous request of Keefe, I will, quote unquote 'Cut out all that preamble stuff, they already know who we are and that we love each other,' so I shall."

Keefe chuckled, looking down, a bit embarrassed.

"Very quickly, everyone, 2 seconds to object-" no one did "- great, not like last time."

A few more laughs from the crowd.

She turned to address Keefe and Dex.

"Go ahead and hold your grooms hands."

They did. Keefe noticed how lovely Dex looked in the light of the false stars, his coat was green to contrast Keefe's lavender one, a matching carnation pinned on his lapel. For once, he had managed to get by without any smudge of dirt on his smiling face.

"Get your rings prepared"

They both reached into their pockets and pulled out their simple gold bands.

"The grooms have prepared some vows they'll read to each other now. Keefe, you may go first."

He took in a deep breath.

"You have no idea how tempted I am to make this a massive joke, but I've managed to resist and be mostly serious here, so everyone should be proud of me. Dex, I met you at what some may say, and by some I mean me, was the worst point in my life. Although I have to admit there were a few of those. I was... I can't even begin to describe it. Depressed, anxious about the future, but you were a light in that time. If it wasn't for you, I don't even know if I'd be here today. No pressure, or anything."

The last tension relieving bit earned a few laughs from the crowd.

"Most of all, though, I just wanted to say that I love you. More than anything. I can't believe someone so smart and handsome and- and just damn near perfect as far as I'm concerned would want to marry me, but I am so beyond grateful he does. I vow to support you and love you for the rest of my life, you're my world for now and eternity."

Keefe was starting to get a bit teary, Dex was too, as it seemed.

"Dex, go ahead," Oralie said.

"Alright. I have to be honest here, I didn't plan this all too well because I'm not particularly good with words. But I was thinking of everything that led up to us meeting, how much of a chance it was. I suppose I was lucky for having a manager who hated me and made me carry all the pots."

Keefe cracked a little smile along with Dex before he continued.

"Not to mention how many other things could've gone wrong between then and now. I'm just happy that everything worked out. That in a few minutes I'll have a talented, amazing, husband to spend forever with. I vow to love you and help you until we're both so old we don't even remember how we met, until we can love each other publicly and proudly call each other our husband no matter who's listening, until we can spend our days sitting by this pond telling our great-great-great-great-great nieces and nephews that we had to get married in secret, and they don't believe us. I just want to love you for the rest of forever."

Keefe promised himself he wouldn't cry at this part, but that didn't last very long, and he had to wipe away a few escapee tears.

"You may now exchange the rings," Oralie said.

They carefully slipped the rings on each other's fingers, they wouldn't be able to wear them in public, but it was about the thought.

"With the power vested in me, I declare you husband and husband. You may now kiss the groom."

Dex held Keefe's face and Keefe Dex's waist as they joined, perhaps for a few seconds longer than what was "proper". They broke apart to an excited crowd, clapping as loudly as they could spare. Keefe saw a few teary eyes in the crowd, mostly Kesler, Elwin, and Grady, he noticed. Giant softies, the lot of them.

"It is my honor to present for the first time, Mr. and Mr. Dizznee," Oralie announced over the excited guests.

Together they walked back down the aisle and onto solid ground. They were met with hugs and supportive words from their family, and truly, that was what they all were. Family, even if not by blood.

In the middle of the commotion, Amy Foster stood on a chair and cleared her throat, drawing everyone's attention.

She threw her arms up.

"Let's party!"

Cheers showed the crowd's agreement.

~*~

It was maybe an hour into the reception when Keefe finally found a moment of silence to get away.

They had eaten, done the cake cutting, smashed it into each other's faces, all the necessary things. Dex was occupied talking with his family, and though Keefe loved the Dizznee-Ruewens, he needed a moment to get away to talk to someone.

A short walk down a path brought him to the one area in the garden that hadn't been cleaned up, a small section with an overgrown grave right in the middle.

He thought it was only polite to say hello to his mother.

He sat down in front of the headstone.

Here lies former Queen Gisela Sencen

She died as she lived, fighting for what she believed in

Whether it be right or wrong.

"Hey, Mom. I um... I got married today! That was cool. I think you'd like him, you always liked smart people, although now that I think about it, I guess it was for all the wrong reasons. You'd probably try to bring him in to your weird cult-organization thingy. There's some people here I don't think you'd like very much, Prentice and Wylie, it's good you aren't here today, it's a miracle they don't hold a grudge on me for what you did."

He took a minute to collect his thoughts.

"I remember sneaking down here on nights I couldn't sleep, wishing you were still there to tuck me in, and then I'd feel guilty, because you were a murderer. But you were my mom, and if you hadn't screwed up so bad, maybe you still could be. I'm not a little kid who needs his mommy anymore, though. I have my own life. I've found my own family, and I don't need this one now. I think this will be the last time I visit you, Mom.

"Sometimes I wonder if you were like me. If you could ever even love Dad at all. Either way, you fucked up. I know now that I'm not like you, and I won't make the same mistakes you did. So, this is it, sleep well."

He stood up and walked away, not looking back.

~*~

When Keefe got back, everything was just the same, no one seemed to notice his absence at all. Marella and Amy were drinking fizzleberry wine together and bonding, he was sure they'd make a hell of a team, but was also terrified at what they could do together. Bronte was also enjoying the fizzleberry wine, Oralie quiet beside him. Sophie seemed to be hyping herself up in the corner. Biana, Fitz, Tam, and Linh all sat together at a table finishing their desserts. Stina and Maruca had gone off to take a walk through the castle grounds. Dex entertained his family, plus now the Endals and the Hesleges, with his improved fire lighter. Well, his family except the triplets, they may have been grown, but that never stopped their antics. Keefe didn't know where they were, and wasn't sure he wanted to.

Keefe strolled over to Sophie in her natural habitat of looking sick in the corner.

"Back to old habits I see," he said, plopping himself down next to her, "You know, that's a nice suit, it'd suck to get it dirty now."

"Yeah, well, I'm a coward."

"She's going to say yes, Foster. You've been together as long as me and Dex and look at us."

Sophie nodded hard a few times, like she was still convincing herself this was a good idea.

"It's... it's just a matter of doing it, right? Just sucking it up and doing it?"

Keefe nodded.

"Just walk over, say whatever little planned script I'm sure you have, and ask her. I could do it, so can you."

She nodded once more, resolutely this time, before standing up and brushing herself off. She stood still for a just a moment and then began her dragged-out walk to Biana's table. Truly, she could have done it in about 30 seconds, but decided to take a full minute.

In that time, Keefe walked over to Dex (who had gotten a break from entertaining the folks and now stood off to the side) and tapped him on the shoulder, pointing to Sophie.

Eventually she reached her partner. Keefe and Dex tried to subtly move closer to catch what she was saying.

"H-hey, um, Bi, can you come here for a minute."

Biana stood up.

"Sure, what's up?"

"I- um- well with the wedding and everything- and well we've been together so long I um... I was won- well, I was thinking..." she sighed in frustration. Seemingly done with the whole talking thing, she reached into her pocket, pulling out a box and opening the lid.

"Will you marry me?"

Biana put her hand over her mouth, whether in shock or an attempt not to chuckle at Sophie's flubbed attempt at a proposal, Keefe wasn't sure.

"Of course, dearest."

Biana held still only long enough for Sophie to just barely slip the ring onto her finger before she scooped up Sophie into a huge hug-kiss combination. Cheers and claps rang out across the crowd.

Keefe walked up to them.

"I told ya' it'd go well. Also, I call officiant."

"We'll think about it," Biana said dismissively. "Also, you knew? And didn't tell me? Shame on you."

"Didn't want to ruin the surprise. Or face the wrath of Foster."

Biana rolled her eyes as if the wrath of her fiancée was nothing to be afraid of, although it most certainly was.

Keefe backed up to let the horde of friends and family in to talk with them.

"Well, that went better than I thought," Dex said as Keefe approached.

"The wedding or Sophie's speech?"

"All of the above."

"Very true. No one's been caught on fire yet, I'd say it's a win for the evening."

Dex laughed.

"Yes, but it's getting awful late. I think it's about time we all turn in."

"Damn. If we ever get a public wedding, it needs to last longer than this."

Dex shrugged, Keefe knew he was probably tired of being around people for so long.

Keefe grabbed a glass and a fork, standing up on the nearest table and hitting them together to grab everyone's attention.

"Alright folks! That's it for tonight, don't worry, we get to do it all over again in a few months," he said, gesturing towards Biana and Sophie below.

He hopped off the table to begin the cleanup work for everything that wouldn't be burned, namely all the flowers and plates.

The moment he picked up a few glasses, Oralie approached him.

"Oh, you two don't worry about all of this. We'll get it, you guys just go to bed and rest up."

"We can help-"

Oralie cut Dex off.

"No, no, if I had a wedding I wouldn't want to be cleaning up. You all get out of here."

By this point a few more people noticed this and also agreed, to varying levels of politeness, that they should go home. Well, most people were very polite, Amy Foster is an outlier and should not be counted, with her comment of "Go home and make it official, goddammit!" It was at this moment Keefe regretted insisting there should be wine.

Keefe put his hands up in defeat and made his way towards the exit, Dex right behind.

Soon enough they reached the castle, and Keefe realized something.

"Hey, wait, I need to carry you in, don't I?"

"Well, you can, I guess, but couldn't I carry you in, too?"

"Yeah, but you're shorter than me."

"Hardly," Dex said, crossing his arms.

Keefe laughed.

"Okay, let's do rock, paper, scissors, for it," Keefe said, putting his hands in position.

They tried 5 different times, all ties, before Dex came out with a win.

"You cheated," Keefe said immediately.

"How does one cheat in rock, paper, scissors?"

"I don't know, but you found a way."

"Welp, rules are rules," Dex said with a shrug, picking Keefe up and holding him over his shoulder like a fireman as they walked through the doors of the guard-less west wing of the castle.

"You can definitely put me down now," Keefe said, craning his neck up.

"I could, but that's less fun," Dex replied, Keefe could hear the mischievous grin on his face.

"I wanna go to beeeeeed," Keefe said, doing his best imitation of a whiny child and kicking his legs around in the hopes his husband would get tired and perhaps ask for a divorce on the way out, if necessary.

"I'll take you to bed, then."

Unfortunately for Keefe, Dex seemed to get used to his antics from 10 years of being together.

After a horrible trip up the stairs and some awkward door fumbling, Dex put Keefe down, plopping him into bed.

"See? Was that so bad?"

Keefe made a noise that sounded a bit like a dying cow.

"I love you, too. I need to go now, another morning meeting."

Despite the fact that Keefe would very much like to keep complaining, he sat up and grabbed Dex's hand before he could go.

"I love you a lot, you know."

Dex laughed.

"I certainly hope so, you did just legally tie yourself to me for the rest of our lives."

Keefe smiled and pulled Dex into one last kiss before he had to go.

"Goodnight, I'll see you tomorrow, Techmaster."

"Goodnight, Keefe."

With that, his husband was gone out the window.

As he lay in bed, Keefe thought about the future. Being able to stay in the same place as his love without worrying about others finding out. Doing the little things, like having dinner together each night.

A lot of things had changed since they were teens, but two things hadn't. Their love, and their need to hide it.

Still, though, Keefe slept well that night. He dreamed of his husband, his mismatched family of misfits, and the home they'd make together.

He couldn't wait to rebuild this place with them.

#keeper of the lost cities #kotlc #kotlc fic #keefe sencen #dex dizznee #keefex

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i-love-side-characters · 4 years ago

Text

Do You See It Differently?

Pairing: Various Relationships

Characters: Various Keeper of the Lost Cities Characters, One-Time OCs

Genre: Angst

Summary:

“Once you’ve seen there is another perspective, you can never not see that there’s another point of view.”

― Ellen Langer

TW: Death, Character Death, Injuries, Blood, Disease Mention

Word Count: 1.8k words (1,817)

Additional Notes:

You should be proud of me, this is all canon!

Or at least based on canon events

Okay you shouldn't have expected so much of me

This is terrible i am so sorry

no beta we die like nixx's happiness when me and pyro are coming up with angst

Tag List: Let me know if you want to be added/removed!

@bronte-deserves-better @councillor-bronte-is-best-boy @cadence-talle @an-absolute-travesty @bookwyrminspiration @keefeinnit @mallowmeltz @ultralazycreatorfan @everyonehasthoughts @mistythegenderqueermess @imaramennoodle @rainbowtay-11 @we-need-more-empathy @catboyruy @we-wont-dissapear @we-have-no-bananas-today @loverofallthingssmart @a-lonely-tatertot @thesandsofdawn @enbies-and-felonies @fire-sapphics @jadenightthewriter @alabestrine @sunlight-in-a-bottle @damischs @pyrokinetic-loser @pyrarayn @towishuponashootingstar

Read below the cut!

you've read the stories.

the ones with the obstacles beyond compare.

the true loves and dramatic battles.

the heroes, valiantly fighting against evil.

they're inspiring tales, to be sure.

but have you read the other stories?

the ones about the villains?

about the families?

about the kings?

about the children caught in war?

those, my dear, are the stories that truly matter.

they are the stories that go untold.

they live and die with them.

and that, is the true tragedy in this tale.

•·················•·················••·················•·················••·················•·················•

"careful!"

her lips twisted into a smirk, dark eyes tracking her daughter sprinting through the city.

"brilla! come back here!"

the little girl laughed, turning smoothly and running back into the arms of her mother. "mommy, did you see how fast i was?"

"yes darling, you were so fast!"

she squealed, wriggling out of her arms, running back into the crowded market.

"ms. sakh?"

she spun around, squinting at the amour-clad guard. the queen seal glowed brightly, it's shimmer enhanced by the golden city. "yes?"

"if you could come with me." his voice stayed even, solid. a queensguard through and through.

she didn't move, twisting to see her daughter playing in the peace fountain. two guards shadowed her, not interrupting, but keeping a trained eye on the little girl. "what's wrong? what happen?"

the queensguard shook his head. "the queen needs to see you, ma'am." he reached out, gently steering her towards the glittering palace.

she glared at him, wrenching her arm away. "tell me what's going on."

his face darkened, eyes filled with sadness. "i'm so sorry to tell you this, ma'am. but at 4:30 today, your wife, brielle sakh, was killed on duty at an elven residence in the lost cities."

the woman's eyes widened, her basket falling to the floor in a dull thud. tears spilled over her cheeks as she stepped back, shaking her head. "no. not brielle―"

"i'm so sorry." he said, reached out again, gently guiding her toward the palace. "let's go."

it seemed darker somehow. the palace. the city. it no longer shimmered bright and gold. the shadows shifted and grew, twisting darker and darker, until they lunged forward and swallowed her whole.

he stepped out onto the stone balcony, glaring out over the city.

he could feel every pulse in his body, the tattoos scrawled across his head. they shouldn't carry weight. the elder kings decided that they didn't want the weight of a crown on their heads. that's why the tattoos became what they were.

apparently their plan didn't work.

he could feel the weight of every black swirl, every black scar.

and he could see them too.

he had already visited the hospital. he watched the shamans cover another body. children's limbs mangled, mothers and fathers crying. soldiers standing stiff, black eyes watching every body leave the room and desperately trying to convince themselves that they didn't know who was underneath the white sheet.

and now he was watching hundreds, thousands of black bodies digging at the rubble, each one helping the other rebuild.

"dimitar."

the queen walked over to him, placing a rough hand on his shoulder. "you need to sleep."

"no, i don't." he twisted away from her, feet pounding down the stone steps. the cool wind thrashed his cloak back. mud squelched under his feet, sharp bits of debris cutting into his gray skin.

they bowed as he walked by, some clapping their arms to their chest, but all looking with black, unfathomable eyes. he cut through the crowd, stopping in front of their leader. "romhil― ro."

"father."

he nodded, drawing himself tall. "get back to work."

he bent over, ignoring the ache in his back as he moved the debris. he was with his people now, not with the others. and it was a sight to see. a king, shoulder to shoulder with a peasant.

and only one thought caught the king's mind.

this can't go on.

the pages felt heavy. rough.

it was his favourite book. he had memorized it's every detail. the roughness of the cover, worn after years of use. the last few pages, lighter than the others due to a lack of paper. the gold lettering, smudged where his the oils on his skin had touched. and it was the book itself too. the way the words flowed, like music, ensnaring you and pulling you in further.

he smiled and stroked the cover, noting the ink stains from over a thousand years ago. his sister had done that. he'd yelled at her for weeks.

he stood up, nearly tripping over the stack of scrolls tossed on the carpet, wincing as the document's edge tore clean off. he'd have to get it repaired.

dust flew in the air, the delicate rolls dusted in gray. they had been sitting there for ages. maybe it was time to read one again.

he reached down, shaking off the dust and settling back in the armchair, twisting himself until the lumpy chair was perfectly supporting his body.

and then he was thrown into the story again, grabbing him and pulling him in closer, until there was no world, just him and his words.

the sun rose and fell, and rose again, and fell, and time didn't matter anymore because he was safe.

and then he wasn't.

a sharp knock sounded at his door, making him flinch and drop the newest tome. it slammed onto the ground, knocking over empty cups and crushing papers.

"uh― i'm― i'm coming! just uh― give me a minute!" he yelled, hands shaking as he stacked the books as best he could. "coming! i'm―" he gulped, hurrying to the door. "i'm here, i'm― bronte?"

"fallon." the councillor said, trying to smile. "may i come in?"

"no. i mean― it's quite a mess― you probably shouldn't. councillor."

bronte nodded, his jeweled crown glowing dimly in the evening sun.

"what do you want, bronte?" he sighed, desperately trying to comb his hair back.

he sighed, running a hand down his face. "did you know about luzia, fallon?"

"what about luzia?"

"that she's been committing treasonous acts that violate several treaties and―" he hesitated, and then, much more softly. "and could put her in exile?"

his soft, dark eyes met piercing blue ones. even though the councillor was younger, he still cowed the other. he stumbled back, slamming the door closed, turning back inside. his dark eyes scanned over the room, the piles of papers, the overturned mugs, the drawn curtains, the mess, the chaos.

how the mighty have fallen.

it was a sharp sound, echoing off the walls. she smirked, throwing another stone towards the ground. and then a deeper echo, the echo of footsteps over the hard stone.

she tilted her head, her dark hair falling over her pale face.

two footsteps. one ridged and firm, the steps of a guard trained from birth to kill. the other was uneven, accompanied by the soft clink of chains.

she shook her head, shoving the sound out her mind.

but it came back.

the footsteps pounded into her brain, her mind analyzing each shift in the pattern, a click of a chain at a different time, a step falling a second too late. a breath too heavy. a rustle of armour.

a low hiss escaped her throat, pale skin breaking as she clawed at her arms. she closed her eyes, but it was still bright, too bright, loud, too loud.

and then the smell. the sweaty, musty odor, mixed with the sharp smell of blood. but something else―something different―

she tilted her head back, lips curving into a lazy smirk. the fragrance wafted inside, the salty smell of the sea, the scent of the wind. outside.

the guard appears first. black eyes, a controlled stare. near seven feet tall. deadly weapons at his side. scars ripple down his face, down his neck, two inches wide and dark against his scaly skin.

he barely paid her any attention, turning around to motion to the others. back was the click of the chains. two more guard appeared in the door, with someone else between them.

someone new.

she watched them carefully chain him to the lumenite wall. they didn't know what they had just done. what they had just started. they just stalked away, leaving just the two of them.

their eyes met. his lips curved into a smirk, nodding at her from his own little cell. it was hard to keep herself from smiling. she had grown old here. lived and died here. seen nobody come in and nobody go out.

it seemed that would change.

she gasped for air, bolting up in bed. this wasn't new. another nightmare, more fires, more sugary smells. another night without them here.

small tears trickled down her cheeks, landing on the silky sheets.

it had been a weeks.

she threw off the covers, crawling out of the bed, letting her feet sink into the soft carpet. light streamed into the dark bedroom, moving gracefully with the watery sky. the roads of the city were empty now. everyone was asleep.

"except you." she muttered, glaring at the city.

she couldn't say she hated it here. it was gorgeous, not to mention luxurious, and the people here couldn't be nicer. but it wasn't right.

she hummed under her breath, sliding down to the floor, smiling as a large ball of fur slunk over to sit on her lap.

"hey there marty." she whispered, stroking his fur. "i bet you miss home, don't ya? they don't have temptation treats over here."

he blinked his large, dark eyes at her, meowing softly.

"yeah, it's weird for me too. but we're safe." she said, sending a commanding glare the cat's way. "sophie's got us covered, alright?"

another soft meow pierced the silence.

"mhm. i completely agree. she is definitely in love with that teal-eye guy."

the lights flicked off outside, the sounds of shuffling feet echoing through the room.

she nodded, giving the animal a small kiss. "yeah, it's very interesting. and don't be scared. mom and dad are fine, i promise."

now the lights in the streets were turning off, bathing the city in a blanket of darkness. "they'll be fine."

she climbed back into the bed, pulling the sheets tightly around her. shadows danced over the gray-purple walls, fading into the darkness of the night.

she hadn't made a wish like this since she was 6. her grandma, and something called cancer. all she had known back then was that it killed people. that was 7 years ago. and now she was wishing again.

hopefully this time it would work.

so now, what do you think, my dear?

do you still think the king is a monster?

that the recluse does not care?

that the child is safe?

do you see the others in this tale?

do you see it differently?

#kotlc #keeper of the lost cities #mine #my writing #tw swearing #do you see it differently?#here take this pile of shit #and please avoid the ending its terrible #actually please just avoid this fic in general #but you gotta give me credit im living up to my url #side characters >>>>#*chokes* the q u e s t i o n m a r k s #i really said /punctuation/

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an-absolute-travesty · 4 years ago

Text

Royal Screw-Ups Side Stories 1: Backup Plans

It’s here!!!!

Important note: If you haven’t read RSU you really won’t know what’s going on. Its the very first thing linked in my masterlist :)

Warnings: Arranged marriage, light descriptions of violence/destruction/fire, swearing, talks of death

About: Sophiana royalty au, arranged marriage au

Pairings: sophiana, background keefex, slight background marelinh

Word Count: 10.8k

Sophie was completely silent on the carriage ride to the capital. Actually, she had been completely silent to everyone but her parents for the last few days. ‘Practice’ she would write down for those who asked ‘for my imminent future of being forced into silence forever,’

Needless to say, she wasn’t taking this whole arranged marriage thing too well.

As she stared out the window, her dad spoke up.

“Kiddo, I’m really sorry about this whole thing. I promise we’ll try to reason with him, but I don’t know what we can do.”

“I know, it’s not your fault I’m a freak.”

“Sophie!” Her mother chided. “I know you’re upset, and you have every right to sulk as much as you want, but don’t call yourself that.”

“All I’m saying is that it’s the only reason I’m getting chosen for this.”

“Maybe so, but you still aren’t a freak. You’re extraordinary and no matter what they say you have to remember that. Ok?”

“Ok, Mom.”

She went back to staring out the window, ignoring her parent’s concerned faces.

~*~

A member of the royal guard led them into the king’s throne room. They lowered themselves to their knees to show respect, but Sophie would rather spit in his face.

“You may rise.”

They did.

“The prince will be here shortly.”

Edaline did what most people wouldn’t, talk back to a king.

“And then we may negotiate the marriage?”

“What is there to negotiate?” He wore a smile, tight and awkward, it sat unnaturally on his face.

“Much,” Edaline wore no smile.

Just then, a blonde boy who looked like he wanted to be there about as much as Sophie did walked in.

“Keefe, this is Lord and Lady Ruewen and their daughter Sophie.”

“A pleasure to meet you,” The boy bowed, but it felt half-hearted somehow. “My apologies, but I was of the belief that you would not be visiting for nearly another week and a half?” He seemed to cringe at his own words.

“Yes,” Grady said, “That was the original plan, but unfortunately things came up.”

“More important things than your daughter meeting her future husband?” King Cassius’ smile wavered a bit, like he wanted to sneer but wouldn’t let himself. Sophie did it for him.

Edaline jumped in to explain. “Well you see, we’re getting a new griffin very soon. It’s vital that we stay with it for the next few weeks until it is properly integrated into the shelter.”

Cassius seemed upset that her parents valued an animal over his schedule. He sighed before restoring his awkwardly tight smile.

“Well, how about the children go to the lawn and talk while the adults discuss the marriage?”

Grady didn’t return the smile.

“Yes, let’s do.”

The king waved them out of the room, Keefe went first and Sophie followed. A servant shut the door behind them.

“So…”

“Please don’t talk to me,” Sophie walked to the outer doors as fast as she could, the prince followed.

“Wait!”

She got outside before Keefe caught up and positioned himself in front of her.

“Look, Sophie right?”

She nodded.

“I don’t want to do this either. Can we just...talk? For a little bit?”

She thought for a second.

“I’m listening.”

He waved her to walk alongside with him, and she did.

They were silent for a while until they got a good bit away from everyone else.

“So, how’d you get looped into this mess?”

“You should really be asking your father that question. All I know is that we got a letter from the king saying I would marry you. You don’t say no to a king,” She was angry, but throwing any kind of tantrum wasn’t an option. A rock sat in her path, she attempted to kick in away, but it was apparently much more stuck in place than she thought. Her toe made a sickening crunch sound.

“OW!” Her eyes started to water in pain.

“Oh gosh are you ok? Do you need to go to the infirmary?”

“No, no, I’m fine, don’t worry,” She managed to squeak out.

“You...you sure?”

“Mhm,” she mumbled, despite her very painful, definitely broken, toe.

“Okay,” He seemed unsure.

In an attempt to change the subject and hopefully distract herself from her aching foot, she decided to try to carry on the conversation.

“So, what do you like to do?”

“Well, art mostly, I guess. I like to paint and stuff. You?”

“Ugh, I train too much to have hobbies.”

“Train? For what?”

She only then realized her slip. Maybe coming right up front with ‘I’m genetically modified by an organization that’s been trying to take you guys down and also fight the other organization going against both of us,’ wasn’t the best idea.

“N-nothing. I’ve said too much.”

They both went silent, Sophie awkwardly trying to keep up with the taller boy’s gait while limping.

“If you tell me whatever your dark secret is then I won’t take you to the infirmary, pinky promise.”

She thought for a second, she really didn’t want to go to the doctor, but she definitely didn’t want to tell him about her whole trunk full of issues.

“No. Just take me to the infirmary then.”

“That serious, huh? Alrighty then, it’s right this way.”

~*~

Sophie awkwardly hobbled into the hospital wing. At a desk stood a man dressed in eccentric clothing with what looked like some form of glasses on his head, although they were much more complex looking, kinda like something her cousin would make.

At least there was someone familiar in the castle, she wondered if she would see Dex anytime soon. They were bound to run in to each other at some point, after all she’d be spending the rest of her nearly infinite life in this place.

“Go ahead and sit on one of the beds over there, I’ll get to you in just a second,” The man turned around and flashed a smile, it was much more natural on his wide-set face than it was on the King’s.

After a moment he walked over and did all the basic examinations before getting to her injury.

“Ah, nothing to worry about Miss. Just a simple broken toe. We can’t really do much about it, just go easy and let it heal.”

Going easy wasn’t exactly her style, she tried not to let her disappointment show.

He stepped away from the bed, removing his strange glasses.

“My assistant will be with you in just a moment. She’ll get you the elixirs you need to promote the healing process.”

“Thank you, Elwin,” Keefe said while Sophie was still lost in thought.

“No problemo.”

Then, Elwin walked out of the infirmary, leaving Sophie with Keefe.

“So…” he said, perching on the bed frame. “Why’re you so intense? Like...all the time.”

“Intense?”

“Yeah, your emotions. I can feel them from here. My father said something about you having a complicated past, and he really wasn’t kidding, apparently.”

If one empath could feel her emotions, chances were another could.

...which meant the king probably felt everything.

Shit.

Keefe was still looking at her, she had to say something.

“It’s...hard to explain.”

Telling him was risky but, well, he seemed trustworthy enough? She wouldn’t have to go into details, just a quick explanation.

“If...if I tell you, do you promise to not tell anyone? At all.”

“I won’t tell anyone, I promise,” His face was steeled.

“You sure?”

His face promptly un-steeled.

“I’m sure I’m sure that I’m sure I’m sure,” His smile was goofy, definitely not one that a prince should have. It made her more comfortable. She giggled.

“Okay, fine.”

Her face fell, remembering what she was going to have to tell him about.

“It uh...well it has to do with my mom, and my dad I guess, but I don’t know him.”

Keefe motioned her to keep going.

“You know the Black Swan?”

“No shit. I can’t say I’m a fan after they’re attempted take over of the government.”

Goddammit.

“Yeah,” Sophie said, looking down. She felt embarrassed. “I have the pleasure of being one of their experiments. I can’t disclose much else.”

And she didn’t want to. She learned in her short 16 years on this planet that spilling your tons and tons of baggage to someone on the first day you meet them isn’t a good method to make friends. She had made that mistake a few too many times. It was a wonder her parents went through with her adoption.

Suddenly, a voice came from seemingly no where.

“Did someone say elixir delivery?”

Keefe didn’t seem startled at all.

“They did not.”

“Eh, I tried.”

A dark skinned girl with lightening-like scars across her face appeared in front of them. Sophie very nearly jumped out of her skin, but Keefe seemed totally fine with a random girl popping up out of nowhere.

“Biana, you shouldn’t sneak up on people like that...unless it’s Fitz, because then it’s hilarious.”

Biana threw up her hands, well the one that wasn’t holding a tray of elixirs anyway.

“Ok, ok, I won’t.”

She held out the tray to Sophie, a kind smile on her face. She was quite close and Sophie’s face flushed.

“Thank you.”

“Oh, nearly forgot. Take the blue one with food…”

She kept explaining but Sophie barely heard it. Part of it was anxiety, part of it was her still throbbing foot, and part of it was that there was a very pretty girl very close to her face.

Then, a servant burst into the room.

“The king as requested to see both Prince Keefe and Lady Sophie immediately. They have settled your wedding date.”

Keefe seemed to deflate at this news, his easy smile turning into a grimace.

Sophie got up, her gait still uneasy. Biana quickly assembled the elixirs into a bag with a handwritten note of instructions.

Biana smiled and waved as they walked away. Sophie waved back, tripping a little on an uneven tile. Biana covered her laugh and Sophie’s blush just got deeper.

~*~

Sophie fell back on what was apparently going to be her bed.

Well, for the next 3 months, anyway. Until she had to get married.

Ugh.

She wanted to cry, scream, throw up, and jump out the nearest window all at the same time.

Maybe she could escape. She was just on the second floor, she could survive the fall. Run away to Atlantis, leave a note for her parents, get a new identity so the royal guard wouldn’t find her. The brown eyes would be an issue but enough elixirs could fix just about anything.

A knock at the door distracted her from her prison break plans.

She was hesitant, it was the middle of the night after all. What if she was met with some creepy dude? Nonetheless, she opened it.

In front of her was Biana, no longer in a physician’s uniform but in a simple night dress.

“Hey, I’m sorry to bother you so late but um, I just wanted to make sure you’re taking your elixirs.”

“Oh, yeah, come in.”

Biana strolled over to the bed and sat on the edge, picking up the bag of medicine sat on the nightstand. Sophie sat next to her.

As she unpacked the bottles, she started talking.

“I know it’s none of my business, but, how are you feeling about this whole wedding thing?”

“To be perfectly honest, absolutely horrendous. I never wanted this.”

“I get it. That’s why I became a physician’s assistant, my father kept threatening to send me away to get married off, so we all got out of there.”

“Wish I could do that.”

“Yeah, I’m sorry, that was probably insensitive of me.” Biana’s face seemed to flush, barely showing up on her face.

“No worries.”

They went silent and Sophie immediately became aware of how close together they were sitting.

“Oh um, medicine, sorry.”

They were both quiet for a while as Sophie downed her elixirs.

“Um...well certainly it’s not all awful, right?”

“Yeah,” Sophie sighed. “The food is good, and so is the healthcare.”

Biana smiled. Wow, her smile was pretty.

“Thank you, we try.”

“Yeah, and I mean Keefe doesn’t seem too excited about everything either. So at the very least it’s not a ‘wife is forced into the place of a submissive woman by husband’ sort of deal.”

Biana made a noise of agreement as she packed up the empty bottles.

“Tell me if you need anything, anything at all. I’m a floor up, first door on the right at the left end of the hall.”

Sophie just nodded as Biana got up and walked to the door. She turned back for a moment while she held her hand on the knob.

“Oh, and Sophie?”

“Hm?”

“If you get hungry, the kitchens are on the ground floor near the throne room. They usually have some extra cakes. If a guard sees you, just say you were sleepwalking, works for my brother.”

Sophie smiled.

“Thanks.”

“No problem.”

And with that, she opened the door and literally vanished as it shut. The sound of her shoes clacking on the stone the only tell that she had left the room.

~*~

Over the next few days, Sophie didn’t see Keefe.

At all.

Honestly she expected her betrothed to be a bit more persistent, but she wasn't exactly complaining. He seemed...nice. But at the end of the day, Sophie would really rather hang out with most other people.

Most other people included Biana, who she’d seen quite a bit over the last few days.

She saw her every night for 3 nights, to deliver Sophie her meds for her broken toe. She was suddenly very thankful for her own clumsiness. Every night she was there longer and longer, they talked about just about everything.

Biana had two brothers, but the oldest one ran away, if rumors were to be believed it was to join the Neverseen. Her family lived in the Eternalia, they were prominent apparently, dad worked as an emissary for the council. Her dad was already bad, he sent both of her brothers off when they were way too young to search for some random mysterious girl, (apparently working for an organization “going against the council”), for his “work”. (Gee, wonder who.) But then her dad started getting worse (she didn’t elaborate, just “worse’”) and walked out on them. He came back for a short time, threatened to send her off to get married, and then her, her brother Fitz, and her mom Della ran away in the night and got jobs in the castle.

Sophie was much quieter about her past in their nightly visits.

She revealed that she had been adopted, twice, and never knew her real parents.

(Technically, she knew who her mom was, but that seemed too hard to explain at the moment. She also didn’t reveal that she was basically a genetically modified weapon, and she held a lot of angst towards her biologically mother for LETTING HER BE FUCKING GENETICALLY MODIFIED!)

She revealed she had a little sister she still talked to, even though she wasn’t supposed to.

(Unfortunately she had to lie about the reason. She said it was because of their class difference, that her old family were peasants and that now she was a noble. In actuality, her creators had whisked her away and put her in a more protected home because the Neverseen may want to abduct her, and they couldn’t talk for their own safety.)

She talked at length about the Ruewen’s animal reserve. About wrestling the dinosaurs and getting bright green feathers all over her clothes and about riding the alicorns and accidentally teleporting with them to the top of a mountain that on time. About her pet imp, Iggy, she had at home and how badly she missed him. Even his awful burps.

On the fourth night, Sophie’s toe was healed completely and she was worried Biana wouldn’t come again.

But she did.

“I um... I just wanted to make sure you were healing properly,” She said, looking down.

“Come on in.”

She blinked in and out of view as she clacked her way over to her normal spot on Sophie’s bed.

“So, any horrendous pain shooting through your foot?”

“Nope, all my pain is right up here.”

She tapped her head as she fell backwards onto the bed. Biana laughed her lovely laugh.

“Soph, did you sleep at all last night?”

“Nope, that damn clock at the end of the hall ticks so loudly I can’t stand it.”

“Hm...one second.”

She disappeared out the door, a moment later the constant ticking and tocking stopped and she walked back into the room.

“That shouldn't bother you anymore.”

“What did you do?”

“Nothing illegal.”

Sophie raised an eyebrow.

“Nothing too illegal,” Biana said, looking away.

“Don’t elaborate, you’re my friend but I am not going to be an accomplice.”

Biana laughed, then went silent for a moment as she sat down.

“I’m your friend?”

“I mean...yeah. I think so. If that’s okay with you.”

“Yeah, more than okay. I haven’t had a lot of friends before.”

“Me neither.”

Biana continued looking down, twiddling her thumbs and unconsciously blinking in and out of sight, as usual.

Sophie desperately searched for something to fill the silence.

“So, how was your day?”

“Eh, normal. Two more new trainees for the royal guard got hurt somehow today. One had a broken leg and one had cuts from a real sword all over them. Someone has got to tell Fitz how not ok it is to give a 15-year-old boy a sword and go ‘have at it!’”

Sophie laughed.

“How was yours?” Biana asked, turning towards her.

“Also normal. I had a dress fitting, it was miserable. They tried to put me in this giant cage skirt thing, it looked absolutely ridiculous and it had these pearls and lace all over it, ugliest thing I’ve ever seen. And I don’t even have a free day until the end of the week.”

“That’s sucky. Do you know who’s doing your makeup yet? I heard there’s this mega old lady who always does the makeup for the royal weddings and let’s just say she’s stuck in the 200’s.”

Sophie almost shivered at the thought of the eyes of the old paintings that lined the halls of the castle feeling like they were following her. She had passed those paintings of historic royal ladies with blue paint all over their eyelids, thin black eyebrows (no matter the hair color), the pinkest lipstick you’ve ever seen, and the brightest red orange rouge all over their cheeks. In fact, she saw those paintings almost every day, they haunted her nightmares. Thousands of years old woman screaming at her about her unavoidable marriage with their horrid makeup and high-collard gowns covered in pearls. Needless to say, she really didn’t want to look like that on her wedding day.

“Oh jeez, anything but that.”

Biana gasped excitedly at a sudden realization.

“I could do your makeup for you!”

“Wait, really? You’d do that?”

“Yes of course! It’d be my honor. I could practice on your free day if you’d like?”

“Yeah, that sounds great.”

“Awesome. I should probably go, I’m sure I’ll have to repair more sword wounds tomorrow. You get some sleep, you have no excuse now.”

“Thanks, Biana. For everything.”

She smiled. Bright and beautiful, as usual.

“No problem.”

She made her way out, disappearing as the door closed.

~*~

Sophie got sleep that night. She dreamed of being free, riding the alicorns of Havenfield over mountains and rivers. She wished she had ridden Silveny one last time before she had to leave. Her dreams would have to suffice.

When she walked out of her room that morning, she saw a bunch of people (presumably technopaths) surrounding the grandfather clock at the end of the hall. She heard some mumbling about “It’s missing all of its gears.” “What the hell? Why?”.

Sophie just smiled to herself as she walked down to go to breakfast. Light destruction of government property was a very sweet gesture, in her opinion.

~*~

Biana walked towards Sophie’s room, her (currently invisible) hands wringing her (also invisible) skirts.

All she could think about was how close she would have to be to Sophie to do her makeup. Just the thought of it made her heart flutter in a way she wasn’t used to.

As she walked (slowly to procrastinate), she saw Keefe running down the hall. She swerved left as the prince slid to a stop, nearly running into a wall, before turning a corner and regaining his speed.

Weird to outsiders perhaps, but that was just Keefe. She considered asking where he had been the last week, but decided against it as he was obviously in a hurry.

At last, she reached Sophie’s door. Heart absolutely pounding now, she knocked on the door.

She reappeared as Sophie opened it. Biana avoided eye contact, she was scared that once she started looking at Sophie’s beautiful eyes she wouldn’t be able to pull herself away. She had never seen eyes that shade before. Almost dark as night, but when they caught the light they got these little gold flakes in them.

“Sorry I’m late,” She said, still looking down. “You know, I never knew that someone could chip a tooth while picking apples but here we are.”

Sophie giggled. Biana couldn’t take her eyes off of her.

“Makeup!” Sophie said, clapping her hands together.

“Yes of course,” Biana glided over to the vanity. “I mean, you won’t need much, so this should be pretty easy.”

“Thank goodness, once my mom tried to put makeup on me for a party and it was so cakey it gave me a panic attack.”

Biana giggled lightly. “No need for cake, your skin is pretty perfect anyway so I don’t even think we’ll need foundation unless you want it.”

If Biana had turned around in that moment, she would’ve seen Sophie’s face go as red as her dress, however she was preoccupied with raiding the vanity drawers of all its products to see what she could use.

Biana made a motion for Sophie to come and sit on the chair in front of the mirror and she did. She stood behind Sophie and laid her hands on her shoulders, thinking as to how in the world she could make such a naturally beautiful girl feel any prettier.

“So,” Biana started, “what are we thinking?”

“Literally anything that doesn’t look like I’m some grumpy 5,000-year-old woman stuck with the last name ‘Sencen’.”

“Incredibly valid,” Biana said with a tilt of her head. Inspiration suddenly struck and she grabbed a pigment compact from the table and got to work.

She tried to focus on doing the makeup, she really did, but it was hard when she kept noticing little things about Sophie. Like how she had a light spattering of freckles across her nose that you couldn’t see from far away. Or the way the gold flecks emerged from her nearly black eyes when they caught the light. Or the rosy tint to her cheeks, she convinced herself that she was only imagining that it got deeper when Biana leaned in closer to do details.

“Ok, last bit here, what color for the lips?”

“Is blue an option? I think that’d make the in-laws squirm.”

“Unfortunately no,” Biana said through a laugh, “but there is a very bright red.” She pointed towards the red pot of wax.

“Perfect.”

Biana let Sophie apply it herself. Biana had nearly burst into flames when applying the kohl around her eyes and decided not to risk it again.

“And you’re done!”

“Wow,” Sophie muttered softly as she leaned in to get a closer look. “You made me as pretty as you.”

“You’re already pretty.”

“You think?”

Suddenly they were cut off by a knock at the door. Sophie ran to open it.

“Oh, lovely, you’re both here,” Keefe stated. He looked quite red in the face, like he had been running ever since Biana saw him in the hall. “We have to talk. Meet me up in the library in about an hour. Sophie, Biana can lead you there.”

“I’d be delighted,” Biana said, glancing towards Sophie.

And with that, Keefe was on the run again.

“Hm,” Sophie said, closing the door. “A week of him going missing and then that.”

“Yeah, you tend to get used to it. He and my brother are best friends, so I have to put up with him more than the average castle worker. He also gets hurt a lot, once Elwin suggested we should relocate his royal portrait to the infirmary wing.”

Sophie laughed. Biana loved it when she did that.

“Well, with my record so far I suppose I should be right up there with him.”

Biana genuinely considered it, being able to look at Sophie every day at work would be very nice, she had to admit.

She glanced at the clock on the wall.

“Crap. I’m sorry, I have to go, I promised my mom I’d eat lunch with her. Be back here in an hour though, to go to whatever Keefe is dragging us to.”

“Okie dokie, see you then.”

After Biana vanished, she glanced behind her to get one last look at Sophie before walking out the door.

~*~

Sophie looked blankly at Keefe as he rattled on, only occasionally sharing a “what the fuck?” look with all the others. Even Dex was here, for some reason, as all the other people seemed to be nobles. She had only gotten to wave at him as the moment they were all in the library Keefe began his rant.

“…and THEN if we all just stay really, really secure in our objections then we legally can’t get married!”

“So what you’re saying is...we’re crashing your wedding,” Said a man she didn’t know the name of, perhaps she would if Keefe had let them make their introductions.

“In so few words, yes.” Keefe said, finally sitting down on the floor after his presentation. “Any questions?”

“Quite a few, but I’m still trying to decide which one to ask first,” Biana said from the corner.

“Look, it’s really simple-”

“What about this plan is simple?” Said a girl Sophie didn’t know.

“Well you see-”

“It’s never going to work,” A different girl said. “All it will do is anger the king, we’re all dead if we even try.”

Sophie was already thinking. The plan was...faulty at best. They were dealing with a king here, a king known to just hang his problems to make them go away. They needed something stronger than relying on the legal system to get them out of this.

“If everything goes perfectly well then just maybe-”

“Keefe!” a boy said, standing up from his chair. He seemed to be Biana’s brother, Fitz, the family resemblance was strong. “It’s not going to work. This is a waste of time and possibly incriminating. I love you, Keefe. You’re my best friend. But this...this just isn’t going to work, Fee.”

There was a long silence.

Keefe seemed like he was about to walk out, but Sophie decided to speak up.

“I... I can make it work.”

All the eyes in the room went to her. The stares made her anxious and she started talking so fast the words were simply stumbling out of her mouth.

“Well, you proposed they all object and then just let the legal system handle it, which is good, but what if we made it bigger? We can start with the objections, and then make some chaos. Like...inflicting on everyone-”

“The only inflictor is Councillor Bronte,” Fitz pointed out. Sophie gave him a dirty look.

“No he’s not. And then Dex could make something to destroy the venue, he’s great at that kind of thing.”

Keefe threw a questioning look at Dex.

“Cousins,” He muttered.

Keefe nodded.

“And then after that if we hide someone that made an objection, they can’t clear it. In theory, all the parties have to be present. But if they’re not” -Sophie waved her hand to the side- “no marriage.”

“Foster you evil genius,” Keefe said with a giddy look on his face.

“I’m sorry can we go back to the inflicting thing?” Fitz said.

“It’s a very long story for another day.”

The only one in this room who knew about Sophie’s full weirdness was Dex, and she intended to keep it that way for a while.

Keefe got up again and clapped his hands.

“Same time next week?”

The group nodded and went their separate ways, Sophie briefly stopped to hug Dex and make plans to join the Dizznees for dinner that night before walking to her room and flopping down on her bed.

Adrenaline ran through her.

In three months she would either be a free woman...or perhaps dead.

Either way, she would not be getting married.

The thought made her want to dance.

~*~

“Wow Soph you’re gonna be a real princess?” Lex asked as he ate Juline’s celebratory pudding with his fingers.

“Yep,” she replied, sharing a look with Dex across the fire pit.

“Well, Sophie I think you’ll be an amazing queen,” Uncle Kesler said as he stirred some kind of elixir over the fire. “You’ve always been a great leader, there’s nothing to worry about.”

“He’s right, dear, there’s nothing to worry about,” Juline said as she braided Sophie’s hair. “We’ve kind of almost met Keefe a few times and he seems like a great kid, he and Dex are friends!”

“Oh?” Sophie said, arching a brow at Dex.

“Yep!” Bex exclaimed excitedly through the pudding in her mouth. “We almost tackled him and he didn’t seem like he hated us!”

The family laughed. Sophie stared at the dancing flames as she felt her aunt brush through her hair. Just the feeling made her want to cry a bit, it reminded her of her mom, well both of her moms, and how they would comfort her until she fell asleep on bad nights.

When she was little, with the Fosters, it was normally because of storms. But her mom would always hand her Ella and hug her until she fell asleep.

More recently with the Ruewens it was because of the stress of well...everything. Eda would hug her and trace shapes on her back until she could rest.

Now, she was stuck without either of her moms. Sure, there was Juline, but Sophie wasn’t supposed to leave the castle unsupervised, she couldn’t make seeing her family a habit.

The tears started coming now, but she wouldn’t let them spill over. They stayed welling in her eyes as she tried to avoid having to wipe them.

“Sophie, what’s wrong?” Kesler said, looking up from his elixir.

“Oh it’s uh nothing, don’t worry. Just uh something in my eye.”

No one seemed to believe it, Sophie was a horrible liar, but they didn’t ask any more questions.

~*~

“Don’t you think all of this is overkill?”

“Foster, I’m just working with my resources here. Which I have a lot of. And I intend to use them all.”

It was another way too late night of discussing the Awesome Wedding Destruction Amazingness Neato Greatness plan (a working title naturally made by Keefe, the A.W. D.A.N.G. plan for short).

“Okay, but come on, first I inflict on everyone then Dex blows up everything, and on top of that we basically blind everyone and start a fire? And all that after the only part that’s super necessary, hiding the objector so it can’t go through.”

“Now, now,” Keefe tsked, “there is always a method to my madness. My method in this case is to make as much chaos as possible, which I am very good at.”

Sophie rolled her eyes.

“Oh c’mon Foster. Just imagine the look on my dad’s face when everything goes so badly that none of the guests ever want to set foot in the castle again. I mean, even if everything goes wrong you’ll never have to deal with my Auntie Gene’s cheek pinching. And Cassius will be humiliated.”

“Hm. Upon reflection, I think this is actually the exact right amount of killing.”

All the other half-asleep teens scattered across the room chuckled.

“Now that the unhappy couple has stopped bickering,” Marella called from her place draped across a love seat, “can we go to bed? I may not need my beauty sleep but you all sure do.”

“Hey!” Linh called from her place on the floor.

“Except for you, darling.”

“Yes, yes, you all can go,” Keefe said, making a waving motion towards the door.

And they did, except for Dex, who Sophie noticed stayed in the library with Keefe. She supposed he probably just had to finish up his work on the device for the day. After all, the wedding was in just a month, and making a bomb small enough to fit in a pocket but powerful enough to blow up the ceiling without raining glass on everyone couldn’t be easy.

She had faith in him though, Dex was the smartest person she knew.

...at least mechanically. There was that one time he tried to ride Verdi and ended up with a broken ankle and a face full of dinosaur fluff. But otherwise, very smart.

The sight of Biana broke her train of thought.

“Hey, I think I left something down at the infirmary and the castle is kind of freaky late at night, wanna come with me?”

“Yeah, of course, no problem.”

“Awesome,” Biana said, grabbing Sophie’s wrist and leading her towards the stairs.

As they walked Sophie noticed she didn’t let go of her wrist, Sophie thanked whatever was out there that the castle was so dimly lit at night no one would see her burning face.

The halls were eerily silent, walkways normally bustling with servants were empty and cold. Sophie had avoided going out at night practically at all costs for the last 2 months, but she would do most things for her friend.

There didn’t seem to be any guards in the halls, at least not down the way to the infirmary through the hall with all the royal chambers, which seemed quite unsafe if Sophie was honest.

A sudden creak made them both jump and Biana pulled Sophie against the wall as a door was pushed open and candlelite spilled out.

King Cassius walked out from his chambers, he looked anxious, not the overly cocky and annoyingly calm man she had met prior. He paced back and forth the few yards in front of his door, muttering to himself, not seeing the girls in the shadows.

“Yes, yes, yes, it will all the perfect,” he said to himself, “then I can leave... I can leave, finally…”

Biana leaned in close to Sophie’s ear.

“Do you think he’s sleep walking?” she said quietly.

“WHO WAS THAT?” the king turned around frantically, staring at the shadows but still apparently seeing nothing. He stared for another few moments more before wordlessly slinking back into his chambers and closing the door behind him.

“No, I don’t think so,” Sophie finally whispered back.

They both emerged from the shadow and hurried down into the infirmary wing, nearly running until at last they reached Elwin’s office. They quickly shut the door behind them and Biana began lighting the candles.

“So,” Sophie said as she sat down on one of the beds, “do we tell Keefe that his dad is crazier than we thought?”

“No, I don’t think so,” Biana replied, putting out her match. “I mean...he’s stressed enough. I think we just keep it to ourselves and tell him after everything goes perfect at the wedding-” here she sat down next to Sophie on the bed “-which it will.”

“And if it doesn’t?”

“Then I call first to the gallows. I have a few choice words to share with my father and I doubt he’ll be patient enough to stay too long.”

Sophie just shook her head, recognizing the joke but not having the heart to laugh.

“Oh, c’mon,” Biana said, bumping Sophie’s arm with her own, “everything’s gonna be fine. The plan is practically perfect.”

“Yeah but…” Sophie didn’t know how to put her feelings into words so she just shook her head again.

Biana grabbed her hand and squeezed it gently, Sophie squeezed back.

They sat there in silence for a while, Sophie contemplated.

2 months ago she was willing to do anything to get her freedom, and if that included taking a few strangers that offered to help to the gallows with her, she wouldn’t particularly mind.

But now these people were her friends. She spent hours and hours with them, yes they planned, but they also gorged themselves on sweets stolen from the kitchen and talked about their lives and bonded over their powers.

Granted, they still didn’t know exactly Sophie’s deal, just that she was an inflictor that had some involvement with the Black Swan, but still.

She wouldn’t let these people, these kids, die for her sake.

She had a backup plan.

If everything failed, as it seemed likely to do, she would be the first to run to the king. She would stand in front of him and tell him that she planned everything, that she threatened to hurt everyone involved if they didn’t comply and claim she was with the Neverseen. If anyone tried to say otherwise she would say she brainwashed them or something, whatever it took.

And if he didn’t believe a 16-year-old could do such a thing, she might as well inflict on him too, for good measure.

She was brought out of her thoughts by Biana suddenly standing up.

“Oh! My thing...that I lost,” her voice got quieter as she began to mumble as she searched blindly around the room.

“Oh yeah,” Sophie started, following her in getting up, “What is it? I could help look.”

“It is um...a- a bracelet.”

Biana continued to blindly open and close drawers.

“Ok, what does it look it like?”

“Well it um,” Biana turned around from the drawers to look at Sophie, “well it’s fine I-I’ll just find it tomorrow. I um I wanted to bring you down here to say-”

The door opened suddenly, making Sophie jump.

She breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of Elwin, rather than the expected royal guard.

“Hey girls,” he said rubbing the sleep from his eyes, “what’re you doing down here?”

“Oh,” Biana said, “well I forgot something and Sophie was going to help me look.”

“Alright, well you two go on to bed now unless it’s real important. Bullhorn hid his favorite blanket somewhere around here and I’ll have to tear the place apart to find it. He won’t sleep without it, I’ll tell ya’ if I find anything of yours.”

“Ah, thank you, Elwin,” Biana said walking towards the door.

“No problem. Goodnight kiddos.”

They both said their goodnights before returning into the dark hall and walking to their rooms with no further issues. Sophie absently noticed Biana was very quiet on their return, but didn’t think much of it as she laid down with the intention of sleeping. She soon discovered that was out of the question, and settled for reading instead.

~*~

Sophie was pacing. She did that a lot nowadays.

It was the last meeting before the wedding day and, if she was being honest with herself, she was having a bit of a breakdown.

After deciding the pacing wasn’t helping, she sat down crisscross on the floor. Soon after that, Keefe joined her.

“Alright, what’s up Foster? Have you acquired a stomach bug?”

Sophie laughed.

“No it’s just…” she sighed, “it feels wrong y’know? I mean... I don’t want to hurt anybody.”

“You’re really doing the opposite of hurting people though, I mean you’re making them happy.”

That was technically true. They had decided on inflicting positive emotions rather than negative ones but...it still didn’t feel quite right.

“Not happy, hysterical. Yeah, it can be happy, but not in the way we’re doing it. Trust me, it’s not fun to watch.”

Keefe went quiet for a minute.

“Hey...your parents have that griffin, right?”

~*~

“MOM! DAD!”

Sophie ran across the castle lawn as fast as she could. The Ruewen’s carriage was just approaching as they finally arrived for the wedding.

She had ditched her lady’s maids that had been stalking her all day with a little bit of guilt-tripping. (“Oh, Marie, my parents are coming today and I just haven’t seen them in so long! Three months and I just-” Here she let her tears well up in her eyes, “I just miss them so.” She had grown a talent for acting.) So, she got to talk to them all alone.

The horses came to a stop and her mother and father immediately got out and ran to her, ignoring the footman that had come to assist them out, and taking up Sophie in their arms.

Before they could break away or someone else could come close enough to hear, she grabbed them in closer and leaned in to whisper in their ears.

“I need you to do something, I’ll explain when we’re alone.”

She quickly pushed away and looked at them, putting on a fond expression.

“Mom! Dad! I missed you guys so much!”

Their expressions betrayed their confusion, only for a moment though, before putting on similar smiles.

“Don’t worry kiddo, we wouldn’t miss this for anything,” Grady said. He had an air of nonchalance about him, but Sophie noticed his hand laid protectively on her back as they walked to the castle together.

“How about I show you all to your rooms? I practically know this place like the back of my hand!” Sophie’s fake smile felt increasing tight on her face. She had to fight not to turn around, collapse in her parents arms, and beg to be taken back home.

Still, she walked straight on to the doors of the palace, up the stairs, and through the hall where the guests would be staying for the wedding and to her parents’ reserved room.

The moment the doors closed behind them, she collapsed into Edaline and Grady joined the hug immediately after.

It was a while before they finally broke apart. Real tears were welling in Sophie’s eyes by the end of it, but she collected herself enough to be able to explain the A.W. D.A.N.G. plan.

Her parents looked at her like she was insane for a moment before Eda grabbed her back into her arms.

“Oh my goodness that’s my girl! Always a fighter.”

Sophie laughed.

“So, you’re in?”

Grady and Edaline shared a look before nodding.

Her dad looked less thrilled and more worried than her mother, but for once he didn’t put up a fight about her dangerous activities.

“Ok! Awesome! I- I have to go now but... I’ll see you there.”

They joined for one final hug before the big day.

“Good luck kiddo, fight like hell.”

Sophie nodded before rushing out the door and to her room before any of the maids got suspicious.

~*~

Later that night, the night before the wedding, and hopefully one of the last nights Sophie would ever have to spend in this damn castle, there was a knock at the door.

She opened it to see Biana standing there, just like always.

“Couldn’t sleep,” she said with a shrug.

She always had some excuse, they were normally half assed in a way that Sophie could tell she had just come to see her.

Sophie let her in and she plopped down on her spot of the bed.

“You look a little sick,” she observed.

“Just anxious,” Sophie brushed off.

“You know, we’ve got this in the bag.”

Sophie shrugged before looking away.

Biana leaned forward and caught Sophie’s eye.

“Seriously, Soph, it’s gonna be fine.”

“I know but...the plans just changed, and it’s...it’s scary.”

Biana went silent for a minute.

“It’s been scarier. A lot scarier, actually.”

Sophie looked up, confused.

“Wanna know a secret? Not really secret, but kind of.” Sophie noticed that Biana’s leg was bouncing.

“Sure?”

She paused for a minute, fingers tracing the lightning like scars on her arms.

“When I first came to the castle, I was a part of the guard. Obviously as a tween girl I didn’t exactly fit in, but I was good, so they let me stay. Then, there was a Neverseen attack and well... I suppose you can guess from there,” she stared down at her arm for a moment more, Sophie wondered for a moment whether she was done talking, but she continued.

“After she- Vespera- got away, and I healed, I wanted to keep fighting. But, there was a 2 to 1 majority family vote not to let the child go to war, and so I started healing others,” she shrugged, “Anyway, my point is that compared to that situation, this is like, nothing. And I know you’ve been through worse than my stuff, so you can definitely get through this.”

“You hadn’t told me that before.”

“I haven’t told you a lot of things,” she winked. Sophie didn’t do anything. “Oh, c’mon, I can’t even get a laugh out of you?”

Sophie just looked away again and Biana became more solemn.

“You know, I’d say when one person shares a secret, it’s customary to share one of your own, and truly you have many, I’m sure.”

“I haven’t the faintest clue what you are talking about,” Sophie said, turning up her nose.

Biana snorted, “Eh, I’m pretty sure there’s a reason Keefe calls you Mysterious Miss F behind your back.”

“He does?”

Biana nodded.

Sophie paused, the inkling of a smile broke through her angst.

“Well, I do have a few, I suppose.”

“I knew it! Spill.”

Hmm...what was low enough that the Black Swan wouldn’t kill her and high enough that she didn’t look lame?

“... I’m not just an inflictor. They wanted me to be powerful, I guess, so... I have 5.”

Once Biana’s eyes went the size of dinner plates, she realized she went too far.

“5 abilities?”

Sophie nodded.

“Telepathy, polyglot, inflicting, enhancing, and teleporting- but that ones hard to when I don’t have enough momentum.”

“Sounds like you could get out of here all by yourself.”

Her tone was joking and Sophie tried to laugh, but she just couldn’t.

“Yeah, I could, but I think me and anyone related to me would have to flee the country.”

They were both silent for a while, Sophie tried not to pull out an eyelash but the density she felt in the room was just too much.

It was almost 10 minutes when Sophie decided to break the silence, she knew because she counted.

“You can’t tell me you aren’t even a little scared.”

Biana’s brow cocked as she turned to respond.

“I’ll trade you the truth for another secret.”

“Deal.”

“I am,” she admitted. “I’m a lot scared, actually. But it’s gonna be worth it, we’re gonna get you out of here.”

“This is a hell of a lot to put on the line for someone else.”

“You’re my friend. I know you’d do it for me too.”

Sophie nodded.

She would.

She would do anything she had to to get Biana out of a situation like hers, but it was still astounding someone would be willing to do it for her.

There was a beat of silence before Sophie talked again.

“I still feel like everything is gonna go wrong.”

When Biana said nothing, she continued.

“I mean, it’s a wonder we’ve gotten this far. What if a servant had walked in during one of our planning sessions? What if we had a mole in our group? What if we still do, and the king knows about everything and is just waiting for the plan to start before the guard bursts in and arrests us all?”

Biana went silent for a minute.

“I have a crazy idea, but you have to promise you won’t think I’m insane after I say this, okay?”

“I promise.”

“We can run away together.”

Sophie looked for any indication of a joke in her expression but found none.

“You’re kidding.”

“I’m not.”

Sophie was tongue-tied.

“Look if...if everything does go wrong, I couldn’t handle it. I-” she took a second, Sophie could tell she was getting choked up, “I’m not going to let some shitty king steal your life from you like this.”

She then looked down, eyes trained on her lap.

“I know, this is forward, but I’m just gonna say it now. I really, really like you Sophie. If you’re unhappy, then I’ll be unhappy. I won’t be able to sit idly by and watch you…” her shoulders drooped, “watch you get taken from me forever.”

Sophie was shocked, but managed to push out a sentence.

“Biana, you have a life here, and we... I mean, we haven’t known each other for that long, and don’t get me wrong I really like you too but-”

Biana cut her off by grabbing both of Sophie’s hands and meeting her eyes.

“Then what the hell else matters?”

Sophie went completely silent. Her face was so warm she must’ve been the color of a tomato.

“You know we shouldn’t,” her words were so quiet they were nearly a whisper.

“Maybe not. But we could. It can be our backup.”

Sophie noticed then just how close their faces were.

“Yeah, our backup,” she mumbled half-heartedly.

As if her body was moving on autopilot, Sophie closed her eyes and leaned it, meeting Biana in the middle.

Her lips were soft, and slicked with a bit of balm that tasted like honey.

Sophie didn’t want to pull away, but eventually had to.

The first thing Biana said after coming up was, “You know, I never got that secret.”

Sophie laughed.

“How serious of one do you want? They range from slightly embarrassing to will ruin my own and several other peoples lives if they get out.”

“Frankly, I like the way the latter sounds. I am very good at keeping secrets.”

“Alright then. My biological mother is Councillor Oralie.”

“Honestly, I don’t know if you’re being serious. If you are, then I can see the family resemblance, if you aren’t then hardy-har-har.”

Sophie really didn’t see the resemblance, Oralie was practically renowned for her beauty and she was just... Sophie.

She just shrugged. “Guess you’ll have to find out.”

“Guess so. I guess that applies for a lot of things with you?”

“Yep.”

“Hm. Well, I like a mystery.”

With that, Biana pecked her on the cheek and walked out the room.

~*~

Sophie sat in silence as a maid brushed out her hair.

It was the big day, at last.

Her nerves had settled to extreme calmness, determination.

There was a knock at the door and the maid went to answer it. Sophie watched the reflection of the door in the mirror as an all too familiar blonde woman pulled the maid aside and whispered a few words to her, apparently convincing her to leave as a moment later the door shut once again, and she was left in a room with Oralie.

Sophie refused to greet her.

“Miss Foster?”

Sophie still said nothing.

“Sophie, please.”

Sophie sighed internally and gave up on being stubborn for the moment being.

“Councillor Oralie. What brings you here?”

“You can just call me Oralie. And I wanted to come talk to you.”

“Well, you have the floor.”

Oralie sighed before moving closer to Sophie. She seemed about to speak before getting distracted by something.

“Oh, dear, your hair. They can’t expect to get it done for the ceremony at this rate.”

She picked up the brush and Sophie pulled away on instinct.

Oralie’s voice went whisper soft as she said, “Please, Sophie.”

She saw in the mirror that her normal constantly regal and serene demeanor had cracked to reveal concern and desperation.

Something about the woman she saw in the mirror persuaded Sophie to give in and let her brush her hair.

Sophie watched as she quickly and masterfully braided one side, then the other, before preparing her ribbon on a blunt needle to secure them on her head.

“Hold this braid while I sew the other, dear.”

Sophie obliged.

When they were done, her hair was wrapped along on the top of her head. It didn’t seem like the typical wedding style, but she supposed it wasn’t the typical wedding either.

“You know, I suppose some selfish part of me came down here because I wanted to see my daughter on her wedding day. You look lovely, and you’ll do fantastic ruling. But...more importantly I wanted to tell you that...that I tried.”

Sophie gave her a confused look in the mirror.

“Tried to convince Cassius, that is. That this wasn’t a good idea. He...he didn’t listen. Threatened me with treason, in fact.”

Oralie seemed to get choked up.

“Thank you,” Sophie mumbled.

“No, no don’t thank me. I failed.”

“But you tried.”

Oralie nodded, patting away some more tears.

“Well, I suppose I should go now,” she said, “but I’ll be there, and I’m never too far from the castle if you should need me.”

Sophie nodded and Oralie walked out without another word.

To be perfectly honest, she was still mad at her. But it was nice to know she cared, Sophie supposed.

~*~

“You ready kiddo?” Grady said to Sophie, who held on to his arm.

“As I’ll ever be.”

The traditional wedding march rang through the glass dome as they started their walk down the isle. Not long after Oralie had come to do her hair that morning, Biana had come to do her makeup. They spoke nothing of the previous night and kept a lighthearted air, but Sophie had kissed her cheek as a thanks.

As they walked, Sophie fixated her gaze on the altar. Looking at Biana specifically in the place of her maid of honor, with her crown of brown ringlet curls she looked as if she should be the bride today. Sophie let her mind wander for a moment, imagining Biana in the place of the bride, herself standing in the grooms place. She wondered what she would wear if she had the choice. Definitely not this annoying puffy dress, maybe a nice suit, a red one. She always heard she looked nice in-

Before she realized it, she was at the altar.

Her father seemed hesitant to walk away and “hand” her to Keefe, but after a moment of procrastination he did so.

Sophie looked out into the crowd, noticing all the people involved in their plan, as well as some familiar faces. A few of which included the portraits of ladies she saw lined up on the halls, the only difference between those pictures and their current forms were the addition of high and pointy ears, everything else was the same, down to the orange blush.

She shared a brief look with Keefe, he looked more nervous than she felt, but the slight nod she tipped at him seemed to help.

The officiator began to speak, his voice so loud and booming it hurt Sophie’s ears.

“Lords and Ladies, we are gathered here today to celebrate the joyous union of our young Prince Keefe Sencen and the lovely Miss Sophie Foster-Ruewen.”

Ha, joyous was certainly a word to call it. Not the first thing she’d choose through, maybe something more like ‘nauseating’.

“We are honored to be joined by so many friends and family. The Groom and Bride are overjoyed you all could be here to participate in this most important occasion.

“There are few greater joys in life than finding someone we truly connect with. Creatives have many names for this, a spark, clicking, but let us say today what it truly is: love.”

Sophie glanced at Biana, to which she smiled slightly back.

“Love is what these two young souls have found in each other. In love, our truest selves are revealed. We open ourselves up and break down our walls. The veil we present to the public is lifted, so we can be loved for who we are, not who we pretend to be.”

She fought not to snort at all the fluffy lovey-dovey wording they gave to try to seem like something so awful was A-okay and totally morally fine. Oh well, they wouldn’t have to hear it for much longer.

“Over these months, our Bride and Groom have developed a strong bond. This bond will only get stronger throughout the course of their marriage. Let us revel in the joy and love displayed in front of us today. May we treasure these memories as Prince Keefe and Miss Sophie get set to begin their new life together.

“If anyone has cause to object to the forming of this union, speak now or forever hold your peace.”

3, 2, 1.

“I object!” Stina called from the crowd, standing up. “This marriage was meant to be mine! She’s just a dirty commoner!”

A small part of Sophie wondered if she really meant that last part, Stina had never wanted the marriage, but she certainly wasn’t very fond of Sophie at their first few meetings.

“How dare you!” I object because I love her!” It had taken an absurd amount of reasoning to get Fitz to say that line, eventually some light blackmail from Biana had worked. Sophie had no idea what she dangled over his head that was embarrassing enough to get him to say that, but from what she could gather it had something to do with a chandelier. “Sophie is meant to be with me. Maruca has admitted her love to Keefe, let her marry him!”

Biana gasped, somewhat over dramatically. “Maruca you snake! You knew I loved him.”

“You only loved his title!” She screamed, standing up to match the rest. “And Fitz, if you’re so concerned with what Stina has to say about Sophie, you should hear what Wylie has to say.”

Fitz walked in Wylie’s direction and he stood. “Why you little-”

Then, Dex threw out his mini-bomb and the beeping started.

Beep. Beep. Beep. BEEPBEEPBEEPBEEP.

BOOM.

An explosion rang out, leaving a griffin-sized hole in the glass ceiling. Sophie did what was now her only part, letting out a loud whistle to call it in.

The beast immediately complied, flying through the roof and causing the guests to let out horrified screams. It crashed into chairs and wrecked the alter as it found a place to land, before becoming stressed at the closed environment, and flying back through the ceiling, leaving a second hole in its wake.

The screams continued as the room was filled with immense amounts of light, followed by suffocating darkness.

The gang collected at the exit, with the exception of Biana and Marella, standing by at the wooden reception tables.

The darkness lifted and the guests ran out frantically. Soon after, a red glow started in the back of the dome, seemingly from nowhere. No one could be seen walking out of the dome just then, but two sets of footprints forming and unforming in the grass trailed from the door.

Linh ran up to the dome.

“Everyone back up!”

A large wave formed, putting out the fires, and crushing the dome completely.

~*~

Sophie sat in the ballroom that was meant to be used later that night. It now sat full of guests, many wrapped in blankets or slurping soup the kitchens had served.

She spotted Dex and walked over.

“Heya.”

“Hi,” he said, looking down towards his lap.

She sat next to him.

“I can’t believe that worked.”

“Me neither.”

He didn’t seem particularly excited, 3 hours later and Sophie was still full of adrenaline.

“What’s up? You seem down.”

“Eh, it’s lame. And probably a little petty.”

“What is family for if not to tell about lame and petty things?”

Dex snorted.

“Fine. I have a crush on someone and I don’t think they like me back.”

“That sucks dude. Who is it? I won’t tell, you know I’m great at secrets.”

“I am NOT telling you.”

“Aw, you’re so boring. Can I guess?”

“Go for it.” Dex said, rolling his eyes.

“Is it... Fitz?”

“No.”

“Tam?”

“No.”

“Keefe?”

He didn’t reply.

“Aw, that should’ve been my first guess.”

“Hush, ok? I don’t want to ruin our friendship.”

“Alright, I won’t tell him. But seriously, go shoot your shot, I bet you won’t regret it.”

“I’m sorry, this coming from the ‘if a girl looks at me, I’ll go jump into a river’ girl?”

“Look you make a joke one time and it hau-”

She was cut off by the attack of the triplets.

Aunt Juline and Uncle Kesler were rushing after them, naturally, but that didn’t stop them from tackling her.

“That was AWESOME!” Bex screamed.

“It was all like BOOM,” said Lex, acting out an explosion with their hands, “and then it was all like WHOOSH,” he mimicked the wave crashing into the building.

“I’m so sorry,” Juline said, pulling the kids back by their ears. “That must’ve been pretty scary in there.”

“It was fine,” Sophie said, “no one got hurt, I think. It’ll be okay.”

Juline nodded.

“Well, we should get these kids home. That includes you, Dex. We came to get you.”

“Fiiine. I’ll meet you at the door, I have something to drop off.”

He fiddled with something in his pocket, Sophie knew it to be a note to inform Keefe about the meeting tonight.

Fitz had made his rounds earlier, informing them all of the planned meeting, and Dex was to be the one to deliver the news to Keefe. They couldn’t meet all together in public, it would look too suspicious, and Keefe seemed nowhere to be found at the moment.

Still she was...happy.

She was stressed, like fuck her friends were scattered throughout the castle of a murderer. They still didn’t know if they had actually succeeded.

But…

Goddammit she was so close to being free.

After tonight?

She was going home.

It didn’t feel real, after all this hell she’d gone through.

But she was going home.

~*~

A month later Sophie stood in the crowd of bodies at the foot of the castle, just in front of a makeshift stage. People cheered and hooted as Keefe walked on it, including Sophie.

They went silent as Oralie (ugh) began to speak.

“Friends and subjects of the Kingdom of Eternalia. Today, we crown a new ruler. A ruler to put the people first. A ruler who will not sleep until every one of his people is fed. A ruler to unite us.

Prince Keefe has shown a care for his people deeper than any king before him. In the time I have had the honor of teaching him in my lessons, he has shown a willingness to learn. An ability to adapt. And a knowledge of the system as well as its successes and failures deeper than anyone else of his age.

And yes, it is truly a shame that a king must be crowned this young, but I have no doubt that in time he will do right by our great kingdom.”

She trailed across the stage to Keefe in his oversized red ceremonial robe that looked horribly heavy. She picked up the crown that a servant held on a pillow.

“Prince Keefe of Eternalia, do you promise to uphold the law and do what is right for your people to the best of your abilities?”

“I do.”

“And do you promise to preserve the honor of our nation?”

“I do.”

Marella’s voice came from next to her ear.

“AND DO YOU PROMISE TO NOT LET CASSI-ASS BACK INTO THE THRONE ROOM?”

He cracked a smile. “I do.”

Oralie chuckled too.

“In that case, Keefe Sencen of Eternalia, with this crown I deem you King of Eternalia. May you have a long and peaceful reign.”

Everyone laughed and cheered and yelled and clapped for their friend.

Biana was heaved onto Fitz’s shoulders and Sophie and her locked eyes, smiling, knowing they were in good hands now.

~*~

“Verdi! Down girl!” Sophie attempted to calm the huge dinosaur, she could hear her wife laughing behind her.

“Hey, I’d like to see you try to feed her fruit!”

Biana laughed.

“If we don’t learn how to feed her, Grady and Eda will never let us take over here. Seriously, they need a retirement.’

“I know, I know. I’ll figure it out after lunch. Last to the kitchen is a pile of gulon dung!”

“Oh, you’re on!”

#sophiana #kotlc #keeper of the lost cities #kotlc fic #sophie foster #biana vacker

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an-absolute-travesty · 4 years ago

Text

Secret Santa fic!

Heya @all-eternity it was me all along! I hope you enjoy this :) very much looking foward to actually being able to follow you after this without looking sketchy lmao

Also shoutout to my lovely beta reader @keepersandqueens as if I don’t talk about Salas enough here lol

Warnings: underage drinking, drinking in general, hangover, drugs/medication mention (not abused, basic over the counter stuff dw), mentions of vomit (not described)

Pairings: Kam, background marelinh, ex titz

About: Kam coffee shop college au

Word count: 5,205

Tag list (tell me if you want to be added or removed): @cadence-talle @ruewen-and-rising @lemontarto @a-lonely-tatertot @clearlyvacksen @percabetn @sewersewersewercouch @everyonehasthoughts @imaramennoodle @enbies-and-felonies @blxckh0les42 @rainbowtay-11 @callas-starkflower-stew @impostertamsong @appalyneinstitute1 @stars-and-splendor @anna-without-an-e @mistythegenderqueermess @we-have-no-bananas-today @we-wont-dissapear @jadenightthewriter

Tam stumbled into his first 8 am class, anxiety making his heart feel like it was pounding out of his chest and stomach doing backflips.

If he could survive bouncing between foster homes, a short stint at juvie, and worst of all high school, he could survive college.

Well he thought he could until he saw a familiar person right next to the only available chair in the room.

God fucking damn it.

"Hey Bangs Boy!" Keefe waved him down, causing a scene. Tam had no option but to sit beside him, both because of the lack of chairs and the fact that everyone was now staring at him.

Not a great start.

"What a coincidence! I notice you still haven't taken my suggestions on your hair, I'm telling ya' you'd get all the girls and or guys and nonbinary pals with a man bun." Keefe looked smug at the fact he'd be able to taunt Tam for another semester, minimum. Tam was already making a mental note to check when he could swap out of classes.

"Keefe, if I knew you were going here I would've just gotten myself back in jail, oh wait, you were the one who got me in there in the first place." Tam shot him a look, praying that he'd suddenly develop superpowers and shoot lasers from his eyes.

"Hey, just because I came up with the idea...and helped with some of the execution, doesn't mean I'm responsible for you trashing your parents house. Besides, you were only in there for like 3 days max before you got out," Keefe said, shrugging as if 3 days in jail was no biggie.

"Most peaceful 3 days of my life," Tam sneered, turning back to the front of the room as the professor walked in.

"Good morning class!" the prof turned to the white board, writing his name. "I am Dr. Harding," he tapped it for emphasis.

The class was silent.

"And you say good mor..."

"Good morning Dr. Harding," The class said in unison, they all sounded tired and bored.

This wasn't going to be fun.

~*~

"Grande ice vanilla latte for...Hen-are-y?"

The man shot Keefe a look as he grabbed his coffee.

"Henry." He dropped a tip in the jar, fifty cents. How generous.

He had come in before, and never left good tips. Keefe made it a game to pronounce the names of anyone who wasn't a college student and left bad tips wrong, no matter how much they came in. It was a wonder he hadn't been fired yet.

As he turned preparing another drink, the bell at the top of the door rang. He ignored it at first until he heard a quiet, "Fuck," come from behind.

"Bangs boy!"

"Why are you here?"

"I work here obviously," Keefe walked up to the counter. "Now, what'll it be?"

Tam sighed. "Iced caramel macchiato with two extra shots of espresso."

"Size?"

"Venti."

Keefe whistled thinking about how much caffeine that was as he wrote down "Bangs Boy" on the cup.

"Alright, that'll be 5.75, may I ask why the insane amount of coffee? I believe I remember you saying caffeine makes you anxious in high school."

"Yes, but it also helps me focus, and I have a quiz tomorrow I haven't studied for."

"Fair enough," Keefe said, going to prepare the drink. "It'll be ready in five."

Tam nodded, walking off to the side and scrolling on his phone. Keefe made the drink, occasionally sneaking looks over at Tam. He didn't seem to notice, thank God.

Soon after, they finished the transaction.

"See you at class," Keefe said, he was trying to be genuine, but it came across more taunting.

Tam grimaced, muttered "Thanks for the coffee," and walked out the door.

~*~

The class fell silent as a disheveled Dr. Harding walked in, a pack of gatorade in one hand and bottle of tylenol in the other. He popped one as he sat down.

"Hello class it seems today I have the worst headache imaginable, just give me about 5 minutes of silence and we will go over your assignments."

Keefe leaned over to Tam's desk.

"Well, we know what he got into last night," he whispered. "Heard the bar on the corner of 5th was giving out two for ones for professors."

"Isn't that place run by the alumni?"

"Exactly. Gotta thank Alvar tomorrow, Fitz said it was his idea."

"Wait Fitz goes here too? Why did I not-"

"Boys!" Dr. Harding practically yelled. "I am tired of the racket." He put his face in his hands where his elbows rested on the desk, bald spot showing to the world.

"We were whispering!" Keefe made a 'what the hell' sort of gesture. Tam glared at him, hoping he could communicate 'I will kill you myself if you say another word' with just his eyes.

"Sencen, do I look like I care?"

Keefe winced a bit at the use of his last name. That was something Tam could understand.

"Look, boys," Dr. Harding stood up and turned to the chalkboard, writing something down. "If you all like talking so much, you'll love this next project."

He walked to the side, revealing the board, that read '10 page essay, due the 25th'

"With the person next to you, you'll be writing a 10 page essay on um...the importance of keeping your oil changed in your car. You'll then present it to the class. It's worth 25 points."

A student raised their hand.

"Luka?"

"Sir, I thought this was a psychology course?"

"It is. You are all excused."

With that, he left the room with his tylenol and gatorade in his arms. The students glared at Keefe and Tam as they all got up, muttering amongst themselves about the pure bullshittery of it all.

"So..." Keefe said, slowly standing. "Does the library tomorrow at 3 work? I have work until then, so it can't be any earlier."

"Yeah, sure." Tam promptly walked out of the classroom as fast as possible, he didn't know why but his anxiety was spiking. He tried to tell himself it was just because he was a useless gay that didn't know jackshit about cars, yeah, surely that was it.

Just a useless gay.

~*~

Tam waited at a table in the library, it was 3:05, Keefe was late.

He didn't know what else he expected from him, he always seemed to do stuff like this. At the same time, Tam didn't have the energy to be particularly mad at him. This was going to be the stupidest essay ever written in the history of man, might as well put it off.

The library door slammed open, and in came Keefe. He balanced a large stack of papers and books along with four drinks. He stumbled over to Tam and practically threw them down on the table.

"Sorry I'm late, I thought it would be nice to, like, get you a coffee, but I didn't know how much caffeine you wanted, so I got one decaf caramel macchiato, one normal, and one with an extra shot, and also hot chocolate for me."

He sat down in the chair by Tam, as if getting three different coffees for someone you were forced to do a project with was totally normal.

"Um...thanks, I-I can pay you back-"

"Don't worry about it." Keefe turned to him and smiled, bright and friendly. Tam was frozen. "Okay, now it's car time." Keefe turned back to the desk.

"Yeah."

They were silent for a while as they researched, Keefe going through his piles of papers and books and Tam on his laptop like any sane person would.

Tam finally worked up the nerve to talk.

"So um...this is out of nowhere, but I think you mentioned Fitz went here?"

"Oh, yeah." Keefe put down the absurdly large textbook that was set up in front of him. "He's my roommate, he uh thought it would be best not to tell you after everything, I guess."

"That's fine," Tam shrugged like he didn't care. "I'm over it."

He was, really. They only dated like 2 weeks, sure it ended with a...pretty big fight after Fitz claimed he wouldn't be able to date someone who had gone to jail and Tam reminded him it was his best friend that got him in there in the first place, but he was still over it. There was still something bothering him, nothing to do with Fitz himself but...something. He just couldn't put his finger on what.

"Alright, I'll take your word." Keefe shrugged, setting his giant book back up in front of him.

Tam felt the need to start talking again, but didn't. They were mostly silent for the next 40 minutes or so, just researching and the occasional word exchanged between them.

Keefe checked his phone.

"Shit," He got up. "Work emergency, I gotta go. Same time tomorrow?"

"Yeah that works."

"Chill, see ya' later."

"Bye."

Keefe waved (with a wide grin Tam would've called idiotic in high school) as he went out the door.

Tam found himself with a smile on his own face, he quickly stopped, hoping no one saw.

~*~

Keefe hurried into work, pulling his apron on as he saw the absurdly long line and a panicked Marella frantically making coffees behind the counter. She sighed with relief when she saw him.

"Thank God," She said as he stepped behind the counter with her. "There was a scheduling error, Forkle's useless at that stuff."

Mr. Forkle, their well-meaning but often mistaken manager, was out of town at the moment. The fate of the Starbucks rested on two college kids, what could go wrong.

And so they went, Keefe taking orders and Marella fulfilling them until there were no more to serve.

Marella, quite literally, threw in a towel she had wiped her face with. Promptly going to the back, presumably for her break. Keefe followed her.

"Alright, I think you can probably go back to whatever you were doing before this now if you'd like," said Marella, inspecting the small braids in her hair in the nearest shiny surface.

"Nah I was just doing a project with Tam for Harding's stupid class, he's probably left by now, I might as well rack up some overtime."

Marella turned back at him, clearly caught off guard at the name.

"Tam? As in my-girlfriend's-brother Tam? As in you-had-a-massive-crush-on-in-highschool Tam? As in dated-Fitz Tam? As in you-got-him-in-jail-"

"Yes! Yes! Why does everyone remind me of that, it was one time."

"When you get someone in jail, people tend to remember," Marella went silent for a second, thinking, before looking Keefe in the eye. "Wow, that must be awkward as hell, I mean seriously, if I were you I'd straight up file a restraining order just to avoid him. Maybe move to another country. I hear Estonia is lovely this time of year."

"Eh, it's not as bad as it seems. I mean it was awful at first, mostly because I tried to resume right where we left it on the taunting front, but I think it's ok now."

"Hm. Well good luck with that," Marella turned back to go to the front, but Keefe grabbed her arm to stop her.

"Uh, actually I need your advice on something. It has to do with Tam."

"Shoot."

"Well I was thinking of maybe, I don't know, asking him out or something? Look, yeah, it's an awful idea but is it 'he never wants to talk to me again' awful or 'he attempts to strangle me' awful?"

Marella looked him up and down, eyes uncomfortably cold, as usual.

"I mean, no hetero, but despite your annoying qualities you're a decent looking guy. Plus Tam's, like, super anxious according to Linh, so maybe he'll be too awkward to say no. You can probably squeeze at least one date in there."

"Wow, thanks Mare," Keefe mumbled, voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Yes, I try. Also don't call me Mare."

"Alright Ella!" Keefe called as the front door's bell rang, signalling a new customer. Marella went off to take care of it, unable to respond she growled back at him.

~*~

Tap tap tap tap tap.

Tam glared from across the table.

Tap tap tap tap tap tap.

"Why do you keep doing that?"

Keefe looked up, muttered a simple "Fidgety" and went right back to it, tapping his pen against the table. Tam said nothing more.

Keefe had been quiet for this entire meeting, something highly unusual for him.

"Ok, seriously dude, what's up? I haven't seen you this quiet literally ever."

He only seemed to get more fidgety at this question, his bouncing leg shaking the library table.

"I...um..." he looked down, running a hand through his hair "I have a test I need to cram for and no one to study with and keep me accountable. Y'know, ADHD issues."

Tam didn't overthink for once in his life but the moment the sentence was out of his mouth he regretted it.

"I have a test too, maybe we could study together?"

Keefe smiled his annoyingly charming smile.

"Sounds good."

"Good."

Tam quickly looked back down at his computer, trying to look like he was still doing car research when in actuality he was processing he just actively offered to spend more time with Keefe Sencen.

If Linh found out about this he'd never live it down.

He didn't think he cared.

~*~

Dr. Harding walked through the classroom door, clearly much less hungover than his last appearance.

The students waited, would they get an apology? Any sort of remorse?

"Alright, who wants to read first?"

Apparently not.

Keefe raised his hand with too much confidence for what their essay looked like. Tam gave him a confused look. He had his scheming face on, never good.

"Mr. Sencen!" Keefe winced at the use of his last name by the doctor. "What an amazing start, it's only appropriate. One of you boys come up and present."

Tam gave Keefe a look of 'do you want me to do it?' Keefe just smiled and got up from his chair. This would either be really good or really, really bad. Tam was all too familiar with the scheme face.

"Doc, I did depart from the source material a bit here, hope you don't mind. And I use 'I' because Tam had no involvement in this, he deserves full points for his essay."

Keefe cleared his throat, the room was so silent you could hear a pin drop.

"Doctor Harding deserves to get fired: an essay. (And it's only been a week!) Paragraph one, his drinking problem-"

"Sencen! Back to your seat now. I will see you after class, or I will not see you in my next class, understand?"

Keefe gave a thumbs up as he sat back on his chair with a thud.

A few minutes later, in the middle of another student's essay, he passed Tam a note with his loopy handwriting.

"The amount of comebacks I had for 'see me after class' is absurd but if I get kicked out there's no way Elwin is helping me pay tuition a second time."

Tam tried not to smile, certainly failing, as he wrote his response.

"Yeah I think the time you talked back to Miss Cadence she wanted to expel you. Lucky Principal Alina had a thing for pseudo-dad Alden."

"Oh God I haven't talked to him in a whiiiiiile."

"?"

"You haven't heard? Yeah, he sorta found out like ALL his kids were ell gee bee tees and freaked out. Della found herself a new gf though!"

"Sounds like a lovely extra punch in the gut for a queerphobe."

"Yep. Honestly I recommend looking through his Facebook sometime. Just a million rants about how the gays destroy everything, great entertainment."

"Duly noted."

At that point it seemed like the doctor started to take notice of their note passing, and they stopped quickly. Tam wouldn't be surprised if he did the whole high school read in front of the class thing with the way he had been acting so far.

Tam was 100% sure tenure was the only thing keeping this guy's job intact. Apparently being a drunk asshole wasn't near enough to get a person out of their position. He tried to ignore the professor's annoyingly smug face for the rest of the class.

~*~

Keefe sat in his usual spot at the library, Tam sitting across from him, his brown eyes dancing across the textbook page and lips mumbling along the words. He didn't have much to do, often finding himself just staring at Tam, quickly looking away if he seemed to notice.

Eventually he sighed, sitting back.

"Ugh, this test is in a week and I have so much other crap to do, I'll never get this all memorized by Friday."

Keefe silently thanked his brain for managing to get around the having to study thing. Yay, photographic memory!

"Oh, uh, well I'm free to study more tomorrow if that would help? We could do, like, flashcards or something."

Tam seemed to repress a smile. He did that a lot. Keefe always noticed.

"That's okay, I'm sure you have better things to do. The Starbucks is always pretty packed."

"Eh, sometimes you have to get away from Marella. She's mean to me."

"Not just you, once she told me if I ever made fun of Linh's cat's name again she'd make me cut off my own bangs."

Keefe nodded sagely. "The shorter you are the closer to hell. That's why you're worse than her."

"Hey!"

Tam flicked a stray rubber band at Keefe.

"I'm at least 2 inches taller than Marella...we measured."

Keefe thought up about 12 inappropriate jokes he couldn't make before flicking the rubber band back.

"Two inches only counts in roller coasters, none of which you can ride."

Tam stuck his tongue out before returning to his studies. Unlike Tam, Keefe didn't hide his smile.

~*~

Tam strolled into the Starbucks that Friday morning, no longer surprised to see Keefe working the counter. He could barely hold still in line as he thought about the amount of cramming he'd have to do in the next few hours.

When he reached the counter, Keefe said nothing, just busily worked making a drink.

He stuck it right out at Tam.

"One venti iced caramel macchiato with 2 extra shots of espresso because you have a test today in political science and still haven't studied everything and also a muffin because you probably haven't eaten today. On the house. Good luck with the studying."

Tam froze.

"I- um- th-thaks. Y-you too...sport."

Oh, you fucking idiot.

He quickly scurried out of the Starbucks with drink and muffin in hand. Wow, he had screwed that up.

But...

Keefe...

He...

He remembered his order and that he had a test and that he forgot to eat when he was stressed holy shit holy shit holy shit holy shit-

Okay, deep breaths Tam, you got this. You can totally handle a frustratingly cute guy showing care for you this is fine...

Not fine, not fine, gotta tell Linh.

He called Linh with no forewarning. Despite the fact that she was currently across the country at a different university, and it was about 3 am for her, she picked up. He barely let her get out a groggy "Hello?" before explaining everything. She only seemed to think a moment before responding.

"Hm. Well it's good to know that college is going good for you. Do you need advice or comfort?"

"Yes."

"Well, first of all, everything's gonna be okay. And I know that doesn't help much but just try to remember we're eighteen, and it's not the end of the world. Second of all, try to ask him out or something. It doesn't have to be framed as a date, like Marella and I got together on a walk in the park, seriously it can be anything."

"Thanks Linh."

"No problem, also can you hug Marella for me?"

"If she doesn't try to kill me first, yes."

"Nice. Okay go do what you gotta do, also don't wake me up at 3 am again or else I'll sic Purryfins on you, I had just gone to bed."

With that she hung up and Tam continued on his way, still trying to not completely freak out.

~*~

Keefe stared blankly as Tam walked right out of the door. Marella appeared by his arm.

"So, how'd it go?"

"Well, he called me 'sport'."

Marella inhaled through her teeth.

"Yikes. Comfort, advice, or distraction?"

"Distraction, please." Keefe replied, absent-mindedly preparing a cup for the next customer.

"Uh, well I meant to ask you what ended up happening with that ass of a teacher, but I got a bit distracted at your attempt to woo Tam-"

"Hey I said distraction not reminder. But basically I just got a slap on the wrist because, and I quote, 'Your father is Cassius Sencen! He wrote half the books we use in this class, I'm sure he can straighten you out!'"

"There's absolutely nothing papa Sencen could do to make you straight, I'm pretty sure he tried that, and it obviously didn't work."

"He actually tried a few times and it most definitely did not. Lucky he doesn't have my number anymore or else I assure you he'd keep trying."

Marella laughed.

"Well, moving on from grade A assholes, I'm supposed to tell you there's a party tonight. I'll have to send you the address later, I have it on my phone though, I am told there's gonna be booze, so I'm going."

"Eh, I'll probably go. Just to get my mind off everything."

"Thata boy." She lifted her phone. "And my shifts over in three, two, one, and I am out of here! See ya' tonight Hunkyhair."

"That's Lord Hunkyhair to you."

She just rolled her eyes and clocked out, leaving Keefe to deal with both the customers and his own thoughts.

~*~

Tam sat in his dorm room alone, constantly refreshing his grades for the possibility that his 70-year-old professor would post the test results at 1:30 am.

His roommate was gone for the weekend, actually he was gone most of the time. Tam didn't think they'd even had a full conversation before.

He jumped as his phone began to ring, a call from Keefe of all people. He hesitantly picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Tam! Tam Tam Tam Tam Tam" Keefe's slurred speech was too loud for a phone call, Tam held his phone a bit away from his ear. "...fuck wait why did I call you..."

There was a long pause, neither said anything.

"Oh yeah! I needed to tell you something...but uh I uhm I forgot what it was."

"Keefe, where are you?"

"At a paaaaaarty, well, actually just outside a party because it was hot in there, but now it's cold out here so uh yeah."

Tam sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Okay, send me the address, I'm coming to pick you up. Wait right there and don't move."

"Okie dokie."

Tam heard a thud sort of sound and the rustling of grass from the other line before Keefe hung up and soon after got a message of his location.

After 20 minutes of walking in the cold, Tam came up to what seemed to be a frat house with Keefe sitting on the lawn in criss-cross, patiently waiting in short sleeves and basketball shorts, way too little clothing for the weather. His ruddy face smiled as he saw Tam approach.

"Tam! I remembered what I was going to tell you." He stood up, face falling right after. "Oh no wait I forgot again. Ooh! You need a drink."

Keefe grabbed Tam's hand, pulling him towards the house. Tam stayed in place.

"Hey, let's get you home dude."

Keefe pouted.

"I don't wannaaaa."

He slouched down, pulling on Tam's arm like a child having a tantrum.

Tam pulled him back up to his feet.

"C'mon, if you go to your dorm without fuss I'll buy you ice cream tomorrow."

Keefe seemed much more ok with going along with Tam with the ice cream deal. He pulled off his own coat and placed it around the very drunk boy, he didn't complain.

Keefe began humming some annoying song from the early 2000s that was playing from the house earlier as they walked back in the direction of the dorms.

Suddenly, Tam remembered something.

Fitz was Keefe's roommate.

Shit.

"Hey uh do you think Fitz is at your dorm?"

Keefe nodded confidently.

"Yep! Said he was gon' study. Wouldn't come to the party because of his 'reputation' or whatever."

Around reputation he did exaggerated finger quotes, nearly knocking Tam's jacket off his shoulders.

"Hm...in that case let's go to my dorm, ok?"

Keefe shrugged, apparently willing to go along with most things in his current state. Thank goodness Linh had made Tam bring extra pillows and blankets to college, he could sleep on the floor and just hope Keefe didn't get sick on him in the night.

It was ridiculously hard to lead Keefe back to his dorm. He tried to pull down his pants halfway there and Tam almost had to carry him up the stairs but soon enough they got there. He sighed with relief as he led his inebriated friend into the room.

"Okay, you can stay here for the night. I'll sleep on the floor."

Keefe plopped himself down on Tam's bed laying flat for only a moment before sitting up with a snap and a look of realization in his eyes.

"OOH! I remember what I was gonna tell you again!"

"Oh?" Tam said playing along, expecting him to forget again.

He patted the spot next to him on the bed, Tam continued to play along, sitting next to him.

"So Marella said that I should just tell you this, and it worked for her, so I'm gonna. And uh and you have to promise to listen 'cause I'm not sayin' it again."

At this point Keefe grabbed his face with both hands, staring right in Tam's eyes and squishing his cheeks.

"You're listening right?"

Tam nodded, mostly to shake Keefe's hands off his face.

"Okay."

Keefe took in an over dramatic breath as if he was preparing to preform in the Olympics before getting another grin on his face.

"I really like you."

"You really like me?"

He nodded mumbling "mhm".

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I like you. Like, like like you."

"Like...as a friend?"

"I said I wasn't gonna repeat myself. As a booooyfriend." At this point Keefe fell back on the bed, looking at the ceiling. Tam's cheeks were burning.

"How long have you liked me like that?"

"Mmmm..." Keefe seemed to ponder for a moment, "Prolly high school."

"Oh um...good to know. You should get some rest. I'll be down here if you need me."

"Alrighty."

Tam shut off the lights and Keefe started snoring quick. Tam could only stare up in the darkness, unable to sleep.

~*~

Keefe woke up that morning in a room he didn't recognize to a killer headache and dead phone.

He turned to the side, seeing a pile of blankets and pillows with a large gatorade, bottle of tylenol, and a note next to it. Suddenly last nights memories came flooding back.

Oh, shit.

He scrambled out of bed, headache and nausea hitting him harder as he stood up.

Despite the fact his head was spinning, he picked up the note from the ground and read it.

Hey, meet me at the reservoir around 6, we need to talk -Tam

F. U. C. K.

Had he really said all that stuff last night? Surely it was a dream, right?

Oh God.

He gathered his few belongings, plus the things to help the hangover, and left the dorms as fast as possible. Only having to stop once along the way to throw up in one of the campus trash cans, hopefully no one would notice.

Keefe didn't have anything to do and he really didn't want to face Fitz so he went about his day in last nights clothing. Then again, it was a college campus. Someone walking around with rumpled clothes carrying a gatorade probably wasn't that big of a deal for most people. By 5:30 he sat impatiently in the empty park where the reservoir was located, it was colder closer to the water.

Just as promised, at 6 o'clock he saw Tam approaching on the horizon.

~*~

Tam was damn near a panic attack as he walked around the park attempting to find Keefe. Eventually he found him, sitting on a bench still in his clothes from last night, face once again ruddy from the cold. He sat next to him wordlessly.

"So," Keefe started.

"So," Tam replied, looking down at his lap.

"Tam I-" Keefe turned to face him. "I'm sorry about everything last night, I probably just made everything super awkward. Not to mention it's a giant violation of the friend code to even have a crush on your best friend's ex-"

"Yeah, about that."

"What?"

"You're gonna maybe kill me for this but uh," Tam pulled on his bangs. "I sorta talked to Fitz about it, I figured you wouldn't and apparently I was right. He said he was okay with it as long as we were ok with it."

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

Tam sighed, "Perhaps."

Keefe once again wore that shit-eating grin of his.

"Can I hear you say it?"

"Why don't you have to say it?"

"Already said it last night! Your turn now. Why did you take care of me while I was drunk?"

Keefe stared at Tam excitedly waiting for the answer. Tam sighed.

"Because I love you, little shit."

"Ooh you said it-"

Tam smashed his lips against Keefe's, both quickly melting into it. After only a moment they pulled away.

"Agh, you taste like gatorade and vomit."

"Well you taste like salt so really what's worse."

"Definitely the vomit."

Despite this, Tam leaned back in. This kiss was a moment longer than the last, and when Tam pulled away Keefe chased it.

"Ok, look I'm sorry but you look like shit Keefe you have to go change." Tam removed his jacket, throwing it around Keefe once again and helping him up from the bench. Keefe laughed.

"Yeah, you're right. Ooh now that we're a thing you need a new nickname!"

"I do?"

"You do, how about 'Bangs Boyf' ooh or maybe you can be my 'provoked partner' or my 'snappy spouse' my 'agitated accomplice' perhaps."

"Do you just have these ready and prepared for any situation?"

"A magician never reveals his secrets."

"You aren't Houdini, you're an 18-year-old boy that currently reeks of frat party."

"Eh that's basically the same thing. I've seen some 18-year-olds at frat parties preform tricks Houdini could never dream of."

Tam sighed dramatically. "It's a good thing you're pretty, you know."

"Hey!" Keefe jokingly shoved him.

For the first time Tam's smile wasn't repressed.

#hope you like this elliot!#kotlc #keeper of the lost cities #kam #keefe sencen #tam song #kotlc fic #scheduled to post at 9 am and ill reblog once i get back to my phone because ill be doing x-mas stuff

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an-absolute-travesty · 4 years ago

Text

Let me go

~Writing strike is over!~

*confetti*

Hopefully that taught the general public to appreciate writers a bit more

There was no prompt for this, I just wanted to write it :)

Massive tw for: major character death, grieving, blood, panic...this one is rough, friends

Word count: 1,701

About: kam angst

Tag list (tell me if you want to be added or removed):@you-are-the-vacker-legacy @ruewen-and-rising @lemontarto @a-lonely-tatertot @clearlykeefitz @percabetn @vibing-in-the-void @sewersewersewercouch @everyonehasthoughts @imaramennoodle @enbies-and-felonies @blxckh0les42 @rainbowtay-11 @littlemisscupcake

Tam was making lunch for his boyfriend when he got the hail. Keefe himself sat in his art studio, working on a project that Tam apparently wasn’t allowed to see yet. Their anniversary was coming up though, five years of success. Tam suspected it was some present to do with that. Maybe a nice landscape, they needed something to sit over their mantel.

“Hello?”

Dex’s voice came from the other end. “Tam, we just got word of a possible Neverseen attack in Atlantis. We think it might just be a few crazy extremists, no leaders spotted yet. but since you and Keefe are closest we need you two to check it out. No interactions required, just a scope out.”

“Got it, be there in five.”

~*~

It...wasn’t just a few extremists. If that wasn’t obvious enough.

“Shit,” Tam said in a harsh whisper, pulling Keefe far behind a wall as he crept around the corner.

“What? Who is it?”

“A certain mommy dearest.”

Then, someone appeared behind him. Tam couldn’t remember who. Couldn’t remember how. All he knew was that he was shoved from his safe spot into the open.

“Hey boss, we got a visitor. Remember the little shade boy?”

He quickly moved to a place of defense, shadows prepared.

“Oh yes, I remember him. Shame, he wasn’t the goal. Ruy?”

The man turned.

“Be rid of him.”

Everything went to slow motion. A throwing knife was hurtling towards him. He braced for impact, there was no way to dodge it. Aimed right for the heart.

Only then he saw the flash of movement. Keefe fell back into Tam, the wound in his chest just starting to bleed.

“No!” Did it come from him or Gisela? Tam couldn’t tell, his eyes trained on Keefe’s face as he gently lowered him to the ground.

“Oh you fucking idiot.” Tam didn’t know if he was talking to himself or Keefe. Maybe both. He went to remove the knife from where it sat lodged in Keefe’s heart.

“No,” He said weakly. “Leave it, less bleeding.” Somewhere in the background the Neverseen had gotten away, Tam never found out what their goal was that day. He was sure they didn’t get it, though.

Keefe held Tam’s face in one hand, staining him with blood.

“You have beautiful eyes you know. I’ve always loved your eyes. I hope I get to see them again.”

“Keefe, don’t talk like that, you’ll be fine, we’ll get Elwin in here and-”

“No.” He took a break to cough, it left blood rolling down his chin. “No, Elwin can’t do anything for me. You can hail him, I’d rather go in the infirmary than the street.”

“Keefe-”

“Go, call him. It’ll make you feel better, love”

So he did.

Elwin was there fast, 10 minutes at most.

It took entirely too long.

~*~

Keefe passed out on the way to he infirmary. He still laid asleep as Elwin frantically rushed to grab something that might heal him. The contrast was awful, half to death and Keefe looked calm in the chaotic room all while being soaked with his own blood.

Bullhorn was laid beside him. Having Sophie around, it wasn’t a too uncommon sight, but everything felt more grim when the typically white sheets had gone red.

Finally, Elwin stepped back. Tears shined in the physician’s eyes.

“I’ve done what I can. It was a deep wound. Now we-” He got choked up. “Now we can only hope.”

Tam creeped towards the bed. Bullhorn laid scarily still next to Keefe, silent and unmoving.

He touched his forehead to Keefe’s as tears streamed down his face.

“Please stay,” He whispered. “Please wake up, please. You- you can’t just leave me, please, I love you.”

A hand moved up to cradle Tam’s face.

“Hey...Bangs Boy.” His voice was weak, but there.

Tam couldn’t tell who was crying anymore, him or Keefe. Maybe both.

Tam held his face, almost not believing he was real.

“Keefe! Please stay here, stay awake, stay with me please, love.”

A sad smile came across his face. “I wish I had that option, but...if I don’t, then please don’t look at what’s in the studio, okay? Please promise me you won’t look at it, Tam.”

“I promise.” Tam said without a second thought.

More friends rushed into the room then, hoarding around his bedside. All the best friends, they hadn’t talked all together in months.

How gruesome that this was the only thing that brought them all together.

The spent the next hour together, talking about old stories, laughing even. The room was still somber. Tears were exchanged with sad and nostalgic smiles, remembering the years they spent together. Suddenly, Keefe interrupted after being quiet for some time.

“Guys…” He said in labored breaths. “Please leave the room. I don’t want you all to have to see this. I love you all, and...and I better see you at my wanderling planting.” Everyone paused, before solemnly lining up and mumbling their last goodbyes. Sobs were heard throughout the room and eventually they all filed out into the hall, their wails could be heard from inside the infirmary.

Tam didn’t move from his spot.

“You always were stubborn, Bangs Boy. That’s why I love you.” His tone was raspy and harsh.

“I love you, too.” Tam said, voice cracking, as he wrapped his arms around Keefe. “Why couldn’t you just let me take the knife?”

He didn’t answer at first, just pulled Tam’s face up to look at him. He smiled fondly but there was an obvious sadness to it.

“You have so much to live for. Linh needs you.”

“Linh can live on her own, she’s stong.”

Keefe shook his head. “Let me go, Bangs Boy.”

“I can’t, I’ll never let you go, you’ll be fine-”

“Tam…” He trailed off, the sentence left unfinished as he winced in pain. Keefe’s typically tan face had gone ghostly pale, his perfectly mused hair now sat in limp strings on his forehead.

“Hey,” He managed, holding the unhealable wound on his chest. “I think I’m...I think I’m heading out. I can’t really feel my toes. Tell everyone that my last words were ‘Cassius is a little piss baby,’ I can’t let him think I forgave him in my last moments.”

Tam smiled, Keefe could always make him smile, even in moments like this.

Keefe simply held Tam’s face, a thousand words left unspoken.

His last were simple.

“I love you,”

Before Tam could reply, he was gone.

~*~

There were a lot of people at the wanderling planting, too many. All the random people from Foxfire that Tam barely knew, random citizens, every councillor.

Too many.

Everything moved far too fast to keep pace with Tam’s mind that felt as if it dragged across the floor. Mourners would only pay their respects for a few moments, unless they were a close friend.

Too many. Too fast.

The ceremony was confusing. Tam didn’t understand it, it was just too much for him to handle. He hadn’t been to one before and was now meant to lead it while still in mourning.

Too many. Too fast. Too much.

Before long he couldn’t stand it anymore, he ran off into the forest. Not paying attention to direction. He heard yells calling him name.

Too many. Too fast. Too much. Too loud.

Too bright, why did they have to wear green?

Too lonely, it was just him and Linh again.

Too sad, he couldn’t do this.

Too many. Too fast. Too much. Too loud. Too bright. Too lonely. Too sad. Too many. Too fast. Too much. Too loud. Too bright. Too lonely. Too sad. Too many. Too fast. Too much. Too loud. Too bright. Too lonely. Too sad. Too much. Too much. Too much. Too much. Too much. Too much. Too much.

He found himself sitting at the base of a tree, he didn’t know who’s. He couldn’t handle it. He had to go...somewhere. He didn’t know where. He had to get away from this place. The ceremony could go on without him.

He took out his home crystal, ignoring the voices still searching for him in the labyrinth of trees.

~*~

Tam stumbled into his previously shared home, face finally dried, but still red and puffy.

Pictures on the walls shook as he slammed the door, a plate fell from its place in the cabinet but he payed it no mind.

Somehow he ended up in the art studio...well Keefe’s art studio. Though, he guessed he wasn’t so much now.

Tam sat down in front of the large, tarped piece that Keefe had been hiding from him for weeks.

It was probably just a landscape. Tam kept telling himself that. Just a landscape, that was what they talked about.

And yet...he couldn’t help the curiosity.

Keefe’s last wish was to not look at it. How could he disrespect that? But if it was just a landscape...why would that be his last wish?

Tam slowly unveiled the painting.

It was a portrait.

Of him.

In the painting he was smiling, his whole face was lit up, the bags now present under his eyes were missing.

Why would he hide this?

Tam flipped over the canvas, a piece was folded paper was stuffed in between the wood. It looked like a preparation for a speech, the ideas he decided not to use, crossed out.

“Tam would you-

Tam you know what would be really super cool-

But, consider if you just-

Ugh this is harder than I thought it would be

Hey uh..you are cooler than like...a whole pan of mallowmellt

UGH

Tam...I love you more than life. I want to be with you for the rest of it. Would you please give me the honor of marrying you?

HAH I DID IT!!! Now I just have to...actually do it.”

Tam slid to the ground, a sob escaped his body and tears slicked his face.

~*~

Their anniversary was coming up.

Five years of success.

On the day, Tam took the note to his tree.

“Let me go, bangs boy”

He couldn’t, he wouldn’t.

“I love you, too”

#kotlc #keeper of the lost cities #kam #keefe sencen #tam song

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an-absolute-travesty · 4 years ago

Text

Royal Screw-Ups

It’s time, the final chapter is here

*Sobbing*

I won’t get too sappy on you guys here, since I got pretty sappy at the end of thing on Wattpad

But yeah. Thanks if you’ve been reading this long. I have more plans for this world (i have some plans for a few oneshots) but for this moment, we are closing out this story

If you’re looking for the rest of the story, it can be found on my wattpad @ohwowhatethis, under the tags “kotlc fic” and “keefex” on my blog, or under the cut on my pinned post

Tag list (tell me if you want to be added or removed, just for this story or as a whole): @you-are-the-vacker-legacy @ruewen-and-rising @lemontarto @a-lonely-tatertot @clearlykeefitz @percabetn @vibing-in-the-void @sewersewersewercouch @everyonehasthoughts @imaramennoodle @enbies-and-felonies @blxckh0les42 @rainbowtay-11 @callas-starkflower-stew @impostertamsong @appalyneinstitute1 @stars-and-splendor @anna-without-an-e

Chapter 8:

Word count: 3,677

Warnings: swearing, cassi-ass being an ass, destruction, fire, chaos, etc.

Three months of planning later, servants scurried around the property in preparation for the ceremony the next day. A glass dome had been built in the center of the property to house it.

Tam and Linh had arrived soon after they had their first meeting, luckily Tam and Fitz weren’t as lovey-dovey in real life as they were in their letters. However, Marella and Linh very much made up for it. The moment they met the guard and the princess had a connection, the sweet talk was almost too much to bear.

In fact, all of them had grown quite close over the past months. Who knew low-level treason could bring people together so.

Of course, not nearly as close as he’d like with a certain person, but closer for sure. Every week they met back up at the library to work out bumps in their plan, clean up the absurd amount of paper Keefe used in drawing out his first plan, or just sit and talk. Today would be their last before the big day.

Keefe watched over Dex’s shoulder as he made his final tinkers on the device he had been working on.

“How’s it looking Techmaster?”

“Eh, having more metal makes everything easier but...it’s one use only, so I can’t test it. We just have to hope for the best.”

“Well, I have faith in you. Your genius brain could make anything.”

Dex rolled his eyes. Keefe wanted to subtly touch him to see if his blatant flirting had been noticed, but it felt wrong to. He had been stuck in the dark for the last 3 months.

Everyone else ran their lines around the room. Everyone besides Sophie who, as typical of her, looked half way sick in the corner.

Keefe sat down next to her on the floor.

“Alright, what’s up Foster, have you acquired a stomach bug?”

She giggled. “No...it’s just…” She sighed. “It feels wrong, y’know? I mean...I don’t want to hurt anybody.”

“You’re really doing the opposite of hurting people though, I mean you’re making them happy.”

“Not happy, hysterical. Yeah it can be happy, but not in the way we’re doing it. Trust me, it’s not fun to watch.”

Keefe thought for a moment.

“Hey...your parents have that griffin, right?”

~*~

The sound of a wedding march echoed through the castle lawn as Sophie was led down the isle by her father. Keefe guessed she looked quite lovely in her dress, Biana, who stood as her maid of honor, was looking at her more like a husband would than him. He stood frozen at the alter, Fitz beside him as his best man and everyone else interspersed within the crowd for optimal dramatic effect.

Sophie reached him at long last. Surprisingly enough, she didn’t look sickly this time. Her face steeled with determination gave him confidence.

The guy marrying them together was one of Cassius’ officials. Keefe didn’t bother to remember most names anymore, but this one was a...Moland? Noland? Something like that.

Everyone winced in unison as the man started talking, Keefe’s ears began to ring a bit at the volume.

“Lords and Ladies, we are gathered here today to celebrate the joyous union of our young Prince Keefe Sencen and the lovely Miss Sophie Foster-Ruewen.”

Keefe only realized he was fidgeting when Fitz subtly reached out and held his hand down from where it had been tapping on his leg.

“We are honored to be joined by so many friends and family. The Goom and Bride are overjoyed you all could be here to participate in this most important occasion.

“There are few greater joys in life than finding someone we truly connect with. Creatives have many names for this, a spark, clicking, but let us say today what it truly is: love.”

Keefe looked out into the crowd, he caught the eye of Dex. The redhead’s brow was crinkled and his cheeks flushed slightly. He pat the pocket of his coat in confirmation.

“Love is what these two young souls have found in each other. In love, our truest selves are revealed. We open ourselves up and break down our walls. The veil we present to the public is lifted so we can be loved for who we are, not who we pretend to be.”

Keefe struggled to not roll his eyes. He took a final look around the room, each person nodding as he met eyes with them.

Keefe took a deep breath, knowing the next words out of his mouth.

“If anyone has cause to object the forming of this union, speak now or forever hold your peace.”

3, 2, 1…

“I object!”

Stina first. “This marriage was meant to be mine! She’s just a dirty commoner!”

“How dare you!” Fitz cut in before anyone else could. “I object because I love her! Sophie is meant to be with me. Maruca has admitted her love to Keefe, let her marry him!”

Biana gasped dramatically. “Maruca you snake! You knew I loved him.”

“You only loved his title!” She screamed, standing up to match the rest. “And Fitz, if you’re so concerned with what Stina has to say about Sophie, you should hear what Wylie has to say.”

Fitz walked in Wylie’s direction and he stood. “Why you little-”

Just then, Keefe heard it.

Beep. Beep. Beep. BEEPBEEPBEEPBEEP.

BOOM.

An explosion burst a small part of the glass dome’s ceiling. Sophie let out an ear-splitting whistle and the griffin flew straight through the hole as the glass fell. Screams erupted through the room as the animal landed on chairs and destroyed the alter.

The screams only got louder as the room was lit up as bright as the sun before swiftly being plunged into darkness. Those involved in the plan used the opportunity to gather themselves at the exit. With the exception of Biana and Marella who, if all went as planned, stood prepared by the very flammable reception tables.

The darkness lifted and people quickly ran out, some of the more stuck up nobles guided by guards. Once everyone was out safely, Keefe watched as a red glow started and grew. Marella wasn’t visible, but anyone paying attention could see the two sets of footprints forming in the grass.

People ran farther from the dome swiftly filling with fire. It spread quickly, but before it could reach the outside, Linh yelled.

“Everyone back up!”

She pulled water from a nearby pond, making a large wave that, while it put out the fires, crushed the dome in its entirety.

~*~

Two hours later, the guests sat huddled in the ballroom of the castle, many wrapped in blankets and eating soup the kitchen served to recover from what they had been through. Through the window, Keefe saw the Ruewen parents attempting to calm their griffin after taking a long time to wrangle it.

They were good at keeping secrets, they brought the animal here in the first place.

Just as he started crossing the room to go talk to Dex, he felt a heavy hand grip his shoulder.

Cassius looked at him with a glare that could kill ten men. He wordlessly guided Keefe in the direction of his office and the prince obliged.

When Keefe walked in the door, it was messier than he had ever seen it. Even his father himself was disheveled, his typically slick-backed hair uncharacteristically sloppy and his tunic smudged with soot. He sat down at his desk and heaved a sigh.

“Do you know why I brought you in here?”

“Because my wedding was destroyed?”

“Because we are going to plan a new one. I need you to collect everyone who had objections to get this idiotic drama cleared for the records. I’ve sent for Councillor Bronte, he can officiate you. You will have a wedding today, whether you get the ceremony or not.”

“One problem with that, Biana and Marella haven’t been found.”

Technically the truth. They were to hide in the Queen’s Gardens until further notice, but the Guard Force didn’t know that.

Cassius was silent for a moment, his face hidden in his hands.

Then he started convulsing.

No, not convulsing.

Laughing.

“Of course!” He got up from his chair in one movement. “Of course they haven’t been found! Why am I even surprised anymore.” He threw his hands in the air. “Nothing ever goes right!” He spoke through his teeth as he pushed everything off of his desk.

“MY MARRIAGE” He cleared a bookshelf with one arm, dumping the junk to the ground.

“MY LEADERSHIP!” He knocked over his chair.

“MY SON!” He grabbed the painting from the wall and threw it down.

“ALL DISAPPOINTMENTS!” He pushed over his desk, it landed with a loud crash.

“And now this too? Nothing ever goes right! No matter how hard I try! No matter how much work I put in! Everything ends in failure!”

“It’s a good thing this was my wedding and not yours then.”

The door behind them opened without a knock.

“King Cassius, is this a bad time?” Bronte looked at the office with contempt.

“No, now works.”

Despite not being formally invited in, Bronte sat down on the overturned desk and pulled out a folder of paperwork.

“So...we’re trying to do an emergency wedding, yes?”

Cassius nodded.

“And from my understanding, there were 1,2...4 objections that haven’t been cleared?”

Cassius nodded again.

“Then I’m afraid I can’t perform a wedding. Legally or morally considering the fact that fate itself seems against this union. It is traditional, when a wedding goes so badly, to accept that something in the universe is not accepting of the marriage and call it off.”

“I understand, Councillor. However, I am the goddamned king and you will do as I say!

Bronte was unfazed.

“Actually sir, with only a month until the coronation you have resigned some of your duties, as is customary. You don’t have full control over the law at the moment, you signed a contract.”

He pulled said contract out of his pocket, displaying the signature, before putting it back in.

“Prince Keefe and you now have split control, as you had when you had a spouse. You both must agree if you are to override a law.”

Cassius hid his face once again.

“Go. Get out of my sight.”

Keefe turned to leave but his father grabbed him.

“Just Bronte.”

The man shrugged and closed the door behind him.

“Keefe...do you know why I was so eager to get you in as king?”

Keefe said nothing. That was one thing he couldn’t figure out himself.

“I am a shitty, shitty, king. I was never made to rule. Your mother? Yes. Yes she was. Me? No. Not at all. I thought I could do this job, I thought it would be cushy, I thought I’d have all the power in the kingdom as well as riches upon riches without having to work. I was wrong.

“I wanted to train you to do this better than I ever could. I wanted to make sure you were going to be prepared.”

“No.” Keefe’s eyes started to water in anger. “You wanted to train me up to take your job as soon as possible. You didn’t want the responsibility so you decided to hand it off to your child. It’s just like...it’s just like Mom. You were the judge and the jury but you were too much of a coward to be the executioner or even a mourner. You hand off all your problems for someone else to deal with. You’re a fucking coward and nothing else.”

“I cared Keefe!-”

“NO YOU DIDN’T.” Tears streamed down his face. “You never cared about me, you never cared about Mom, you never cared for anything or anybody but yourself.

“I don’t love Sophie and I never will, but you tried to make me marry her because you loved the idea of the strong son with a quiet woman. That shows how much you care.”

“It was what I thought was best.”

“WELL YOU WERE WRONG.”

Keefe walked out and slammed the door.

~*~

Keefe went to his room and sobbed. He rarely indulged himself in crying but today was one of the days he let himself. It was maybe an hour later, when he was out of tears and just laid staring up at his ceiling, that he heard a knock on the door.

When he opened it, no one stood there. Just a small note in scratchy handwriting.

“Meet us at the library, midnight”

~*~

Keefe carefully sneaked through the castle halls, only the candle he held lit his way. He slowly cracked open the library door.

“SURPRISE!”

Suddenly a whole group of people attacked him in a hug, rainbow lights filled the normally dull room.

“W-what is all this?”

“It’s a surprise party silly!” For the first time since he’d seen her, Sophie looked truly happy. “We don’t have to get married! And we got out of it without any serious injuries.”

Fitz pulled him over to a table. “C’mon, Bi stole some leftover cake no one ate from the kitchens.”

He looked around for Dex hoping to see his beaming smile and instead saw him sitting solemnly in the corner. He didn’t look Keefe’s way.

“Hey Fee, are you okay?” Apparently Fitz just now noticed his still puffy face.

“Yeah um...just my dad being a jerk again. Don’t worry about it.”

Fitz shrugged it off, he knew about jerky dads.

Or he used to, anyway. That bastard Alden ran away a long time ago.

Keefe tried to partake in the festivities but he found it hard. He was going to be king in a month, and hopefully a good one at that. Just about anything was better than Cassius. He should be celebrating right now. But...there was still something bothering him.

It was approaching the wee hours of the morning as people slowly trickled out. Wylie had long since dropped the rainbow lights. They had been celebrating for hours, Dex was silent nearly the whole time.

“Alright.” Fitz said through a yawn. “I’m tapping out. Night Fee. Last one standing has to clean everything up.”

Keefe nodded. When he finally left the room and they were all alone, he approached Dex. Still silent in the corner.

“Okay, what’s going on Techmaster? You seem down.”

“No it’s just...it’s hard to explain.”

“Take your time, if you’d like.” Keefe sat down criss cross in front of him.

His lips went pouty in a way that made Keefe realize he was staring at his lips.

“You’ll think I’m weird. And clingy. And jealous. Honestly I shouldn’t even be saying any of this right now but I make bad decisions at 3 A.M. I guess.”

“Hey, you can tell me anything.” Keefe started to reach his hand out to Dex before remembering he shouldn’t read his emotions. Dex grabbed it before he could pull away. A lot of sadness and hurt there. He quickly stopped reading, though their hands stayed locked.

“It’s just...there’s this person. This guy. And...and I thought maybe he liked me but now I think he has a boyfriend. I’m not sure though.”

Keefe’s heart dropped. “Well...boyfriend status can be changed.”

Dex chuckled. “I don’t know, they have nicknames for each other and everything.”

“Sounds serious.”

“Looks serious.”

It was silent for a moment, then Dex spoke.

“Look...don’t worry about it, alright? It’s really no big deal. I’ll get over it, I guess.”

“Maybe he likes you back.”

“I highly doubt it. I’m...I’m not good enough for him. I’m just a servant. He deserves someone better.”

“Why does being a servant mean you’re bad? I’ve met some nobles that are real assholes. You’re way better than all of those fuckers.”

Dex laughed again, wow Keefe could listen to that forever.

Dex sighed. “You know what? Screw it.”

He seemed to steel himself before saying his next sentence. He squeezed his eyes shut tightly.

“Are you dating Fitz?”

“What?” Keefe laughed awkwardly. “No, no, no. He’s just a friend.”

“Oh. Then...who were you talking about at the gardens? I- I thought it was Fitz and you guys got together and-”

“No, goodness no. Fitz is great and all but...well he’s just not my type. And he’s been dating Tam for a while now.”

“Oh I uh...I didn’t notice.” Dex’s face flushed furiously. “Who were you talking about then?”

Keefe met his eyes. “Depends, who were you talking about?”

He didn’t answer but his silence spoke more than any words could.

Keefe scooted closer and cupped Dex’s face in his hand. He looked into the boys periwinkle eyes.

“Dex, can I kiss you?”

“Please?”

And they did.

When Keefe heard descriptions of kissing the same gender, they always said that it felt wrong somehow. But this...this only felt right. Like he had been waiting his whole life for the moment when he met the gardener boy’s cracked lips. They weren’t soft, and the kiss was a bit awkward, but it just felt...correct. Keefe chased the kiss slightly when they finally had to pull away.

A shy smile spread across Dex’s face.

Keefe leaned back in.

~*~

Keefe walked out onto the newly-built stage in front of the castle and looked upon his people. His ceremonial robe was itchy and too large for him.

Cassius was no where to be seen. He had just...run away. The day of the wedding was the day he broke. The kingdom had been sovereignless for the last month, coronations couldn't be rushed.

Typically the previous king would place the crown upon the head of the new ruler. Because Cassius seemed to run away in the night with nothing more than a clump of riches, Keefe got to choose who would crown him.

“Friends and subjects of the Kingdom of Eternalia,” Oralie started. “Today, we crown a new ruler. A ruler to put the people first. A ruler who will not sleep until every one of his people is fed. A ruler to unite us.”

Keefe never realized how long winded Oralie was. Looking into the crowd, he spotted Sophie. She wore a sour expression.

Sophie never was a fan of Oralie, she wouldn’t tell him why.

“Prince Keefe has shown a care for his people deeper than any king before him.”

She could say that again. Keefe found Dex in the crowd, absolutely beaming.

“In the time I have had the honor of teaching him in my lessons, he has shown a willingness to learn. An ability to adapt. And a knowledge of the system as well as its successes and failures deeper than anyone else his age.

And yes, it is truly a shame that a king must be crowned this young, but I have no doubt that in time he will do right by our great kingdom.”

Oralie walked over to him, her pink flowy dress trailing behind her. She picked up the ceremonial crown off the pillow that a servant was holding.

“Prince Keefe of Eternalia, do you promise to uphold the law and do what is right for your people to the best of you abilities?”

“I do.”

“And do you promise to preserve the honor of our nation?”

“I do.”

A loud voice came from the crowd.

“AND DO YOU PROMISE TO NOT LET CASSI-ASS BACK INTO THE THRONE ROOM?” Keefe could tell it was Marella, but no one else had to know that.

He cracked a smile. “I do.”

Oralie chuckled too.

“In that case, Keefe Sencen of Eternalia, with this crown I deem you King of Eternalia. May you have a long and peaceful reign.”

The heavy crown was placed upon his head. The crowd cheered and chanted, his friends yelled the loudest. Keefe saw as Fitz lifted Biana on his shoulders, they all hugged and screamed excitedly.

Who he noticed most of all was Dex. His bright smile in that moment was worth everything he’d been through.

Maybe he had found someone he didn’t mind being with.

~*~

Like most days, it was a somewhat quiet day at the castle.

Keefe looked up from his painting to study the gardens, once called the Queen’s Gardens, but that was ages ago. The wall that once surrounded the beautiful landscape was knocked down a very long time ago.

Keefe smiled as he spotted Dex tending to some ivy that had grown on one of the ancient statues. Even being a king couldn’t keep his husband from assisting the gardeners.

Tomorrow, some old friends were visiting. That in itself wasn’t particularly special, as they visited at least twice a year (usually more), but tomorrow was special because it was the anniversary of the Great Wedding Destruction as historians had come to call it.

How many years had it been? 300? 400? One tends to forget.

After 50 years or so, they admitted to planning the whole event. By then, Keefe had already convened with the councillors to pass same gender marriage and gotten married to Dex. The law couldn’t exactly do much, it had been a while and no one was injured so any fear of being charged with treason was history.

A few minutes later, Dex trudged into Keefe’s art studio.

“Hey lovey, do you know where I put the high-power garden clippers?”

“I hope in your lab, but you might want to check the kitchens.”

“Why would they be in the kitchens?”

“Heard some buzzing coming from there and last time I saw the nieces they had frosting all over their faces.”

Chaos ran in the Dizznee family.

Dex sighed as they heard a loud bang followed by an “Oops.” from downstairs.

“Gosh if Rex doesn’t pick up his children soon...I won’t do anything but I’ll be sour about it.”

Keefe chuckled. “You might want to go check on them, wouldn’t want them to break your invention. If they haven’t already.”

Dex hummed noncommittally. “Whatcha drawing?”

“Just a boring landscape...that happens to include a dragon.”

Dex leaned over the easel. “It’s a very pretty boring landscape that happens to include a dragon.”

“Thank you very much, dearest.” Keefe leaned over to kiss him on the cheek. “Now you may want to actually check on the girls. I don’t think Elwin can heal severed fingers.”

“Yeah, okay.”

As he walked from the room that used to be Cassius’ office he yelled, “Emily! Leah! Please don’t be killing each other-”

Keefe just smiled. He did that a lot nowadays.

He hoped these days would last forever.

#kotlc #keeper of the lost cities #oh god i hope this is good #please dont flop #kotlc fic #keefex #deefe #dex dizznee #keefe sencen

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