#because why did I see a tag that was like ‘Keefe is taking Sophie away from FITZ. he doesn’t deserve her’

[lotusishere]

ACK! I bumped into Keefe haters on Tumblr. I liked a post about the complexity of Fitz’s character and the tags reminded me of Pinterest comments. Help-

[alaydabug2]

Tag list: @sparklenarniawizard @imobsessed123 @nowjumpinthewater @ilikebookssomuch @insert-clever-username-1133

Broken heart/Broken mind

Chapter Eighty-four

(Human AU)

Sophie and Keefe met in the children's hospital when they were little. Because of how long they were confined to the four walls of the hospital, they became very close during their stay.

As the years pass, they wind up being in the same classroom together due to their physical conditions. This makes their bond deepen.

But are they able to handle when life gets tough, throwing problems and complications their way?

It was hard to see in the dark room. Strobe lights flashed around, hurting her eyes. She was starting to get ready to leave.

Sophie was a frat party. Her friends said that they should go for laughs and giggles. So she did. She decided that parties weren't her thing.

She shoved through the crowd to try and find her friends. She finally found a clearing on the dance floor. She saw them huddled in a small circle.

"Hey, there you are," she told them.

"Oh, hey. Having fun," Dex asked.

She shrugged. "Eh. I'd prefer to stay in. Probably going to head back to the dorm. Have you seen Keefe?"

Her friends glanced at each other. "We thought he was with you."

"Oh." Well, where would he have run off to. "Where did you see him last?"

"If I remember correctly," Biana said, "I think he was near the bar."

Why was he at the bar?

"Ok, thanks. I'll go check over there."

Sophie made her way to the back of the room where the bar was. She saw no sight of him. That was until-

"Keefe, what are you doing?"

He was out cold on the counter. He sat on one of the stools. Drool hung down his mouth.

The bartender leaned over the counter. "You know him?"

"Yes, that's my boyfriend. What happened to him?"

"Drunk, big time. Had to cut him off."

The bartender slid Keefe's ID to her. She sighed and shook Keefe by his shoulders. He woke up with a start.

Be sat up and blinked hazily off at nowhere. His gaze eventually found Sophie. A dopey smile spread across his face. Sophie was having none of it.

She took his arm and forced him out of his seat. He grumbled as Sophie drug him away. He kept swaying on his feet, nearly keeling over every couple of yards.

When they finally got back to their group, he was leaning on her, over her shoulders in an attempt to go back to sleep. She jerked her shoulder so he'd wake up. She got a dramatic whine it response.

"What happened to him," Tam asked.

"Drunk," she muttered.

Tam sighed. "How much."

"Not a clue. The guy said he had to cut him off."

She made Keefe stand on his own. She held her palm out to him. "Keys."

"Nooooooo. I can drive," Keefe complained like a child.

"You can't even walk in a straight line. Give me the keys before I have to take them from you."

He pouted a while moment longer before digging in his pocket. He placed his car keys into Sophie's hand.

Sophie drove to her dorm. She had a feeling Tam wouldn't be coming to pick him up until morning.

Sophie had Keefe sat down on the couch. Well, sat was saying it nicely. He ended up flopping his face first.

She crinkled her nose. She could smell the reek of beer on him. What in the world was he thinking?

"Hey!" She shook him. "You're gonna stink the place up. I don't want everything to smell like alcohol."

He groaned but held his arms up. She took off his shirt and threw it in the washer.

Rayni decided to pick that time to come out of her room. She stopped in her tracks when she saw the scene before her.

She snorted. "So... that party. How'd it go?"

Sophie rolled her eyes. "Great. My boyfriend got wasted the second he was introduced to alcohol."

Rayni attempted to cough to cover her laugh. "Good luck with that. I was just grabbing a snack before heading to bed."

Her roommate left the kitchen back in her room. Sophie was about to head to bed herself. That was until she heard a whiny voice from the couch.

"Can I get a blaaaaanket. It's cooooold."

Sophie rummaged through the linen closet. She found a thin, raggedy blanket. She wouldn't be too upset if she had to throw it out from the smell. She tossed in over the blanket arm of the couch. It quickly got snatched up.

She went to her bedroom and kicked off her heels. She changed into a shirt and shorts before collapsing into the mattress. It had been a very long evening.

In the morning, Sophie assumed Keefe was up. She heard retching.

She rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she walked out of her room. Rayni was already in the kitchen sipping on her mug of coffee.

"I'm gonna let you deal with that." Rayni pointed to the bathroom door.

Sophie sighed. She bet she would.

She stood by the door. It was slightly ajar. She pressed on it to swing it open a bit. Keefe was pale, hovering over the toilet.

"Morning," she leaned against the door frame. "How's the hangover treating you."

He grumbled a response she couldn't make out.

"Yeah, well, once you're done with that, I've got you a change of clothes and a towel. Shower up, brush your teeth, and meet me on the couch. There's a spare toothbrush in the drawer."

When Keefe came out of the bathroom thirty minutes later, Rayni got the hint and went back to her room. Sophie situated herself by him on the couch.

"Wanna tell me what happened last night?" She asked him.

He shrugged. "Not really. Not that proud of it."

"Didn't think you would, considering your mom."

He cringed at that. She didn't want to add insult to injury, but...

"I was being stupid," he eventually told her.

"Oh, I know. But usually, something prompts you when you do something stupid. Did somebody dare you? Did it get too out of hand than what you were thinking?" When he stayed silent, she said, "You know why I'm so concerned, right? In no way is that good for your heart. Nor any of your other organs. So if this is going to end up being a normal thing that happens..."

He groaned and covered his face with his hands. "Headache," he muttered.

"I bet." Still, she stayed where she was.

Eventually, he said, "My dad called me yesterday. We fought. It was right before I picked you up for the party." A guilty look over took his face. His eyes turned downcast. "I just wanted to forget. Even if it was only a little while."

"Oh, Keefe," she cooed. She ran her hand through his hair. "You could've talked to me about it. Drinking won't make it disappear."

He sighed. "I know. I really am sorry. I won't do it again."

"Good."

"I'm gonna lie down," he muttered. "I feel like crap."

Sophie adjusted her position on the couch. She coaxed him to lay in her lap. Keefe gave in. She brushed her fingers through his scalp. He nodded back off quickly. She kissed his forehead.

[dreaming-of-the-end]

9: the right way to be proud (and hate me all the same)

A/N: Keefe chapter! in which he is silly (but that’s all of them!) PLEASE please please reblog and/or comment if you like!!

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Dear Alden,

I wish I could call you dad, but there are a few reasons why I can't.

1: Real fathers don't tell you they're proud of you for being less than perfect.

2: You've hurt me more than Fintan ever could. Weird, right? But that's what a father is supposed to do. You're supposed to be worse than the villains.

3: You've loved me more than my mother was supposed to. I don't want to admit that hating me is genetic.

But it is. Hating me runs in the family, and you were exempt from that disease on account of being a Vacker.

Your pride in me is something I have never been able to match up with who I am. If I am not yours, why are you proud of me? What right do I have to take those shreds away from Fitz, away from Biana? You owe me nothing. I owe you everything.

The first time you told me you were proud of me, my father's hand was around my wrist. And he didn't feel excitement or happiness or gratitude, he felt confusion.

I'd never heard those words with my name where Fitz's was supposed to be. Something didn't quite match. Something came out wrong, and I think it was me.

You spent years looking for Sophie, hoping to find her because of what you did to Prentice— ruining his life, that is. But you never found her because she came out wrong too, didn't she? Not quite human, not quite elven. Not like what you know.

Sophie was something you had to learn. Someone you had to teach yourself about.

But you assumed that I was straight out of the textbook definition. Look for Keefe in a dictionary and I come up. Definable. Noteworthy. Disaster.

Did you know that Keefe means loved in some human languages? Being a polyglot means that I understand every language, but I don't understand a world where my name means loveable. Worthy of being cared for.

That's not a father's job, anyway. Your job is to break me down to your level and try to repair the damage when you've pieced your mind back together. Your job is to shout and shout and shout and wait for the words to get through to me. Your job is to find me where I've hidden myself and bring me back into the burning sunlight.

Find me, Alden; find who I am, what I am, what I've kept from you. Why aren't you looking? Why do you never see? I've hidden myself away. You haven't found me yet. You're not my dad.

You love learning secrets no one was supposed to tell. Here's one of mine:

You gave me the idea to run away.

I was thinking about Fitz. And I was thinking about how we met. And why we became friends. It's because no one knew where he was. He was mysterious. Gone all the time. Gone to look for Sophie in the Forbidden Cities.

Do you feel your mind shattering the more you read? I think you're better off not reading this, but that's not why I won't send it.

It's because you never tried to peel back my layers. It's because my hiding spot was too good, it's because my head records every word and plays them in a disordered line, it's because neither of us has fixed our stupid broken matching heads yet. It's because you accepted me as who I was instead of who I was throwing at you, over and over, desperate to break the glass between us. Too bad that part of me is dead now.

I think you killed him.

I cried at your planting. Sometimes I regret it.

Love,

Keefe

…

Fitz isn't there the next morning when the rest of the group comes to see if it's true that he's back.

Biana gets there first: he knows it's her by how tightly she squeezes him, crushing them together. Her hair tickles his chin, bracelets digging into his back, but it's hard for Keefe to care, to breathe as she whispers, "Missed you."

"Missed you too," Keefe says softly, and Biana releases him. Her expression switches quickly from easy relief to a hesitant question. "And I've already seen Fitz," he adds, watching her eyebrows lift.

But she steps back.

"A lot has happened since you left," Tam puts in, barbed and accusatory. Not since you've been gone. Since you left.

Sophie catches it too, forehead wrinkling. She tugs out an eyelash, and Keefe winces. "Sorry about that, by the way."

They accept his apology a bit easier than Fitz did. Then, none of them know he doesn't mean it, besides Sophie, who was there last night. Not even Biana. They don't know the tug, the pull and push of anywhere but here that keeps him running, keeps him lying, keeps him leaving everyone behind. They don't know the desperate need for change, the roiling fear, the tumbling guilt that mixes with his blood and sets it itching in his veins.

Tam and Linh probably know it least of all. They run for need rather than want. He's seen their backpacks that pack for quick escape, and he's also seen the drawers they've filled since. They want a home. He wants to leave his forever. No wonder Tam hates him. The only part of him he’s ever known has been betrayal, from either side of whatever dynamic they have made for themselves.

Even now, he feels it: the monotony of his days here. Trying for solutions and knowing that all will fail. The cycle that he's found himself drawn back into against his will. This is why Fitz found him lying when he said he wanted to come back.

Keefe feels a chill set over him, and Tam's shadowy voice whispers: Keefe, we're going to have to talk sometime soon.

This is the worst part of going numb, a new kind of blindness. As he meets Tam's eyes, he can't tell whether his calm is genuine or not. He's gotten out of practice at reading expression before emotion, and he can't match them up anymore.

But he nods.

And he thinks of the letters he has stacked up, one for each of his closest friends. The ones he thought he would never have the chance to give to them because he'd never see them again.

It's worse now. Because now he has to choose to keep them piled away, written and unopened, addressed to him and him only.

Dear Biana, he thinks as she ruffles his hair and he ducks with a yelp. Sorry for wanting to forget you again. I hope I'm forgiven for coming back.

[an-absolute-travesty]

Rainy Days

A/N: You know, I didn’t think I was gonna write a fic today, but the litle gay gremlin that lives in my brain woke up and chose this I guess!

Warnings: Incredibly mild swearing/descriptions of... “violence” but very cartoon-y sort of violence I don’t know if it really counts, slight caps but its just one word

Pairings: Kam

About: Tam’s Winnowing Gala except he doesn’t wanna be there

Other notes: no beta we die like Kenric, Keefe and Tam are friendly in this one because I felt like it, no they aren’t completely in character but is anything I ever write?

Word count: 966

Tag list (tell me if you want to be added or removed): @cadence-talle @ruewen-and-rising @lemontarto @a-lonely-tatertot @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 @ketterdamkid

Tam sat on the back porch, staring as the rain pounded down hard from the sky. He heard the door open behind him and turned around to see Keefe standing in the frame. 

“So, are you out here because you enjoy getting soaked to the bone or are you mad at someone?”

Tam looked away.

“Bit of both, I guess.”

Tam felt a shift of weight on the porch swing and knew Keefe has sat beside him. 

“Well, in that case you better go ahead and tell your bestest friend in the whole wide world why you’re hiding during your own Winnowing Gala.” 

“First of all, you aren’t my best friend. Second of all I’m not hiding I’m just...taking a breather.” 

The party was being held at some venue, Tam didn’t really know where, Tiergan had booked it for him. The porch was the only place to hide and unfortunately Keefe had found it. 

Keefe clucked his tongue disbelievingly. 

“C’mon man, it’s your party. Get out there and find some girls! If you’re scared to dance I could demonstrate.”

Here he bumped Tam’s shoulder with his own jokingly. Tam just rolled his eyes. 

“Tam, the minute you walk in there everyone’s gonna be swooning over you,” He started doing a crude impression of a girly voice,” ‘Oh Tam! All I want to do is brush out those dreamy bangs of yours and look into those dreamy stormy eyes and dreamy dreamy dreamy! Just marry me now!’ “

Tam rolled his eyes again. 

“They all think I’m a freak in there, I’m the weird shadow twin guy with scary powers who sits in the corner and sulks any time he’s with his team.”

“Oh, you’re fine, Sophie’s powers are scarier than yours and she’s found plenty of love interests.”

Tam didn’t say anything and neither did Keefe for a blissful minute. But all good things come to an end.

“It’d be easier to mingle in there if you knew how to dance. I saw you stepping on the toes of the one girl you interacted with, it wasn’t pretty.” 

“It’d also be easier to not have a Winnowing Gala at all but here we are.”

Keefe again didn’t say anything for a peaceful minute.

“Tam...why did you have a Winnowing Gala if it seems like you don’t want to be here?”

“Everyone else was having one… I… I don’t know, I guess I thought it’d help me fit in, or something.” 

“Eh, fitting in is overrated. I think it’s pretty impossible for anyone in our group to fit in anyway. Kicking the Neverseen’s collective ass kind of makes you stand out.” 

Tam did a sort of half-laugh.

“Yeah…”

Tam contemplated for a minute.

“Hey, wanna run back to Tiergan’s and hide there?”

“Please,” Keefe responded immediately.

~*~

After a long -- exhausting -- walk up the stairs, they had reached the main room of Solreef. It was still raining, whatever venue they were at must’ve been closer than he thought. He didn’t like that.

The house was empty as Tiergan, Prentice, and his siblings were all at the party. They’d realized he was missing soon enough, but it probably gave him about an hour before they’d try to find him. A nice break. A well needed one too, considering he was one step away from anxiety attack at the party.

Keefe immediately began raiding the pantry, as he did any time he came to Tam’s house, but halted when he noticed the somber expression on Tam’s face.

“Okay, what’s wrong Bangs Boy? Your energy is…” he made a vague circular gesture with his arm towards Tam, “off.” 

Tam sighed as he sat on the couch.

“Why do I have to get matched? Like yeah I know I don’t have to but… I feel like I do, for some reason. I’m already biased against, having a good marriage won’t help, it’ll just drag whoever down to my level.”

Keefe sat down next to him.

“Look… not to get all serious or whatever, and if you tell a single other soul I said this I’ll kill you, but whoever you marry will be damn lucky to have you. And if they think their being dragged down? I do not care if it’s your wife, I’ll punt her into the sun.” 

This made Tam laugh fully for the first time that day. 

“You mean it?” Tam asked light heartedly, turning towards Keefe.

“Every word,” Keefe replied, looking down at his lap.

There was a beat of silence.

“Hey Keefe?”

“Hm?” He asked, turning back towards Tam.

“I’ll punt your wife into the sun too, if you want.” 

Keefe laughed. 

“Thank you for the thought, but I don’t really want a wife.”

“Me neither.”

Another silent beat.

Tam didn’t even realize it was happening, but his leg was bouncing, hand sat atop it. He felt Keefe’s hand reach over, as if to remind him to stop fidgeting like Linh always did, instead he grabbed the hand on top of the leg and intertwined their fingers. Tam risked a quick glance up, worried that eye-contact would make Keefe let go. Keefe had his head turned away, but Tam could see the splotchy blush across it.

Tam gripped onto Keefe’s hand slightly harder, before turning completely to Keefe and getting his attention by talking.

“Hey, maybe I could take you up on that dancing offer one day.”

“Well, I’m free today, what about you?” He said with a smirk.

“I suppose I could clear my schedule.” 

“Great. Just don’t step on my toes, please.”

“Maybe now I’ll just do it on purpose,” Tam replied as he stood up from the couch.

“You wouldn’t dare, I have so much dirt on you,” Keefe said, following.

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“But my stormy eyes are dreamy, right?”

“Shut UP!”

[stellarune]

Title : alone together

word count : 1.2k 

pairing : keefe/dex, can be read as platonic because i feel weird having people get together after one of them has a breakdown

warnings : cassius and gisels a+ parenting, extremely vague fitz bashing (so vague im not sure you can call it bashing tbh) (just his and keefes forced frienship)

tags : @ultralazycreatorfan (you wanted keefex) (tell me if you wanna be tagged)

Keefe had gotten used to being forgotten about. His parents often left, or on the contrary, stayed in their rooms and offices for days at a time when he was younger. That was one of the main reasons they pushed for his friendship with fitz. If he wasn't in the house, then he couldn't complain they didn't care, could they ? 

It wasn't like fitz really cared either though. A forced friendship was exactly that : two boys forced to hang out with each other because their parents said so, no real affinity. But at least he had people to play with, and sometimes Biana would dress him up in one of her dresses and he would pretend to be the princess she was going to rescue. Biana was more of his friends than Fitz had ever been. 

They lost that, as years went by, and biana became less of the knight, and more of the maiden up in the tower she made for herself. Keefe lost a bit of that fairy tale too, probably. 

Fitz tried to pretend like they were actually friends for a while at least, but as years went by, silence seeped into more conversation than not, and soon enough, they'd only talk to each other when their parents were around, talking about one thing or another. It was fine, it wasn't like they were even friends to begin with. It still hurt as if he’d lost something. 

The change was nice, after Sophie came. He was important, part of the team.he felt like he got biana back too, after enough looks of understanding he still knew the meaning of after all these years and laughs shared over inside jokes. Sophie, bi, dex, they all hung out with him for no other reason than they could. Sophie found ways to hang out with him when they couldn't, when he'd put such an impossible barrier between them. 

Still, he'd never forget that loneliness, of being utterly alone in your own home when his parents were away, or feeling like you were nothing more than a “friend” made to please a guilty conscience or a father's expectations. That wasn't something he'd wish on anyone. So that's why he found himself going after dex. Or at least taking the steps to before stopping, hand hanging in the air and mouth open. He'd have said something, if he had been sure dex wanted him to. But some people just liked their time alone, and knowing the triplets he could see why that'd be something dex wanted. So instead he just watched him leave.

They never really did hang out on their own, dex and him. There was always someone else, generally sophie, for the simple reason that going to either of their homes wasn't an option. He found that on the rare occasion they did, he never quite knew what to say, afraid he would fall short. Of what ? he didn't know. Dex had already seen the worst of him, the worst of his mistakes. So instead, he made stupid jokes, and hoped dex would pick them up and turn the conversation around to something or another hed created, or a particularly annoying teacher he had. All he got was sometimes a chuckle, and sometimes a light punch in the arm. That was okay though, he wasn't free of blame for their lack of meaningful conversation either. 

Dex often left unnoticed, but he never silently. He'd always tap Sophie's shoulder and tell her he was going home, getting a hum in response if she wasnt deep in conversation. Keefe always high-fived him as he went as well. It was just their thing, he guessed. Never discussed it, yet they had their secret handshake. He loved it. 

When dex up and left, he assumed he was going to the toilets, or the kitchen. He never skipped the handshake. It took him a good five minutes before realizing he hadn't just gone to get a glass of water. He'd gone home. Or somewhere else but he wasn't at havenfield anymore. Well that was just unacceptable, he couldn't just leave without the secret handshake. 

He slapped his knees and got up. “Welp. This has been fun, but I have some pranks to pull. Try not to get too bored without me.” he said, shooting them a wink before leaving to the sound of exasperated chuckles. 

He leaps to rimeshire without a second thought. He was fully prepared to tease dex about it for the next few days, or even pull a small prank on him if necessary.

He wasn't for dex to open the door with red brimmed puffy eyes like he'd been crying. Fuck hed been crying. 

“What do you want ?” he asked quietly, in a voice keefe could still hear was strained.

“What happened ?” his mind was already racing to the worst conclusions hit could come up with. “Are you okay ?” stupid question. Of course he wasn't okay. He gave him a look over in case he was physically hurt anyways.  “Nevermind that. What's wrong ?” Would a hug help ? would dex even want a hug ? 

“Nothing. Im fine.” 

“Yeah no.” Keefe opened his arms and let dex basically fall into them. He was overwhelmed by all he was suddenly feeling. “Fuck.” he almost let out a sob at the intensity of it all. The sadness, to guilt, the sheer despair, all of it. It wasn't a feeling he'd ever wanted to feel again, and dex was just feeling so much.  He clinged to dex just as much as he was clinging to him, and he was pretty sure he'd started crying too at one point. Fuck he hadnt done anything, all these times he wanted to go after him, to tell everyone to squeeze so he could sit, hed been so fucking stupid. 

He didn't really know how long they stayed like that, but it didn't really matter anyways. Dex was the one who pulled away a bit, even though he didn't let go of keefes hands entirely. He just… needed him to be there “Im sorry, i forgot the handshake,” he said with a little smile, as if that even mattered. 

Keefe gave a shaky laugh and took his hand away for just a second to wipe his eyes before squeezing dexs hands on his own. “Fuck the secret handshake right now,” he said, with all seriousness. “I should have said something when you left. Not-- just today. Fuck im so sorry i didnt say anything.” 

dex let go of his hands to wrap them around himself instead, attacking a few steps back to sit on the bed.  “It's fine, it's not a big deal.” except it was. It was a big deal because dex felt like this, and like this fucking sucked. Like this was the worst feeling keefe's ever felt from himself or from someone else and he felt a lot of things. 

Keefe sat next to him and wrapped an arm around him so he was leaning on his shoulder. “It is, though,” he said half into his hair. 

“Why ?” 

“Because I care, and I don't want you to forget that.” 

“Okay.” 

They were quiet after that. Keefe was pretty sure dex fell asleep at one point. He didn't, but he was content basking in a warmth he wasn't sure belongs entirely to him.

[girlofmanyfandoms]

Advocates

A/n: So, I feel bad for not posting lately, here’s my AU where I take a slightly different take on the Keeper of the Lost Cities series. A few changes that I’m trying to make: more friendship-based, no love triangle, probably more gay, more racially diverse cast (without any harmful stereotypes). I’ll try to stay true to each character’s personality!

I’ll also take this time to say there’s stuff I haven’t released yet, so tell me if you want me to release those!

Disclaimer: This is in no way hating on Shannon’s series, I just wanna see where the story would go if we took a slightly different approach!

Warnings: I didn’t edit this at all-

Word count: 2868

Tag list:  @everyonehasthoughts @imaramennoodle @bookwyrminspiration @holesinmyfalseconfidence @percabetn @an-absolute-travesty @linhammon-roll-bromance101 @linhamon-roll @holesinmyfalseconfidence @linhamon2 @a-lonely-tatertot @loverofallthingssmart

Let me know if you want to be added or if I forgot to tag you!

“Uh, no boys, she’s sitting with me.”

Jensi raised an eyebrow. “What’s wrong with her sitting here, Marella?”

“Nothing! I just need to pull her to the side for some girl talk.” Marella pulled Sophie’s sleeve, navigating across the cafeteria to an empty booth in the corner. Sitting down and adjusting herself, she extended a hand. “Marella Redek. No nicknames. I know the ins and outs of everything around here.”

“Sophie Foster,” Sophie introduced, shaking her hand, though her response came out as a murmur. She brushed her hair out of her face, trying to shrink as small as possible. “But I’m sure you knew that.”

Marella nodded. “You must’ve caused the Council a lot of trouble if you’ve gotten your way into Level Two right after being with humans. What was it like, by the way?”

“Pretty normal, I guess. Well, not for me, I was a highschool senior at 12, and my parents wanted me to attend community college instead of an Ivy League. Even the newspapers were talking about it, and that ticked my parents off big time.”

“What?”

“I know, crazy, right?” Sophie started digging into her lunch. “Why would the news choose a story about a child over actual breaking news?”

“No, I meant those words you used. A high school, college, a new paper? What do they mean?”

“Oh, that’s right! Those are more human terms, sorry,” Sophie apologized. “There are levels of human school: Preschool, which is usually ages 1 to 4, elementary school is from ages 5 to 10, middle school is ages 11 to 13, high school is ages 14 to 17, and college is at least four years, and gives you the certification you need to get a good paying job. Newspapers are just mini books made completely of paper that tell you what’s going on in the world.”

“Oh,” Marella said, looking off into the distance. “I guess I never really thought that human school would be so different from Foxfire. We just have these levels, and then the elite levels. What was your human family like?”

Sophie tugged out an eyelash, which didn’t go unnoticed on Marella’s end. “U-um-“

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be pushing you so much on your first day. I should be helping you adjust.” She toyed with her food. “So, how’s our world been for you so far?”

“A little overwhelming,” Sophie admitted. “I don’t feel half as glamorous as anything around me. We don’t exactly have crystal houses and fancy ball gowns in San Diego.”

“You don’t?” Marella shook her head vigorously. “Right. Sorry. Let’s get back on track. Anything you think you’ll need to know that I can help you with?”

Sophie clutched her knees, now rolled up into a ball. This Marella girl was a bit intense at first, but maybe she wasn’t so bad. After all, she had saved her from sitting with some yes-boys. The declared leader of them seemed friendly, but a little too hyper. No, she decided, Marella wasn’t half bad. “I don’t know. Anything really, you know best.”

“Alright, then. This place is sort of a maze, try to find someone with a similar schedule to you so you can walk together until you know your way around. You know Stina Heks?”

Sophie shivered and nodded, thinking back to seeing her raging through the halls screaming about someone making her bald. She could’ve sworn she heard her say “Disney,” too.

“Stay away from her. Stereotypical bully, not afraid of fighting dirty. The Vackers, Keefe Sencen, and their little bubble are all the buzz. They’re pretty nice, and Sencen’s a bit of a flirt, but if you don’t like attention, maybe steer clear from them.”

Sophie let out a bitter laugh. “Easier said than done. The Vackers are the ones who found me. Fitz brought me here, Alden sent him out to find me, and Della helped me get ready for Foxfire.” Sophie paused to pull out another eyelash. “I don’t think Biana likes me much.

Marella’s eyes widened in shock as she leaned back and blew out a breath.

“Is that bad?” Sophie was panicking a bit now. What had she screwed up now?

“Well, it’s not good for your social status, that’s for sure.” Marella started slicing her food, which resembled Jello. “If you’re on her bad side, you’ll want to stay away from Maruca, too. They’re best friends.”

“Great,” Sophie sighed. One day in and she already had a long list of people to avoid. “Anything else I should know about?”

“Oh, yeah, but I’ll stick to school stuff. Your most difficult subjects are gonna be Elementalism and Alchemy.”

“I can help with that,” a boy called, sliding next to Sophie in the booth and placing his tray down. “Dex Dizznee, by the way.”

“Sophie Foster.” She grinned a bit. Edaline had gone without her to the apothecary and mentioned the “Disneys.” This must’ve been who Stina was shouting at. “I saw what you did to Stina earlier. Wicked move.”

“Finally, someone understands the genius! She deserved it, too, after what a pain she was last year. That’s where the alchemy comes in handy.”

Marella rolled her eyes, and Dex leaned back casually. “Don’t act like you don’t think she deserved it Marella. You know she did.”

“Ok, it was kind of satisfying seeing her run around like that-“

“Yes!”

“-but don’t take it as a sign that I’ll join in. I have a reputation to protect.”

Dex snorted. “Yeah, as the gossip girl.”

“I don’t gossip, I have connections,” she corrected.

“Whatever you say madam,” Dex relented jokingly. “What about you, Soph? Got anything you could build a reputation for?”

“Not really,” she expressed. “I don’t want the spotlight. I just want to make it by here.”

Marella took a bite of her lunch and scoffed. “Good luck with that.”

“Tell you what, my next class is Multispecesial Studies, I can walk you to Alchemy,” Dex offered.

“Really? That would be great, thank you!”

“No problem. It’s hard making it by for people like us.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Marella chugged down her lushberry juice.

“We’re different, special.”

“So, outcasts?” Sophie rested her head in her hand and stirred her drink nonchalantly, taking in the view of the cafeteria. It was remarkably pristine and clean, its white walls with blue accents not showing a hint of grime. With the barstools at tables all around the center and the booths to the side, it looked like every diner’s dream.

“No, not outcasts. Think more sideline supporters.”

“So, advocates,” Sophie helped. “I don’t really see that, but maybe one day. Right now I just want to pass.”

“Well you can’t do that on an empty stomach,” Marella chided playfully. “Eat up. Lady Galvin is a stickler for accuracy.”

————

Fantastic. Sophie had only been there one day and she had already ruined her Alchemy teacher’s favorite cloak. Marella was right, Alchemy was tough. She’d have to take Dex up on his offer. She wandered through the halls, trying to find the way to her next class, P.E. She strolled like this for a few more minutes before a snobby voice called to her from down the hall.

“Lost, new kid?”

Sophie winced. Great. The number one person on her People To Avoid list had already found a way into her world. She attempted to speed walk, but the clacking of leveled boots followed quickly, and she was spun around with a harsh push.

Stina laughed, and for a 12 year old elven child, it sounded quite maniacal. “Why so frightened? I don’t bite. Much.”

Somehow Sophie sincerely doubted that. There had to be some fangs behind that evil smirk. But maybe she could play it cool with this demon in disguise.

“I’m not frightened, just lost. Do you think you could point me to P.E.? I don’t want to be late on my first day.” Sophie held her breath, hoping she came off as casual.

“My pleasure,” Stina grinned a sickeningly sweet smile. “In fact, I’ll walk you there. Wouldn’t want our newest prodigy to miss class because of some weak instructions, now would we?”

“No, of course not.”

Stina linked their arms, acting as if they were old pals going on a walk in the park to catch up. It was silent except for the shuffling of their shoes, so Sophie made sure she was hyper aware of her surroundings, trying to memorize the numbers on each locker and how they connected to the twisting, winding paths of the school.

At this point, she was sure Stina planned to do something crazy to her, like stuff her in a locker or hide her body, so she had to think fast. Luckily, this was her specialty.

“Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry,” Sophie began, stopping abruptly. Stina stumbled a bit, but regained her composure in seconds. “I forgot something at my locker! Oh, I’m so sorry, but Edaline told me I’d need what was in my locker. You go ahead, I shouldn’t keep you from your class! Don’t worry, I’ll find my way to Phys Ed.”

Sophie speed walked away, leaving Stina in the dust. Once she rounded the corner, she took off, speeding through corridors and halls until she ran out of breath. Giving up, she rested her head against the wall, trying to clear her head when she was forced to her feet and slammed into a locker. There was a click, and through the slits, Sophie could see Stina’s eyes crinkled in smugness and satisfaction. Yet through all of this, the only thing Sophie was thinking of was, That was pretty lame on a scale of bullying-ness.

“Good luck getting out of there, Foster,” she remarked. “Now, you get comfortable, I have some business to attend to.”

“Gonna go sharpen your claws?” Sophie snapped.

“No, newbie, I’m going to put the princess of Everglen in her place. Don’t worry, I’ll keep you updated!”

And with that, Stina clacked away, her footsteps receding and the silence finding its way to creep back in.

________

Sophie had no way of telling time. This she had learned when she realized she had in fact left something in her locker: her Imparter and the Ruewen crest. She let out an audible groan of frustration, and tried to occupy herself with her temporary home. There were books about unicorn breeding on the shelf above her, to which Sophie wrinkled her nose. Next, there was a box of animal pins, glittering and shiny, and she was very tempted to stuff a few in her pocket, but she restrained herself. She took to examining the pictures on the door with what little light she had and realized, to her disdain, that this was Stina’s locker.

Sophie shivered in disgust and tried patting herself out and getting the Stina vibes off of her.

“Well, if I’m going to be stuck here, I might as well take advantage of it,” she decided. Sophie put all of her energy into memorizing the photo album beside her, and wound up with some lovely photos of baby Stina, along with some other cherished memories. She was scanning through Stina’s diary and chuckling to herself at her inevitable revenge when yelling came from around the corner. Sophie dropped the journal and shuffled forward a bit, peering through the slits. This could be her saving.

“MESS WITH BIANA ONE MORE TIME-” Maruca had her pinned to the wall and looked ready to murder her, but Stina remained unfazed.

“Relax, duchess, you might be the heir soon,” Stina responded coolly.

That was the breaking point. Maruca opened her locker, which was, unfortunately, next to the one Sophie was trapped in, and slammed it shut.

“Maruca!” Sophie yelled, but Stina rattled in her locker, and shouted curses over her, both to insult Maruca and to put an end to Sophie’s escape plan.

Maruca was quick to exit, and soon enough it was just Stina and Sophie, trapped in their lockers, trying to determine the other person’s next move.

“Do you happen to know how to break down locker doors?” Stina commented dryly.

“Would I still be here if I did?”

“Fair.”

“You got a hairpin?” Sophie asked. “Or some thin piece of metal you can slide in between the crack of our lockers? I might be able to break out of mine by picking the lock.”

“And what about me? Gonna leave me here to rot while you run free?” She harrumphed. “I don’t think so. If I’m suffering you suffer with me.”

“I’ll get you out too, just answer the question and slide the metal through the crack.”

Stina huffed, but Sophie heard the sound of metal on metal scratch as something hit her foot. “My family crest. Do not scratch it.”

“You got it.” Sophie used her fingernails to get a little bit of extra room before sliding the crest through the door. She maneuvered it a bit, and the door let out a click as it swung open. Sophie fell forward face first, but sat up and whooped in victory.

Stina cleared her throat. “I’m still here.”

“Oh, I know,” Sophie poked smugly. “But if I’m going to break you outta there, you’re going to owe me a favor.”

“I do NOT-“

“Fine, then stay there. And spend all day, heck, maybe even until tomorrow, stuck in that cramped locker with no food or water whatsoever.” Sophie began to stroll away slowly, biding for time just in case Stina changed her mind about the offer.

“Fine,” she grumbled. “Just get me out.”

Sophie cheered to herself silently and crouched down in front of the locker and got to work. Stina was peering through the slits in the locker, and for a moment they felt each other’s breath on their faces and they met eyes before glaring at each other and backing up a bit. The door swung open, and Stina came crashing down onto Sophie.

Stina pushed herself off of her quickly, seeming very flustered. She reached out a hand to Sophie, which she took. Stina shook Sophie’s hand off of hers.

“I need my family crest,” she said, looking off to the side uncomfortably.

“Oh,” Sophie frowned, unsure why she felt a little disappointed. Probably because my back hurts and I was just refused the little she could have given as thanks, she thought. “Right. Take it.”

Stina’s fingers brushed against Sophie’s as she took it back and pinned it onto her cloak once more. “Well.” Stina lifted her nose upon in the air, regaining her haughty facade. “Until we meet again, Foster.”

“Yeah, Sophie nodded, getting back to her feet. Once Stina was out of earshot, she muttered, “Hopefully that’s never.”

Sophie dusted herself off, finally registering her circumstances. She was late for class, and she looked disheveled. Stina had just walked off, leaving her lost, confused, and just waiting for a punishment of her lifetime. Sighing, she walked along the edges of a pyramid.

“Ms. Foster,” a cold voice crowed from behind her.

Sophie recognized that voice. Dame Alina. “Yes, ma’am?”

“Is there a particular reason that you’re not in class right now?”

“Uh-“

“Incoming!” a boy screamed from the top of his lungs, a bunch of verminions on his tail. Alina shrieked and ran into a neighboring hall for shelter. Sophie took this as an opportunity to find her way out of this maze and escape Alina’s grasp. She followed the boy until they reached the Healing Center, where he hid until the verminions passed by. Sophie stopped. She could go in and ask whatever medic was present for directions, but the thought of going anywhere near a doctor made her sick to the stomach.

“Can I help you, new girl?”

Sophie jumped. The boy she had been following was right in front of her, and she instinctively slunk back.

“Chill, I won’t hurt you. The name’s Keefe, but you can call me-“

“Sorry Keefe, but I’m really late for class, do you know where P.E. Is?”

He furrowed his eyebrows and massaged his neck, looking a bit hurt. “Uh, yeah, take a left after the next three halls.”

“Thank you!” Sophie bolted to class and arrived there out of breath.

“Sophie! Just in time for us to start splotching,” Dex waved her over. “It’s easy, you just use your telekinesis to move this marble into the other person. If you succeed, it bursts and you get a paint splotch on you.”

“Great,” she muttered. “You won’t believe what I’ve just gone through.”

“Tell me at the end of class. We’re gonna need all of our focus for this.”

“Alright,” she sighed. She couldn’t be upset, seeing Dex that excited lifted her mood just a bit. And that was just the boost she needed.

________

This was it. It was down to her and Fitz for the Splotching Champion title. Sophie gathered her concentration. She could not mess this up.

The splotcher was thrown in between them, and Sophie gave it her all. The marble exploded with a loud boom, and they were both thrown into opposite sides of the room. Sophie saw nothing but the green paint, and then darkness.

[an-absolute-travesty]

Royal Screw-Ups

(it’s a bit of a different format for chapter 3 but I hope you’ll like it! I don’t know if I ever posted chapter 2 here so I’m posting it now along with chapter 3 but you can also find it and the rest of this story on my Wattpad @ohwowhatethis. Also, you can find chapter 1 under the tags “kotlc fic” and “keefex” on my blog if you haven’t read that one)

Tag list (tell me if you want to be added or taken off as a whole or for this fic specifically): @you-are-the-vacker-legacy @ruewen-and-rising @lemontarto @a-lonely-tatertot @clearlykeefitz @percybetn  @holesinmyfalseconfidence @vibing-in-the-void @sewersewersewercouch

Chapter 2/3:

Word count: 2,285 combined

Warnings: relatively mild swearing

Ch. 2:

“Keefe?”

“Yes Miss Oralie?”

“Is there any particular reason that you have dirt smudged all over your tunic?”

“Why Mademoiselle Oralie, I’m sure I simply have no idea what you’re talking about.”

He didn’t want Oralie to know that he had been outside. He had a schedule and he wasn’t allowed to stray from it. It was easier to play dumb than to say ‘actually Oralie, funny story. I completely disregarded my father’s, the kings, orders! Which is basically treason if you really want to stretch it, and dear old daddy always does!’

A gentle rapping came at the door and Oralie opened it. 

“The king has asked to see the prince...again.”

Oralie looked at Keefe.

“Give us one moment, sir.”

After she closed the door she turned back towards Keefe.

“Keefe…”

“Neiti Oralie, there’s nothing to-”

Oralie led him over to a chair in the small class room and sat him down before crouching in front of him. 

“I know that your father isn’t the kindest person in the world-”

“You can say that again.”

“But, you have to respect him. If nothing else at least don’t run away when he calls for you” She took a pointed glance down at his tunic. “Or go outside when you’re not meant to. You turn 16 in 4 months and then you’ll be the one to take over the country. You must be responsible.”

“I’m too young to rule, my father is in perfect health and so is my mother. There’s no point.”

“Keefe, your father has ruled Eternalia for 200 years. We need a new, responsible, leader. That leader is you and the responsibility starts with going to talk to your father. Now, what are you going to go do when you leave this room?”

“I’m guessing that run away into the gardens isn’t the right answer.”

Oralie gave a small laugh.

“No, it’s not.” She stood up from her crouch and Keefe followed as she walked to the door. “Go on now, you know what you need to do.”

Keefe walked out the door and almost considered running right back to Dex’s house, but he decided to put up with his father just this once. 

He dragged his feet as he walked to the King’s study at the end of the hall. He knocked gently, honestly hoping it would be so quiet his father wouldn’t hear it.

A sharp voice came from inside, “The door is unlocked.”

As Keefe walked into the large, almost disturbingly pristine, room, his dad gestured for him to sit without even a glance up.

“I have some great news, Keefe.” He said it without the slightest trace of a smile on his face.

“You’re moving to Ravagog?”

“No.” He snarled. “I’ve found you a wife, as you didn’t seem to want to choose one, yourself.”

Keefe stood and slammed his hands down on the table. “But you only gave me a month! Please, Dad, just give me one more I promise I’ll find one myself-”

“No!” His father stood up to match him. “I gave you all the time you needed and my word is final.”

He slowly sat down and smoothed his hair, even though there wasn’t even one hair out of place.

“Her name is Sophie Foster, she has a slightly complicated past but what matters is that she’s a noble by blood, if not by name.”

Keefe sat down, defeated. “What’s she like?”

“Pretty enough, you’ll have good children.”

“That’s not what I asked.”

“You’ll meet her in 2 weeks. Now, get out of my sight.”

Keefe walked out and slammed the door behind him, hoping that just maybe something fell off his stupidly perfect desk. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ch. 3

Keefe flopped down on his bed face-first. It had been 3 days since he was told who his wife would be and he wasn’t any happier about it.

Maybe he just needed a walk, some fresh air would clear his head. Maybe help him understand why he had to have a wife rather than a husband.

Walking through the grounds, he found himself slowly drifting towards the servants homes. He wasn’t even supposed to be outside right now, much less hanging out with servants.

But he couldn’t stop himself. Soon enough he was standing outside Dex’s door. 

With a look in the window (well, actually it was more like a hole in the wall but Keefe wasn’t one to judge) he saw the family sleeping on their beds. The whole house was about the size of his bedroom. 

Suddenly, one of the figures got out of bed. The familiar red-headed boy shuffled to the small bucket of water in the corner and took a sip from a tin cup. 

Keefe knocked on the window gently.

Dex turned, confused, and his eyes went wide at the sight of the prince. 

Keefe waved with a wide smile on his face. Dex furrowed his brow and shook his head in a ‘what the hell are you doing outside my house at midnight?’ kind of way. 

Keefe motioned him outside and he hesitantly creeped towards the door and walked outside. 

“What the hell are you doing outside my house at midnight?”

“Couldn’t sleep, you’re the only person I thought might let me bother them.”

Dex sighed. “Yeah, ok, you’re right.”

Keefe beamed. “Fantastic, in that case, follow me.”

After around 5 minutes of walking in awkward silence, Dex’s voice filled the void.

“So...where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise, I think you’ll like it.”

As they turned a corner, there stood two guards talking by the castle wall. Keefe quickly grabbed Dex’s arm and pulled him back so they guards wouldn’t see them.

Even though it wasn’t his intention, the contact revealed his emotions to Keefe. 

Flustered, a touch embarrassed, and mostly anxious. 

No, don’t get hopeful. It was probably just a weird fluke.

Another peer around the corner revealed that the guards were now walking off to complete their rounds. Keefe ran ahead and waved Dex forward. 

Dex panted as he ran along beside him. 

“Why are we running?”

“The last guards just got done with that part of their round. That means the next set of guards are coming soon.”

After only a minute more of running Keefe saw what they were looking for.

“There it is!”

~*~

Dex rolled out of bed, rubbing sleep from his eyes. It was the middle of the night so as he crept out of bed he had to be quiet. 

As he made his way to the corner of the room and took a sip of water from the bucket in the corner, he heard a light knocking by the window. 

He wasn’t expecting a prince to be peering in. 

As he went wide eyed, he was met with a handsome, lopsided smile and a wave. 

Dex only shook his head, confused. 

Keefe motioned him to come out of the house.

At first he didn’t want to, but there was just something about the Keefe that he couldn’t say no to… and not just because he was the prince. 

“What the hell are you doing outside my house at midnight?”

“Couldn’t sleep, you’re the only person I thought might let me bother them.”

Dex knew he was correct. “Yeah, ok, you’re right.” he sighed. 

He was rewarded with an even wider smile from the golden haired prince. 

“Fantastic, in that case, follow me.”

As they walked, Dex could only think about the odd circumstances of his situation. 

Three days ago he accidentally ran into the prince. With most rulers that would probably get him executed. Instead, he same prince was now leading him somewhere in the middle of the night. 

“So...where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise, I think you’ll like it.”

He was paranoid. What if Keefe was taking him to be executed? What if King Cassius was even crueler than the legends? What if his family woke up in the morning to an empty bed and a notice from the royal guard?

Or worse, what if Keefe touched him and felt how the butterflies in his stomach were doing loopty-loops as he walked closely by his side?

As they approached a corner, Dex was yanked back and a finger was in front of his face telling him to stay silent. He complied. 

Keefe soon ran ahead again and motioned for Dex to follow. 

“Why are we running?”

“The last guards just got done with that part of their round. That means the next set of guards are coming soon.”

Dex was panting hard, despite his long limbs he wasn’t a runner. Yes, he was strong from physical labor but running never really came up a lot in that. Especially not running from guards. 

“There it is!” Keefe explained as he halted. 

From where they stood, it seemed to be a large wall that stood about 6 feet tall and closed completely around what was a long abandoned part of castle grounds. 

Keefe approached it excitedly but Dex hesitated. 

Keefe heaved himself up on the wall without issue despite its height. 

Jeez he was strong. 

Once he found his seat, he turned back to Dex and gave him a ‘why aren’t you coming?’ look. 

“Are you sure we’re supposed to be doing this?”

“Techmaster, we aren’t supposed to be doing any of this.”

“Techmaster?”

“Yeah, it’s your nickname now, you like it?” He immediately started talking again, as if that was the most obvious thing in the world. “Anyway what I was saying was, we’re not supposed to be doing any of this. But, with my help you’re not going to get in trouble. I’d recommend you decide fast though, the guards should be coming around this way soon.”

Dex thought about it for a second. 

Keefe reached his hand out. 

“Don’t you trust me?”

His smile was irresistible, after only a moment of hesitation he grasped the prince’s hand. So much for fearing him reading Dex’s emotions. 

Keefe helped him up to sit on the wall with two hands. 

“Wow you’re heavy, must have a lot of muscle packed on that body.”

At that moment it became painfully apparent that the boys were still holding each other’s hands. They quickly dropped them but it was obvious Keefe felt every emotion that Dex did at that compliment. 

Keefe glanced over Dex’s shoulder and gasped. 

“Guards!” he said in a harsh whisper and quickly pulled Dex down into the walled area. 

They landed with a hard crash into some bushes.

“Ow…” Dex said as he slowly sat up. Only then did he see what resided in the wall.

It looked like it was a garden, or rather used to be a garden. It seemed long abandoned now. Where there used to be white marble statues, vines obstructed the figures. What looked like it used to be a fountain was now dry of water and covered by foliage. The garden beds were overgrown with weeds and rustled like a creature had made their home in them. 

“Wow” Dex said as he took it all in. 

“It used to be my mom’s private garden. Then she got married to my father and, well, she didn’t exactly have the time for it anymore.”

“I bet it was beautiful.”

“Yeah, I mean I wouldn’t know but...yeah.”

Keefe started down the path that led through the garden and Dex followed. 

“I figured that...well you’re a gardener so maybe you’d like it? I don’t know, it probably just reminds you of work-”

“No, I love it. It’s amazing.”

~*~

“Guards!” Keefe said, quickly pulling Dex down and diving into the bushes. In reality there weren’t any guards there, if he had his timing right then there wouldn’t be any more guards for another 5 minutes. But after feeling how embarrassed and flustered Dex got he just didn’t know how to respond. He had taken it too far, obviously Dex didn’t like him. 

“Ow…” Dex groaned as he sat up. Keefe was worried he hurt him when he yanked him down for a second. 

He wasn’t worried anymore after Dex said, “Wow” at the sight of the long abandoned Queen’s Gardens. 

“It used to be my mom’s private garden. Then she got married to my father and, well, she didn’t exactly have the time for it anymore.”

“I bet it was beautiful” 

“Yeah,” Keefe was more focused on how beautiful Dex looked in the moonlight. “I mean I wouldn’t know but...yeah.”

The Queen’s Gardens were abandoned well over a century before he was born. He had only seen artwork of when it was still neat and kept. 

Keefe started walking down the path that he knew led to the prettiest spot in the garden. He only knew about it because he and Fitz would always explore this place when they were little. His mother had gotten on to them about it more than once but they always came back. 

“I figured that...well you’re a gardener so maybe you’d like it? I don’t know, it probably just reminds you of work-” 

“No, I love it. It’s amazing.”

Keefe let out a relieved sigh as they came upon a small pond right at the center of the garden. It was still relatively clear despite the lack of upkeep and reflected the bright stars in the sky. It looked like a tiny portal to a far away galaxy contained in the ground. 

“Woah.” Dex said as he sat down on the bank. Keefe sat next to him. 

Keefe couldn't focus on the scenery. All he saw was the kind, funny, cute, boy sitting next to him. 

Dex noticed him staring. 

...fuck.

He was expecting something awkward, maybe he would swear at Keefe, or even just ask why he was staring. 

Instead, he was presented with a gentle smile. Dex then looked back out to the water and reached for Keefe’s hand. 

Keefe interlocked his fingers with Dex’s and looked out at the pond, too. He specifically tried not to read the redheaded boy’s emotions. 

They sat that way until they could barely keep their eyes open anymore and headed back to their homes. 

They both slept well that night.

[girlofmanyfandoms]

Gone

A/n: So this is my first angst, and if by some chance it happens to hurt, blame the genius of @an-absolute-travesty, their beautiful angst inspired me to self-project write this. Special thanks to @a-lonely-tatertot for beta-reading!

Trigger Warnings: Death, Mentions of violence

Warnings: Sorry, not sorry

Word Count: 1,133

Tag list:  @everyonehasthoughts @imaramennoodle @bookwyrminspiration @holesinmyfalseconfidence @percabetn @an-absolute-travesty @linhammon-roll-bromance101 @linhamon-roll @ anyone who cares

Fitz was shivering, but he refused to put on any more layers. He would endure this, just as he had endured everything else. Keefe squeezed his shoulder comfortingly, but there’s no hiding the pain in his own eyes. Cold, it was very cold, and not at all the day Biana Vacker would’ve wanted her Wanderling to be planted.

As fresh fallen snow graced the floor, Fitz relived her last moments. His training with Grizel had paid off, he was an expert with throwing stars, always hitting his target. He aimed one at Fintan’s neck, and sure enough, a strangled cry followed. Biana appeared behind him, dagger in hand, and finished the job. But that wasn’t the last of it. And he couldn’t warn her in time. A shiver ran through his spine. He couldn’t take much more of this.

Sophie ran up next, throwing her arms around the two boys. She didn’t try to hide the puffiness of her eyes or her tear-stained cheeks. They all had a rough night. Linh and Tam showed up to, hand in hand, Linh toying with a locket that hung around her neck. The letters M and L shined brightly despite the sun reaching the end of its path. Tam gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. That was it. Linh broke down, bawling into her brother’s shoulder. He held her tightly, trying to keep the tears in. But, just like so many others, he lost the battle. Silently they fell, streaking tracks down his face.

Vika and Timkin Heks made sure to stay as far away from Sophie as possible. And Fitz could understand it. Stina called for Sophie to retreat, but she was stubborn. Determined not to leave Sophie behind, Stina took a leap of faith and yanked Sophie back, just in time for Ruy to unleash a deadly force field. Shock ran up her spine, and she twitched uncontrollably before collapsing to the ground. Sophie ran to her fallen friend, holding her hand. “You always were a stubborn one, Foster,” she whispered with her last breath.

Wylie looked off into the distance, his mind in another land. One where he could hug his dad, and pinch his little cousin’s cheeks whenever she came over to visit. Prentice escaped from Elwin’s grasp, knowing his son was in danger. He threw himself in front of a shamkniv, shielding him. Slain by a blade. Maruca met a similar fate. The abilities of a Psionipath are only useful when you can time it right. Wylie was dodging Vespera’s attacks with her help. He tried to warn her, but Gisela was quicker. Wylie warned her not to enter this life. And because of her defiance, she left it.

Elwin was shaking incredibly by the time he arrived, guided by Magnate Leto with every step. Della smiles weakly at Fitz, indicating it was time to plant the seed. He has spent hours staring at his sister’s hairbrush, a feeling of dread overcoming him as he realized he would never get to hear her talk on and on about all the different hairstyles she wanted to try. Ones she would never get to try.

They linked arms. Together they dug up the soil, planted the seed, and covered it. Della hummed a melody, one Fitz knew by heart. He joined her, singing it until the end. It was their lullaby. The song she would sing whenever they had a bad day and just needed a hug. Magnate Leto gave them a look, asking for permission to approach. Della nodded and stepped to the side a bit, allowing for a trembling Elwin to place Lady Sassyfur right by the seed. Fitz smiled bitterly. Someone behind him, probably Keefe, squeezed his shoulder twice, asking him to stand. But Fitz wouldn’t budge.

“I’m not ready to move on to the next one, I need... a breath of fresh air.”

They respected his wishes, and Fitz wandered off a little bit away. Not so much that he’d get lost, but not so little so that anyone could interrupt his thoughts. Though maybe it was best if he did get lost. It was better than suffering this pain. Fitz watched the clouds of breath coming from his mouth for a while until he was brought on guard by the snapping of a twig.

“Who’s there? Show yourself!” Fitz demanded.

The same melody he had hummed seconds before was hummed again. The voice was too deep to belong to his mother. Fitz shook his head violently, backing up until his back was against another tree. These were echoes of a past life, a distant dream where all the could-haves dwell. The tune didn’t stop as a familiar figure stepped out from a clearing in the trees. Tall, skinny, and tear-filled cobalt blue eyes, there was no doubting who it was.

“Alvar,” he said coldly. “I don’t see why you would be here. I thought Dex had finished you off when he-“

Fitz’s voice failed him. Another horrible loss. Dex had thrown a small gadget at Alvar to give Keefe time to pick up his melder. Fintan’s Everblaze nicked it, and the gadget backfired. Got him right through the chest. Killed by his own genius. The cry of agony he let out was heartbreaking. At least they wouldn’t have to go to another planting.

“Well, he didn’t. And do you really think I would miss my own sister’s planting?”

“You didn’t seem to care before.”

Alvar nodded in understanding. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he looked down guiltily.

“When Sophie hugged you, the day we were going to flood Ravagog,” Fitz spoke up suddenly. “When she ran to you. Do you have any idea how much she depended on you? How happy she was to see you?”

“Yes,” he whispered, flinching at the harshness of his little brother’s words. “I... I wanted to amount to something, to be noticed, to make a change.”

“You made a change, alright,” Fitz spat.

“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, well it’s not worth much.”

They stayed in silence for a while before Fitz completely broke down. He sobbed, sitting crisscross in the snow, head in his hands. Alvar sat next to him, burying his nose in his brother’s neck as he hugged him, swaying back and forth. For once, Fitz didn’t object.

They must’ve fallen asleep like that. When he woke up, there was only a blanket, a pillow, and an envelope from his brother. Alvar himself had disappeared. Fitz held onto the delicate piece of paper, staring sadly at the loopy handwriting. He stuffed the letter into his inside pocket, both grateful for and pained by this last piece of his brother. Sure, he left a letter, but other than that, he was gone. Just like everyone else. Gone.