#minor enemies to lovers...? its more of awkward pseudo friends to best friends

[acewithapen]

I've got this new tattoo, it reminds me of you

Hi!! Welcome to my fic for Keefitz Week 2023! Thank you so much to Summer (@when-wax-wings-melt) and Avery (@skylilac) for hosting this!! Tragically, I did not finish all of the chapters in time, so keep an eye out!

Read on ao3 here!!

A mix of the prompts, hence the. multichap part.

Keefe Sencen was a maker of bad decisions. Quite frequently, as his friends loved to remind him. In his freshman year of college, his (former) best friend Fitz Vacker had suggested being roommates for their second year. Keefe had enthusiastically agreed. 

But then they’d had a falling out over the summer. And he’d forgotten that they’d put in a request to room together. So there he was: Keefe Sencen, 19 years old, clutching a box (that had all of his decorations) as he stared at Fitz. Fitz who’d changed since July, skin darker and freckles more prominent. And fuck. His hair now had a teal streak that matched the colored contacts he wore. Keefe fought back the blush, and gave him a nervous grin. 

“Hey, Fitz.”

“Keefe.”

“Keefe! Hey, how’s your summer been?” Thank god for Biana. If she noticed anything wrong, she didn’t say anything, just looping an arm around his shoulders to ruffle his hair. 

“Pretty good! You?”

She shrugged, pale cream shirt contrasting beautifully with her skin. “Alright.” She had a dark red streak in her curls, matching Fitz’s. “We went to the beach a lot. Speaking of which! You should come with us on Saturday! There’s one super close, and I think everyone else is free!” 

“I’ll clear my schedule.”

“Clear what? You don’t do anything!” 

“Hey! I’ll have you know I am a very busy man—” 

She cut him off with a laugh, eyes scrunching up from her grin. “Mhm, sure. Anyway, Fitz, you’re all good, yeah?”

He looked up from where he was putting books on his shelf. “Yep. See you later.”

“Have fun! I love you, don’t be stupid.” Biana hugged her brother, and then darted back to give him a quick squeeze. “I’ll see you on Saturday!” She blows them each a kiss and flounces out of the room, shutting the door behind her. 

“Right…I—I’m gonna go get my bedding.” Keefe fled, leaving the box behind. He grabbed the laundry bag and his pillow, and leaned back against his car. This was such a bad idea. 

Back in their dorm, he unpacked, made his bed, and set up his lights. He’d texted Fitz the week before, the first time they’d spoken since…That Day. He pushed the discomfort aside, and focused on getting his lights to be perfect. They had a bulletin board in between the beds, and he had decided to put a set around it. The lights are star shaped, connected by thin copper wires. He risked a look at Fitz’s side. He had slipped out, claiming dinner plans with his parents. (Keefe called bullshit, but only internally. Alden and Della had gotten divorced in their 6th grade year, and the two tried to stay away from each other.) 

He glanced at the black bookshelf Fitz had brought, already filled with books. Keefe noted with a slight pang of sadness that he hadn’t brought any of the books they’d annotated together. But it was fine. Totally fine. 

He’d eventually settled into his bed, climbing up the ladder. Fitz had taken the lower bed. Something ached in his chest. Fitz remembered. He remembered how much Keefe hated sleeping close to the ground, so accustomed to curling up far above the floor. 

The door slid open and shut, Fitz left in an exhausted slump. He eyed him. Fitz ran his hands through his hair, head against the door. 

“…Fitz? Are you okay…?” Maybe dinner with his parents had actually happened. Fuck. 

“Keefe? You’re here?” 

He couldn’t ignore the sharp concern anymore and scrambled down the ladder. Fitz blinked at him blearily, faded tear tracks on his cheeks. 

“Yeah. C’mon, let’s get you in bed, okay?” He fell into a similar routine, born of many years. Fitz had always been like this after extended time with Alden. (Keefe had promised to never let Alden near him again, after the last time this happened. Just another way he failed.) 

Fitz stumbled after him, falling face down on his bed. 

“Okay, I know. Do you mind if I help you change? You’re gonna complain if you wake up in jeans.”

He mumbled something, and gave a slight nod. 

“Great!” Keefe rummaged for a pair of pajama pants and a soft pajama shirt—one that proclaimed him as the captain of their Academic Decathlon team, Vacker in bold letters across the back. He helped him into the pants and shirt, and pulled the soft comforter over him. “Sleep well.” 

Keefe left the room. It was just so confusing. They fought, but that was his best friend, but they had screamed until they lost their voices, but he had grown up next to him, and just…ugh. 

He wandered the halls for a while, familiarizing himself with the new dorms. He recognized some of the people, but Foxfire was massive. He followed one of the hallways, nearly tripping over someone. “Oh! My bad, wait. Dex…?” 

The one in question blinked up at him, eyes wide. “Keefe? What are you doing here?”

“I live here. You?”

“Oh, I was helping Tam move in. I live in Onyx.”

Keefe had lived there last year, and he winced in sympathy. “Good luck, dude. You’ll need it.”

“Dex? Is something wrong?” Tam poked his head out, bangs redyed silver. 

“Oh, no! I found Keefe though!” Dex gestured towards him, and Keefe smiled awkwardly. Things had always been…odd around Tam. There was some tension between the two of them, and he hadn’t been able to put his finger on it during high school, and he presumably wouldn’t be able to do it now. 

“Right…who are you rooming with?”

His smile felt painted on. “Fitz.”

Tam’s eyebrows twitched up, and he shared a quick glance with Dex. “Mmm. Well. I’m going to finish setting up.” Tam went back inside. Dex gave him an apologetic smile. 

“I’m gonna go too. You’re going to the thing on Saturday, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Awesome! See you then!” Dex gave him a cheerful grin and vanished into Tam’s room. Left alone, Keefe sighed and trudged back to his dorm. Fitz was asleep, and he changed into his own pajamas, keeping the lights off. 

It’s barely 10, but god, he’s exhausted. 

He woke up the next morning to Fitz’s incessant alarm clock, a familiar sound from junior high and high school sleepovers also known as when Keefe would be kicked out. 

Keefe yawned, and it’s second nature to groan good naturedly at Fitz. “Dude, turn it off.” One loud smack later, and he’d drifted back off to sleep. 

He was rudely awakened just a few minutes later. Fitz’s alarm blared again, and he let out a loud complaint. 

“Up and at ‘em, Keefe! You need to get ready.” Curse Fitz and his incessant morning person-ness. 

“Ugh. Fine, but I get the bathroom first.”

Fitz grumbled, but acquiesced, and Keefe slipped inside before he could. That was the nice thing about living in Ruby Hall was that they had attached bathrooms, unlike Onyx where you had to go to the end of the hall. 

He showered as quickly as possible and went back to the main room, dressed in a pair of black pants and a pale green shirt. Fitz slid past him, not saying a word. He sidestepped the already growing pile of shoes to go to his desk, pushed neatly under his bed. 

Keefe sat down, flicking the lights to his mirror. He pushed gel through his hair, making it artfully messy. Once he was done, he turned on his hairdryer, carefully drying his hair. Sophie had made fun of him whenever he was over for group sleepovers, as he had almost always borrowed hers. Well. It wasn’t his fault she didn’t really care about her appearance. He had standards! 

The bathroom door opened and shut, signaling Fitz’s return. He didn’t turn to look, intent on getting his concealer blended out. The habit had started in high school, when he was regularly pulling all-nighters. And so there he was. 

After that, he checked the time. The alarm went off at 7:30, and his first class was at 9, just down the road, in the Topaz Fine Arts Center. As the name suggested, Topaz housed all of the fine arts, other than the auditorium. (That was next door, known as the Gemstone Theater.) It was just now 8:30, and if he hurried, he could swing by the coffee shop for a quick breakfast. 

“Okay, bye Fitz, see you!” He grabbed his backpack and rushed out. He didn’t bother getting his car, instead running down the road to the coffee shop.

“Oh! Keefe, hey! Haven’t seen you in a while,” Marella enthused. 

“Hey, Marella! Can I—”

“Large iced mocha and sausage egg sandwich?” 

“Yep! Thank you!” He paid her, before sliding to the pick up counter. Linh brought over his order, giving him a gentle smile. “Good morning, Keefe.” 

“Hey, Linh! How was your summer?”

“It was good. You’re coming Saturday, yes?”

“Mhm! I’ll see tomorrow morning, probably.”

“Good. Have a good class!”

“Thanks, Linh! Bye!” He dashed out the door, clutching his coffee. His first class of the day was with Prof. Palmore. She taught graphic design, and generally didn’t care if students ate in her class, especially since it went from 9 to 11:30. 

Keefe waved at a few students he recognized, before entering Topaz. It was nice to be back. Quietly he walked down the hall, making sure to not disturb the other classrooms. Most of the campus generally didn’t care, but he’d seen someone cry from too much noise during the second week last year. Generally, it was just a good idea to not bother people. 

Prof. Palmore’s door was open, the woman in question sitting behind her desk. She didn’t have a typical lecture hall, instead setting up shop in the computer lab. 

“Good morning, Keefe.”

“Hey, Prof! How are you?”

“I’m doing well. How about you?”

“Pretty good! Still waiting for the caffeine to kick in.” 

She smiles at him, and he grins back. “Well, why don’t you go ahead and pick a seat? We’ll be jumping right in this year, since this class is solely for recurring students.” 

He nods and takes his seat. Other students slowly trickled in, taking seats around the computer lab. He’s in the back corner, at his favorite computer. Most everyone sticks to the middle and up, but he’d found this spot last year. Sue him, he was attached. 

Sophie dropped into the seat next to him, clutching a massive container of coffee. She looked exhausted, eye bags ever present. 

“Good morning!” 

“Don’t talk to me.” 

She had been taking classes here since high school, testing into the dual credit programs. Plus, their graphic design class always ended with the class here, so you could start your second year of the course as a freshman. 

He took another sip of his coffee and watched as she upended a can of Monster into it. “Soph, it’s day one.” 

She didn't respond. 

His next class was at two, so he swung by to a little hole in the wall diner. Known as The Canteen, it served the best pasta he’d ever had. Inside, one of the workers from last year was there. Ophelia gave him a wide grin, reaching over to give him an elbow bump. “It’s the Keefester! How’ve you been?”

“I’ve been good! Definitely looking forward to some more of your pesto chicken.” 

She snorts and motions him to follow her. She seats him at his table (again, one of his favorites), and pulls out her notepad. “So. Water, pesto and chicken pasta?”

“Yep! You know me so well,” he laughs and bats his eyelashes. She rolls her eyes playfully and saunters off. He messes around on his phone while he waits, texting back and forth with Biana. She sends him a snap, making half a heart with her fingers. He snaps her back, making the other half. His food arrives a few minutes later and he digs in. 

It’s just as good as he recalls, and soon he’s paying for his meal. His next class—Calculus—is in Peridot, down by the library. The “core” buildings (science, math, english, history) form a loose ring around it, and it’s…fairly common to see someone run from a building to the library and back again. 

He refills his water bottle inside and double checks the room number. It’s taught by a…Professor Glade, so that should be fun. 

Keefe walks in, smiles at the teacher, and goes to sit down. It’s filling up fast, and he makes a note to arrive early to get a good seat. They just go over the syllabus and he makes idle chatter with the person next to him. Their name is Sage, they have bright pink and black box braids, and quite possibly the funniest person he’s ever met. (Excluding himself, of course.) 

They exchange numbers and he waves as he leaves, intent on going back to his dorm. He needs to wrap up an assignment for his graphic design class, properly go over the syllabi he got, and draft up a schedule with Fitz. 

He makes it back to his dorm, relocks the door and kicks his shoes off. At his desk, he pulls out his highlighters and the syllabus from Calc. 

A little past 5, Fitz falls through the door. Okay, not exactly, but definitely close enough. He looks murderous. 

Keefe quickly looks back down. Before summer break, he would have watched. But now…he goes back to reading, making small notes in the margins. Sophie had gifted him a copy of the three books of the Pentecost & Parker series, and he thinks he has solved it when their door bursts open again. 

It’s Tam, who throws a bag at Keefe. “Here’s your stuff.” He leaves just as quickly as he came, door slamming behind him. 

“What was that about?”

“I asked for my stuff back. I guess it works.” The two of them had had a…less than stellar breakup over spring break last year. It had been messy. And dramatic. And hella awkward. 

He opened the bag, pulling out the books and the hoodie. Plus a pair of sweatpants that he’d completely forgotten about. His phone went off and he cursed. “I have to get to the tattoo parlor. I’m working till closing tonight, so I’ll try to not wake you up.”

He bolted out the door, down to his car. It’s a quick drive, and soon he’s pulling into the lot. Renee gives him a grin from behind the counter, wearing a sleeveless shirt that shows off the tattoos on her arms. 

“Hey, Renee! How was your summer?”

“It was great! You?”

“It was alright. Do I have anything scheduled?” 

She flips through the logbook. “Two. A mother and daughter here for a basic ear piercing and two people for noses. They’re together. Walkins?”

“That’ll work.” 

She nods, reaching over to get the phone as it rings. “Hi, this is Sea of Ink, how can I help you today?” He hands her a pen and the legal pad, and she gives him a distracted smile. “Mhmmm. We do have a piercer, yes. We’re open all evening, but he won’t be available from 6 to 7. How does 8 sound?” A pause. “Excellent! We’ll see you then!” 

“What do they want?” 

“Helix. Anyway, I’ll be taking my 15 at 7. Do you want me to bring dinner for you?”

“Ooh, yeah sure. How ‘bout Jerry’s?”

“Sounds awesome, I’ll text you my order.” He heads to the back, going to wash his hands and get his supplies. 

It’s a fairly uneventful time. Closing shift is always really chill, especially once Victoria arrives. Her bangs are still white, but she’s dyed her hair a dark blue, and gotten an industrial. It has a rainbow sheen, to no one’s surprise. 

They don’t have many appointments, and Victoria has a firm no walkins policy. Renee hasn’t ever had a problem with telling someone to fuck off if they disrespect that, so they’re all set. 

At ten to eight, he’s sitting on the loveseat, feet up on the seat. He’s reading again, this one a gift from Della. It’s part of a box set of Blood of Olympus series. This time, it’s the Mark of Athena. He’s afraid to write his little notes on the page, so instead he has a stack of sticky notes and tabs. 

Renee is sitting behind the reception counter, a textbook cracked open. Victoria lounges in one of the armchairs, drawing on her iPad. The bell rings as someone walks inside, and he flinches as he looks up. Fitz is here, looking ridiculously out of place. 

“Hi, I’m Fitz Vacker. I work at the new flower shop, you know, the one down the road? It’s called Bouquet Boutique? Anyway, I wanted to give you a bouquet, if you want it.” 

Renee hurries over to take the bouquet, which is made up of pale blue and cream flowers. “Thank you so much!! I’m Renee Bright, and that’s Victoria Parsons. Welcome to Sea of Ink, and we offer a discount to shops on the road. Oh, and that’s one of our piercers, Keefe Sencen!” 

“I thought you said you had to work…?”

“This is my job…?” 

The two stare at each other, before Fitz flushes and turns away. “I should head back, but it was nice meeting you!”

“Same here! See you around, Fitz!” Renee waves cheerfully before she turns to him. “How do you know him?”

Victoria lets out an incredulous laugh. “Dude, you can’t just ask him why they know each other, oh my god.” 

She holds her hands up. “That came out wrong! All I meant was that he doesn’t seem like your…type.”

“My…type?”

“Yeah! I mean, he’s not exactly the kind of person you typically date, yeah?”

“I…we aren’t together!” He can feel his cheeks heating up. 

“Oh. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to assume—”

He waves her off. “It’s fine. I should get ready for my next appointment, okay?”

She nods, lips pursed. His client comes in though, clearly used to this. He does it quickly, adding to the piercings slowly climbing up their ears. 

And then he stays until nine, reading and joking around with Renee and Victoria. And that’s that. Rinse, repeat, huh?

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Thank you so much for reading!!! I hope you liked it! This has been so much fun to write!