after unlocked: a sokeefe fanfic

Chapter 18-Sophie

It was awkward.

Extremely so.

When Tiergan made them search through his mind when he was blocking, they barely made it past his first barrier. After that, they got nowhere.

"I don't get it," Tiergan sat down, "You guys usually connect really well."

Sophie didn't say anything.

"Did you have a fight?"

Fitz coughed, looking anywhere but Sophie's mentor.

"Well?"

"Sorry?" Sophie said.

Tiergan sighed. "Okay. I'm going to read some reports, you guys figure out how to fix this."
Sophie tried not to look at Fitz.

She heard him sigh. "You're blocking me."

"It's not on purpose."

It wasn't.

Kinda...

"It's gonna be easy for me to give you space, huh?" He chuckled lightly.

Sophie scoffed, a slight smile on her face. "Yeah."

Fitz hesitated. "I, uh, I'm going to talk to Keefe later."

"You should."

"I know. And I, I will, and I'm going to apologize for everything."

"Good."

"Sophie?"

She looked up, meeting his teal eyes. They didn't seem so dreamy now. Sure they were pretty, but they were still just eyes.

Just eyes.

Fitz offered her his hand. "I'm sorry. I know I've said this already, but I truly am. I'm Im your cognate, but I don't need to be reading your mind all the time. It was invasive, and technically against the rules, but... yeah. I'm sorry."

"You could've trusted that I was going to tell you what Mr. Forkle was telling me." Sophie said, watching the way their cognate rings pulled at each other, watching the light reflect off of their initials.

"I know. We need to trust each other to be Cognates. I didn't trust you. I'm sorry."

"Thanks. I probably, uh, overreacted a bit, so there's that. I guess we can both carry the blame?"

Fitz bobbed his head. "And..." he took the plunge, his eyes growing sad. "I think.. I think I realize now. I think we're better as friends. We've always been better that way. And... you've always known, haven't you?"

Sophie waited for the pain to come. For the heartbreak.

Except—it didn't.

She didn't feel heartbrokem.

And she didn't know why.

"Not always. But I started suspecting it, especially after the whole Unmatchable thing. I could never act natural around you, really."
Fitz gave her a crooked smile.

"Yeah. Me neither. And I'm also really, really sorry about how I reacted with the, well, Unmatchable thing."

"It's fine. I'm just gonna have to accept that it's a part of me now. Just like my brown eyes. And my five abilities. And the fact that I could be part alicorn."

Fitz snorted. "Well, at least you don't have a horn."

"Heaven forbid," Sophie grumbled. "I would never hear the end of it from Keefe."

They both laughed, not noticing the relieved smile that Tiergan shot their way.

"I'm pretty sure Keefe wouldn't make fun of you for that. He likes—" Fitz stopped abruptly, his mouth shooting closed with a clop, his eyes growing wide.

"I'm an idiot." He whispered, mostly to himself.

Sophie raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

Fitz shook his head. "It's not my place to tell you. Trust me on this one."

"Um, okay?" Sophie made a dubious look, but stood up, hoisting him up with her.

"Friends for real this time?"

Fitz squeezed her hand one last time. "Friends," He agreed.

Sophie walked out, feeling freer than she had in days.

"Boo!"

Sophie jumped, whipping her head around so fast she got whiplash.

"Holy—what the heck was that for?"

Keefe grinned impishly at her. "Just felt like scaring you."

He cocked his head. "Something feels different about you. I think. Wait, lemme guess: the Fitzphie ship has sailed?"

He was in a weird mood.

A very cheerful mood, but still weird.

"What? No. How about this, I will maybe tell you when we get back to Idylwood." Sophie smirked at him.

Keefe jogged after her. "Aw, Foster, c'mon! Don't leave me in suspense!"

"The bodyguards are waiting," She reminded him.
Keefe scoffed. "Yeah, the Mysterious Miss F. wants to hang with her bodyguards—that's believable."

Sophie ignored him.

"Y'know, we have the whole Regent thingy for me still, right? So you should tell me now, so I don't have to wait in suspense."

Sophie shrugged, pulling out the Idylwood crystal. "I'll tell you after," she turned to him, grabbing his hand, "Trust me, when we're at the Prime Sources, you won't be thinking about anything else."

Their bodyguards latched onto them as Keefe said, "Wait, the Prime Sources? What are those?"

"You'll see."

A/N: wow, this was a short chapter. Oh well. Hope y'all enjoyed!

Updated: 1-25-2021