KotLC Oneshots/Drabbles

Fam: Just Let Me Love You

THIRD PERSON POV:

It hit him like a brick. Sophie didn't love him. She loved Keefe.

Keefe, his best friend. Keefe, who he despised for taking Sophie's heart from him. Keefe, who whenever he looked at, all he felt was hurt. Fitz didn't have any friends other than Keefe.

8:00am.
His sister came to check on him. A hesitant knock on Fitz's bedroom door. "Hey, Fitz... are you okay? I know how much you loved Sophie." There it was again. Sophie's name. Sophie this, Sophie that. It seemed like he could never get away from her.

"I..-" His voice broke; he buried his face into his pillow to muffle the inevitable sobs.

Biana's breathing became heavier. It seemed that she stood there for a few minutes, listening, waiting, but eventually her footsteps faded away down the corridor.

11:00am
Alden arrived. He stood outside the door, rambling. Fitz tried his best to ignore him, but he listened to what he had to say. "Listen, Fitz. Sophie's a good girl. She just-"

"You're defending her?" Fitz yelled hoarsely. "Instead of your own son?"

"That's not- listen-"

"Listen this, listen that! Maybe you should try listening for once and you'll understand what I'm going through!" Fitz screamed, and stopped abruptly, wheezing. He convulsed into a coughing, hacking fit.

"There's.. no reason to worry," Alden assured him, but even he sounded unsure.

11:45pm.
"Fitz?" It was Keefe.

Fitz stayed silent, anger bubbling in his gut. Maybe if he pretended he wasn't there, Keefe would leave.

"Listen, I'm sorry about you and Sophie. I.. I can leave her if you want, you know. I understand if you don't want me to date her," Keefe muttered. Fitz could hear the shuffling of feet outside his door. "After all, it would be pretty cruel to date your best friend's ex-girlfriend."

Ex-girlfriend. Ex-girlfriend.

"Go. Away."

12:00pm.
Alden left food outside the door. Fitz watched the door for a while. He listened as the footsteps faded away.

He only looked.

Eventually, Fitz got out of bed and opened the door a crack. He peeked through, looking around. The hallway was empty. Quickly, he grabbed the meal which was now ice-cold, shut the door, left it on his nightstand and got back into bed.

Only then did he decide to eat it.

1:00pm.
Sophie visited him. Fitz listened to her breathing outside the door for a while. She didn't say anything.

Eventually, a hesitant "Fitz?" There was no reply. Even if she had waited for a thousand years, there never would've been one.

She left.

2:00pm.
Biana again.

"What do you want this time?" Fitz growled, maybe a little too harshly. Judging from Biana's voice, she seemed taken aback. "I.. I don't want anything. Someone is here to see you."

Had Sophie really gone running to Biana when she couldn't reach him? How pathetic.

"Tell her to go fuck herself."

"Ah," Biana replied. "Of course."

2:15pm.
She returned. "He says thank you for the compliment. He brought flowers."

He? A guy was here to see him.

"Fine. Let him in."

2:35pm
"Fitz?" Tam's voice. He was sitting at the end of Fitz's bed, the first one to be in his room for a long time.

"Tam," Fitz croaked. "What are you doing here?"

"To see you," Tam muttered. He avoided eye contact. "I brought flowers."

He handed Fitz a crumpled homemade bouquet of wildflowers. They were a million different shades of teal, periwinkle, midnight blue.. so on.

And among the blue.. a small, silver flower. It seemed to be wilting slightly, but it shone brighter than all the rest.

"These are beautiful." Fitz smiled for the first time in a long time. "Thank you, Tam."

"Hey," Tam's hard gaze softened, and his cheeks turned slightly pink. "No problem. I know it must be hard for you." He fiddled with his tunic.

"It is," Fitz admitted. He paused, trying to figure out what to say, but eventually he just sighed.

Fitz jumped as soft pressure squeezed his shoulder. "Ah.. sorry," Tam said, and quickly jerked his hand away. However, Fitz grabbed his hand and held it in his with a fierce passion. "No need to apologise."

"You know.." Tam sighed. "I'm kind of disappointed about the whole 'Keefie' thing myself. I mean, I did think maybe Keefe was into that whole enemies to lovers thing.."

Fitz laughed. "Keefe? No way."

Tam grinned. "Yeah, it was kind of stupid now that I think about it. After all, it was pretty obvious that the only thing he felt about me was distaste.."

"I still don't understand that," Fitz interrupted. "Why would anyone hate you? You're so.. sweet."

This time it was Tam that laughed. "There are many reasons for people to hate me, Fitz."

"Well, I don't hate you," Fitz huffed. He brushed his hair out of his eyes.

Tam grinned, a genuine grin of happiness, and his cheeks lit on fire. Fitz decided it was best not to mention it. Tam might find an opportunity to point out the bonfire that was his face. "Let's go grab a coffee at Atlantis," he decided instead.

"Only if you're paying for my frappe," Tam answered immediately, and Fitz nodded.

It was hard to believe such an amazing person had been right under his nose this whole time, yet he'd barely spared a glance at him. It now occurred to him just how special, and talented, and sweet and kind (well, his brain may have just been making that part up, but really, he was thoughtful!) Tam was.

Fitz took a moment to admire Tam's bright silver eyes, his fluffy black hair dipped in silver and the soft mocha-brown skin of his cheeks lit up by the afternoon sunlight.

And then they went.