KOTLC Sokeefe One-Shots, Alternate Endings, etc

Nightfall 71 (Keefe POV)

"Hang on--does anyone else think Foster should have to apologize for ignoring her finals presents?" Keefe asked. "I'm pretty sure I saw half the school crying about it."

"No one was crying," Edaline said, snapping her fingers and conjuring up the hefty stacks of packages Sophie had left behind when she went to pack up her locker. "But it's not too late to open them."

"But...I didn't get you guys anything," Sophie mumbled. Keefe rolled his eyes. Like that mattered. Of course, he wasn't going to tell her that.

Biana shrugged. "Just promise you won't try to stop us from going with you to Nightfall, and we're good."

"Hey, speak for yourself," Keefe told her. "I also demand a hug! And public declaration that my gift wins for Best Gift in the History of the Universe!" Foster hugs were the best, and he really wanted to see what she thought of his gift.

"Uh, Fitz showed me what he got her, and it's pretty hard to top," Biana warned him.

"Please," Keefe scoffed, grabbing a flat package from the pile--wrapped in blue paper covered in tiny green gulons. "Go on, Foster. Show them who's the Gift Master." He was feeling strangely nervous about it. He knew she liked his art, and he knew she'd like what he'd done, but...a handmade gift like this was very personal. Very vulnerable. He wasn't used to being vulnerable—in fact, he usually avoided it.

"It's not a competition," she told him as she tore through the thin paper, peeled it back, and...

"Told you," Keefe said when she sucked in a breath. He was relieved to see she liked it.

She didn't just like it, though. The surprise and disbelief wafting towards him quickly gave way to a fierce mix of gratitude, awe, joy, and so much warmth.

"I..."

He smirked. "Look at that. The Mysterious Miss F. is speechless." But of course, her emotions told him everything he needed to know.

He watched as she studied each picture in turn, and endured her emotional tirade along with her. First, the strong rush of affection as she took in the painting he'd made of her with Grady and Edaline. He knew how deeply she loved them and how deeply they loved her in return. And in painting them together, Keefe could see how they really seemed to belong together.

Then she looked at the painting he'd made of her in the center of their group of friends.

He'd even included Wylie, though he wasn't always with them, because he knew how important it was to her that Wylie was starting to be friendly and starting to forgive her for what her existence had cost his family. Not that any of that was her fault, but still, Keefe knew that she'd been desperate to make amends.

And he felt another rush of affection from her as she looked at the picture. That was quickly followed by a strong feeling of belonging—something he knew she had struggled with before coming to the Lost Cities.

"Smooth move painting yourself next to her," Ro told Keefe, peeking over Foster's shoulder.

"Uh, we all know Foster can't bear to be away from me--and art is all about honesty. That's why I made sure I have the best hair." And, honesty was sadly why he had painted Fitz on Foster's other side.

"I don't know...you made mine pretty awesome," Biana cut in. "I should braid my hair more often."

"Are those runes on the back?" Dex asked as Biana started weaving her hair.

Sophie flipped the paintings over. "Hey--I can actually read them."

Both paintings had the same word: Family.