KOTLC Sokeefe One-Shots, Alternate Endings, etc

Flashback 17:part 1 (Keefe POV)

Keefe headed to the Healing Center during session. He'd told Edaline he wouldn't skip class to come see Foster, but after the incident the day before yesterday, and then her refusal to work together yesterday...he just needed to see her. Hopefully her mood would be better today—and if it wasn't, hopefully she'd let him stay anyway and cheer her up.

Plus Elwin had told him that Fitz was awake, and he wanted to see it for himself.

He felt very relieved, and was excited to hang out with his best friend...until Elwin told him not to tease Fitz. Apparently the echo being near his heart meant Fitz had to be very careful about his emotions. They needed to keep his emotional level even until they could find a way to silence the echoes.

How could Keefe function if he wasn't allowed to tease people?!

And how long until things could just return to normal? Foster couldn't sleep without risking nightmares that would stir the echoes and set back her progress.

Fitz couldn't be permitted to feel things without the same happening to him.

Fitz tended to feel things in a big way. Sure, his emotions didn't throw themselves at Keefe the way Foster's did, but Fitz still tended to have big emotions.

He was pretty steady most of the time, but if he got upset, he got upset fast. He was easily amused, too, but hopefully that wouldn't be a problem, though Elwin seemed to think so.

But...how was he supposed to stay even-tempered when his family situation was so tenuous? He was angry about the situation with Alvar. Angry with his parents, with whom he rarely fought.

So it was with some trepidation that Keefe walked in.

A very strange sight met his eyes.  Their cots were right next to each other—only inches apart—and there was a rather large collection of vials that Foster was apparently in the middle of taking.

And Fitz...was putting candy in her mouth. And she was eating it. And her flutters were so strong they nearly knocked Keefe over.

He couldn't decide whether he was more jealous, amused, perplexed, or grossed out by what he was seeing.

But there was definitely a little bit of each of those.

But he chose to cling to the part of him that felt grossed out as he said, "dude, are you guys feeding each other?"

Foster blushed—of course—and immediately said, "no—we were just..." but she couldn't seem to find the words to explain what was going on.

Keefe clutched his stomach and pretended to hurl all over his uniform. "Wow. You guys have really out-Fitzphie'd yourselves—and don't even get me started on how close your cots are now." He was definitely jealous about that one. "How did you get Elwin to agree to that?"

"Easy," Fitz said, unashamed. "I stayed up all night, monitoring Sophie's dreams."

"Yeah...that doesn't sound creepy at all." He was about to launch into teasing him about being a stalker, and maybe throw in a comment about how Fitz couldn't even stare into her eyes if she was asleep, but he stopped himself. "Never mind. Elwin said I'm not supposed to tease you."

Fitz grinned at him, clearly amused by this revelation, but before he could respond, Ro said "we'll see how long that lasts." She looked Fitz over. "So...you're awake."

Keefe rolled his eyes. Obviously he's awake.

But Fitz nodded. "I am."

Then Keefe asked the far more important question. "And you're okay now?"