KOTLC Sokeefe One-Shots, Alternate Endings, etc

Flashback 17: part 2 (Keefe POV)

Ouch.

Keefe wasn't actually in physical contact with Fitz, but he knew him well enough to be pretty in tune with his emotions, and Keefe was standing close enough he could still get a vague reading.

Fitz was surprised by his own comment, which Keefe guessed had been more barbed than Fitz had intended.

Keefe figured there was still a hint of jealousy, but without physical contact, he could really only pick up on Fitz's regret for losing control of his tongue.

"Sorry," he mumbled, tearing a hand through his hair, looking frustrated with himself.

He didn't actually seem to be angry at Keefe, or harboring resentment for Keefe over the latest attack.

"I shouldn't--" Fitz continued.

Keefe opted to let him off the hook. Sometimes he didn't--sometimes when Fitz acted like a jerk, Keefe would call him on it.

But he was going through something rough, and Keefe had been teasing him when Elwin had warned him against it.

So Keefe interrupted him to say, "No, you're right. And no need for the cyclone of worry you're hitting me with, Foster. I'm done freaking out. In fact, that's why I'm here."

He'd been thinking. Yesterday, when Sophie had asked him to let her rest, he'd ended up at home early and had time to really think this through.

And he really wasn't looking forward to it.

It was going to change everything. Ruin his plans.

But it was right.

So he explained his theory on how his mom was relying on Keefe only getting memories back on her own timeline and not wanting Keefe to ask his powerful telepathic friends to hep him recover them early.

He wanted to get ahead of the Neverseen for once. Find out what they were planning and make it stop.

Fitz was game immediately.

Foster was not.

She tried to pretend it was because she and Fitz didn't know how to trigger memories, but he knew perfectly well that they could figure it out with minimal effort.

And he suspected she knew it too.

She was trying to protect him.

She was so sweet, and so kind...and so predictable.

And when Ro pointed out that Foster had figured out how to use her cuteness against him, he wanted to laugh out loud when she scowled at the both of them.

As if that wasn't just as cute.

Especially because she was worried about him and his ability to handle what was coming if they went down this path.

He stretched out on the cot on her other side and propped his hands behind his head as he assured her he could handle it. "I know my track record hasn't been great when it comes to this stuff, but--"

"It's been horrible," she reminded him.

"Fair enough. But that's because I wasn't ready. Now I am."

"Are you?"

Definitely.

Because he was done sitting back watching people he cared about get hurt.

"Uh--the Neverseen just tried to kill my best friend, and..."

My favorite person in the whole world.

The girl I'm in love with.

..."you." He rolled over to face her, and resumed trying to convince her that he was ready for this.