KOTLC Sokeefe One-Shots, Alternate Endings, etc

Confidante (Keefe POV)

A/N: @NavdeepGupta8 requested I create a chapter where Keefe and Ro discuss Keefe's conversation with Grady in the chapter entitled "Reckless (Grady POV)".

"So...that just happened," Ro said in a nonchalant voice as she pulled out a bottle of deep purple nail polish and began painting her claw-like nails.

Keefe just leaned his head against the headboard and closed his eyes.

He was tired. But his mind was also reeling from the conversation he'd just had with Grady.

"Want to talk about it?" Ro prodded.

Keefe sighed.

No.

Yes.

"What is there to say?" He finally asked. "Grady came to see me. It was really nice of him." Nicer than Keefe deserved.

"Alright, listen here, my little elfy friend. If I'm going to be stuck here in Sparkle Town looking after you, then we might as well get one thing straight: the more I know about you, the easier it'll be to protect you."

"That just sounds like an excuse to be nosy."

"That's because it is. Is it working? Are you going to finally open up and tell me all about how you looooove that angry little blondie?"

"I don't—" Keefe started.

But then he couldn't finish it.

Because he wasn't so sure that it was the truth.

His feelings for Foster had clearly moved beyond a simple crush. They had grown, morphed into something deeper.

But did that mean...

Was he falling in love with her?

That was a scary thought, considering the way she felt about Fitz.

"I don't know," he finally said. "All I know is that I hate that she's mad at me."

"Because you're totally in love with her."

Keefe shrugged.

"And you know what?" Ro pressed. When Keefe didn't answer, she seemed to take that as encouragement to keep talking. "I think she probably feels the same way about you, even if she won't admit it."

Keefe knew that. He'd felt it in Lumenaria. But that didn't mean anything. Not if she never consciously realized it for herself.

He was about to tell Ro all of that, but instead found himself asking, "what makes you think that?"

"No one would be this mad at you for putting yourself at risk if they were really just your friend." Ro shrugged as she examined her newly painted nails.

"You don't think my other friends would be mad at me for getting myself hurt?" Keefe asked indignantly.

"Sure they'd be mad. But this Fitz guy you have been talking about—he's your best friend, right?"

"Right."

"Would he cry and get so angry he could barely look at you and then storm off and ignore you?"

Well. Fitz would get angry, yeah. And Keefe hadn't heard from him yet—but suspected that was more for Foster's sake than anything else. Fitz had to know Foster was angry, and was probably steering clear in the hopes that the whole situation would diffuse itself with time.

"I guess not," Keefe finally said. "But it's different with Foster. Our friendship is different."

"Yeah. Because she's in love with you."