SoKeefe Forever.

Sandor's Weakness

I quite like this chapter. Hope you do too!

For an eight-foot tall goblin bodyguard, Sandor has quite a sweet tooth.

It was Sophie who discovered his fondness of human candy, specifically Baby Ruth bars. She had gone on a mission with the Black Swan that required traveling to the Forbidden Cities. While they were there, Sophie had spotted candy in a store window. The overwhelming feeling of nostalgia had prompted her to buy a large bag. After sneaking it back to the Lost Cities, she had stashed it between her bed and the wall, hidden from view.

She had managed to keep the secret for a while before Sandor's super scenes sniffed it out. After arriving home from Foxfire, Sophie took a quick shower (Which she desperately needed after she and Keefe got into a play war, using grass as ammo. Sophie was sure she's be finding grass in her hair for the rest of her life.)

When she emerged, the relaxed feeling from her new found cleanness lasted only a few seconds, being replaced by panic as she saw Sandor sitting on her bed, holding her candy bag in his hand, and a raised eyebrow on his face. "I can explain!" Were the first words that rushed from her mouth.

"I'm sure you can, Ms. Foster." He deadpanned, setting the candy on her bed as he stood.

Sophie paused, considering her options. Would Sandor keep the secret for her? It wasn't even really harming anyone. She was drinking her Bottles of Youth, which could counteract any negative effects the human chemicals had on her body. So, logically, there was no real reason to tell anyone. "I don't suppose this could be our little secret?"

Sandor chuckled at that, his head subtly bowing. "I don't think so. I'm afraid I'm obligated to tell Grady and Edaline. These... Foods could potentially become a threat to your health." Sophie picked at an eyelash, trying to find a way to convince him.

"They're not that bad," She reasoned, hoping to sway his opinion. "It's just some human candy. Here," Sophie reached over, grabbing a Baby Ruth and tearing the wrapper off. "try this."

Sandor curiously plucked the sweet from her hands, beady eyes carefully examining the small chocolate. He obviously didn't trust it wasn't poisonous. Sophie gave him a nod, attempting to encourage him. He was so paranoid.

After a bit more proding on Sophie's part, he popped the candy into his mouth. Sophie carefully studied his face, watching as his eyes widened. He chewed slowly, before finally swallowing. "Well?" Sophie asked anxiously.

"I will be testing these to make sure they're not toxic. And I expect to be given some more as gratitude. But, I suppose, if it means so much to you, I can forget to mention it. Deal?" A grin spread across her face at Sandors words, glad she would be able to keep her treats.

"Deal!" She said, thrusting her hand into his and shaking to close the bargain.

Over the course of the next few months, Sophie found out how easy it was to bribe Sandor with a few candies. She didn't go for anything big, knowing not to push her luck. Instead, she cashed in some smaller favors, such as getting him to clean her room, or not telling Grady and Edaline when she was a few minutes late to her classes (She hadn't yet managed to get him to clean Iggy's cage in exchange for the chocolate, but Sophie was sure she would convince him eventually.

0o0o0

It was almost midnight and Sophie was ripped out of her sleep by a sharp ringing. Groaning, she rolled over, almost falling off the bed in the process, to grab her imparter from the nightstand. Her hand came up to rub her eyes, clearing away the blurriness from her sleep.

When her eyes adjusted, she answered the call. Keefe's face popped up, and she couldn't help the small smile from gracing her face. "Hey Keefe. What's up?" Her voice was thick from sleep.

"Nothing, nothing. Just wanted to check up on you." He said. For the first during the conversation, she actually looked at Keefe. And the smile vanished from her lips.

He looked terrible. The bags under his eyes were unnaturally dark, and his ice-blue irises were watery, almost like he'd been crying. "Hey, what happened? Are you okay?"

Keefe shrugged, brushing off her questions. "Always so worried, Foster." He said instead, as if trying to distract her. Sophie glared, annoyed at the way he was avoiding her questions. "Really, it's no biggie."

"If you don't tell me what's going on, I'm going to come over to your house and--" Sophie wasn't able to finish her threat before Keefe gave a heavy sigh, apparently realising she wasn't going to quit until she got an answer. She always was known for being stubborn.

Keefe ran a hand down his face. "Just a bad dream. Nothing terrible. Save your worrying for actual danger." Sophie felt a bit of a pang in her heart. Keefe must've noticed, because he immediately added, "Don't go feeling guilty, Foster."

His statement piqued her curiosity. "You can feel my emotions all the way from Candleshade?" She asked, putting off the more serious topics for a minute.

"Don't need to. I know your expressions well enough to figure it out. I'm just that brilliant." An scoff slipped from her lips at Keefe's egocentric statement. "You can deny it all you want, but we both know it's true."

After her laughter had subsided, Sophie tried to find a way to word her more serious questions. "Really, Keefe, are you okay? Do you want to... talk about the nightmare?" He looked undecided, so she added, "You could come over here, if you want."

"I'm pretty sure if I showed up at Havenfield at this hour, Grady and Gigantor would kill me." Sophie pouted, realising it was true. Unless...

Suddenly, Sophie jolted to her feet. "Hold on a second." She said, setting the imparter back on the table. Reaching behind her bed, she grabbed a handful of candy bars. Bounding across her room, she wrenched the door open. Sandor was standing there, facing her. "Are you going to try and bribe me with candy so you can invite Mr. Sencen over here?" Sophie blushed, realising he probably heard everything she and Keefe talked about.

"Yes?" Sandor opened his mouth, obviously preparing to turn down the offer. "Please? I want to make sure he's okay. And you'll be here the whole time, so nothing's going to happen."

He still looked unconvinced, so Sophie held out her chocolate filled hand, offering him the sweets. "Fine." Sandor finally relented. "But only for half-an-hour. And I reserve my right to kick him out at any time." Sophie happily nodded along, taking whatever she could get.

"Okay, I'll tell Keefe to come over! Thank you!"

0o0o0

They hadn't skipped a night since that day.

Every Monday, at midnight, Keefe would sneak into Havenfield with the help of Sandor and Sophie. After seeing how much Keefe and Sophie truly needed the time together, Sandor had let it continue.

Currently, there were cuddled up on the small couch in her room (Who knew Keefe was such a cuddler?). His arm was loosely wrapped around her shoulder, idly tugging at the tips of her hair. Sophie's head was resting on his shoulder, her eyelids beginning to feel heavy. "You're not gonna fall asleep on me, are ya?" Keefe asked softly, turning his head to look down at her blond locks.

"No promises." Sophie replied, snuggling further into his side. His light chuckle was strangely soothing.

Keefe shifted suddenly, pulling Sophie into his arms. Before her groggy mind could process what was happening, Keefe had lifted her in his arms, and was carrying her over to her bed.

He set her down tenderly, before pulling the yellow covers up to her shoulders. "Sweet dreams, Foster." he murmured, before gently placing a kiss to her forehead. Sophie smiled, making a content hum.

"G'night Keefe." She mumbled, words slurred from fatigue. "Have good dreams!" She added as he stood, and began his walk towards the door. She was sound asleep before he even left.

Thanks for reading! Goodbye my lovelies!