SOLANDIS // KotLC Oneshots

|Ice Cream|

This is a rewrite of a oneshot I deleted. Once again, this is an AU where SoKeefe has two kids and Tiana has one.

Reese turned over on his bed, covering his head with a pillow. The reason? His parents and annoying sister were getting ready to go to school and work. His mom's best friend Biana had promised that her daughter Arya would walk to school with him.

Honestly, that was the only reason he'd agreed.

Reese had a crush. And he had it bad. Even his mom, the most oblivious Foster ever, had noticed. His dad had just failed his drivers test since he got distracted by "the hot boy in the rearview mirror."

Sophie popped her head into his room. "Hey sweetie. We're leaving now... Bi and Arya will be here soon. Good luck with that!" And she was gone. Reese honestly thought that was the most hypocritical thing ever, since he'd heard at least ten different versions of her oblivious history, ranging from apparently blushing too much to taking fifteen years to confess. But that last one was said by Tam, so it was probably an exaggeration.

So, he just kept messing with his hair, or rolling over and over until he fell off. "Ow!" he muttered. Lucky him, that was the second the doorbell rang.

"Oh shoot."

His hair was looking ridiculous, and his Foxfire uniform had gotten rumpled from his fall, but yet, he walked down the stairs and unlocked the door.

Biana squealed at the sight of him. "Reese! It's been forever! You look so much older..."

Arya stood next to her and she rolled her eyes. "Mom, you're acting like a kid."

Biana shoved her shoulder playfully. "Alright, you guys head out, I'm going to be late." And with her heels sparkling, she headed off.

Reese stared at Arya. She stared back. She really was beautiful, with the classic Vacker eyes and the long black hair she'd tipped with silver to keep Tam's tradition going. Wow, they were right. He had it really bad.

"So, wanna skip school?"

He stared, horrified. "Skip school?! But why?"

Arya snorted. "Cause it's boring. Besides, I brought this plastic cooler filled with ice cream." Oh, right. He'd forgotten. Arya had manifested as a Conjurer and a Shade. Pretty rare, but cool all the same.

"Ice cream? Count me in."

She flashed him a grin. "Great! So, show me around. I could fix your hair if you like."

Reese blushed, obliging and leading her through the house, excluding his dad's disaster of a room and ending up in front of the tall mirror on the back door. Arya raised an eyebrow. "Is this for your dad? Mine has a lot to say about his ego and vanity."

"Yeah, well, mine has a lot to say about Tam's strange bangs."

Arya scowled at him. "I'll take that as a yes. Anyways, hand me a hairbrush, Ima fix your hair."

The instant her hands touched his head, he felt dizzy. It wasn't that they were heavy or electric or something- it was just that this was the first time they'd made deliberate contact. He tried not to collapse as she ran them through his hair, taming it into something a lot more presentable.

"You like?"

"Ye-yes."

"You have a garden back there?" Arya asked.

As a response, Reese pulled the door in front of them open. Outside was two halves of a garden. One half was neatly lined trees and shrubs, pruned roses, and that half's fountain base lined with rocks. The other half was a mess of flowers fighting for space, overgrown vines and branches, and to top it all off there were turtles strolling all over the place.

Arya's eyes widened. "Whoa. What's up with the drastically different settings?"

"One side's mom's, the other one is dad's."

She laughed. "I bet I can guess which is for who."

"Can you get that cooler out now?"

"Sure." She snapped her fingers and something landed in Reese's hands.

"Hey! Who said I'd have to carry it?"

"It's what a proper gentleman does," she said primly.

"And you're a very proper lady, aren't you?"

She flicked his nose in reply. Reese- obviously- chose Sophie's side of the garden and leaned back against one of the trees. They opened the lid of the cooler and took out a pair of cones.

The morning drifted on in silence, until Reese had the urge to reach over and grab Arya's hand.

Her eyebrows shot up. "What's that for?"

"Uh, um.." he frantically searched his brain for a response. "Your hand looked cold?"

Her cheeks flushed. "Well, if that's the case, I think my lips are cold too..." she mumbled.

"What?"

But he'd heard just fine. Arya didn't bother to dignify that question with a reply, and instead looked away. Without warning, she turned back, dropped her cone, and cupped his face. She leaned in, and their lips gently locked together.

A million thoughts raced in his head. Arya liked him? But she'd never shown any sign of that... he ultimately shoved these away and leaned into the kiss.

After what was a few seconds or a million years, they pulled apart. Arya smiled sadly and looked at her feet. "Sorry."

"Why sorry? I- I like you too... I have for a really long time... aren't you going to say anything?"

She looked up with a sly grin. "Well, first get me another ice cream cone, then shut up and kiss me again."