KOTLC Fanfic ~ (Book Nine) Forbidden

XV - Keefe

"Is she alright?"

"She's fine. I gave her the Calla-iest speech I could, and that seemed to calm her down. Breezes, too. She doesn't know it was me, though."

Keefe sighed. "I wish I didn't have to see her like that. Like... like she'd lost all hope."

"She hasn't. She still has you, Dex, Linh, Tam, Fitz... And as much as I don't like it..." Keefe winced. Grady really didn't like him much.

"...My daughter needs you. She needs someone... enough like her to get along with well, and to know how her gears turn, and able to calm her down in a pinch. Fitz... doesn't really do great at that part."

Grady chuckled. Keefe just... stood there. He never thought about it that way. That... she needed him, too. Not just him wanting someone amazing like her in his life.

"Well, anyway, you probably need to go. Havenfield is always open to you, Keefe. And thanks for calming Sophie down." "Anything for her." Keefe smiled and walked over to the door. "Oh, and Keefe?"

"Yes?" "She'll be there for you, too. And she made you something. Check the bench at your father's house." He gave Keefe a smile. A real one. "I will." He wondered what she could have put there...

—

"Hiya, Lord Gaseous." Cassius just rolled his eyes and let him go out to the back, sitting on the swinging bench. The side facing the beach. He breathed in the salty air and looked for something on the bench.

That's when he saw it- a note in between two boards. And a package, too!

He could just imagine her saying it in his head...

Dear Keefe, I know you're a much better artist than I am, but I decided to try to draw something. I thought... you might like it.

So I sent it over. I hope you do.

And the box has a human food I made in it—they're called pancakes, can you believe it? Almost the same as Panakes! And they taste really good!

And no meat- don't worry. :)

~ Sophie

Keefe smiled. He felt like cinnacreme had seeped into his body and filled him up. Anything from Sophie was bound to be amazing- he just knew. And it was actually from Sophie. And she homemade the things that sounded like Panakes! She cared!

He carefully folded open the paper. Inside was a rough colored sketch of the Panakes tree, with her and the alicorns sitting under it. It was... beautiful. He didn't know she liked drawing. Or that she was so good at it.

He carefully ripped open the bag, not that there's a way to do that carefully.

There was another note:

Promise the golden brown liquid in here isn't yeti pee- it's called syrup, tastes amazing on pancakes. No meat. :)

He unscrewed the tiny jar and poured a bit on the squishy circular Panakes thing. Then he took a bite. "Oh- wow. That's... really good! For, I mean, human stuff, anyway."

He smiled when he remembered that Sophie had made it. "Mmm..." He finished a bit later, smiling.

He was full- and he was hanging the Panakes picture on his wall as soon as possible. As in right now.

He walked upstairs to his room and came in to find Ro sitting on his bed. "Hi, Ro." "Hey, Hunkyhair." "Sophie made me something." "She did? Lemme see!"

Keefe pulled out the Panakes sketch. "Oh, wow." "Right? I didn't know she was so good of an artist! And she made some human food- no meat- and it was delicious!"

Ro gave him a look, raising her eyebrows. "You didn't share any with me?" "...no." "Well, it's from your girlfriend, so it's only fair, I guess."

"She's not-" "Oh, Hunkyhair, she so is." "She's not!" "Well, she could be." "And she won't. It was just... kinda an apology." "For being oblivious?" "Yes, actually." "Wow- I was kidding." "I know.

"You never really know what girls are going to do, do you?"

You children will never understand how much I love Ro and Keefe's relationship