two idiots and a turtle (a kotlc fanfic)

chapter ten: in which two idiots finally face the truth

a/n: don't talk to me i'm emotional about finally finishing this

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tam

I wake up to a weight on my stomach and my right arm feeling slightly numb, like it's fallen asleep.

What—?

I squint up at the sun, head pounding.

Ugh, it's so bright. What the hell happened last night?

Something glints in the corner of my eye, and I turn to look at it. Laying near my hand is an empty bottle of fizzleberry wine.

The memories of last night come flooding into my head.

How much did we drink last night? We literally talked about the randomest things. Oh, right, we came out to each other. Oh well.

I frown and look at my Imparter for the time. Didn't Keefe have something important today?

Ugh, my head is all fuzzy. Class is starting soon. Hey, doesn't he have a test—?

I bolt upright, tossing Keefe's arm off of me and shaking him vigorously. He wakes up, blinking at me.

"Oh, hi-"

"Keefe! Get up, get up, you're going to be late!"

He frowns, thinking about whatever it is he would be late for. Then his eyes widened in shock as he shot to his feet, scrambling for his bag.

He stumbled, clutching his head and letting out a soft groan. "Damn, I've got a hangover."

Oooh, taking a test with a hangover? That's not going to be fun.

Keefe picks up a Bottle of Youth and swigs it, coughing and choking on some of it before recomposing his demeanor.

He takes a few steps, then pauses and looks back at me. "I'll be back after the test."

"Good luck!"

I watch his retreating figure as it disappears into the distance, then flop back onto the blanket, feeling a little emptier.

It's really warm out here. Nice and sunny, not a cloud in the sky. Keefe would love this weather.

Mnrghhh, I'm still so tired. Why do I keep thinking about Keefe? And it's not that he's been especially annoying or anything—what he did last night was really thoughtful of him. It's a break that I needed.

Even though I try to switch to a different topic, my brain just circles back to him.

I love the color of his eyes. It's obviously ice blue, but it's gotta be, like, the best shade possible. And his hair? So soft. So fluffy. He's doing a test right now. I hope he does well. But if he does well, then he won't need a tutor anymore. And if he doesn't need a tutor anymore...

Is it selfish of me to want to keep spending time with him? To want to talk with him, make him smile, make him laugh?

My eyes widen as I finally connect the dots as to why I feel like this.

Oh, I like him. Linh's never going to stop teasing me about this now.

Maybe I've liked him for a while now, since before he got his powers. Ugh, how am I supposed to talk to him now?

I sigh and turn on my side, shielding my eyes from the blinding glare of the sun. This light is doing nothing for my headache.

"Screw this." I put a pillow over my head and close my eyes, falling asleep.