A knock.
I pull my arm tighter around Foster's waist and call, "C'mon in."
Forkle walks in. He's nervous. "Umm, Mr. and Mrs. er Mr.Sencen and Ms.Foster, I regret to inform you that... for this next battle... we need a polyglot."
I jump up. "I'll go. I can be ready in an hour. Anything I should know?"
Foster grabs my arm and glares. "Keefe. You can't go. I'm the moonlark. I should go. Wait here and I'll be back as soon as I can."
I pull her into my arms. "Nope. You've gone to enough battles because of me. You can stay back for this one. Just watch a movie or something. Or you could do the unspeakable and take a nap."
She rolls her eyes. I got her to laugh. Maybe she'll let me go now.
She turns to Forkle. "You want me to go, right? I'm the Moonlark. When should I be ready?"
He looks between us, doing something close to smiling. "Ms. Foster, It really doesn't matter to me whether or not it's you or Mr.Sencen. We really just need a Polyglot. And we don't need someone until tomorrow at noon."
Her face falls. She looks at him and I can tell she's transmitting. She really doesn't want me to go.
She cares. Enough to fight to do something that could get her killed for me.
I love her so much.
They're still transmitting.
Foster's standing in front of me and I reach for her waist and pull her into me, giving her a hug from behind.
She gives up on talking to Forkle after enough frustration filters through the air.
She turns around in my arms and just wraps her arms around my neck, letting her head rest on my chest.
I hold her.
The door closes. Forkle leaves us.
In our room of the safe house. We'll have to get back to him later.
"Keefe?"
"Yes, love?"
"Please let me go. One of us has to, and you should just sit here and watch a movie and wait for me to come back. Maybe take a nap."
I kiss her forehead. "You know I can't do that. I'd be too worried about you."
Frustration surges through the air. "Like I wouldn't be worried about you! I'd be dying here, waiting for you to come back. The battle could be days! I don't want to wait that long for you!" She rests against my chest.
"I can't wait days for you. You know that."
"I know. Just... please let me go. I can't let you fight."
I fiddle with her hair. "Are you trained enough, though? I got training and stuff from the Neverseen. And from Ro. And she trained me harder than the Neverseen."
She stiffens. "I--I don't have much of anything. But Sandor's always there, and I have inflicting. And telepathy."
"Soph, I can't let you go if you're just going to die on me. I need you. I love you."
She stiffens against me, processing my words. Word. Love.
She isn't going to say it back, is she?
Her face digs farther into my chest for a moment. When she pulls back, she whispers, "I love you so much," and kisses me.
I freeze.
And kiss her back.
When we pull away, I say, "So, it's settled? I'm going? You'll let me?"
"I--you can go, but just... come back to me. I can't live without you."
"I'll be back... but... if something did happen to me... what would you do?"
She freezes. Pain. "I--I don't know."
"Live for me. Please. Just keep being who you are. And... and move on from me... if I died."
"Wanna go to bed?"
I caught that. But I'll let it slide. "Sure. You go change. I'll be here when you get back."
She grabs some pj's and walks off to the bathrooms.
After a few minutes, I'm changed and she walks back in.
We collapse onto our bed after a long day.
Tomorrow, I'd go off to battle.
But for now, I'll just enjoy being around her.
