Book Two: KOTLC One-shots and More

It's A Date (Keefe POV)

Keefe's empathy mentor was fascinated by the way Foster's enhancing affected his empathy—particularly his claim that he could read heart emotions. As such, she'd been granted permission to attend a couple of his training sessions.

He'd enjoyed having her in there. He always loved reading her heart emotions. Plus, he scored major points with his mentor as Keefe sent Foster mental breezes and Foster described them.

His mentor was fascinated by this connection they shared—particularly by the way Keefe's own emotions affected the color of the breeze Foster felt. The colors changed depending on what Keefe was concentrating on—what he was wanting her to feel—and his mentor started mumbling about research and case studies. Keefe was then tasked with creating a log of the differences he felt when enhanced, and to try to document precisely how he could discern which emotions came from where.

So a couple of days later, Foster came to his room in the Gold Tower so they could set to work.

But he immediately noticed the crush cuffs on her wrists that hadn't been there a couple of days before.

Fitz had gotten her crush cuffs.

Keefe had known it was coming, really, but seeing them on her wrists like that...

He felt like something inside him died.

He felt his shaky hold on the hope he'd been harboring start to slip.

But he hid all of that from her as he let her in his room and he dug out the journal he'd set aside for their empathy exercises.

"You know, it's kind of a big ask," she mused as she settled into one of the chairs. "What if I don't want your mentor knowing all of my emotions?"

Keefe smirked. "Technically I wouldn't have to take a reading of your emotions, I would only have to have you enhance me while I read someone else's," he pointed out. "In fact, we should probably do that so I can really impress her, since I'd also have to sort your emotions from the other person's. And considering your emotions are already so much stronger to me, that's a lot to be dealing with. But either way, don't worry. I only have to list the emotions, I don't have to make any assumptions at the thoughts or situations causing them. Emotions without their cause are disjointed and fairly meaningless to the casual observer."

"Then why do you always seem to know exactly what I'm thinking?" She countered.

"Because I'm not just a casual observer," he reminded her. "I know you, Foster."

Better than anyone.

"Better than anyone," she agreed, unknowingly echoing his thought.

He met her gaze, and there was such warmth as they smiled softly at each other.

But then he remembered those new crush cuffs on her wrists and cleared his throat, looking down at the offending accessories, feeling the smile slide off his face.

And he felt her sudden wave of discomfort.

They got to work, and Keefe still refused to tell her what her heart emotions were, even though she asked.

Even though they hadn't changed.

Even though her heart still loved him, all while she wore crush cuffs bearing his best friend's name. "I'm telling you, there's no coming back from it, once you know," he reminded her. "Besides. There's no point unless you figure it out on your own. It's no good me just telling you."

Would she even believe him if he told her? Would it be wrong to tell her, knowing he was interfering with the happiness of his two favorite people?

"I don't know what you mean."