His Teal Eyes

Explanations- Chapter 2: Fitz

"Sophie wait!" Fitz repeated, knowing it was no use. Sighing, he slumped against the tree, hugging his knees to his chest. After all this time, he would've never guessed her secret. Sophie was one of his closest friends, and it was hard to imagine their friendship blossoming into something more. Still, Fitz couldn't ignore his pounding heart, flushed cheeks, and the smile he was trying so hard to hold back. Now that he knew Sophie liked him, Fitz was beginning to consider his returning feelings towards her. Did he want friendship, or something more? Rubbing temples, Fitz tried -and failed- to rid himself of the throbbing headache pounding in his head. Fitz had thought asking her to reveal her "big secret" would deepen any trust they had lost. How wrong he had been. The secret had only left him more confused than ever.

Any excess feelings for Sophie he had been trying so hard to douse had come rushing back, bolder and clearer than ever before. Fitz gritted his teeth, unconsciously clenching his fists. He had to mend things between them, no matter how much the thought of talking to Sophie made his stomach twist and his heart pound.

Brushing off his pants, Fitz stood up, walking slowly to Havenfield, determination fueling him despite his nerves. Before he could change his nerves, he knocked on the door, rapping his knuckles slowly on its smooth, wooden surface. The door immediately swung open, Grady's warm face peeking out from behind it.

"Um . . ." Fitz stammered, shuffling his feet. "Can I see Sophie?"

Grady's bright smile wavered a little, and his reached over to tousle Fitz's hair reassuringly. "She's okay, kiddo," he said, stepping back to let Fitz into the house. "But I think it's time you and I talked."

Swallowing nervously, Fitz followed Grady into the house's gleaming sitting room. Grady sat down next to a sleek glass table, indicating for Fitz to sit across from him. "Eda!" he called, "can we get some ripplefluffs please?"

"Sure." Edaline's gentle voice sounded clearly from the kitchen. Suddenly very hungry, Fitz straightened eagerly, grabbing a ripplefluff from the table, where they had just appeared, after Grady, who took four in total.

"Delicious, aren't they?" Grady mumbled through bites, wiping his mouth with a white napkin. Fitz nodded, looking at the metal platter, running an anxious hand through his hair, a nervous habit. Grady laughed, offering Fitz another ripplefluff. "No need to look so worried," he said gently, "what's the harm in talking to my best friend's son?"

Fitz relaxed slightly, finally daring to look up into Grady's blue eyes. "Can I see Sophie?" he repeated softly.

"So, tell me, what did happen between the two of you?" Grady asked, leaning back in his seat and resting his head on top of his two forefingers.

"You don't know what happened?" Fitz said, bewildered.

"Not a clue," Grady replied, shaking his head.

Fitz sighed, biting into a ripplefluff, which was chocolate and mint, his favorite- for once, it didn't cheer him. "Well, she finally told me her secret," he began slowly, choosing his words carefully. He knew how defensive Grady once was towards Keefe, and didn't want Grady to think the same of him.

"Secret?"

"For Cognate training, Tiergan has always made us tell each other secrets," he explained. "There's one secret that Sophie has that she's always kept from me. I guess this is all my fault," Fitz admitted, propping his head on top of his open palm. He figured being honest was the only way he would keep Grady's trust.

"I'm sure it's not," Grady said gently.

"Well," Fitz began, fidgeting, "I was the one that pressured her to tell me the secret."