Sokeefe Oneshots

Where My Demons Hide

Time: During Lodestar

(A/N This isn't as fluffy as the others, though I guess you can assume that from the title.)

For this, Sophie and Fitz didn't have the meeting with Keefe on the beach. Keefe instead told Sophie about his "legacy" in their conversations.
*

Sophie looked around at her surroundings. The temporary crystal has leaped her to a clearing in a forest. She reached up to touch her home crystal, to reassure her that she had an escape if she needed it. She heard leaves crunch behind her, and she turned to see a familiar blond boy standing among the trees.

"You must be lost." It was the same words he had said when they first met.

Sophie envisioned meeting Keefe in person again since Foxfire a million times in her head, all different. She rehearsed what she would say, and she swore she would keep a calm composure.

But she couldn't stop herself from throwing her arms around him. She felt him slowly wrap his arms around her waist, resting his head on her shoulder.

"I missed you, Foster," he admitted quietly.

"I—I missed you, too. It hasn't been the same without you."

"I know. But, if I get everything I need, I can leave the Neverseen." She pulled away to look at him, really look at him. There were dark circles under his eyes, worry lines on his face. Under her hands, she felt the muscles that could only have been obtained by vigorous training. There were a few cuts of his hands, one even healing into a scar.

"What did they do to you?" she whispered.

"I'm fine, Foster." But he wasn't fine. Not at all.

"What did they do to you?!" Sophie repeated, a little more forcefully. She rubbed the spot under her ribs where her emotions were coiled tightly.

He looked at her, his ice blue eyes flashing with something Sophie couldn't place. He led her to a log and they sat down, holding hands.

"It's never quiet there," he started. "That's one of the reasons I can't really get any sleep. The second is that we train late, and get up really early in the morning. I only get about three or four hours a night."

Sophie squeezed his hand and moved a little closer, close enough that their shoulders touched.

"Most of the training is the physical stuff. Sparring, endurance, things like that. Then there's the ability training." He took a deep breath. "Mine is with Fintan."

"He's not even an Empath!" Sophie felt rage boil in her emotions. She rubbed the spot again, trying to calm it. Why does Keefe need to work with Fintan on his ability?!

"I know. But he said he wanted to work 'one-on-one' with me."

"Does that have anything to do with the 'legacy' your mom talked about?" Sophie asked quietly.

He shrugged. "Maybe. I'm too new to the Neverseen to be told anything. I just have to go along with what they say."

"What do you do when you train with Fintan?" she asked, spatting his name.

Keefe shifted, looking uncomfortable.
"He takes me to the Forbidden Cities, has me read random people's emotions, then asks 'If you could save one person, who would it be?' every time." He mimicked Fintan's voice perfectly, not meaning to, and when he seen how frightened and enraged Sophie looked, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"I'm so sorry, Foster. I didn't mean to do that."

"It's okay, I know you didn't mean to." Sophie let her head lean on Keefe's shoulder, feeling the comforting warmth he radiated.

"Keefe, I have a question." It had been on her mind for a while.

"Ask away," he said after a moment.

"When did your parents start . . ." Sophie trailed off, but they both know what she meant. She couldn't bring herself to say "abuse," even though that's exactly what it was. Throughout Keefe's life, his parents verbally abused him, and he told no one. Sophie was one of the few people he let guard down for, who he told his story to. She watched him, and she seen pain in his eyes. They seemed to be staring at something in the distance, not quite focused.

"I think I was four, maybe five. I remember walking into my dad's office, wanting to ask him about something. He was at his desk, writing something, and I had walked over to him, tapping him on the arm. He was so into his work that he didn't see me, didn't hear me come in. His arm jerked, spilling ink all over his page." Keefe sucked in a breath, and Sophie reached for his hand.

"He turned to me, and said 'What did you just do?! Do you know how long I've worked on that, you imbecile!'" Sophie winced, hearing Keefe mimic Lord Cassius' angry voice perfectly. "He ushered me out, sent me to my room and locked me there, making me swear I would keep quiet about it. My mom wasn't there, and he made sure she never found out."

Sophie didn't want to ask what Lord Cassius said to Keefe to keep him quiet. The two elves stayed silent, enjoying the closeness of each other. Finally, Sophie broke the silence.

"Keefe, I don't know if you know this, but I'll always be here for you, no matter what happens or what you do. Team Foster-Keefe, remember?"

"I don't want you to hate me, Sophie." She noticed he called her by her first name, and knew he truly meant what he said.

"I've told you before. Keefe, I could never hate you."

"I betrayed you guys because I didn't want my friends involved in all the stuff my mom did."

"You're not the only one fighting this battle. It's all of us, and the only way we're going to win is if we work together." Sophie reached for him, placing a hand on his cheek and turning his head to look at her, his blue eyes shining. "Keefe, you don't have to fight alone anymore. We're here for you. I'm here for you. We'll get through this, together."

"You're not alone anymore, either, Foster."

"You're right, Keefe." She leaned into him, and he tightened his arm around her. "We're not alone anymore."

*

Another chapter done! Yay!

And yes, this is a little darker than my other "as fluffy as Iggy" ones. I still hope y'all like it though.

Q. Do you play any instruments?

A. Clarinet for 5 years, and I've played alto saxophone for a few months, but I'm still learning some stuff.

Enjoy, ~Kirs.