KotLC Oneshots

"I should have done better." Sokeefe

Vivaldi26 requested this one. Enjoy! As always, feel free to comment or PM me requests.

Sophie came back up to her room, balancing two plates of mallowmelt. She opened the door to her room with her foot, finding Keefe lying on her bed. "Keefe get up."

He didn't respond. "Keefe," she repeated, starting to get annoyed. When she walked closer, she saw that his eyes were closed and his chest was barely moving. "Keefe!" she cried, dropping the plates.

She ran over to the bed, shaking his shoulders. When he didn't respond, she froze. His condition looked familiar. She pressed her fingers against his temples, pushing her consciousness into his mind.

It was a mess, but he didn't seem gone yet. Keefe. Keefe, please. You can't leave.

After the longest eight and a half seconds of her life, his response came.

Foster. Why don't you understand? I always ruin everything.

That's not true. I need you, Keefe.

A rebel tear moistened her cheek.

Keefe opened his eyes, but he stayed lying down. He reached up to wipe away her tear. "I'm tired of staying for you. It worked for a while, but . . . you're strong. You don't need me, not really. You have other, better friends who will do a better job of helping you. I don't want to be staying for you. And I can't find it in myself to stay for me."

"Keefe," she pleaded, her voice cracking. "Don't give in."

"I have so much guilt, Sophie. It's hard not to surrender."

Sophie took a deep breath before trying another route. "I think the reason humans handle guilt better is that they have more experience with it. They're used to making mistakes. Elves have this notion that we're perfect, and when we do something wrong, we feel like we're betraying that. But we're not. We're not perfect, and it's unreasonable to assume that we should be. I'm not saying you haven't made mistakes. I'm not even saying that some of this isn't your fault. I'm just saying that it's okay. You can move on; you can get past this."

Keefe didn't say anything at first. He couldn't make eye contact; he stared just below her eyes, at her nose. Finally, he replied, "I should have done better."

"Well, you have a chance now," Sophie insisted. "Prove to me and to yourself that you can do better."

He nodded, wrapping his arm around her waist. "Thanks, Foster."