KOTLC Oneshot War

Salt ~ Bad Suns

A/N: just a little disclaimer this is an au where Keefe joins the Neverseen (which is canon) but it's like a different take on it (this one also is far from my best and a struggled a lot with writing it but here it is lol)

𝚃𝚛𝚢 𝚝𝚘 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚛 𝚖𝚎 𝚘𝚞𝚝

The sharp bite of the frigid water clings to the skin on my face as I finish getting ready. For what? No one would say.

It has been three weeks, or at least, that's how long
I think I've been here. Trying to collect information. Trying to help the Black Swan.

Trying to figure out who I am.

I buried the last thought deep, determined to maintain focus as I came out of the bathroom, trying to mentally prepare for what comes next.

"Come on, glitter boy," Fintan startled me from behind, grabbing my wrist. "It's time for your ability training."

My heart goes numb, trying to prepare for the influx of emotions coming soon. I take a minute to remind myself the other reason I'm doing this.

Sophie.

𝙳𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚊𝚜𝚔 𝚠𝚑𝚢

As I make my way outside into the icy air, barely registering as Fintan orders me to do 100 push ups as a warm-up I take the last step to finish the numbing process.

Letting go.

I thought of every memory of my friends and family and Sophie and stored them all away, leaving my heart empty and stone cold.

Ready to be tampered with.

𝙱𝚞𝚝 𝙸'𝚖 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚝𝚎, 𝚒𝚝'𝚜 𝚊𝚕𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝, 𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝?

After I had finished my workout, Fintan took out a blue crystal. We were leaping to yet another Forbidden City, which meant feeling all of the overwhelming human emotions. I stepped into the light, trying to convince myself these days would end soon. Soon I could come back and we could defeat the Neverseen and I could see Sophie again.

𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚝'𝚜 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝙸 𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚕 𝚖𝚢𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝙸 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠, 𝚗𝚘

I sat in silence on the Parisian rooftop, only speaking when Fintan asked me questions about the emotions I was feeling.

"That teenage boy in the leather jacket by the bakery, what is he hiding?"

I found the boy among the crowd, honing into his emotional center. For a moment it was hard to discern my emotions from his as I discovered what he was hiding.

I hid the glossiness in my eyes as I said, "He's hiding abuse. He's been mistreated and he tries to hide it, but it doesn't always work."

Fintan's grin was sickening as he jotted down a few more notes as I tried to ignore the parallels in that boy's life and mine.

Eventually he decided he was finished, leaping us back to the hideout. As hard as I tried, I could not stop thinking about how similar mine and the boy in the leather jacket's emotional centers were. Someone else knew what I was going through.

And with that thought, when it was time, I drifted into a rough shaky sleep.

𝚂𝚘 𝙸 𝚛𝚊𝚗 '𝚝𝚒𝚕 𝙸 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍𝚗'𝚝

Sleep wasn't working. I checked the clock. 3 AM. There was only one person I needed to talk to right then. I took all the necessary precautions, I removed the trackers from my clothes and put them on my cot, did everything I needed to so I could leave.