pale october twilight

sgetober day eight: agatha

i like to think they got a normal second school year and sophie embraced her never potential eventually (this is just a self indulgent oneshot, i'm still living in 2016, don't think about it too hard)

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All things considered, Tedros thinks he's done rather well at hiding his ginormous, war beginning, world ending, unfortunate, strong, unreasonable crush on Agatha.

He was beginning to be excellent at suppressing the urge to smile at her laugh or brush back that persistent lock of hair that always falls into her face, or- anything of that matter, honestly. Tedros, being the sensible (and shy) person he's always been, was prepared to let his feelings go by like a train burning up the tracks.

In retrospect, he should've been smarter.

"I know your secret." Sophie calls out one day during the beginning of lunch. Tedros eyes snap to her, leaning back on a tree stump. He already knows what she's talking about.

No she doesn't, she's calling your bluff. "Doubtful." Tedros scoffs. Internally, he's trying to figure out how Sophie has him trapped with those four words.

"Oh please Teddy, the only person who's doubting is you." Sophie says, her voice a playful lilt. Tedros winces at the nickname. It sounds like something his mother would call him. He's not fond of it.

"What do you want?" he snaps, already on edge.

"What do you want?" Sophie asks back, voice hardened. "I don't trust your interest in Aggie."

Aggie and Teddy. A pair of dolls for the child to jerk around. Tedros clenches his jaw. "I don't... I'm afraid I don't understand your point."

Sophie laughs. "You're very polite when you want, you know that? What do you want with someone like Agatha?" At Tedros' look, she adds. "I love her, but she's never been very eloquent."

That's what I like about her. Tedros bites to say. Agatha is real.

Instead he says, "Agatha is Good. She's a Good person." and then he asks. "So why do you, A Never, care about what happens to her? I know about your fallout. You were never nice to her anyways."

Sophie looks offended. "She is- was- my best friend, of course I'm worried about what happens to her!"

Tedros quirks an eyebrow. "Really?"

Sophie shrugs, leaning back. "Me and Aggie are more alike than you may think. Dirty roots, big tree... but to my misfortune, and your luck, she's bound to Good like I am to Evil."

"That doesn't tell me anything."

"You're dodging my question. Why Agatha?" Sophie asks, eyes hard now to match her voice.

This must be the more scary equivalent of the shovel talk. You have less of a risk to end up discombobulated with a regular one.

Her shoulders are tenser than anything, and it hits Tedros that she must really care about Agatha.

"She's real," Tedros says, a little shy but fueled. "She's never anything but herself, and she's okay with that. She never lies or cheats, not because she thinks she's better or superior, but because she's never had a reason to. And after everything my whole life has been fake-" Sophie averts her gaze. "-she's like a fresh breeze of air." Tedros says, grinning madly.

"And she never judges you for being less then that." Sophie finishes.

"She's the most genuine person I've ever known. And she never makes you feel like you're wrong, or-"

"Broken." Sophie says, nodding. She stands up so that they can face each other. Tedros tenses up, but Sophie just smiles, unexpectedly real. She looks like the girl from last year.

"You should tell her. But just remember, you're gonna have to share." With that, she walks past him, snow crackling under her boots.

Tedros doesn't know how long he's standing there, relieved or nervous, clear headed, but a burst of light fills the courtyard as he hears the delighted screech of laughter and an bemused yell. Agatha is throwing snowballs at Kiko, who dances away gleefully.

Kiko runs past him and Agatha and him meet eyes. She smiles, eyes crinkling. "Hey Tedros, wanna help me get revenge? Kiko stuffed snow down my back!"

He smiles back and strides towards her. "You go after her while I cut her off by the lunch line."

Agatha smiles back, cupping snow in her mittens. "Good idea officer!" She begins to follow Kiko.

"Agatha! After we're done vanquishing our foe, I have something to tell you!"