yall are probably tired of my a/ns so just read ig
Keefe stared at Sophie like she had just told him the entire world was a lie. Like everything he had ever known had just shattered beneath him.
Silence stretched between them, thick and heavy. Sophie fidgeted, suddenly feeling small under his piercing gaze.
"Say that again," Keefe finally said, his voice low, controlled—but not in a good way.
She swallowed. "Oralie is my—"
"Nope." He shook his head sharply, running both hands through his hair before gripping the back of his neck. His breathing was uneven. "Nope. Foster, you don't just—just drop a bomb like that on me and expect me to process like a normal person."
"I didn't expect you to freak out," she muttered.
"Oh, I'm freaking out?" He let out a sharp, humorless laugh. "Sophie, you just told me that Oralie—the Councillor—is your actual, biological mom, and I'm supposed to just—what? Nod and move on?"
She crossed her arms, suddenly feeling defensive. "What's the big deal, Keefe? I'm still me."
His jaw clenched. "It's a big deal because that means she knew. The whole time. She knew you were her daughter and said nothing."
Sophie looked away. That was the part she didn't want to think about.
Keefe exhaled, stepping closer. "Foster..." His voice softened.
She still wouldn't look at him.
He sighed and, in true Keefe fashion, he tilted her chin up, forcing her to meet his eyes. They weren't playful anymore. They were serious—soft in a way that made her chest tighten.
"This changes nothing," he murmured. "You're still my Foster. Still the girl who's way too good for me, still the girl I'm gonna annoy for the rest of eternity. Got it?"
Her throat felt tight, but she nodded.
Keefe gave her a small smirk, thumb brushing over her jaw. "Good. But I am gonna have a serious talk with your mother about keeping secrets. And you know I won't be nice."
Sophie groaned. "Keefe—"
"Nope, too late." He grinned now, back to himself. "She's gonna get so sick of me."
Sophie sighed, but deep down, she knew—whatever happened next, Keefe was staying. And for now, that was enough.