ɪ ᴛᴏʟᴅ ᴍʏ ᴛᴇᴀᴄʜᴇʀ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ʏᴏᴜ - ᴋᴇᴇꜰᴇx/ᴅᴇᴇꜰᴇ

The Lunch Table

Keefe cleared his throat, gripping Dex's hand tighter.  "We know you've probably heard the rumors by now, but Dex and I are dating."

The two boys stood in front of their lunch table, both of their trays set down, but neither of them feeling up to eating.  Everyone stared up at them in either a mild shock or a faked confusion and Keefe couldn't tell what one hit him harder.

"Wow..." Sophie said slowly.  He could tell she was trying to act surprised, but it really wasn't working all too well.  "Well, we did hear some rumors..."

"Thank you for telling us."  Linh smiled.  "We're all so happy for you!"

Tam nodded with a salute.  "You guys have had sexual tensions since the day I met you."

Dex looked to the side and coughed into his elbow.

Keefe gave a small chuckle and rubbed the back of his head.  "That's so funny."

Tam raised an eyebrow at Dex who couldn't seem to keep eye contact with anyone in the group.  "Are you okay, dude?"

"It's just the first time we've..."  Keefe began.

"It's just weird being out in the open all the sudden."  Dex mumbled.  

Keefe gave Dex's hand a squeeze with a gentle smile.  He leaned towards Dex's ear to whisper, "Do you wanna eat somewhere else today?"

Dex shook his head.  "It's okay."

Biana gave a smile as the two boys lowered themselves into the chairs.  "You two are so cute together!"

Neither of them seemed to know what to say to that, so Keefe just thanked her and nodded along, pretending to pay attention to everyone's conversations thereafter as Dex slowly ate.

"Wait,"  Fitz said, "sorry, but can I ask when you two started dating?"

Dex looked up at Keefe as he put another small square into his mouth.

"Uh, well..."  Keefe sucked in a breath through his teeth.  "Foster, try not to freak, but it wasn't too long before that whole Nightfall incident."

Sophie, not surprisingly, almost spit out her lushberry juice.  "Wait what?"

"Yeah, that whole thing between you two?..."  Keefe made a face and shook his head.

Sophie's halfhearted glare turned towards Dex who sunk deeper into his seat.

"We weren't ready for anyone to know,"  Keefe said in his defense.  "It's not like he asked you for that."

"I - still..." Sophie said.  "You could've stopped me."

"I panicked?"  Dex said with a tiny shrug.  "I wasn't expecting you to do that."

"Do what?"  Tam questioned.  Linh peered in with curiosity as well.

"Ah," Keefe said, glancing at Dex for his permission.  He continued when he revived a single nod.  "We thought it'd be a good idea for Dex to give Foster her enhancer-stopper-thing disguised as crush cuffs, but she was so set on proving to him that he wasn't in love with her that she kissed him."

Tam's eyes widened as he looked between the three of them.  "You didn't stop her?  Dude."

"I freaked out!"  Dex squeaked.  "Neither of us were expecting her to kiss me!"

"I wasn't expecting crush cuffs from you!"  Sophie grimaced.

Biana snorted.  "This - this is quality entertainment."

Keefe rolled his eyes.  "I have to admit I was shocked when he called me that night to tell me what you did."

"Wait," Sophie said squeezing her eyes shut.  "I know it was my first kiss, so I was definitely bad, but did you give me an awful kiss on purpose?"

Tam threw his head back in a laugh as Dex blushed.

"Well it was supposed to be his first kiss too."  Keefe stepped in, saving the Technopath from having to answer.  "And it's not like I would've been too happy had you said it was good."

Sophie and Dex both turned deeper shades.  "You know, you don't have to explain every little thing."  The former mumbled.

Keefe shrugged as though he had no shame.

However, he did in fact, have lots of shame.

Dex cleared his throat.  "Does that answer your question, Fitz?"

The Telepath nodded with a grin, taking a drink of his water.

"Oh!  I have one!"  Linh said, raising her hand.

Keefe turned his attention towards her, as did Dex.

"Where was your guys' first kiss?"

Keefe looked at Dex.  They hadn't figured that out...

"Technically it was when we had to ride the eckodons."  Dex spoke quietly.  "But the first romantic kiss was just at my house.  Nothing too crazy."

Linh grinned.  "Aww.  Where?  What room?"

"My bedroom?"  Dex said slowly.  "I was just showing him a new gadget I'd made."

Keefe bobbed his head up and down like a bobble head.  "He started it."

"I did not!"  Dex whipped his head to the side.

"I kissed the corner of your mouth - that doesn't count.  You turned your head."

Dex gave a dramatic eye roll.  "You just have terrible aim."

"Only sometimes.  I think I scored a pretty perfect dude."  Keefe hid his smile in his cup as he chugged the rest of his water and listened to Biana give some sort of a squeal sound.

Dex's face had practically turned red and Keefe took it as an opportunity to kiss his cheek.  Might as well give their best show, right?

Linh held her hand to her heart.  "This is one of the cutest things I've seen."

"Isn't he?"  Keefe sighed dreamily.  Dex kicked his shin under the table.