Sophie's face came into focus.
"Oh thank God," she murmured, slumping against the rocks next to them.
Keefe groaned as he sat up. "What happened?"
"You faded," Sophie said.
"I faded?" He asked incredulously. "How?"
"I don't know," Sophie held up a small bottle, that was now empty, one of the bottles previously slung around her neck. "Your concentration must have been split when you grabbed onto me."
"Good thing I did," Keefe muttered, pulling himself up. He gazed around. "Where are we?"
"Arcadia, I assume." Sophie wiped her forehead. "It's too hot here."
As she said those words, he became aware of the stifling heat and humidity. The sun blazed down on them, glinting off the treetops, and heating the rust colored rocks they sat on. Sweat trickled down his spine and he tugged at his collar, which already felt like it was choking him.
In moments, he had discarded his cloak, untucked his shirt, and rolled up his sleeves. Keefe dumped his outer vest on top of his cloak. "Should we get going?"
"Where?" Sophie asked. "We don't know where we are." Though, she stood up, glaring with a squint at the sky.
"I do," he said grimly.
That caught her attention.
Frowning thoughtfully, Sophie turned her gaze to him.
"You're remembering?"
"I remember right here," he motioned to the path the stood in.
Rust colored roads, gravelly and dusty, not helping with the already muggy air.
The sides of the path was framed by trees, talk oaks on either side of them, casting shadows below them, along with a steep descent behind them.
But what really caught on his memory was the tunnel ahead.
"That's how we get wherever we're going." He said and pointed to the darkness.
Sophie stared ahead.
And sighed.
"Well, let's get walking."
As soon as they stepped into the shadows, frigid air hit his face.
"Oh that's amazing," Sophie groaned, stopping for a moment.
"Yeah," Keefe agreed.
Minutes into the tunnel, and the cold had crept past his now thin layers.
Sophie shivered. "Okay, I take it back. This sucks worse than the heat."
"I think we're almost out," Keefe said, still walking.
But several minutes later, he stopped. "How is this so long?"
He squinted at Sophie in the barely lit darkness, who was silent.
Keefe cursed under his breath when he saw her trembling body, her lips blue from the cold, and her eyes unfocused. Stepping closer, he wrapped his arms around her, rubbing her gently, but steadily, attempting to get her blood moving.
"You okay?" He asked.
His own teeth chattered.
"I-I'm good." She managed.
He cursed again, regretting leaving their cloaks in a pile behind them.
"Clearly, you're not," he told her, "I didn't think it would be this long. Or cold," he added, resuming the rubbing.
"We just need to keep moving." Sophie said, determined. "And I haven't tried temperature regulation."
They didn't move though. Keefe felt her arms tighten around his waist, and she buried her face deeper into his chest.
"Come on, Foster," he whispered. "It'll warm up if we keep moving.
After ten or so more minutes, a tiny light appeared at the end of the tunnel.
And soon, they were back in the sunshine.
He shivered unconsciously, soaking in the golden sunlight, that didn't seem overly hot anymore.
They sat down on rocks, by a stream of water pouring over the stones in a tiny waterfall.
"There's more tunnels ahead," Sophie said.
"Yeah."
"How do we know that we're not going to take another twenty minute walk in below freezing temperatures?"
"This one's going underground." Keefe answered. "But we could leave. We don't have to go forward."
Uncertainty pooled from her, in stronger and stronger waves.
Keefe frowned as more emotions, each stronger than the last, flooded the air.
All of the emotions were hers.
She just had a certain feel compared with others.
But this was unfiltered.
Sophie was hitting him with all of her emotions.
He glanced down at the dog tag and felt it. It was freezing, but when he touched the Limbium, he hissed painfully through his teeth.
"What is it?" Sophie made her way to him.
Keefe shrugged, trying to feign that it didn't hurt.
"Keefe," Sophie warned, when he tucked his finger under his arm.
He winced as another flush of pain rushed through his hand, but he reluctantly pulled it out.
The Limbium had been hot.
And now, imprinted on the end of of two of his fingers, was a swan.
And it burned.
Sophie let out a breath, gently touching the burn.
Keefe flinched.
"Sorry," she whispered.
Gently, with a feather light touch, she traced the edges of the swan, slowly getting closer and closer to the center, where it hurt the most.
"Your finger's still warm," she hummed.
"Yeah."
Sophie stopped, grabbed his wrist and dipped his hand into the stream next to him.
And if his burn was hot, that stream was freezing.
"Ahh." He winced. "Okay, that's freezing."
"Sorry," Sophie apologized. "Is it helping?"
Keefe shrugged. "I mean, I can't feel my hand, so... yes?"
Her worry was really strong, making his stomach tumble.
"Foster, it's just a burn." Keefe said in a low tone.
"I know. But Limbium is..." she shook her head. "Terrifying, honestly."
He said, "Well, not all of us have an allergy to it." then, in a teasing tone, he added, "Or cool teleportation skills."
"Whatever," Sophie muttered.
But her cheeks were red.
And not the "I'm embarrassed" blushing or the "I'll kill you" flush.
It was the rosy, sweet blush.
The blush that made his stomach fill with butterflies.
The blush that made him thinks he might have a chance.
Sophie pulled his fingers out of the water, examining the burn again. "Better?"
Keefe nodded, flashing her a cheeky grin. "Better if you kissed it."
He was probably pushing it.
But...
Sophie rolled her eyes and held his fingers up to her face. Keefe's breath hitched as she held eye contact.
And she brushed her lips against his fingertips.
(Miss Gurl's getting confident)
A flush spread over this face, an uncontrollable red fire.
(I dunno I just have a headcanon that Sophie is the only person who can make Keefe flustered)
Sophie smiled. "Better?"
Keefe nodded rapidly, brain still scrambling from the sensation of her lips on him. The blush did not lessen. "Better," he croaked.
"Okay." Sophie leaned against him.
She was still shivering lightly, and Keefe subconsciously wrapped an arm around her shoulders. As soon as he touched her, her emotions flooded his mind, and butterflies appeared in his stomach, tumbling in rapid cartwheels.
"Shoot," he muttered.
Sophie glanced at him. "What?"
"It stopped." When she still didn't seem to understand, he pointed at the ability restrictor. "I can feel everything. All of it."
"What?" Sophie asked loudly.
In his ear.
Keefe winced.
"Sorry," she continued more quietly, "Like... what, it stopped?"
"Well, the cold, had a... reaction—uh. With the Limbium?"
Sophie expression was pure and utter confusion. "Huh?"
"I don't know," Keefe shrugged.
A strange expression washed over Sophie, and she scooted away.
"So... you can feel all my emotions?" She murmured, watching him carefully,
"Yeah."
She exhaled, rubbing her chin. "Okay. Well, I guess we should get going."
"Okay..." Keefe squinted at her, but stood up, lifting the chain from his neck.
He held it up, meeting Sophie's eyes past it. "Well..."
Then Keefe grinned. "Say goodbye to hiding your emotions from me, Foster."
Sophie snorted. "Goodbye."
Then he tossed it into the pool of water.
A/N: sorry this is late, I've been at the beach all day today. Fun fact, Arcadia and it's "tunnels" are loosely based off the Hiawatha Trail, a bike ride I went on last summer. The tunnels are old train tracks converted into paths. It's in Idaho/Montana and it's really gorgeous so definitely go if you get the chance. Though, fair warning, it is a fifteen mile bike ride, the first tunnel (the Taft Tunnel) is 1.6 miles long, and it gets really cold in there. Like really cold. And that was in July, so there was warm weather already.
Anywaysssss hope y'all enjoyed this chapter and I'll see y'all next Sunday with another chapter!
Updated: 5-16-2021