The Unmatchables (A Keefex Fanfic)

Part One
'''Dex looked down. Keefe was gone. He ran away. A small part of Dex wanted to blame himself. They had just been talking the other day, and he seemed-'''

'''Well, he didn't seem fine, but to run away like that? Keefe was reckless, but not that reckless... he'd come back, right? He'd realize that what he was doing was super dangerous... not to mention how much everyone was worrying about him. Even his dad wanted him to come back. Sophie and Fitz were forming some kind of plan to find him, despite the fact that they had no idea where in the world he was. The Forbidden Cities were huge...'''

'''Dex didn't want to think about it. But he had to! Keefe was his best friend! He missed Keefe more than he liked to admit.'''

'''Now that he knew about Rex being Talentless, he was debating whether or not to tell his dad, even though Keefe had told him to keep it a secret. Keefe didn't want people knowing about his other ability. He didn't even want those weird abilities, and Dex couldn't blame him. But he still couldn't understand why Keefe had to run away. What if they never saw him again? What if something bad happened to him?'''

'''Dex sat up on his bed, glancing out the window. The triplets were playing in the snow with Juline. Rex was riding on Kesler's shoulders. Dex smiled a little as Juline hit Kesler in the side of the face with a snowball.'''

His mom laughed as Kesler wiped snowflakes off his red face.

'''Keefe was breathing heavily. Running. ''Don't stop. Just a little further.'' He heard the gravely road crunch under his feet with every quick step he took. He looked left, then right, then slowed down. He glanced behind him, panting. The person that had been following him was gone. Was it the Neverseen? Was it one of his friends? He didn't know. He just ran. He froze up. The streetlights illuminated everything around him. In the distance, he saw a faint pink light, and took a few cautious steps closer to see what it was, when he heard a rustle behind him and broke into a run again. He raced over to where the light was.'''

'''He stopped. He was standing in front of an antique shop. The neon pink sign in the door said "Open," in curvy letters.'''

He pulled open the door and went inside.

'''"Hello?" a voice called from the back of the shop.'''

'''Keefe looked around at all of the stuff surrounding him. Old pictures, typewriters, vintage music, all things that were foreign to him.'''

'''A man came rushing down a flight of stairs. "Hello!" The man studied him for a moment. "What's a boy like you doing out so late?"'''

'''Keefe shrugged. He was still slightly out of breath from when he was running.'''

'''"Did you see the Help Wanted poster? Here for the job?" he asked.'''

'''Keefe hesitated a moment before slowly nodding. A job. He needed a job.'''

'''The man handed him a broom. "I'm Clint! You got the job. No need for an interview."'''

"I'm Keefe," Keefe mumbled.

'''"Nice to meet you, Keefe!" Clint smoothed his thin mustache, smiling. "There's two more hours before we close up. Be back tomorrow, 7 o'clock sharp."'''

Keefe nodded as Clint grabbed him a duster and steered him up the stairs.

Part Two
'''Dex decided he would write stuff down in notebooks like Keefe did. He wasn't exactly sure what he was doing when he asked his dad to get him the journal, but he felt a strange sense of comfort right as he turned back the cover and heard the first piece of paper make a satisfying crinkle sound. He wrote down everything he was feeling. Sad, because he missed Keefe, angry at himself because he hadn't done anything to stop him. He wrote down a few more emotions: anxious, alone, terrified, frustrated, impatient, tired, and... love.'''

'''He froze up when he wrote down the word. It felt... strange.'''

But there was definitely love there.

'''But at the same time... he couldn't quite pinpoint where he was going with this one. Love? Man, that sounded super cheesy. They were best friends... so maybe it was just... friendship? Not quite the "love" he'd been thinking...'''

'''Dex blinked, staring at the paper. He took a few deep breaths before writing, "I'm in love with him."'''

'''He stared at the paper again. He quickly snapped the notebook shut, knowing he had to hide this where no one would find it.'''

Keefe swept his hair off his forehead and continued to sweep.

'''Clint came over to him. "Hey, Keefe! I'm just about to close up. You can go home. You get paid every Friday."'''

'''Keefe hesitated, looking down at his Batman shirt. The one that Foster and Captain Cognate had given him...'''

He half-smiled for a moment.

'''Clint tilted his head. "Keefe?"'''

"Oh. Um... I don't... have a home," he said quietly.

"Where are you staying?"

Keefe shrugged.

'''Clint sighed. "I'll check you into a hotel, how 'bout that? Then I'll come back in the morning to check up on you?"'''

"Oh, you don't have to do that," Keefe whispered.

"Of course I do! I can tell you've been through some stuff. You need a place to stay. And I know a great hotel that gives free breakfast."

'''Keefe opened his mouth to say something else, but Clint shushed him. "No use arguing. I'm not letting you sleep on the streets."'''

'''Keefe sighed and nodded. "Th-thanks," he said quietly.'''

'''Clint smiled and smoothed his mustache. "No problem. Now go put the broom away, kid, why are you just standing there holding it?"'''

Keefe smiled a little and hurried to put the broom away.

Part Three
'''A few days went by. Dex continued to write things down in his notebook.'''

'''The more he wrote, the better it made him feel about himself. About being gay, about missing Keefe, about Rex being Talentless...'''

'''After about a week, he knew he had to tell his parents. He was getting ready for school, playing in his head what he was going to tell them. He wanted to wait until after school so Rex would have the weekend to process.'''

'''It turned out that Rex wasn't feeling well and wanted to stay home from Foxfire, but Dex still stuck with breaking the news later. He, Bex, and Lex all leapt to Foxfire together. Dex took a deep breath. Today was going to be an interesting day...'''

'''Rex stared at the ceiling. He had been wondering about what Dex had been scribbling in his new notebook. He was completely absorbed by that thing, and, honestly, Rex was dying to see what was inside.'''

'''He sat up in his bed, sniffling, and threw the covers back. He hopped onto his feet and plodded down the hall to Dex's room.'''

Now, if I were a nerdy older brother, where would I hide a diary?

'''He opened up a drawer by his bed. Empty. He sighed.'''

'''He hopped up to see what was on the shelf above his desk. There were weird gadgets and papers, but not a single notebook.'''

After some more rummaging around, he pulled a dark red notebook from under his bed.

'''A wide, mischievous grin spread on his face as he opened it. His smile slowly slipped as he read.'''

'''Wow, Dex was an emotional mess... How come he never talked about this stuff?'''

He suddenly gasped.

"I'm in love with Keefe."

'''He reread the words a couple more times just to make sure he was seeing this right... his brother was in love with Keefe Sencen? The cool guy with awesome hair?'''

'''After the shock subsided, Rex laughed a little. "Wow, good luck with that. He's too good for you." Jokes aside, he silently promised to himself not to tell anyone. As much as he loved spreading gossip about his brother, this was... different. He had a crush on a boy. Honestly, Rex had never heard of that before, but if Dex was doing it, it couldn't be a bad thing, right? Was it bad for guy to like each other. In Rex's opinion, it was weird for anyone to like each other. Girls were gross...'''

Rex read on.

'''A few pages later, he was ready to put the notebook back, when something caught his eye. His name. ''Rex. That's my name...'

Rex blinked a few times as he took in the words written on the paper.

"I just don't know how to tell everyone that Rex is Talentless..."

Talentless?

'''Rex read it again. And again. And again... but the words didn't change. Tears filled his eyes.'''

"... Rex is Talentless..."

Part Four
'''Keefe sat up in his new room. For a moment he almost forgot where he was and froze up. It took him a couple seconds to realize that he had run away, got a job in the Forbidden Cities, and his boss, Clint, had gotten him a room in a hotel. He checked the clock. 7 am. He took a deep breath, throwing the covers off and going over to the closet. He reached for his batman shirt. Someone must've washed it last night because it smelled clean...'''

'''He hurried to the bathroom, changed out of his pajamas, brushed his teeth, and got ready for his first day of... work.'''

It felt weird to be working...

And getting paid...

In the human world.

'''He slowly left his room and headed down the stairs. No way he was using an elevator. Those things were terrifying.'''

'''He got to the bottom step, stopping when he saw a sign that pointed him in the direction of the cafeteria. He stepped into the cafe, looking around. Most of the chairs were empty, except for two men sitting together, eating some kind of sandwiches... One of them had red hair, and kind of looked like Dex, and the other one had dark brown hair and brown eyes. He was still getting used to seeing people with different coloured eyes...'''

He watched the dark-haired man lean over and kiss the red-haired man on the cheek.

'''Keefe blinked and looked away. The last thing he wanted to see right now was a happy couple... he kept thinking about... Dex.'''

'''Maybe it was because one of the men looked like Dex. Maybe it was because Dex was one of the last people he had talked to before he ran away. Maybe it was because he really... really missed him. And Fitz. And Sophie. And even Tam.'''

'''Suddenly, someone sat down next to Keefe. It was Clint. "Hey! How did you sleep?" he asked, setting down a plate of food. Another one of those sandwiches...'''

Keefe just shrugged.

"You don't talk much, do you?"

Keefe shook his head.

'''Clint split his sandwich in half with a plastic knife and gave it to him. "You don't have to be scared of talking to me."'''

Keefe stared at the sandwich, cleared his throat, and said in the most steady voice possible, "I just don't like to talk..."

"Oh? Why not?"

"I might s-say something wrong..."

"There's no such thing as right and wrong. Everything is a wonderful mix of good and bad and different things. But nothing is ever 100% wrong."

'''Keefe blinked. There's no such thing as right and wrong. "Thanks," he whispered.'''

"No problem. I can tell you aren't from around here."

He nodded, taking a bite of the half-sandwich.

"Where ya from?"

'''"Um..." Keefe didn't know what to say to that...'''

"Nowhere in America, I presume."

'''Keefe smiled a little. "You can tell?"'''

"Is that the only shirt you have?"

"Uh..."

"You ran away, didn't you?"

"I... I did."

'"Why did you do that''?" Clint asked before taking another bite.'''

'''Keefe looked down. "I was trying to protect my friends."'''

"Protect them? Well, you certainly don't protect people by running away from your problems."

"I wasn't running away," he whispered.

"You literally ran away."

'''Keefe smirked a little. "I mean, I still have the problem."'''

"Well, then, you have to face it."

"But I... don't want to."

"I don't want to run an Antique Shop in the middle of New York City, but yet, here we are. We all gotta do things we don't want to. But it pays the bills."

"Bills?"

"Yeah, you know? If I want to eat food and have a house, I need a job."

'''"You mean they'll take away your house if you don't work?" Keefe was... kind of horrified.'''

"Jeez, kid, where are you from? Mars?"

'''Keefe blinked. "No..."'''

"Well, anyways, you've gotta face your problems, even if you don't want to."

"But-"

'''"No buts." He took another bite.'''

'''Keefe looked away. "I'm just scared..."'''

'''"There's nothing wrong with being scared," he said through a mouth full of food. "Nothing is wrong. I'm not saying you should go back. You weren't wrong to run away. But maybe there was a better solution?" Clint raised an eyebrow.'''

"I don't know..."

"You're talking now."

"You're an easy person to talk to," Keefe admitted.

"Good. Now finish your sandwich, it's time for work."

Part Five
'''Dex came out of his room. Rex was standing there, holding his notebook. Dex's eyes widened. "Rex, why do you have my notebook!?"'''

'''Rex sniffled. "I'm Talentless?"'''

'''Dex blinked. "I... y-yes... I was planning on telling you, I promise--"'''

"Why didn't you tell me before!? I'm going to be Talentless like Dad! Do Mom and Dad know?"

"No. Rex, I'm sorry--"

"And you like Keefe!? He's a boy!"

'''Dex's eyes widened more. "Rex, you can't tell anyone--"'''

"I can tell everyone! Because you never told me that I was Talentless!"

"Rex, please! Give me the notebook back!"

'''Rex ran away with it. "NO!"'''

"Rex! Get back here!!"

'''Rex raced down the stairs. "NO!"'''

Dex raced after him.

"DAAAAD!! DAD!!!"

'''Kesler raced into the room. "Rex? Dex? What's wrong?"'''

'''Rex started to cry. "I'm Talentless!" he sobbed.'''

"What?" Kesler looked at Dex.

'''Dex blinked back tears. "Dad, I was going to tell you, I swear..."'''

"He's not Talentless, Dex. How could you say that?"

'''Dex blinked. "N-no, it's... it was Keefe's ability. He can sense if someone's Talentless or not. Keefe didn't want me to tell anyone because he didn't want people to know he has another ability..."'''

'''Kesler blinked a couple times as he pulled Rex forward, hugging him. "I..." He gulped as Rex cried against him.'''

'''Dex stepped back. "I-I'm sorry, Dad--"'''

'''"It's alright... I just..." He took a deep breath. "Dex, go get your mom. It seems we have to have a talk..."'''

~le time skip~

'''Dex stared at the floor as he walked down the hall. People were staring at him. Whispering about him. Rex was Talentless. He was gay. Two things that weren't very well-liked in the Lost Cities. Just more reasons for people to look down on the Diznee family.'''

He wished Keefe were here to make some kind of joke to make him feel better.

He suddenly froze.

And turned around.

And pulled out his home crystal.

'''And honestly? That was the last time anyone had seen him in the Lost Cities.'''

'''It had been a month since he ran away. Keefe was now working steadily enough to pay for his own hotel room. Clint had become kind of a father figure to him. They even had dinner every night.'''

'''It was a Friday morning. Keefe was dusting off a few shelves when he heard a loud crash from outside. He hurried to the  window, eyes wide. There he saw a man shouting at a kid with familiar strawberry-blonde hair.'''

'''Keefe's eyes widened. He dropped the little duster he was using and raced outside. "HEY! STOP!!"'''

'''The man's entire body froze. He couldn't move.'''

'''The boy stepped back and looked at Keefe. "Keefe!"'''

"Dex! Wh-what are you doing here!? You shouldn't be here! Th-this shouldn't be happening..."

Part Six
'''The man was still frozen in his spot. "Leave, and forget this happened," Keefe demanded. The man wandered away.'''

'''Dex looked at Keefe and teared up. "I just had to leave... People found out Rex was Talentless, and that I kept it a secret, and that I'm gay, and--"'''

'''"Wait, you're gay?" Not the right thing to be focused on right now, he scolded himself.'''

"--and everything in my life is just falling apart! A few days ago there were people threatening me..."

"Threatening you!?"

'''"I made my family worse, Keefe! I just made it worse! People already hate me!" Dex was on the brink of tears. "I just couldn't do it, Keefe! A-and I missed you so much... I..."'''

'''Keefe blinked, looking at him. "I missed you, too--"'''

Dex hugged him, struggling not to cry.

'''Keefe gently wrapped his arms around him. "Dex... I'm so sorry that happened... but... h-how did you find me?"'''

'''Dex looked down. "I tracked your impartner. Grady told everyone you took it with you when you left, so I found a way to track it." Dex kept hugging him.'''

"I'm... actually really glad you're here. I've been thinking about you a lot..."

'''Dex's head snapped up in surprise. He locked eyes with him. "Y-you have?"'''

"You were one of the last people I talked to before I came here. And I'm the reason you knew Rex was Talentless..."

"Oh, Keefe, don't blame yourself for that."

'''Keefe shrugged. There was a long silence.'''

'''"Keefe! What are you doing out here?" a voice suddenly called.'''

'''Keefe quickly pulled out of their hug. Dex's face was red. "Clint! This is my friend, Diznee. Diznee? Say hello to my boss, Clint."'''

'''Clint smirked a little seeing how red Dex's face was. "Let me guess... he's your boyfriend?"'''

"My what? No, Dex is... h-he's just my friend," Keefe stammered, caught off-guard.

'''"Uh-huh." Clint was still smiling.'''

'''Dex's face had only gotten redder. "Uh, it's nice to meet you."'''

'''Clint's smile quickly fell when he saw that Dex had tears in his eyes. "It looks like I'll be taking care of two kids now, huh?"'''

Dex blinked.

"Keefe, why don't you show Dex around. Take him to the hotel, show him around the Antique Shop."

'''"Okay..." Keefe grabbed Dex's arm and pulled him into the Shop. He lead them to a room in the back. "Dex, listen, I-I have something I have to tell you."'''

"I have something I have to tell you, too."

"Do you wanna... blurt it at the same time?"

"Yeah..."

"Alright... on three..."

"Okay..."

"One... two... three..."

"I like you," Dex blurted.

Keefe hadn't said anything.

'''Dex's face went red. "I thought we were saying it at the same time!"'''

'''Keefe stared at him. "I..."'''

'''Dex looked away. "I know you like Sophie, I... I'm sorry. I should've never-- I-I'll just go-" Dex tried to hurry away.'''

'''Keefe caught his hand. "Wait! Dex, I..."'''

'''Dex flushed. "What? Are you going to make fun of me like everyone else?"'''

"N-no! Why would I do that!?"

"I don't know! I-I just... I was just scared that you... wouldn't... be the same way..."

'''Keefe blinked. "Oh. Dex. I. I a-am..."'''

"You are? But, I thought you liked Sophie!"

"I do! I. I did... I thought I did..."

"And you don't anymore?"

"I don't know, Dex. I'm just confused..."

"I am, too," Dex whispered, blushing.

'''Keefe gave a shaky smile. "I always seem to find a way to make people blush, huh?"'''

Dex shrugs, still blushing.

Part Seven
'''Clint smiled when they came out of the room. Both of their faces were bright red. "So, what's the tea?"'''

'''Keefe gave Clint a blank look. "Tea?"'''

"Um, yeah. You know... the gossip. The news. The tea."

'''Keefe laughed lightly. "Um, there's no 'tea'."'''

'''Clint raised an eyebrow. "Uh-huh. Sure. No tea."'''

'''Dex face somehow became a deeper shade of pink. He looked at Keefe. Keefe smirked. "Do you have any 'tea', Diznee?"'''

Dex shrugged.

'''"Why do you call him 'Disney'?" Clint questioned.'''

"Oh. That's his last name," Keefe said.

'''Clint smile became wider. "Interesting."'''

"Why are you smiling at us like that?"

'''"No reason." Clint kept giving them that smile. Dex smiled bashfully, staring at his feet.'''

'''Keefe broke the awkward silence by turning to Dex. "Do you want to come see where I've been staying?"'''

"Oh. Sure."

Keefe quietly led them out of the antique shoppe, quietly hoping that Clint would stop giving them that cheesy smile.

'''Dex felt Keefe reach over and take his hand right when they got out of sight from Clint. Dex blushed as their fingers laced together.'''

'''"So, this is where I'm staying." Keefe gestured to the tall building in front of them. "It's a hotel. Also, we'd better get you out of those... elfy... clothes."'''

'''Dex barely heard what he'd said. The only thing he was aware of was Keefe's hand. Holding his hand. They were holding hands. He was holding hands with Keefe Sencen. He tried to act casual, but he was so focused on acting casual, that whatever Keefe was telling him about the hotel went right over his head.'''

"Diznee? Hey, Diznee!"

'''Dex looked up at him, dazed. "Hm?"'''

'''Keefe smirked. "Did you hear anything I just said?"'''

"I... n-no..."

"I asked if you wanted to stay with me."

'''"Oh! I'd love to!" Dex smiled at him nervously.'''

'''Keefe snorted. "You're somethin' else, Diznee."'''

~four months later~
'''"Guess who just got an internship?" Dex called as he came through the door of their hotel room.'''

'''Keefe looked up and smiled at him. "Guess who just got enough money to rent out an apartment two blocks away?"'''

'''Dex laughed lightly. "Who knew this 'human' thing would be so easy?"'''

'''"It was NOT easy, Diznee." Keefe recounted in his mind all the trouble they had to go through to make up birthdays, get all the information they needed to receive drivers' licenses, and the numerous job opportunities that slipped through their fingers the past few months they'd been staying at the hotel.'''

"I know," Dex admitted, "but we're doing pretty good for elves in the Forbidden Cities. We're probably the very first elves to experience something like this! Besides Sophie, of course."

'''There was a beat of silence at the mention of Sophie's name. "I'm surprised she hasn't found us, yet," Keefe says quietly.'''

"Yeah. Me, too."

'''Keefe saw Dex start to tear up. "Hey," Keefe started softly. "Everything's going to be okay."'''

Dex shrugged.

Keefe grabbed his arms, pulled him forward, and hugged him.

Dex sniffled and hugged back.

'''Keefe pulled away and gently swept a tear off Dex's face with his thumb. "Come on," he whispered. "Clint is waiting for us."'''

Dex nodded, taking his hand as they went out of the room together.

'''Clint looked up, smiling. He was waiting for them in the hotel lobby. "Ready to go?"'''

"Yeah."

Dex's eyes were still a little red from crying, but he smiled and nodded.

Part Eight
'''Things kinda felt like they were coming together for Dex and Keefe. They were riding in Clint’s car on their way to go see the apartment that Keefe was going to rent for them so they wouldn’t have to live at the hotel anymore. They pulled up in front of the apartment building. Keefe was eighteen now, and Dex was seventeen. Clint told them that if they ever had trouble paying for their apartment, he would help.'''

~time skip~
'''A few years later, it was Christmas Eve, and Keefe and Dex were just casually hanging out. Dex was cooking, and Keefe was talking to him. After a few moments, Dex sent Keefe out of the apartment to pick something up from the store, but right when Keefe walked outside, he immediately forgot what it was. There was a small box sitting at their doorstep. The box was covered with a blanket. The blanket was covered in a thin layer of snow. Keefe looked at the box curiously before lifting up the blanket. He gasped and ran back into the apartment. "DEX! Dex, come look outside!"'''

"What is it?"

'''"There's..." Keefe stammered, then grabbed his arm, yanking him out of the kitchen and to the front door.'''

'''Dex gasped audibly. "Oh my god!" He gaped at what was inside the box for a moment. "That's-- Keefe, that's a baby!" He quickly picked up the baby, wrapping her up in the blanket. The baby started to cry softly.'''

'''Keefe winced. "Dex, what do we do?"'''

"Well, we can't just leave her out here!"

"We don't have any baby food..."

"Go buy some."

"What?"

"Keefe, go to the store and buy some baby food."

'''He nodded. "Alright..."'''

"And diapers. And wipes. And baby clothes. And maybe a couple toys."

"Dex..."

"Just a couple! And maybe ask Clint to see if he'd be willing to help bring a crib in here."

"A crib? Dex, we're not keeping her."

"I know!"

"We should call child services--"

The baby sobbed, "M-Mommy? Daddy?"

'''Their jaws dropped. This baby was speaking the Enlightened Language... She was an elf...'''

After a long silence, Keefe muttered, "You can scratch the part about calling child services..."

Part Nine
'''Dex had just returned home from the store. It was near midnight.'''

"So, what should we name him?"

"Keefe, we can't name him. We can't just keep a baby that we found!"

"Dizznee, he's an elf. We can't just leave him."

'''Dex bit his lip. "I know... but what happens if his parents come looking for him?"'''

'''Keefe held the baby closer. The baby had stopped crying by now, and was quietly snuggling into Keefe's arms, sniffling softly. "Hey, where are your parents?" he asked gently.'''

'''The boy sniffled. "I don't know..."'''

"How old are you?"

"I'm two."

"Well... do you know your parents names?"

'''The small boy sniffled again. "My mommy's name is Goneril, and my dad's name is Chrestos."'''

'''Keefe noticed a scar on his arm. "Are you okay?"'''

The boy started to cry again.

'''Keefe's eyes widened. "No- I-I'm, sorry, hey, it's okay..."'''

'''The baby snuggled closer against Keefe's chest. "I don't want to go back home," he whispered.'''

'''Dex's eyes were wide, too. Keefe looked over at him. "Dex, we can't... we have to keep him..."'''

'''Dex made a face. "Keefe..."'''

'"I'm not letting him go back home to terrible parents that will hurt him. I'm not, okay? It's not'' happening. We're keeping him." Keefe's eyes were full of determination.'''

Dex dropped his eyes and nodded slowly, knowing that would be the end of the debate.

'''Keefe took a deep breath. "What's your name?" he asked quietly.'''

'''The two-year old sniffled. "Noel," he whispered.'''

"Noel? H-how would you like to stay with us?"

'''Noel hiccupped. "Yeah," he croaked out, "You look nice."'''

"We are nice," Keefe promised.

Dex pressed his lips into a thin line.

~the next day~
'''Dex and Keefe were walking down the street toward Clint's Antique Shop. Noel was in between them, holding their hands, cheerfully and obviously walking down the sidewalk. Keefe looked a little shaken up, and Dex was trying to stay as optimistic as possible. They couldn't legally adopt him until they were married, which they weren't, so how would they be able to explain having a little kid around all the time? They could say they were baby-sitters... or that he was Keefe's little brother... yeah, that worked. Keefe's little brother.'''

'''Dex looked over at Keefe. "Sweety?"'''

"Huh?"

"I have an idea."

'''Clint opened the door, smiling. The bell on the door made a cheerful ding. "Hello! Who is this?"'''

Noel smiled and waved bashfully.

'''Keefe picked him up. "Hey, Clint! This is my little brother, Noel."'''

"I didn't know you had a brother! You never talk about your family."

'''He laughed nervously. "Yeah..."'''

'''Noel smiled. "I'm two years old!"'''

But to Clint, it sounded like babbling, since Noel couldn't speak English.

'''"He can't speak yet?" asked Clint, concerned.'''

"Oh... uhm..."

"How old is he?"

"He's two."

"He should be speaking by now," Clint mumbled, thinking.

'''Noel looked confused. "What is he saying?" he asked in the Enlightened Language.'''

Keefe gave Dex a look of panic.

'''"Uh, Clint!" Dex exclaimed. "Look! A person with an antique album of Rubber Soul by the Beatles!"'''

'''Clint whirled around. "What? Where? That's my favourite band-"'''

To everyone's amazement, there was actually a man standing outside the antique shop, holding a record album of Rubber Soul.

Clint hurried outside.

'''"Shoot, Dex, we have to teach Noel English!" blurted Keefe.'''

'''Dex tore a hand through his hair. "I know, I know. I didn't think about that before.... we can just say he's a slow learner."'''

'''Keefe nodded slowly. "Yeah."'''

'''"I have to learn how to say human stuff?" Noelle said.'''

"If that's okay with you," said Keefe, smiling.

'''Noel gave a dimpled smile back. "Yeah! I like humans."'''

~time skip~
'''It was Dex's 20th birthday. Keefe was determined to get him the very best birthday gift in the world.'''

'''Keefe covered Dex's eyes with his hands. "No peeking Dizznee!"'''

'''"I'm not!" he promised, smiling.'''

A long silence.

"Is it just me, or is the floor getting... squishy?"

"Shush."

'''"Are we at the beach?" Dex asked, trying to take Keefe's hands off his face.'''

"Hey, stop trying to peek!"

'''Dex giggled. "Fine, then. What did you get me? A beach house?"'''

"Uh, no. It's better than that, I promise."

'''He looked doubtful. "What could be better than a beach house?"'''

'''Keefe smiled. "You'll see."'''

"I can't see... cuz you're covering my eyes."

Keefe snorted.

'''After a few more steps, Keefe said, "Don't open your eyes until I tell you." He pulled his hands away from Dex's face.'''

Dex fidgeted nervously.

A few seconds dragged by before Keefe said, "Alright, now you can open your eyes."

'''Dex did exactly that, and gasped. The sun was blinding, reflecting off of the water right in front of him. Ocean water and sea-foam rose up and down the shoreline. The sounds of waves crashing roared in his ears. He felt the wind whipping through his hair.'''

And Keefe was kneeling in front of him, on one knee, holding a small box.

"Dex?"

Dex blinked a few times before nodding.

'''Keefe was smiling nervously. "Happy birthday!"'''

He opened up a tiny ring-box, revealing a silver ring with small yellow crystals embedded into it.

'''Dex broke into a smile and pulled Keefe to his feet before he even had time to ask Dex the question. He kissed him.'''

"Of course I'll marry you," Dex whispered.

"I didn't even ask," Keefe pointed out.

"You didn't have to."

'''At that, Keefe grinned. "I love you,"'''

"I love you, too."

Part Ten
[TW: d/ath]

~time skip~
'''It had been eight years since the day Keefe and Dex adopted Noel. They decided that the easiest way to teach him about both human and elvin cultures was to homeschool him. Noel had just hit his tenth birthday, which was just about the time that an elf would be enrolled in Foxfire by now.'''

'''Keefe and Dex were beginning to question whether or not it was time to go home. After eight years of hiding away, both of them living happily together, how would things change if they went back? They would be a bad match, the Council would want to know where Noel came from (he literally showed up on their doorstep), and their friends...'''

Keefe didn't even want to think about how mad everyone would be.

'''Over the years, Dex had made it a habit to call his dad at least once a month to let him know that everything was okay, but Dex had made his family swear not to tell anyone where they were. He had a feeling that "continuing to live a normal life" wouldn't be an option when they returned. What if Noel was taken away? What was the punishment for running away to the Forbidden Cities for ten years?'''

They continued to debate for the next few days when finally, Keefe got a hail on his imparter that sold the deal.

'''When he saw the name on the screen, he knew it had to be something serious. Grady Ruewen.'''

'''Dex looked at him wearily. "Keefe, you have to answer it."'''

"No, I don't," he whispered.

"Yes, you do. He said he would only hail you if he absolutely needed to, right?"

'''"I know..." He tore a hand through his hair anxiously. "After all these years, though?"'''

"Keefe, answer it."

Keefe took a deep breath and tapped the small screen.

'''Grady's face appeared. "Keefe?"'''

'''It had been a long time since he'd seen a familiar face. Keefe inhaled sharply. "Grady..."'''

'''Grady blinked, looking at him. Taking it in. He looked at Dex, who waved awkwardly. Grady waved back. He cleared his throat. "Keefe... it's... bout your mom."'''

'''His eyes darkened. "What did she do?"'''

'''The imparter screen shook slightly. Grady was trembling. That couldn't mean anything good... "She was taken to prison..."'''

"Exile?"

"Yes..."

"Good," Keefe snapped.

'''Grady looked away. "Keefe, she was killed."'''

'''Keefe blinked. He felt an arm wrap around him. "Keefe, are you okay sweetie?"'''

'''Mouth opened. Mouth closed. No words.'''

'''"It's going to be okay..." Everything else that Dex said was unintelligible. At least to Keefe. His mom was gone...'''

A little part of him always kinda hoped this would happen so he wouldn't have to worry about her anymore, but that little part of him shrivelled up and disappeared.

Keefe snapped back to reality.

'''"Keefe?" Grady whispered. "I think it's time for you to come back to the Lost Cities."'''

Bonus Epilogue Notes
When they show up to Havenfield, reunions begin very fast. Sophitz was already at Havenfield when the gang shows up and they have a lot to say about the Great Keefex Reappearance ranging from hugs to wanting to punch them. All things considered, a reasonable response. To say the least, the main characters have quite the time learning about their new aunt and uncle status. But then the Council gets involved and they want to figure out where Noel came from. It’s not long until they find his bio-parents that apparently have a child that’s the same age as him. The exact same age. Yeah, so, Noel’s a twin and he was dumped by his bio-parents because they’re “oldies.” More legal crap and the Council finally does something right by putting both of the kids under Dex and Keefe’s care. If you couldn’t tell, they’re amazing parents.