TW: EMOTIONAL ABUSE AND MENTIONS OF PAST PHYSICAL ABUSE

"Snow!" Sophie said with delight, forcing herself to not press her face to the window of the unfamiliar house to gaze at the winter wonderland outside, marveling at the first snow of the season the day before Christmas. Just in time.

"Snow," Dex said with disgust, shifting uncomfortably on the hard couch.

It was the first time since they had arrived at the Songs' place that one of them had broken the awkward silence. Mai Song, the twins' mother, was sitting across from them in an armchair quietly, taking a small sip from her tea every so often. She never once lifted her gaze to meet their eyes, only looking up just enough to glance at the small book in her lap and the delicate baby pink flowers on the table beside her. She was dressed in deep reds, and though the dress was similar to Sophie's in color, the swooping, loose fabric of her's looked far more comfortable than the itchy, tighter one Biana had forced Sophie into.

Sophie was confident in her choice to invite the twins to the Vackers' Christmas party. She never saw them with other friends, and they seemed to only have each other, and now her, to talk to. Perhaps this would provide an opportunity for them to "find their people".

Suddenly, Tam appeared in the living room, brushing his silvery bangs to the side irritably. He was dressed in black jeans with rips that looked intentional and a dark gray hoodie. It wasn't exactly party-wear, but characteristic of him nonetheless. He completely ignored his mom, nodding at Dex quickly and motioning for Sophie to come to him. She stood up hesitantly, shooting another uneasy glance at his mom and then following him.

He led her to the house's back door and opened it, not even flinching at the chill as cold air rushed in. He walked out, and after a moment, Sophie followed suit, pulling the fabric of her dress closer to her body as she did so. She'd have to borrow a coat from Biana later.

They stood outside quietly, underneath a covered area that protected them from the falling snow, until Tam abruptly broke the silence.

"I hate them both," he scowled.

"Well, your mom seems nice..." she said tentatively.

Tam shot her a withering look. "She's just as bad as him. She just stands and watches as he yells at Linh and me. It's like she doesn't even care," he burst out. Sophie was surprised to see him talk so openly to her, especially about his family, but she stayed quiet. "She's supposed to be our mother, but she's never once lifted a finger to protect us."

Before Sophie could open her mouth to say something, anything that would ease his pain, the back door cracked open. They whirled around. It was Mrs. Song. She was looking down, as always, and inside the house behind her, Sophie could see people moving. From the sound of it, Quan Song was yelling at his daughter, with Dex sitting awkwardly in the background. Tam's face hardened.

"What?" he spat out.

"Your sister is ready for the party." His mom pulled at her dress as she murmured the words to the ground.

"Come on, Sophie." Tam stalked back in, brushing past his mom without a second glance. Despite what he had told her, Sophie couldn't help but give Mai a small, sympathetic smile, although she didn't see it.

Sophie walked back in just in time to hear Mr. Song's last words to his daughter. "At least attempt to woo Fitz Vacker. As the only girl child in our family, and given your brother's rebellious tendencies, you are our way to rise to the top. It's disappointing that you've never even had one boyfriend, but maybe we have a chance if you manage to snag this one."

Linh's face was covered by her hair, the pretty silver pin in it loosening as she bowed her head, but Sophie thought she saw tears dripping down her face. Linh's fists balled at her side, and Sophie blinked in surprise. She had never once seen Linh even hint at aggression. Beside her, Tam was equally upset, a dark and protective look coming over his face. There was something else there though, a different emotion swirling around in his stormy eyes. He looked sad. Before Sophie had time to dwell on this, Tam grabbed at her elbow and tugged her forward.

"We'll be leaving now, Father," Tam emphasizing father with malice.

Quan looked away from his daughter, catching sight of Sophie and Tam's arms.

"Oh? Have you managed to finally get a partner?" His eyes passed over Sophie thoughtfully, and Sophie had to resist the urge to squirm away. Tam's hand tightened, warning her to stay put. "And a Ruewen. I've heard this one is adopted, but the family name is still good." Tam's lip curled with disgust as Mr. Song turned from them all dismissively.

"Have... fun," the man murmured, and then disappeared upstairs, with Mrs. Song trailing after him.

No one spoke for a few moments, and Dex hesitantly scooted over and put a hand on Linh's back. Sophie had to smile a little despite the somber situation. Dex's ever-caring personality never stopped, even with strangers. Linh lifted her head. Tam loosened his grip.

"Let's go, guys! Forget about this, let's enjoy the party!" she said, and though her smile wobbled, her voice was steady. She rubbed at her cheeks discreetly, trying to erase the tear stains.

Sophie felt her heart break a little, realizing that Linh was used to this. Linh beckoned for them to follow her out the front door, and Dex glanced back at Sophie with a confused look before cautiously following after.

"I'm sorry," Tam murmured suddenly, just for Sophie's ears. His grip was barely there anymore, his fingers only lightly encircling her elbow as they walked.

"For?" she whispered, figuring he didn't want to other two to hear them. He stopped her just in front of the door, while Linh unlocked the car and opened the back for Dex to get in.

Another plus of inviting the twins: Linh was the only one out of the four of them who could drive. A month ago, while they were working at the rink, Linh had talked about wanting to get a car for herself someday, her eyes lighting up as she rambled about the freedom of driving on the open road, miles away from the nearest town. She had suddenly gotten sad when Sophie had asked what kind, backpedaling and saying that she knew it was weird to be a girl and like cars. Sophie had assured her that it wasn't, but the strained expression hadn't left her face. The experience still struck Sophie as odd.

"What my dad said. About..."

"Oh!" Sophie said hurriedly. "No, no, it's alright-"

"No, it's not." He met her eyes sorrowfully. "This is why I don't make friends. My parents will inevitably find a way to hurt them."

Sophie pulled him into a hug before he could continue. The words sounded oddly similar to Keefe's that day at the hospital, and both made her want to cling onto her friends and never let go, or at least until they managed to pick up the pieces of themselves that their parents had mercilessly chipped away. His body tensed, and Sophie's heart broke more as she realized he must rarely get hugs from others, with no parent, friend, or partner who cared. The only person in the entire word by his side was his sister. She squeezed him tighter, and slowly, he put his arms around her and hugged back. It was awkward, and the unfamiliarity of the gesture made him rigid, but it warmed both of them all the same.

"Don't worry about me. I'm strong enough to handle that. What I'm not strong enough to handle is losing you and Linh as friends," she murmured into his ear. "So please, stay."

He pulled back, and the shocked look on his face told her he had never heard those words before. She smiled, and he looked away.

"Yeah. Okay."

She turned and walked to the car, sliding in the back next to Dex. She shifted to buckle her seat belt, succeeding just as Tam entered on the passenger side of the car.

Tam glanced at her, and this time he smiled, small as it may have been. He leaned over to where Linh was sitting silently in the driver's seat, aquamarine-painted nails tapping the steering wheel nervously. He whispered something in her ear, Linh said something in response, and he rubbed her back before leaning back and letting her start the car.

Sophie let her head fall back on the seat tiredly, feeling an overwhelming amount of sorrow and sympathy for her friends who had so little love in their lives.

"What a first impression," Dex murmured into her ear.

Sophie lifted her head to look at the twins, all the murky details of their family life and why they were the way they were clearing. She turned her gaze to look at the world outside the small car window, lightly dusted with snow that looked like powdered sugar that made everything that much more magical.

"Yeah. Definitely."

"You made it!"

Biana's shriek greeted them at the tall, deep brown door, followed closely by a smiling Fitz, who shook his head and welcomed them with a more normal tone of voice. Sophie tried not to pay attention to how good Fitz looked in the dark navy suit that Biana had almost surely put him in. Said best friend of her's grabbed Sophie's hands immediately and pulled her further in the doorway excitedly as if they hadn't seen each other just a few hours ago to get ready.

Because of the party, the golden gates that normally barred everyone out of the massive estate had been flung wide open, and for once, Sophie had to knock on the front door, instead of using the back gate to get in with Biana like she usually did.

"Bi, you need to calm down." Sophie laughed, pulling her hand free so she could tug at the skirt of her dress again. The rest of the group crowded into the doorway with her, and Fitz scooted to the back to shut the door behind them. "You literally just saw me two hours ago when you shoved me into this thing."

"Sure, I saw you! But Dex," she ruffled his hair, much to his very vocal complaint, "I haven't seen since school let out. You don't visit me often enough. I thought we were supposed to be best friends," she declared accusingly.

"Maybe I would if you didn't mess up my hair," he shot back, patting down the mussed strawberry-blonde locks as he glared at her.

She raised a dubious eyebrow. "Since when do you care about your hair?"

Dex blushed, a fiery red that could rival Sophie's own embarrassed flush. "Since- well-" He glanced at Fitz furtively, then looked away. "Ugh, stop bullying me! This is why I don't visit you."

Biana pinched his cheek, so tightly that Dex winced as he batted her hand away. "You don't mean that."

Before Dex could retort that he did in fact mean that, she had moved on to the twins. "And you two! Sophie mentioned bringing you and that you work together! It's nice to finally meet you. I love your hair, both of you. It's so cool! And I adore your dress, Linh," she complimented.

Linh's cheeks turned pink and she stared down bashfully. "Thank you."

Sophie hasn't taken the time to admire Linh's attire, but now that Biana pointed it out, she saw that it was quite stunning. The dress was a similar shade to her nails, with thick straps and long, flowing fabric as the skirt. A thin veil of lace flared out from the waist, covering the skirt and making her look like a princess. She had also dusted her eyelids with a bit of smoky eye shadow that darkened the look, slipped on some glittery grey sandals, and to top everything off, the once loose silver-leaf pin was in place again, pinning her hair back. In short, she looked beautiful.

It was a funny contrast to Tam, in his lackluster but on-brand dark themed clothing, and from the way Biana was evilly eyeing him, Sophie had a feeling she'd find a way to get him in something dressier before the night ended, if he let her get close enough.

And though she had already seen Biana's dress when she had arrived at the Atlantis Mall days before to go dress shopping, the shimmery violet fabric that flowed around her in an even wider, bolder skirt than Linh's seemed even more beautiful paired with the gold heels, earrings, necklace, and rings she had thrown on and the expertly done makeup that Sophie couldn't even begin to describe with her lack of expertise.

Fitz ushered them in the house further amiably, striking up conversation with Dex in the back of their little group(Sophie could hear him greeting Dex with his usual Hey, Deck," and Dex grumbling about it, though it sounded more good-natured and almost friendly than usual on both sides) as they moved down the hall and into the ballroom. Sophie had always though the "ballroom" was a bit over the top, even for the Vackers', but she couldn't hold in the little gasp that escaped as Fitz pushed them into the gaping room.

Even she had to admit that the ballroom looked beautiful. Given how it was both bright and warmly-lit, Sophie could easily see the handiwork of Biana and Della. Thin, glittering fairy lights were strung all around, giving the room an ethereal and almost dream-like feel to it. Huge Christmas trees were stood in the corners, decorated with all kinds of shimmery ornaments and baubles that were clearly chosen by Biana. Under the fairy lights, dim lanterns hung on the walls, basking the room in a cozy glow that reminded Sophie of sitting in front of a fire on a chilly winter's night. On the very opposite side of the room, the curtains of the big windows were drawn back to reveal a snowy wilderness, the sitting area also wrapped with glinting lights.

Biana nudged Sophie out of her thoughts. "Pretty good, eh? If you don't pay attention to the wonky tree in that corner." She pointed to the far left. "My dad attempted to help, nearly fell over, and almost broke the poor tree in the process before Mom shooed him out. And Fitz managed to get stuck in the chandelier, so we had to take it down. Don't ask," she giggled.

Sophie shook her head with disbelief, too stunned to even laugh at the antics Biana described. "It's beautiful, Bi! You and Della outdid yourselves this time!"

Linh made a noise of approval in agreement as the three of them moved to stand in the corner. Tam had disappeared, and Dex and Fitz had moved to one of the small tables scattered on the outskirts of the room.

Biana nodded smugly. "I wanted to hang up mistletoe in here too, but Mom said if people would be kissing anywhere in her house, it should be in the hallways." She shrugged. "I think it's less romantic that way, but I take my chances where I can get them."

Sophie's heart stuttered. "There's mistletoe in the halls?"

"All over," Biana confirmed. "You can't escape the romance."

Sophie risked a glance at where her cousin and crush were sitting and talking in hushed voices, with laughing Dex sitting on a chair backwards and a slightly flushed Fitz on the floor at his feet. Mistletoe... she sighed wistfully. Not likely.

Linh opened her mouth to say something, but then her face turned bright red as her gaze locked in on something behind them, a color Sophie had never seen on her. Her blushes were usually pale pink, and only painted her cheeks. Both Biana and Sophie spun around to face...

A smirking, slightly red-faced Marella, dressed in a deep red suit with a loose tie and a most likely snarky comment on the tip of her tongue.

But instead what came out was...

"Hey, you." She nodded at Linh awkwardly, who's eyes widened as she lifted her hand to lightly wave. Biana's gaze darted between the two of them, the gears clearly turning in her head, while Sophie blinked cluelessly, before she smirked.

"You two know each other?" Biana asked casually.

Linh pulled her eyes away from Marella. "Uh, I've seen her once or twice. At the rink. We've, uh, met. Introduced."

Marella nodded, tossing her braids. Even at a fancy party, she refused to take them out. "Yeah, I want to skate a couple times and we..." her face turned red again, "talked."

Sophie frowned. "But you don't skate-"

Marella quickly stepped on her foot with her dress shoe, hard, and Sophie shut up with confusion. Then, suddenly, the snarky girl grinned.

"Are you," she pulled up Sophie's dress a bit, "wearing boots? How did you even get Biana to let you in wearing those?"

Sophie lifted her foot to fully expose the gray combat boot. "I'm so glad I convinced you to let me wear these, Bi."

"I let you get away with one thing, only one, and you won't stop bragging about it," Biana grumbled. Linh shifted from foot to foot awkwardly, and Biana's glare morphed into a smirk. "So," she grabbed Sophie's wrist, tugging her away from Marella and Linh. "I've just thought of something that I want to show Sophie. It's very important. Come on, Soph." She pulled Sophie away before she could protest, throwing a knowing smirk at the blushing girls as she did so.

"Wait, why are we leaving-?" Sophie asked. "What do you need to show me?"

Biana dropped her hand, putting both her hands on Sophie's shoulders to stare into her eyes deeply. Then she sighed with exasperation, shaking her head. "You," she shook Sophie hard, "are a lost cause."

"Er- okay?"

Biana's eyes widened as she caught sight of something over Sophie's shoulder, and patted shoulder and quickly before letting go. "And I just thought of another very important thing that I definitely have to do. Right now. Would you look at that!" She disappeared before Sophie could even begin to question her.

"Bi, what-"

"Foster?"

Sophie spun around to find Snowflake Boy, running a hand through his blonde waves as always and smirking down at her.

"I knew it. I'd know my Foster anywhere," he said smugly.

Sophie rolled her eyes, trying to ignore the "my Foster" comment and failing. "And I'd know that annoying smirk anywhere."

"It's a good thing you love it, too."

"Sure."

"Nice of you to invite me, by the way."

"I didnt-" Sophie spluttered, caught off guard. "You-"

Keefe chuckled. "I didn't realize you liked me so much. You even had to get Biana to ask me for you. How cute."

"I hate you so much right now," Sophie groaned, trying to hide her face with her hair.

"Okay, okay," Keefe laughed. "I'll stop teasing you. You look nice."

Sophie's face warmed. "Uh, you look good too. I mean, nice."

Keefe's grin broadened. "How can you complain about my ego when you're the one who keeps boosting it?"

"Ugh, I'm done with this conversation." Sophie tried to walk away, but Keefe caught her hand.

"I'm promise I'm done teasing you," he said between chuckles.

"Fine," Sophie grumbled, turning back. He released her just as Fitz walked up to them.

"Hi, Sophie." Like always, Fitz didn't say anything to Keefe, barely offering him a nod of acknowledgement. Keefe's grin looked strained, and he ran a hand through his hair awkwardly.

"I'll, uh, catch up with you later. See you," he muttered, leaving before Sophie could call him back. She felt bad for some reason, but her heard also raced as she met Fitz's teal gaze.

"What did you need?" she said shyly.

"I was just going to ask if you wanted to come with me. To the kitchen, I mean. My mom needs help cleaning up in there, and I wanted to drag Biana down with me, but she's disappeared. Probably off playing matchmaker." He rolled his eyes. "Anyway, I could use the help?"

"Oh, sure!" Sophie agreed, hoping she didn't sound too eager.

He beckoned, and she followed him, weaving through the halls and into the brightly-lit kitchen. The sharp white lighting was a jarring contrast with the softer, warmer glow of the ballroom, and Sophie almost squinted as they entered.

The mess wasn't that bad. Pots and pans were scattered everywhere, and there was quite the pile of dishes in the sink, but a couple of stains were nothing compared to when Grady attempted to cook. With a nod at Fitz, they began.

"Stop, stop it!" Sophie was shrieking half an hour later, running away as Fitz waved a soapy hand around. "Biana will kill me if anything happens to this dress!"

"Well," Fitz shouted back, "Biana will kill me, and then bring me back from the dead just so she can kill me again if I get anything on this suit, and look what you did!" He stabbed at the tiny orange stain at the very edge of the suit jacket with the hand that wasn't covered in bubbles. "Stained it!"

"It wasn't on purpose, I swear!" Sophie said through laughs as she tried to keep a serious face. Fitz's face morphed into an evil grin that was much more characteristic of Biana than him.

"Then so was this!" He reached out a hand and swiped on the side of her dress, leaving behind a thin trail of bubbles as he took off, running away before she could shove him.

"Fitz!"Sophie hollered, freezing as she looked at the soap trailing the kitchen and her dress and the other half of the dishes still left unclean. "We are so dead."

"Not if no one finds out!" He grinned mischievously and took off into the dark hall before Sophie could yell at him again.

"Ugh, Fitz!" she groaned, following him out. Darkness swamped her vision as she walked down the hall, and she waited for her eyes to adjust to the lack of light. She peered at the doors lining the hall, wondering where Fitz could be hiding and if he was even in any of the rooms or closets at all. She was about to try and retrace her steps, back to the kitchen, when she heard a muffled sound coming from one of the doors on her left. She grinned.

"Gotcha," she whispered. She stalked over to the door, waited until she heard another rustle, and then threw the door open.

Instead of a guilty, grinning Fitz, she found Marella and Linh, arms wrapped around each other and foreheads pressed together as they leaned in to kiss. They jumped, flying apart, both of the girls' faces burning red.

"Oh my god, Linh! Marella!" Sophie couldn't help the shriek that left her mouth.

Automatically, tears welled up in Linh's eyes, and she pushed past Sophie before she could form the words to fix whatever she'd done wrong. Sophie slowly turned to face Marella, who groaned and shut her eyes.

"I'm sorry, I-" Sophie tried.

Marella held up a hand. "No, it's- it's fine. Just... it's fine." She brushed past Sophie too, tying her tie, which had come undone from its loose knot, properly as she did so.

Sophie was frozen. She didn't mean to hurt Linh's feelings, and Marella looked so defeated. Even though she had said it was fine, the look in her eyes had said otherwise. Sophie had never seen the sarcastic girl who always had something to say so... dull. She moved to go after them, desperate to sort things out, when she heard a faint voice.

A voice that she knew so well, she could probably recognize it in a room of screaming people.

It was Snowflake Boy's. And he sounded upset.

She followed the sound cautiously, unsure if she was intruding. She turned a corner, noticing a dim light up ahead. She paused, debating if she should go talk to him, when she heard another voice that she knew. Fitz's.

Making a quick, impulsive decision, she darted around the corner and sat down on the floor, uncaring of Biana's dress now. She was far enough away that she wasn't visible but close enough that she could still hear the boys' conversation.

"You just assume!" Fitz's voice rose. "You always assume! It's like all you cared about was yourself! I get it, my family was an escape for you, but it's not all sunshine and rainbows!" His tone was grating, each word sharpened to make a point. "Yeah, I admit it, it was wrong of me to eavesdrop, and it was wrong of me to watch, but you never even gave me the chance to apologize. You just... exploded and I couldn't take the way you seemed to think my family was perfect. It's not, and it never will be. I'm allowed to have struggles too!"

"I'm sorry, Fitz. Really." Keefe's voice was pleading, desperately trying to get through to him. "That day was really... stuff happened that day and then you saw everything and then you were complained about your grandfather humiliating you over your brother and I just couldn't handle it. It was wrong, I know, but everything seemed to pale in comparison to what I was going through. I really messed up."

"Yeah, well... I'm sorry that that happened, and I'm sorry that I focused on myself instead of you, but I don't think we can just fix it. It's not... knowing the way you view my family and I isn't going to go away easy. So just... give me some time, okay?"

"I can..." Keefe's voice cracked. "I can give you that."

It was silent, and Sophie held her breath. There was the quiet sound of footsteps walking away, in the other direction. She waited more, but no other sounds came. Then, suddenly, Keefe came whirling around the corner, faster than Sophie could jump away. He stopped in his tracks, took one look at her guilty expression, and sighed.

"You heard everything, didn't you?"

Sophie considered lying, but that never seemed to works. She nodded.

"Sorry..."

He slumped down, sitting next to her on the floor.

"Well. Now you know." He tore a hand through his hair, mussing it out of its perfectly messy style. "I worked so hard to keep it from you too. I didn't want you to see me for the jerk I am."

"You're not a jerk, Keefe," she said automatically.

He gave her a look. "I'm not going to debate with you on how much I suck because you seem to have this misguided faith in me, but in that moment? Yeah, I was a jerk. I just couldn't see past my mom-" He sucked in a breath, cutting himself off abruptly.

"Your... mom?" Sophie whispered, remembering the woman draped in silver and gold with burgundy lips.

"Yeah."

"What did she do?"

For a second, she thought he was going to shut her out again. That guarded look was starting to fall over his face again, and then...

"It all happened at one of the Vacker parties." He sighed. "My parents were there for once, mingling and drinking with the rest of the adults. I had managed to escape them and find Fitz, and we were hiding in one of the spare room." He smiled softly. "We had stolen some of the dessert for later while no one was watching and snuck it back into the room. Biana found us halfway into the night, and after lots of begging, we finally let her in to share the cake."

He reminiscing expression disappeared, as if he suddenly remembered the end to a very unpleasant story. "But anyway. My mom... she pretended to love me. You know, I always thought, no matter how bad my dad gets... I'll always have her, at least." He chuckled darkly. "But as my life has a habit of spiraling, I was proven wrong. My mom doesn't care about me, and she certainly doesn't love me. If she did, she wouldn't have stood by. If she did, when my dad found out that I had stolen part of the dessert and embarrassed him, she wouldn't have let him drag me out into the hall to yell at me. If she did, when he asked for that empty bottle that day, she wouldn't have given it to him."

He inhaled a shaky breath. "If she did, she wouldn't have watched as he smashed the bottle and hurled the pieces at me. If she did... she wouldn't have turned away when my dad told me I was worthless and left me lying there in cuts." He traced a shaky finger down the arm of his jacket, lost in the painful memories. "They left no scars, but I will never forget the way she had looked down at me and decided I wasn't even worth a second glance." His voice broke, and Sophie felt the overwhelming urge to hug him. "I just... if my parents, the people who were supposed to love me from the very beginning, hate me, then how could anybody like me? How could I... how could I be worth anything?"

Sophie thought about how when she had fallen apart, Dex had comforted her, and how now she was in his position, comforting another. The difference was, all words had dried up and she had nothing to say.

Keefe's fingers tore through his hair, the way they always did when he was stressed, and Sophie could see them trembling. "And on top of that, I find out that Fitz, whose parents and family and life seemed so incredibly perfect, watched me fall apart in front of my own messed up family at his own perfect party, and then tried to complain about his issues? It was too much for me."

He looked up at her guiltily. "Sometimes, it still feels like too much. When I see him having perfect grades, smiling, having fun. Being loved."

Sophie wanted to reassure him, but she didn't know how. "Keefe, I-"

"But, I admit." He turned to face her. "It was also my fault. I lashed out at him for having normal problems. It's not his fault that my problems are... severe in comparison. I can't blame him for having feelings." He smiled brokenly. "It's just really hard to see past your world falling apart, you know?"

Suddenly, Sophie realized how close Keefe's face was to hers.

Very, very close.

And maybe she was imagining it, but he seemed to be drifting closer...

Closer...

Sophie could feel what was about to happen. She wasn't sure what, exactly, but that same, thick tension from Loamnore was there again, coursing through the air. And as electrifying as it felt... it wasn't right. Not for this moment.

So, as much as she wanted to see where it go, where the strange tension would lead them, she pulled him into a hug instead.

It was a bit awkward, and the force of her arms tugging his neck forward made his chin crash into her shoulder, but then he settled. And it felt... comfortable. She hoped that through the hug, he was understanding the words she couldn't find to express how much sorrow she felt and how much she wished she could make things better. She was no Dex, with his healing words and bright smiles, but at least... at least she could do this.

He relaxed in her arms, slowly wrapping his own around her, and they sat there, drawing just as much strength from each other as they gave in an embrace that meant more than words could say.

Sophie walked down the hall mindlessly, her thoughts scattered and all over the place.

Marella.

Linh.

Fitz.

Keefe.

Her mind wouldn't stop repeating what he'd said. She had never realized just how much he'd suffered. And that hug. And the way he'd smiled when he finally stood, tapped her head softly, and walked away. And that almost
maybe kind of moment-

"Oh!" she yelped as she rounded the corner and crashed into someone. When she looked up, Fitz's teal eyes were staring back, rubbing his arm and grinning.

"We seem to literally run into each other a lot more than should be normal," he said, and Sophie giggled. It was a high-strung, nervous laugh, but he didn't seem to notice. He looked up, and his eyes widened. Sophie frowned, and followed his gaze up. She felt her face drain of color as she caught sight of the dainty green leaves hanging over their heads innocently.

"Um..." Fitz said awkwardly after a moment.

"It's not like we have to do it!" Sophie burst out, cursing Biana and her stupid mistletoe in her head. "It's completely fine if you don't, it's just a silly little thing! We don't have to, obviously! I won't be hurt or anything if you-"

"Sophie," Fitz said, cocking his head with amusement. "I want to."

"You do?" Sophie's breath caught.

"I do."

"You do," Sophie said giddily. He laughed, and she laughed with him, but something was bothering her in the back of her mind.

Even as he leaned down to capture her lips with his, the moment she had hardly let herself dream about since she'd first laid eyes on this beautiful boy, she couldn't help the single, irrational thought that bounced around in her head persistently, refusing to leave her alone.

What about Keefe?

A/N: Prepare yourself for lots of rambling below-

pfft consistency? never heard of her
genuinely am very sorry for the lack of updates though, i'm trying to do better but (clearly) i'm failing :')

also been noticing quite a bit of new readers so uh welcome to the chaos

enjoy your stay and ty for motivating me to actually write this flipping fanfic :) hopefully this chonky chapter( nearly 6000 words, wtf @ me) makes up for how long i've been gone!!

i also have the next chapter written and ready to post, so it shouldn't take as long for the next chapter to get put up. it's a sad one( sorryyyy angst is my strong suit, what can i say), and featuring a character that hasn't actually been in ice dancer yet ;)

now cue story-related rambling:

yes i put marella in a suit. i headcanon marella in a suit at any and all fancy occasions SO HARD and i don't care what anyone says 😌👀 and i finally gave you guys that delicious ship content you've been waiting for, bask in the gay my friends

fitz is also a confused bi mess bc these two blonde cousins are ✨confusing him✨

and on that note, i don't want to make this super long but if you want to know any of the other characters sexualities, random facts, jobs/passions, etc etc, go ahead and ask here! i will answer in comments bc i have these characters planned out to the max lmao

also before you blame fitz in this scenario, the intention of the scene and their backstory is to show how they're both in the wrong and nobody is entirely to blame and sometimes friendships fall apart not entirely in your control- just wanted to make that clear!!

also also also(sorry i have so much to say i've been gone so long sjsjsjjs i hate exams why are you like this school), would anybody be interested in a (request)oneshot book? i think it would be good to keep me writing more consistently and would be nice for anyone who enjoys the chaos that is me and my writing for some reason- don't think i'll do it if no one's interested though, so let me know if you want it here!! ——>

OKAY IT'S 3 AM AND I NEED SLEEP THANK YOU FOR ALL THE LOVE N SUPPORT ILY BYEEEEE