Kam

## **The Beginning**

**"Ya know, we have a lot in common."**

**"You know I hate you, right?"**

**Keefe snorted. "No, you don't."**

**"Yes, I do," Tam said back.**

**"We both liked Biana. Well, you still do like her."**

**"No, I don't."**

**"Why not?" Keefe asked curiously.**

**"She's... not my type."**

**"I bet you do like her."**

**"NO!"**

**"I'm going to ask her out just to make you jealous."**

**"Don't do that."**

**"Why not? Because you're in love with her? If you don't like her, let me ask her out!"**

**"NO!"**

**"WHY SHOULDN'T I ASK HER OUT, THEN!?"**

**"I DON'T WANT YOU TO ASK HER OUT BECAUSE I LIKE YOU!!"**

**Keefe went silent.**

**Tam started to storm away.**

**Keefe grabbed his arm. "Tam! Wait! I... I'm sorry. I didn't know you were-"**

**"Well I am! And leave me alone. I know you'll just make fun of me and make stupid jokes..."**

**"Why would I do that?" There was a long silence.**

**Tam blushed and walked away.**

**"So... he likes you back?”**

**"I don't know."**

**"Well, I'm going to go visit Wylie."**

**"You like him, don't you?"**

**She smiled bashfully. "Maybe."**

**"I have a feeling Keefe is going to make fun of me for being gay."**

**"Now why would I do that?"**

**They both whirl around to see Keefe standing at the open front door of their house.**

**"Wh-what are you doing here?" stuttered Tam, obviously caught off guard.**

**Linh smiled and walked out.**

**Tam shuffled his feet and stared at the floor. Keefe smirked.**

**"What do you want?" demanded Tam after a long uncomfortable silence.**

**Keefe grabbed his hand. "Will you go out with me?"**

**"What!?"**

**He winced. "Is that a no?"**

**"It's... you like me?"**

**"Um. Yes. Is that bad?"**

**"No! I mean... what? Yes! I'll go out with you."**

**"Great! My dad will be gone tomorrow. Meet me at my house?"**

**"Sure!"**

**"So.... we're on a date."**

**"Yup."**

**\*long silence\***

**"Do you want some mallowmelt?"**

**"Sure."**

**They sat on the couch to eat mallowmelt together.**

**"You should show me how to make my hair like that," suggested Tam.**

**"No way, your hair is awesome."**

**"Really?" Tam blushed.**

**"Yeah. You look really... cute..."**

**Tam's face went red. "I... like your hair better."**

**Tam then took a bite of his mallowmelt to keep himself from saying anything stupid.**

**But then the stupid words came out. "I've liked you for a while."**

**"Me, too."**

**"Can I kiss you?"**

**Keefe stared at him; jaw dropped. "I... I've never actually kissed anyone before."**

**"What? Really?"**

**"I kissed Biana on the cheek once."**

**"Well..."**

**"I mean, yes! You can kiss me... I'll just have no idea what to do with my face..."**

**Tam blushed.**

**Then, he leaned forward...**

**And Cassius came in through the front door.**

**Cassius stared at them. "What is going on?"**

**"N-nothing."**

**"You were going to kiss him, weren't you?"**

**"N-no," Keefe stuttered.**

**"You're GAY!?"**

**Keefe winced. "I-I-"**

**"That's disgusting! And YOU!" He glared at Tam. "Get out."**

**Tam looked over and saw Keefe fighting back tears. "No!"**

**Cassius seemed surprised.**

**"How could you SAY that to him!? He's your SON!"**

**"Tam, you don't have to-" Keefe tried to protest.**

**"Stop it! Yes, I do! I care about you!"**

**Keefe looked down.**

**Cassius gagged.**

**The sound of Cassius gagging angered Tam so much that he stood up and punched Cassius as hard as he could. Cassius stumbled back, howling in pain.**

**Then, Tam grabbed Keefe and they ran as fast as possible out of the house. Tam pulled out his home crystal and leapt them to his house.**

**"Y-you just punched my dad..." Keefe stuttered.**

**"He's a jerk! And I love you."**

**Keefe suddenly teared up. "You... really?"**

**Before he could change his mind, Tam Song grabbed Keefe Sencen by the shoulders and kissed him hard on the lips.**

**A muffled curse word came from Keefe before he hesitantly gave into the kiss.**

**Linh squealed. "Yes! You kissed him!? What was it like? Did he kiss back? Is he your BOYFRIEND!?"**

**Tam smiled. "Why are you more excited than I am?"**

**"Because it's ADORABLE!"**

**"Okay, okay. Take it easy. Yeah...I guess he's my boyfriend."**

**"Damn right, I am."**

**"Wh-... How did you even get here?"**

**"Linh hailed me a few minutes ago and told me she wanted to see us kiss."**

**Tam blushed. "Linh! Seriously!?"**

**Linh smiled innocently. "Well, are you going to kiss him or what?"**

**Tam leans over and gives him a kiss on the cheek.**

**Linh squeals. "Yay! I'll give you two some privacy... " She walks away, winking at Tam.**

**"My dad hates us."**

**"I'll punch him again, if you want."**

**Keefe smirked. "That would be nice."**

**"And I mean it, Keefe. I love you."**

**Keefe blushed. "I love you, too."**

**Linh is heard squealing outside the door. "Linh! Go away!" Tam called, his face reddening.**

**Keefe laughed. The sound of his laugh made Tam blush harder. Keefe pulled him closer. They locked eyes. Tam giggled nervously. He pressed his lips against Keefe's.**

**"I'm so glad you get to be my first boyfriend," whispered Keefe, resting his head on Tam's shoulder.**

**Tam weaved his fingers through Keefe's hair.**

**They silently hold each other for a while longer.**

**"I forgot how much of a jerk your dad is..."**

**"Yeah, he sucks."**

**"I'm sorry about my sister... she got excited."**

**Keefe smirked. "At least she supports you, right?"**

**"Yeah. She's great."**

## **Tam's First Love (3 years ago)**

**Nicolae sat alone, as he usually did, the Exilium mask covering his face. He was a Froster and a Mesmer. He was sent here to learn how to control his abilities without accidentally controlling people or freezing them to death. He had heard of the Neverseen and the Black Swan. He wasn't sure which one was good, or which one was bad, but he did know they both defied the Council. Finally, elf land was getting a little more interesting.**

**His older sister had died when he was young, and he struggled with something humans called... depression. Elves just thought he was a freak. He had been up all-night crying, thinking about his sister, but the next morning, there were newcomers, which took his mind off his emotions.**

**There was a girl and a boy, both with black hair, silver tips, and beautiful grey eyes.**

**And the boy.**

**The boy was cute.**

**At lunch, he sat near the boy, but not too close. He seemed to be protective over his sister. He took off his mask to eat his food, and Nicolae could only stare.**

**Those grey-blue eyes... the intense look he always had... the--**

**The boy looked at him. Nicolae quickly looked away, blushing. His own hair was black, but not as stylish as the boy's. And Nicolae's eyes were paler.**

**Tam looked back at the boy with snowflake eyes... light blue... intricate.**

***No!* he mentally yelled at himself. *This is Exilium, not school. You have no time for silly crushes.* But even as he thought this, he had to glance at him one more time. Exilium would be more difficult than he thought...**

**The next day, Tam's voice filled Nicolae's head. It felt cold and icy... and dark... "Why were you looking at my sister?"**

***I wasn't! I swear!* thought Nicolae quickly. *I was looking at you.***

**Tam immediately retracted his shadow, his face paling.**

***Stop it! No time for silly crushes!***

**"He likes me," Tam whispered to Linh.**

**Linh smiled. "You should leap him to Wildwood Colony with us when we go home later. That way you can talk to him."**

**"No way! I'm trying to avoid stupid things like relationships!"**

**"Relationships aren't stupid, Tam."**

**"Yes, they are."**

**"I'll take him there, if you don't. Just to make you talk to him."**

**Linh held up the small yellow crystal, whisking away the boy and her brother. Everyone took off their masks. Snowflake-Eyes, (as Tam called him) gawked at him. Linh couldn't help but smile. She wandered away into the forest so her brother could talk to him.**

**"So... what's your name?"**

**"Nicolae."**

**"I'm Tam. That was my twin sister, Linh."**

**"Cool."**

**Tam seemed surprised by the fact that Nicolae didn't care if Tam was a twin or not. It made Tam feel... Whatever. It didn't matter. It didn't matter how cute this boy was, he refused to fall in love. Love is stupid.**

**Nicolae smiled nervously at Tam. His hair looked so soft he just wanted to dig his hands into it... but that would be weird. He didn't even know if Tam liked him back or not. He hoped he did. Tam was super adorable. He continued to smile nervously. "So, um... why are you in Exilium?"**

**"I have depression," Nicolae blurted.**

**Tam visibly winced. Wow. He wasn't too good at being social, was he?**

**Nicolae wanted to smack himself. How could he have blurted something so... personal... and embarrassing...?**

**Tam cleared his throat. "Well, I'm here for my sister."**

**"I used to have a sister..." Nicolae mentally smacked himself again.**

**Tam, on the other hand, smiled. "You have no idea how to talk to people, do you?"**

**"It's... been a while." He smiled back at Tam bashfully.**

**"So, you're a Froster and a Mesmer?" said Tam suddenly, squinting at his ability pins.**

**Tam's face was dangerously close to Nicolae's chest as he looked at the pins. Nicolae blushed. The only thing he could think about was, *AHH, A CUTE BOY IS CLOSE TO ME!!***

**"I... yeah." Nicolae continued to blush.**

**Tam watched Nicolae closely. His snowflake-eyes were wide, and he kept blushing and shuffling his feet nervously. Tam also blushed. He debated whether to compliment his eyes and began to imagine how much redder his face would get if he did.**

**"You have really nice eyes," Tam whispered. "They... remind me of snowflakes."**

**Nicolae giggled nervously. "Thanks... I... really like your hair. It looks really soft..."**

**Now it was Tam's turn to blush again. Nicolae slowly reached up and touched his hair. Somehow, his hand ended up sliding down, gently cupping the side of Tam's face.**

**Tam was silent. He pulled Nicolae a little closer. "Hey, Nicolae."**

**"Yeah, Tam?" Nicolae managed to say quietly, overwhelmed by how close together they were.**

**"Would you like to go out with me?"**

**"Yes... I do..."**

**"Consider this a first date."**

**Their eyes locked together. They kept standing there for a while, not kissing, not talking, just staring at each other and obviously in love.**

**Linh was watching from afar, happily picking flowers and making a flower chain, glancing over every once in a while, to make sure everything was going okay. Not a lot of people in the lost cities agreed with Tam's... love preference... and she worried about him in the future. There were no match-making lists for people like that (which made her so mad that she wanted to kick things!), so anyone he picked would be a bad match. Being a twin was bad enough... poor Tam. She loved her brother and hoped the best for him. She looked over at them and smiled as they continued to stare at each other. They did this for a while until Tam suddenly pulled the boy forward and kissed him. She stood up, trying not to squeal, dropping her flower chain. She tried not to do anything too strange, like dance or randomly run over and stand there until they noticed her, but she did give a few small joyous hops and quietly**

**squeal with excitement.**

**Nicolae knew he shouldn't be falling in love.**

**Especially since he already had a boyfriend.**

**The next day, Nicolae knew he had to come clean. He sat with Tam and Linh at lunch. "Tam, I have to tell you something."**

**"Oh no. It's bad, isn't it?" He smiled.**

**Nicolae winced, but still couldn't help but blush at his adorable smile... "I have--"**

**He was cut off by a voice behind him. A boy was calling his name. Nicolae whirled around. The boy came closer.**

**"Oh... jeez."**

**The boy grabbed his hand. His eyes were almost purple, and he had wild, curly blonde hair. He smiled at Nicolae. "Hey sweety, what's up?"**

**"Sweety?" Tam frowned. The boy kissed Nicolae. Tam stood up and walked away. Linh glared at him and followed Tam. Nicolae teared up.**

**The boy looked at him. "What's wrong?"**

**"Nothing, Matt. I'm fine."**

## **Present Day**

**Keefe and Tam sat noticeably close together at lunch in Foxfire. They could no longer pretend to hate each other. Keefe struggled to eat his food with his left hand, because he was holding Tam's hand under the table.**

**Tam leaned over and whispered, "I won't be mad if you let go."**

**"Never," replied Keefe, struggling to get a bite of food in his mouth.**

**Tam blushed. "You're such a dork."**

**"Aw, I love you, too, Tammy." He kissed Tam's cheek.**

**Everyone sitting at the lunch table gasped.**

**There was a long silence before Marella finally blurted, "I knew it!"**

**Linh smiled.**

**Tam scowled. "I can't believe you did that in front of everyone!"**

**"What, kiss your cheek? What's the big deal?"**

**"No one knows I'm gay!"**

**"Oh. I'm sorry... do you not want me to do that anymore?"**

**"Yes."**

**"Well... can I kiss you now?"**

**"What?"**

**"We're alone..."**

**He sighed. "I'm not in the mood."**

**"Not in the mood to kiss me?" He smirked, grabbing him around the waist.**

**Tam tried to glare at him but was struggling to hold back a smile. "Keefe--"**

**"Come on. What if I say please?"**

**"I... maybe." Tam was smiling now.**

**"What if I tickle you?"**

**Tam quickly moved away. "I'm not ticklish."**

**"You pulled away from me awfully fast for someone who isn't ticklish." Keefe's smirk was smugger now.**

**"Keefe, don't you dare--"**

**Keefe pulled him forward and tried to tickle him.**

**Tam flailed away. "Stop it! I swear I'll--"**

**Keefe stepped closer. "You'll what? Punch me?"**

**Tam bit back a smile. Keefe stared at his eyes. "Dang, you have nice eyes."**

**Keefe acted like he was about to kiss him but started tickling him instead. Tam stumbled against Keefe, squealing and letting out an embarrassing snort-laugh.**

**"I hate you!" Tam shouted through snorty giggles.**

**Keefe laughed and stopped. "Aw, I love your laugh!"**

**Tam nudged him. "Don't do that anymore, okay?"**

**"I make no promises."**

**"I hate you."**

**"I love you, too."**

**Tam stared at him. "I... "**

**Keefe was immediately concerned when Tam turned away and went silent. "Hey, what's wrong?"**

**"I... I don't think I've ever had anyone love me before..."**

**"Um, I'm pretty sure your sister loves you."**

**Tam gave him a look.**

**"I know, I know, that's not what you meant... sorry. I'll try to be more serious." Keefe made a serious face.**

**Tam smiled. "No, don't be serious. Be Keefe. I... I love Keefe."**

**Keefe grabbed his hand. "I love Keefe, too."**

**Tam laughed.**

**And they both lived happily ever after.**