Disclaimer: I own nothing. Related to Protector of the Small anyway. I own
other stuff. Like a floor. And a computer. And I do believe I have a
bed. And a pack of gum around here somewhere. . .
It was quarter to 8 and Kel was in knots. She was wearing a dress. Kel. With a dress! What was the world coming to? How had she ever agreed to do this? After knowing Neal for years, one would think that she'd be able to resist his pleading eyes. But no.
Kel smiled warmly at the thought. But what would he think of her in a dress? What if he thought her thighs were too meaty, or her shoulders too muscled? What if he thought she was ugly?
It was thoughts like these that kept Kel in knots. She didn't understand why these thoughts were surfacing. It's almost as if she wanted to be accepted as a woman in Neal's eyes. She had gotten over her crush on Neal ages ago. What was happening? Whatever it was, it couldn't be good for their friendship. This she was sure of.
Kel paced up and down her room until there was a knock on her door. Nealan of Queenscove was standing on the other side, impatiently waiting for Kel to open the door. He wanted to prove Cleon wrong and get the night over with.
Kel opened the door slowly, hiding behind it for as long as possible. She shut the door and stood while Neal inspected her. Eyes wide, mouth open.
"You sure clean up well." He drawled, eyes sparkling with something unidentifiable yet rather disconcerting.
"Why thank you Sir Meathead, you don't look too bad yourself."
Neal was amazed. Kel, HIS Kel was looking good. Really good. The nearly motherly friend of his who always made him eat his vegetables. And she looked like a woman. When did she become a woman? He remembered the spit fire kid he had befriended her first year. But she grew up. Not that she was any less spit fire-y, but a woman. How had he missed it?
Neal was watching Kel rather closely. It was rather disconcerting.
'What is he looking at? Do I look horrible?'
Kel quickly swallowed the lump in her throat, put on her infamous Yamani mask and walked past Neal. Her shoulder brushed his and shivers ran all along her arm spreading through out the rest of her body.
'What was that?'
This was no longer Kel, his 'sexless' friend. This was now Keladry of Mindelan, Lady Knight. His best friend. A woman. A pretty woman. A woman he felt he barely knew anymore. How in Mithros' name had he missed it?!
"Yes, well we should be going now. Come along Meathead or there will be no ball for you. No winning a bet either."
"Yes, yes. Right you are. My lady." He held out his arm and Kel seized it. They walked out the room. Kel locked it and they were off to the ball. Kel fleetingly hoped that things would not turn out too badly tonight.
A/N: Looking back at what I wrote, it was all rather crude. One of the lines had been "How will I survive dancing with her at the ball without getting a hard on?" And I'm thinking. . . So Neal goes from "Hello Kel, my best friend whom I still consider a guy," to "HOW YOU DOIN'? Raar. Les get naked!" So I'm gonna let Neal realise that she's a woman first. And yeah... Gonna try to make this all a bit more plausible. s
It was quarter to 8 and Kel was in knots. She was wearing a dress. Kel. With a dress! What was the world coming to? How had she ever agreed to do this? After knowing Neal for years, one would think that she'd be able to resist his pleading eyes. But no.
Kel smiled warmly at the thought. But what would he think of her in a dress? What if he thought her thighs were too meaty, or her shoulders too muscled? What if he thought she was ugly?
It was thoughts like these that kept Kel in knots. She didn't understand why these thoughts were surfacing. It's almost as if she wanted to be accepted as a woman in Neal's eyes. She had gotten over her crush on Neal ages ago. What was happening? Whatever it was, it couldn't be good for their friendship. This she was sure of.
Kel paced up and down her room until there was a knock on her door. Nealan of Queenscove was standing on the other side, impatiently waiting for Kel to open the door. He wanted to prove Cleon wrong and get the night over with.
Kel opened the door slowly, hiding behind it for as long as possible. She shut the door and stood while Neal inspected her. Eyes wide, mouth open.
"You sure clean up well." He drawled, eyes sparkling with something unidentifiable yet rather disconcerting.
"Why thank you Sir Meathead, you don't look too bad yourself."
Neal was amazed. Kel, HIS Kel was looking good. Really good. The nearly motherly friend of his who always made him eat his vegetables. And she looked like a woman. When did she become a woman? He remembered the spit fire kid he had befriended her first year. But she grew up. Not that she was any less spit fire-y, but a woman. How had he missed it?
Neal was watching Kel rather closely. It was rather disconcerting.
'What is he looking at? Do I look horrible?'
Kel quickly swallowed the lump in her throat, put on her infamous Yamani mask and walked past Neal. Her shoulder brushed his and shivers ran all along her arm spreading through out the rest of her body.
'What was that?'
This was no longer Kel, his 'sexless' friend. This was now Keladry of Mindelan, Lady Knight. His best friend. A woman. A pretty woman. A woman he felt he barely knew anymore. How in Mithros' name had he missed it?!
"Yes, well we should be going now. Come along Meathead or there will be no ball for you. No winning a bet either."
"Yes, yes. Right you are. My lady." He held out his arm and Kel seized it. They walked out the room. Kel locked it and they were off to the ball. Kel fleetingly hoped that things would not turn out too badly tonight.
A/N: Looking back at what I wrote, it was all rather crude. One of the lines had been "How will I survive dancing with her at the ball without getting a hard on?" And I'm thinking. . . So Neal goes from "Hello Kel, my best friend whom I still consider a guy," to "HOW YOU DOIN'? Raar. Les get naked!" So I'm gonna let Neal realise that she's a woman first. And yeah... Gonna try to make this all a bit more plausible. s