#//I have officially written more self paras in the first week of having Keeg than I have for my other characters in almost 3 years.

[keegan-fabray]

Center Interview || Keeg & the Kids

[Keegan had just gotten out of the ‘sit down’ part of the interview with Gideon that Sam had arranged for him. In reality, to call it an interview was... stretching it. Gideon had only asked Keeg a few general ‘what if’ questions--each of which was too easy for even him to stumble over--and then borrowed his drivers’ license to run it through the system. Regardless, as soon as Keegan’s background check (unsurprisingly) came up squeaky clean, Gideon led Keegan over to Nikko’s classroom, introduced the two of them, and then let Keegan loose to try his hand at interacting with the kids during play time.

Not wanting to stress the poor man out any more than he apparently already had, Gideon headed back to his office and sent a quick message to Sam to ask him to stop by and discreetly watch Keegan so Nikko wouldn’t have to add it to his already full plate.

As soon as Keegan was let loose, he felt himself relax. Just the energy of a classroom full of kids running around and being so carefree put a smile on his face the way nothing else ever could.

Always excited to meet new people, Nevaeh was the first person to rush up to Keegan and pull at his pants leg, her brother trailing right behind.] “Hi! Are you related to Mr. Sammie?”

[Keeg raised an eyebrow and chuckled as he crouched down to their level.] Am I? N-No, I’m afraid not. I think we might just have the same hair color... [He explained with a small smile.] M-My name is Keegan. What’s yours?

“I’m Beck!”

“And I’m Nevaeh.--Why do you talk funny?”

[Keegan didn’t get offended by the innocent question, and instead just smiled a bit wider and sat down criss-cross on the floor.] Well... have you ever done a t-tongue twister before? Where you have to say a silly sentence as f-fast as you can, and by the end of it, you can’t get any of the words out b-because they’re all jumbled and caught in your mouth?

“I have! Nevaeh has too. I’m better at them though.”

“Hey!”

[Keegan laughed gently at the two of them. He didn’t know much about them yet, but they were obviously related in some way.] I’m sure you’re both wonderful at them, [he assured,] but I bring them up b-because... that jumbled feeling that you get after a tongue twister? Well, sometimes I get that just b-by every day talking. It’s not f-funny, it’s just... a little different. But you wanna know a secret? [He leaned a little closer to the two of them and put on his best stage whisper:] Different is good. If we w-were all the same, the world would be incredibly b-boring.

“...Okay!” [Nevaeh replied after a moment of processing, that answer apparently good enough for her.] “...Can I do your hair?”

“And do you know anything about lacrosse?” [Beckett added.]

I’m... afraid I don’t have much hair to w-work with, but you’re more than welcome to t-try, I suppose, [Keeg offered before giving Beckett a bittersweet smile.] And I’m afraid I don’t. It’s not really... my k-kind of sport. But do you like golf? I c-could t-tell you a lot about golf.

“...What’s... ‘golf’?”

[Within a few minutes, Keegan found himself explaining the intricacies of golf and its ‘little sibling’ mini-golf to Beckett and Memphis while Nevaeh and Thomas put his hair into a bunch of tiny ponytails.

And Keeg couldn’t’ve been happier.]