Civil war setting:
The Dragonborn decides to take a side in the civil war, and the siege on Whiterun approaches. Kevin is begrudgingly called to participate, because of his knowledge of the city; in exchange, his brother promises he'll be recognized as a "real" Stormcloak soldier.
When the time comes, however, Kevin sees Jesper being thrown in the frontline as a meat shield, and he just can't do it. Luckily, Keith had seen the siege coming, swoops in to grab them both, and leads them to a safe hideout while the battle takes place.
Kevin freaks out, has an existential crisis, and worries he can never go home because of how little commitment he has shown to the cause. Jesper doesn't want to leave his friend alone in that state, and worries that, depending on the outcome, he might either be accused of being a spy because he ran off with Kevin, or lose his job because of his race. Keith has to babysit them. Either way, they lie low for a while, and get into a small routine of being in each other's space and solve issues together.
The ending ultimately depends on the outcome of the civil war, possibly with the Dragonborn's or Dave's mediation to either make Ulfric forgive Kevin, or get him a spot in the Legion (or possibly a higher role, due to being the former Jarl's brother, and not overly interested in rebellion). Jesper and Keith would develop feelings in the meantime, due to being close for a while and surviving together; if Jesper's work-related worries realize, Keith will invite him over to Riften while he figures out what to do next (and help convince him to be a bard, of course).
This is fantastic. I really hope someone writes this because this is really good plot.













