You're the Reason// A Sokeefe Human AU

Part 11

   Sophie quivered. She stood in front of the house next to her sister Amy, as they did on that day. Bright, vivid flames consumed their home. It was entirely encapsulated in horrifying wisps of fire. And then it hit her. It was too late.
  A firefighter rushed out of the house, ashes covering his entire body and sweat on his brow. His face looked grim, as if he was withholding something painful from her. She knew what he was going to say, but she refused to believe they were really gone. His face became blurry as the rest of the world around her, but she knew had to stay strong for Amy. She couldn't let this break her.
The firefighter dug in his pocket, pulling out an ashen photo of her family.
  It was all they could save.
Her fist tightened around her bright blue stuffed animal- Ella- an elephant that her parents gave to her a long time ago. Ella's forehead soon became drenched in her tears.
"Mom." She whimpered, breaking down as the world become blurrier still.
A hand held hers. It wasn't Amy's hand. The world around her became pitch black, and her pupils adjusted to focus on Keefe's hand, the only thing now visible. Why was Keefe there?
"Sophie, wake up."
She inhaled sharply, opening her eyes. It was just a dream, or rather, a nightmare.
"Hey, you're okay now. You're safe." Keefe said, his hand gently wiping a tear from her damp cheek. His hand was still intertwined with hers, so that much she didn't imagine. He respectfully tried to take his hand back from hers but she instead tightened her grasp around it.
Her chest tightened. She should be embarrassed to be seen in this pitiful state, but she really just wanted him to stay and hold her hand for just a moment longer while she cried her eyes out. It's the same nightmare she's had since the day of the incident, but it hurt just as much every time.
  "They're dead, Keefe." She said, closing her eyes and blinking back tears. "My parents."
  He squeezed her hand. She was starting to calm down now, the rising and falling of her chest slowing down. She wasn't sure why she wanted to tell him about the fire, but she couldn't bury it anymore. Maybe it was impulse, exhaustion, or both, but she found herself telling him everything. And instead of wearing his usually lighthearted smirk he listened intently to every word she spewed, his compassionate eyes boring into her as if he truly had been standing next to her while her world burned, as if he shared every painful memory with her.
He gently rubbed his thumb against the palm of her hand in a circular motion until her tears stopped completely, and brushed away the strands of hair that had stuck to her face from crying.
  "I'm sure they're so proud of where you are right now, and how far you've come." Keefe said comfortingly. Sophie gazed up at him gratefully.
"I really wish I could have saved them. If only I'd been there in time, I could have-"
"Stop guilt-tripping yourself about something that first of all, was not your fault, Foster, and something that already happened."
"But I want to do something about it, instead of constantly living in this fear that eats away at me every day-" she trailed off in frustration.
"Hey, I get it. The best thing you can do for them, though, is to let yourself heal. It might be a long, gradual journey, in fact that fear might not ever completely go away but.. I know how tough you are, Foster. You'll get through this."
Her heart seemed to melt completely. "And you'll be by my side, right?" Maybe it was too much to ask for, and maybe it was selfish as well. The words just slipped out of her mouth. And kind of, sort of, she wanted him to stay by her side.
"You bet, Foster."
"Thank you." She mumbled, her words strung through a yawn.
"Anytime." He whispered, his eyes resting on her face which, although there were dark circles under her closed eyes. was now completely at peace again.

                                                                            5:30 A.M. (*Keefe's POV.)

      Keefe had set his alarm a few minutes earlier than usual so he could wake up before his father opened the offices again.
It was just loud enough to wake him up, and just quiet enough for Foster and Ro not to wake up.
    Aw, Foster was so adorable when she was asleep.
He was caught off guard last night for two reasons.
  First of all, Foster kissed him. She kissed him. It was all part of Ro's dare though, so it wouldn't matter much anyways. She probably didn't get butterflies in her stomach, or feel anything. Not like how he did. Again, not that it matters!
Right, the second thing. She told him a lot of stuff last night.
  He always had this strange idea that she was this perfect, fierce girl who never went through anything difficult. He was wrong.
She had a vulnerable side too. He was heartbroken for her, but simultaneously loved her somehow even more.
   He wasn't sure what to do with everything she told him, but he was willing to help her in whatever way possible, even if it was just staying by her side. Even if it hurt him that he couldn't do anything more.
He started brewing a coffee. He wasn't a very good cook, but at the very least he could make a good coffee. Foster likes coffee.
"Stop thinking about Foster. She doesn't care about you." He mumbled to nobody but himself, pouring coffee into a cup. It was for Foster.
"Are you sure about that?" Ro asked, startling him. He almost spilled coffee on himself.
"You like sneaking up on people, don't you?" Keefe sputtered, trying to regain some control over his shaken body.
Ro snickered in response.
Keefe opened his mouth, but Ro interrupted.
"You can't hide it from me anymore, lover boy."
This was the worst possible situation to be in, and the worst person to entrust any secrets with.
"It's not like that. I just think about her a lot." He said under his breath. Ro put an arm on his shoulder, taking a sip out of the coffee that was supposed to be for Sophie.
"Hey-" he said. It was too late, she had already drank the entire mug.
"Oh hunkyhair, that's the very definition of crushing hard on someone!" Ro shook him vigorously until Keefe swatted her away.
"You can't tell her. She likes someone else."
Ro shrugged. "Your secret's safe with me."
"Liar." Keefe said with a slight shake of the head. He started brewing another coffee.
"Aw, little hunkyhair is so angsty when he's in love. I never thought I would see this side of you."
"What secrets? Who's in love?" Sophie grumbled from behind them in a sleepy voice, her staticky hair sticking out of her head in a comical way as she sat straight up.
"Nobody." Keefe said quickly, eyeing her wrinkled clothes and frayed appearance with amusement, but then remembering he probably looked just as bad. He fixed a few out of place hairs on his own head. He was the legendary lord hunkyhair, after all.
Sophie stretched her arms over her head and walked over to him and Ro. She seemed about half awake, and gave the rough impression of a zombie who had just risen from the dead for the first time in a decade or so. He meant that in the best way possible.
He proudly handed her a coffee mug which she drank in the span of maybe a few seconds? If there was a marathon for who could drink the most coffee the fastest, he was convinced Foster would win first place without even trying. She was cool like that.
She hiccuped, setting the mug down with a content nod.
"I'm pretty amazing, huh Foster? What other guy is going to make you coffee this early in the morning?" He swished his hair back.
She gave him a weary sigh. Well, at least she drank the coffee.
Sophie's phone rang. (Thankfully she was able to charge it again overnight.)
"What is it Bi?" Sophie asked, clearing her morning voice. Bi. Biana? Keefe nonchalantly eavesdropped- overheard- that is, their conversation.
"Biana wants me to ask if you'll come over to their house for dinner in a couple of days." Sophie explained. "She will be there, Dex, Tam, Linh, maybe a few other people. Oh yeah- and Fitz."
She paused. Biana said something in a raised voice over the phone.
"Fine, I'll tell him." Sophie assured her.
"Uh, I guess I should mention it's for my birthday." She said sheepishly.
That's all it took. "I'll be there." He said instantly.
"Really? She smiled.
"You bet, Foster. And I will bring the best present. In fact, after you open my present, nothing else you ever receive will be even close in comparison to it's amazingness."
Sophie looked skeptical but she nodded. "If you say so. It had better be as great as you make it sound." She warned.
"It will be." He said in a convincing voice.
Now he had to actually figure out what to get her. Oops.