TheKeeperCommunity respectthebangs here is my entry for round one! It's SoKeefe, and it includes fire/burning. :)

ENJOY!!!!

Sophie raced through Foxfire's crowded halls at the end of the day, sniffling and trying to be inconspicuous in wiping the tears away. She thought everyone would be over the whispers after she and her friends had proven time and time again that they wanted to help people. And they had, hadn't they? Helped people that is. They'd risked their lives on numerous occasions and gotten hurt certainly more than once. Sophie knew that by the time it was all over she wouldn't be able to count her almost-deaths on one hand.

That didn't matter to them though.

They still insisted she didn't belong.

The human girl.

The weird, ugly brown eyes.

Maybe they were -

"Jealous. They're jealous, Foster." Sophie was snapped out of her thoughts, she looked up and was surprised to find Keefe standing right in front of her. In the shock, her brain wasn't fast enough to notify her ever-failing legs to stop.

So she didn't.

And instead tripped over nothing and fell right into Keefe's arms. "Always the clumsy one," Keefe remarked. "Maybe I ought to say smart things more often, it seems to have you running into my arms."

"Maybe I tripped because I was so shocked that you even had the capability of saying something smart," Sophie muttered into his shoulder.

"Nah, I like my conclusion better."

"That's nice."

"I thought so." Sophie rolled her eyes and pulled back, suddenly realizing she had stayed in his embrace for too long. She didn't look at him for a minute, letting the heated blush on her face cool down for a few moments before doing so.

"Foster, you gotta know I'm right." The adoration and kindness in Keefe's words, along with his hands which were resting lovingly on her shoulders almost made her forget she was standing in a crowded school hallway.

"I wish I did," she mumbled as she turned away from him and pushed his hands off her shoulders. She expected him to prod or make a joke, but instead, he just took her hand and began to lead her in the opposite direction she had originally intended to head.

As they walked, Sophie saw the pointing and heard the whispers. Her face flushed from anger and embarrassment, but when she noticed they were pointing at Keefe as well, it was guilt that flooded her body instead.

Keefe looked back at her as he walked, his face sympathetic, "Foster, how many times do I have to tell you that-"

"You can feel my emotions, yeah, yeah."

"Don't feel guilty." Sophie had entirely forgotten that Keefe could feel her emotions. Her face turned a darker red. "Please, I get enough whispers already. I can handle judgment; I know you can too. You just have to believe in yourself."

Sophie snorted. "Is being an inspirational speaker an Elvin job?"

Keefe stuck his tongue out at her.

She stuck hers back at him, then giggled. The guilt was gone.

The hallways were less crowded now, filled only with the stragglers. She honestly didn't know where Keefe was taking her, but she knew it would prove to be far more enjoyable than her last class in the elite towers. The whispers were even worse there.

Keefe led her down a hallway that she didn't even know existed and up a spiral staircase that followed, his hand never leaving hers. When they finally stopped walking, they had traveled up at least seven floors and were facing a door at the far side of the building. Keefe turned to her, "I need you to close your eyes."

"Oh, so you can bag me and defenestrate me?" Keefe stared at her blankly. "It means toss me out a window."

Keefe smirked, "That's my new favorite word." He grinned like a four-year-old about to be served a giant slice of cake.

"Why," Sophie giggled, "because it has to do with weird acts of violence?"

"No," He met her gaze, "I couldn't care less what the word means, I like it because I learned it from you." He wasn't joking. His face was dead serious.

Sophie's face turned scarlet again. "And just when it was finally going away," she muttered, rolling her eyes. She always hid her blushes from Keefe because it was embarrassing... but he knew right? He always knew. Sophie looked up and met Keefe's gaze with determination.

Bright red determination.

Keefe seemed to understand and instead of teasing her about it, he just smiled. After a quiet moment, they heard heeled shoes making their way down the hallway. Keefe's eyes lit up from the excitement of the possibility of being caught.

"C'mon! Close your eyes!" The excitement was contagious and Sophie found herself doing what he said. She closed her eyes and began to follow him blindly out of the door, laughing quietly all the while. She heard him open it, and felt the gentle touch of his hand on the small of her back as he guided her to whatever was on the other side. Once she heard the door close almost silently behind them Keefe took her hand and led her forward a little more.

A brisk wind ticked her skin and she wondered if Keefe had brought her outside. After about forty seconds and around 78 steps, Keefe helped her sit down on the ledge of something. Then he told her to open her eyes.

The sight that met her was beyond words. It was already late in the day and the sun was beginning to set. She and Keefe sat on the ledge of the roof of Foxfire, probably more than 700 feet in the air.

"Wow," Sophie breathed, as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. It was perhaps the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. The sun was partially set and cast a fiery orange hue as far the eye could see. The beginning of autumn was clear in the leaves of the trees which had already begun their three-month transformation and had turned a beautiful crimson. It wasn't very often that Sophie would become entirely immersed in beauty. She was usually so busy worrying about something. Luckily the Neverseen had slowed down in the past months, but that just meant she had other things to worry about like school and the whispers.

Right. The whispers.

And Keefe.

Keefe stood a few paces behind her, watching her take in the view. "Keefe, I- it's-"

"Speechless, Foster? I do tend to have that effect on people."

Sophie blushed.

Keefe smirked.

After a moment of awkward silence, Keefe moved to sit down next to Sophie. "It is gorgeous, isn't it. I paint it sometimes."

"Yeah," Sophie breathed, "I can see why." Then she turned bright red. It was a stupid question, but if she read into the hints that Ro and Biana gave maybe it wasn't. Right? She steeled her face and turned to face Keefe, her legs dangling dangerously off the edge of the roof. "Do you ever paint me?"

For once, the color of Keefe's face matched hers. "Um... yeah... sometimes I do, with our other friends."

"Oh," so he didn't paint just her. He just painted everyone. That made sense why would he paint-

"I paint you alone though, as well," he smiled meekly at her, "you're more beautiful than you let yourself believe."

Sophie blushed.

Keefe smirked.

"Could I see them?" Sophie asked. Keefe's smirk fell and his face darkened. He rubbed the back of his neck.

"Not really... My dad kinda found them and burned them."

"Burned them?!" Keefe nodded solemnly. Sophie sighed and looked back out at the sun which was even lower now, like a fire in the sky.

"If we were sitting up here, and the world was on fire and you were the only one who could escape, would you? Or would you burn with me?" She watched him think about his answer. She had honestly wanted a clear and straightforward response of 'of course' it's what her's would have been.

"But Foster," He whined, noting how Sophie was upset with his non-existent response, "What about my hair?"

"Oh, stop patronizing me!" Sophie giggled, shoving Keefe a little.

They sat there smiling and laughing until Grady beeped Sophie on her imparter, his face red like a rhinoceros, (Keefe had made a comment about almost seeing steam come out of his ears.) and ordered she come home right this minute and stay away from That Boy.

It became their spot. No one else knew about it, and they spent many an afternoon up there. Together, after the stress of midterms.

When Biana and Sophie were in a fight.

When Fitz started dating Linh.

When Dex suddenly disappeared and couldn't be found for weeks.

When they found him, bloodied and weak.

When Dex was okay again.

When Linh and Fitz broke up.

When Fitz asked Sophie out.

"I was talking to Fitz today," Sophie said nervously. She really didn't want to say this to Keefe. She had an inkling of a feeling that he liked her, or at least wasn't fond of the idea of her and Fitz together, and she didn't want to hurt Keefe.

"Oh yeah? How has Fitzypoo been? With the breakup and all."

"Fine, I guess. He bounces back pretty fast though."

"What's that supposed to mean, Foster?" Sophie could sense a slight bit of worry in the tone of his voice.

"He asked me out."

Keefe burst out laughing, but it was far too forced and they both knew it. "And you told him 'yeah right, idiot,' flipped your hair and turned heads as you strode down the hallway away from him... right?"

Sophie nodded her head no.

Keefe stopped going to sit with her on the roof. And instead, Sophie sat alone.

When she and Fitz started dating.

When he bought her presents.

When he was overprotective when Keefe made snide remarks.

When she and Keefe got into fights about her being with Fitz.

When she and Keefe grew apart.

When she broke up with Fitz.

"Fitz! It's not up for conversation! I'm done!" Sophie hated that Fitz didn't seem to be letting go that easily.

"Why?" He exclaimed, "because you feel bad about hurting Keefe's feelings? That's his problem! Are you not going to be with me when you care about me because you feel bad for Keefe?!"

"No Fitz," Sophie muttered, quietly but sternly, "I'm not going to be with you because I care about you and don't want to give you false hope. And because Keefe is right, he always has been."

After lunch, Sophie slipped a note into Keefe's locker.

Please forgive me.

I'm sorry.

You were always right.

Give me a second chance and meet me where the sun lights the sky on fire.

~ Foster

She didn't see Keefe the whole day, so she didn't know if he was coming. She had hope though, so she went up the hallways and steps to the seventh floor and then out onto the roof.

She waited.

She waited so long she didn't think he was going to come. She kept thinking about what he could be doing.

At first, he just hadn't checked his locker yet.

Then it was, he probably just didn't check his locker at all.

Then, he doesn't want to see me.

Then, he was there. Sitting on the roof beside her, wearing a solemn expression on his face. Sophie turned to look at him and smiled slowly. For a moment he did nothing, then he smiled back, and put his arm around her shoulders. Sophie wasn't expecting it and she flinched. Keefe read her body language wrong and immediately pulled away.

"I'm sorry! I didn't realize- it's too soon I, uh, just I'm sorry-"

"Keefe," Sophie interrupted him, quieting him and resting her hand on his arm. "I was just surprised, that's all."

"So... so you don't mind?" Keefe wouldn't meet her gaze.

"No, it's kinda nice actually." A grin broke out across Keefe's face and he wrapped his arm around her once again and pulled her closer so the back of her head was resting on his shoulder.

"You were right all along, Keefe."

"What was that I said last year about how smart things made you fall into my arms?" Sophie flicked said arms. "You can't argue, though, Foster." It was true she couldn't, and she didn't want to. She was perfectly happy taking in his warmth and letting him be right.

"Keefe?"

"Yes, Foster?"

"If we were sitting up here, and the world was on fire and you were the only one who could escape, would you? Or would you burn with me?" This time, Keefe didn't hesitate a second with his answer.

"I'd burn with you a million times over."

Sophie blushed.

Keefe smiled.

Sophie craned her neck to meet Keefe's eyes head-on. Everything felt right when she was with him this way. The way it should be. Sophie let a small grin make its way across her face, she felt at peace for the first time in a long while. The whispers and teasing and fights could never get through to her if she had Keefe beside her.

"Even if it ruined your hair?"

"Especially, if it ruined my hair."

2207 words, disincluding everything but the actual one shot.