Keeper of the Lost Cities Oneshots

|•happy birthday•|

[Modern AU]
Sophie Foster pushed the door to her apartment, her eyes drooping. Yawning, she fumbled with the keys, locking the door behind her, and collapsing on the couch.
New York traffic blared outside of her building, sirens fading away.
Her eyes drifted closed, sleep seeming so inviting. But the doorbell rang, and she groaned. Pulling herself up, she glanced through the peephole. A package lay on the rug, and it smelled like feet.
Wrinkling her nose at the smell, she picked the box up. She stepped back into the warmth of her house, but before she could close the door, twelve faces poked up and shouted, "SURPRISE!"
Sophie screamed, falling over herself as she slammed against the wall. Heart pounding, breath short, she stared at the faces.
A tall, broad-shouldered figure stepped up, their hair artfully messy. "Jeez, Foster. Chill."
Sophie clutched her heart as the figure stepped into light. Keefe Sencen flashed his signature smirk, his strict military uniform at such odds from his smile. His voice was teasing as he drawled, "You look great,"
Sophie resisted the urge to cover the ripped sleeve of her sweatshirt. Instead, she flung herself at him, wrapping her arms around him. Keefe grinned, hugging her tighter.
Finally, Sophie pulled away, voice shaking. "You came all the way here?"
Behind Keefe, another figure stepped out. Sophie gasped happily as her old neighbor and teacher stepped out. "Mr. Forkle! What are you doing here?" [ Btw, did y'all know that 'Forkle' means 'mysterious but loving' which is great. ]
Her former instructor simply smiled.
As the rest of the people stepped out of the shadows, Sophie found her heart overflowing with happiness, full to bursting. But there were still two people who hadn't stepped out.
Sophie cocked her head, the smile on her face beginning to cause her cheeks to ache.
The shorter one stepped out, revealing Biana. Sophie laughed, embracing her model friend. "Wait," she paused, her smile stretching wider. "Does that mean that the other person is,"
She didn't get to finish her sentence as Fitz Vacker stepped into the light, his movie worthy smile on display. Sophie screamed, launching herself into his arms. She buried her face into his shoulder and cried. Fitz just pressed his face into her hair, breathing her in.
After an eternity, Sophie pulled her face away. Here eyes were red, and she faced her parents, sniffling. "Why are you guys here?"
They all shared glances, before Linh exploded and squealed, "Happy Birthday, Sophie!" Wylie tightened his grip around Linh's waist and offered her a smile.
Sophie laughed sadly. "I just be hallucinating," she breathed. " My birthday's tomorrow. " She sank back into Fitz's hold, heart cracking at the sight of all of her friends.
They all shared a glance, and, surprisingly, it was Tam who spoke. "Okay. Now we can say it."
Biana cheered. "It's officially tomorrow! Happy birthday, Sophie!"
At Sophie's confused face, Keefe grinned. "It's 12:01, Foster. The same time you were born. You've been birthed. Congrats."
Sophie smiled, ushering them all into her small apartment, savoring every moment her friends were together.
After all, she thought wrly, I'm just that special.

[A successful Sophitz. Happy Day.~A]