"How's mom?"

Katie sighed softly, brushing locks of hair off Matthew's shoulders. "She's... Good. She was so excited and happy last night when I told her, but this morning..."

Matthew hummed. "She wasn't in it. When did she think it was?"

She smiled, snipping a lock. "That day I threw that pie at you."

Her brother snorted, then laughed. "That was a very long time ago! The day before your fifteenth birthday!"

Katie nodded. "Yeah... Years ago. I remember that you weren't supposed to be back until my birthday and you wanted to surprise me. But, I was mad that day."

"It was..." Matthew tilted his head in thought. "It was about a boy, wasn't it? You liked him, but he liked someone else?"

"Hell no!" Katie scoffed, tugging on his hair. "It was a boy, but not near that reason! He said girls could never be successful in life and guys were smarter and girls were supposed to just stay home, take care of kids and clean and cook."

"Yeah, I remember now." Matthew tapped his chin. "Jeffery, right? You broke his nose for saying that."

"And his thumbs."

"And both of the poor kids's thumbs." Matthew nodded. "I was so proud, wasn't I? Even though I had blackberry pie all over me."

Katie giggled, ruffling Matthew's hair as she set the scissors down. "I'm glad they let me wash and cut your mop of hair. It was going to bug me if it stayed that gross and long and bleh." She held up the mirror so he could see. "If you had come back when I met Shiro, we would have been matching."

"Now you have mom hair," he teased, eyeing her messy bun. She shoved his shoulder, careful of the injury just below his shoulder. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Matthew laughed, then glanced over. "Ooh, Mr. Man is here! Aww, Katie-Kat, don't leave me!"

Shiro chuckled, leaning on the door frame. "Nah, she still has a couple minutes. I just came in to check on you two. Nice hair cut."

Matthew nodded, pinching a lock of damp hair. "Thanks. I like it, too. Why don't you come over here? Let me get to know this guy that's slowly taking my baby sister from me."

Katie groaned and Shiro furrowed his brows. "Okay..."

~

"Your brother is... He's very..."

"Weird. Yeah, I know." Katie sat down in the passengers seat. "But he likes you. I can tell." Shiro hummed and pulled out of the parking lot. "He woke up the same as he did yesterday. He didn't know where he was and he didn't recognize me at first. It took a minute to bring him back, and another for him to remember yesterday... I'm just glad Matt's back..."

Shiro smiled and took her hand. "I'm glad he's back, too. I love seeing you smile like this."

Katie giggled, squeezing his hand. She turned her head to stare out the window, then sighed. "I just... I have something I want to ask, but am scared to ask..." Shiro hummed in question. "What... What happened to our dad? Why was only Matt found? Were there others held captive as dad and Matt were? What happened there?" Questions filed out, one by one.

"Katie..." Shiro kissed the heal of her hand, keeping his eyes on the road before him. "Answers will come. Just be patient." She nodded, smiling at him.

"What did I do to deserve the kindest, sweetest guy in the world?"

"I'm not that kind."

"You so are!"

~

"So, I heard your brother's back." Lance leaned into Katie's cubicle as she worked. "He cute?"

Katie groaned. "He looks like me. Of course he's cute." Lance snorted. "You have a boyfriend, why are you asking if my brother's cute?"

Lance wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Mija, Keith and I are not dating. I've been telling you this for the past... However long it's been since that picnic."

"A long while."

"Exactly." Lance squeezed her shoulders, looking at her messy desk. "Keith and I probably won't be dating for either a long time or ever. So I'm looking into other people."

"Look into Keith." Katie pushed him off and went back to typing. "He's totally available."

Lance groaned, dropping his head. "I can't! I pissed him off last week!"

Katie smiled. "I'm not surprised. What'd you do this time?"

"I don't know!" Lance leaned on his tiny friend, wrapping his arms around her. "I haven't been flirting with other people, I've been totally listening to him while he talks, I take him to the things he likes to do- I've only been thinking of what he wants! I've been doing everything for him, and suddenly, last week, he gets all angry with me! I don't know why!"

"Wait, you've been going on dates?"

"Yeah!" Lance threw his arms in the air. "Yes, I've been taking him out, but he says he wants to wait to be boyfriends, so I'm fucking waiting! I'm waiting, Pidge! For him! What else does he want!? He's like girls! So complicated."

"I'm not complicated."

"That's because you're an it." She raised a brow, but hummed and nodded. "I don't know what he wants, Pidge... Should I apologize?"

Katie hummed, tapping her chin as she leaned back. "And you don't even know what you did?"

"No fucking clue."

"He's just mad at you."

"Yes. Won't even talk to me."

She looked up in thought. "Presents. Bring him gifts. Coax it out of him."

Lance's eyes lit up and he grinned. "Sweet! Thanks, Pidge!" He dashed off. "You're the best!"

Katie chuckled, adjusting her glasses. "I know I am."