Archive of Our Own ^beta

Knock, knock .

“Katie? You still awake?”

Katie didn’t reply, tucking her head into her lap and hoping Matt would just leave.

A few moments later, she heard the doorknob quietly jiggle, and soft murmuring from Matt as he reached to grab the key from the top of the frame. Mother had never allowed them to lock their doors without some way of getting in.

“In case there’s an emergency,” she’d insisted. Katie couldn’t decide if she was grateful or not for that decision now. The door opened, and she heard Matt quietly step inside, probably to turn off the light. Katie was always falling asleep with the light on mid-project, after all.

“Oh, I thought you were asleep. Why didn’t you say something?” Matt asked upon noticing her sitting on the floor, very much not sleeping. 

Katie just shrugged. It wasn’t like she hadn’t tried , it was sleep’s fault for refusing to come. More shuffling sounds as Matt approached, carefully nudging books and project parts out of the way.

“Hey, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”

Again, Katie could do nothing but shrug, knowing she was worrying Matt but having no idea how to express all the thoughts and feelings swirling through her head.

“Um, okay. Are you hurt at least? Should I go get help?”

Katie smiled into her arms and shook her head. Her brother always jumped to conclusions, but in this case, it was a reminder that he really did care. Maybe she was just being stupid. Some of the tension in her shoulders relaxed. “No, I’m okay.”

“Then what’s up?” Matt sat next to her with a soft, but greatly over exaggerated ‘oomf’, making Katie huff. 

The levity quickly disapperated. “It’s stupid.”

“Lies and slander,” Matt stated. “You’re the smartest kid I know, and I go to a high-tech military academy full of smart people twice your age. Now what’s up, genius little sister?” He shook her shoulders gently, wrapping an arm around her small frame.

Katie smiled again, head lifting from her arms to rest against Matt’s shoulder. She knew Matt had a high opinion of her, but that wasn’t the problem.

“I don’t know how to say it,” she mumbled, not understanding why the words wouldn’t come.

Matt hummed against her, silent for a moment. “Aha. I know exactly what you need!” He said suddenly before standing up, much to Katie’s chagrin. The lights shut off a moment later. Now the only light came through her curtains, along with the gentle flashing of lights from her robotics projects scattered around the room.

“I can’t sleep Matt, I’ve been trying for hours,” she complained.

“Good thing that’s not what we’re doing. Now scooch up on your bed, I’m terrified of accidentally crushing something on the floor.”

“My room’s not that messy,” Katie grumbled, but complied with her brother’s request.

“Wrong people don’t get to have opinions,” Matt reminded Katie of her favorite saying, and Katie could hear his amusement at the opportunity of getting to use it against her. His outline carefully picked its way back across the room, joining her on the bed a few moments later. There was a brief moment of shuffling until they were face to face.

“Okay, now what?”

“Patience, little sister,” Matt reprimanded. “All will soon be clear.” He then grabbed the big blanket off her bed and clumsily snapped it into the air. The fabric opened up like a parachute, falling back on top of their heads with little grace.

“What are you doing?” she asked with bewilderment.

“Making a blanket fort.” Matt pulled a few pillows under the blanket, shoving one into Katie’s arms and tugging on everything to make sure they were both completely covered. “Don’t you know that the best place to share secrets is in the dark under a blanket? Only improved with a cup of hot chocolate and the knowledge of precipitation outside.”

“This is ridiculous,” Katie snorted. “I can’t see anything now.”

“But you feel better already, don’t you?”

“...maybe.” She did. Something about the gentle weight on her shoulders, the soft pillow pressed against her stomach, and the knowledge that, if she couldn’t see anything, then Matt couldn’t either, felt right. Her shoulders dropped a bit more.

Matt was silent, waiting as Katie struggled with her words before settling on, “Do you think I’m a know-it-all?”

“Of course you are,” Matt laughed softly. Katie felt a flash of hurt, ready to throw the blanket off and her brother from her room, but he continued. “It’s one of my favorite things about you, after all.”

“What? Really?”

“Really really,” Matt promised, hands reaching for hers and interlocking their pinkies in a gentle swaying grip. A gesture that promised honesty and love and acceptance. “Did somebody say that about you?”

Katie found that the words came much easier this time. “Laura Anderson,” she finally whispered. “She’s my partner for a science project at school. We’re making a presentation about a new kind of technology, and I wanted to do the presentation on the new shuttles they’re using to send civilians to the space station, but she wanted to talk about those new automatic hair curler things.”

“You’re kidding,” Matt deadpanned. “ Hair curlers over a cutting edge AI-controlled shuttle that takes people into space?”

“That’s what I said!” Katie groaned, remembering the conversation. “The technology for curling hair has been around for literal centuries! The only difference with the latest model is that the curls last slightly longer, and it’s not even compatible with non-caucasion hair textures!”

“The monsters ,” Matt agreed, but Katie was only getting started.

“The space shuttles are incredible! Astronauts used to have to strap themselves onto exploding rockets pointed at the sky and hope for the best, but the new shuttles? They’re like a luxury plane ride with no noise, environmental pollution, minimal g-forces, how is that not the coolest new piece of technology out there!”

“You’re telling me, I practically drool every time I see pilots running simulations inside the models they have at the Garrison.”

“You are such a nerd,” Katie laughed, shoving where she assumed her brother’s shoulder to be.

“And you love it. Now tell me more about Laura Anderson, certified Wrong Person with No Opinions.”

Katie sighed, smile warring with her internal feelings of embarrassment. “I tried explaining it to her. Cause you know, the space shuttle is so advanced I doubt anybody else would do the same thing. And we’d get a better grade talking about that than some silly little cosmetic machine. But she said it was lame and nerdy, and...” Katie swallowed, the memory of those words creating a lump in her throat that was coming alarmingly close to a sob.

“She said you were a know-it-all?” Matt finished softly, reaching for Katie’s hand and holding it tight.

Katie nodded, even though Matt couldn’t see. “With no friends,” she whispered. Matt’s hand tightened around hers. “But she’s right, isn’t she?” Katie plowed on, the worst of her fears being forcibly dragged out now that she had opened the gates. “I spend all my time reading or in the workshop with Mr Cowen, or- and, I really don’t have any friends, do I?” she gasped, tears rolling down her cheeks now. “I never have friends over, or spend the night at anybody’s house, there’s nobody I talk to outside of school-”

“Katie,” Matt whispered, and Katie couldn’t tell if that was disappointment in his voice, or resignation, but it hurt. She hunched over the pillow in her arms, covering them with snot and tears.

A hand came out of the darkness to rest on her head. “I am so proud of you. You’re so strong, and so brave it puts me to shame.”

“I don’t feel strong,” Katie whispered.

“But you are. And I cannot think of anything more fundamentally untrue than the notion that Katie Holt has no friends. And do you know why?”

“No...”

“Because I am your friend. Your best friend, and even if we weren’t literally related, that would still be true. I love how you can get right down to the heart of a problem, and how you won’t give up on an idea until you’ve figured it out and proven everyone who doubted you wrong. The number of times you’ve taught me, your older brother going to a fancy military academy, a thing or two about his own studies, is incredible.”

Katie laughed-hiccupped, wiping tears from her cheeks.

“Katie, I am so, so grateful to have such a wonderful, smart, and caring little sister as you,” Matt continued, his words a healing balm on the hurt inside of her. “And if Laura Anderson disagrees, then she’s somebody who was never going to be your friend anyways. Mark my words, Katie Holt, because I know you’re destined to do so much good in this world. One day, you’ll find a crowd of overenthusiastic tech nerds just like you, who value your input and know your value just like I do.”

“Someone who likes robots?” she asked hesitantly.

“Someone who loves robots,” Matt said, as if it were a fact instead of the wishful dream of a lonely child. “And you know what? I’ll just tell you now.”

“Tell me what?” Katie sniffed.

“The Garrison is having a robotics show next weekend. There’ll be kids from all around the country showing off their handbuilt machines and competing for a scholarship to the academy. You’re still too young to sign up, but I was planning on taking you to go see it as an early birthday present. Who knows, maybe there’ll be someone there interested in robots that you can talk to.”

“You’re kidding,” Katie gasped, tears forgotten instantly. “The Garrison Robotics Exhibition? But I thought the tickets were too expensive!”

“The very one,” Matt promised. “As a student, I get free admission and a plus one.”

Katie squealed in excitement, launching forward to wrap her arms around her brother’s neck. “Thank you thank you thank you thank you! You’re the best brother ever” she cried, voice wavering with excitement and gratitude.

“Anything for you,” Matt laughed, prying her arms back so that he could breathe. “Anything at all.”