a little fic about what happens when Katie catches Maya and Harry.

i put this up on my tumblr originally, but decided to post it here too, after a little push :)
enjoy, and i don't own a thing.

-x-

"What the Hell?" Katie growls, and Maya jumps up. Harry's lying underneath her and she opens her mouth to speak but she freezes; she's never seen her sister so angry.

"What the hell is this?!" Katie seethes, barreling closer. Maya tries to get off Harry, but he's stumbling too. They're caught in an awkward tumble, and Katie continues to hover.

"I said," Katie bellows, "what the fuck is going on here?"

Maya wants to answer, but she's too jumpy and can't look her sister in the eye.

"Chill out," Harry drawls, cracking a smirk. He's pulling up his jeans non-chalantly, and Maya's eyes widen. If he knew what her sister was capable of, he wouldn't breathe a word.

"You have 30 fucking seconds," Katie hisses, getting in his face, "to get out of this fucking house."

Only now does Harry's façade begin to break. "Relax-"

Katie grabs him by the collar of his shirt, anger coming off her in waves. "Get out, before I kick you so hard in the balls your dad will feel it."

Harry gathers his sweater and Katie follows him to the door.

"I forgot my phone-" he starts, and Katie slams the door in his face.

Maya is pacing in the living room, holding her arms. She knows the lecture is coming, and she tries to harden her features; this is the new Maya after all.

Katie comes flying back into the room, not looking at Maya. Maya moves as Katie lunges at the couch, picking up Harry's phone.

"AND DON'T EVER COME NEAR HER AGAIN!" Maya hears, as Katie throws Harry's cell out onto the street.

The door slams even louder this time.

And Maya runs into the kitchen, realizing she's not the badass newMaya claims to be.

"Katie, I-"

"Were you going to give him a blowjob?" Katie barks, cornering her.

"No! We were just-"

"What the hell is wrong with you?" her sister demands, throwing her arms into the air. "What in the hell were you thinking?"

Maya, small and afraid, can only shake her head. "I don't know…"

"You don't know?" Katie thunders on, "You don't know? Maya, do you even know this guy? I can't believe you would do this! You're a smart girl! You have your audition in two days! First with that video, now this?! I can't believe-"

And Maya - quiet, humble Maya - scoffs. "God Katie, just stop talking!"

Katie grits her teeth, surprised. But she's unable to stop (it's in her nature, even), her blood too heated. "I won't stop talking! I fucking won't! Not until you've heard what you need to hear! You can't go around doing these things, Maya! You can't go around acting this way! I'm your sister, and-"

"You did!" Maya yells, and before she can realize it, she's screaming. "YOU DID WHATEVER YOU WANTED! You took mom's Oxy and went to a club! You went to Vegas and spent all of mom and dad's money and almost FUCKED ANOTHER GUY WHEN YOU HAD JAKE! YOU'RE SUCH A HYPOCRITICAL BITCH!"

Katie looks murderous. "SHUT UP!" she shouts, towering over Maya.

"Make me!" Maya laughs, and Katie raises a hand to her.

But in that moment, Maya flinches. Katie stops, hand mid-air, and looks at her sister. She sees sad eyes and unshed tears and a broken little girl.

They're 10 and 7, playing on their swingset in their backyard. Maya falls from the slide, scraping her knee and bending her wrist. Katie's there seconds later, cradling Maya in her arms.

"Shh," she coos, brushing hair off of Maya's forehead. "It's okay, May."

Maya was howling, the blood dripping, but as soon as Katie rescued her, all was quiet.

"Don't tell mom and dad," Maya whispers, and Katie isn't sure why.

"Okay," she promises, kissing her sister's cheeks before carrying her into the house to put on some Polysporin and bandaids.

They're 18 and 14 now, and nothing's really changed.

"Hit me!" Maya snarks bitterly. "You have a future. You have friends. You have Jake. Cam's dead and I just want to have a little fun. So fucking hit me!"

"May," Katie murmurs, stepping closer. She was so furious at the boy for touching Maya that she couldn't even see that her sister needed her.

Katie tries to hug her, but Maya pushes her away.

"Don't touch me!" Maya hisses. "I don't need you! I don't need anyone! And I DON'T NEED CAM! Cam's dead. He's gone! He's dead! HE'S DEAD!"

And Katie's terrified - not for herself, but for the little girl in front of her. Too young to be so heartbroken.

"You can't replace Cam!"

"Why not?!" Maya booms. And Katie watches as her sister's face falls; the 'devil-may-care' snark she wore so defiantly, falling pitifully with her shoulders and her eyes and her heart. "WHY NOT?!" she screams, but it sputters out at the end as she starts to cry.

"Because you just can't," Katie breathes, and she's crying too. They're different as night and day, but like the sun and moon, they understand: they need each other, the same blood running through their veins.

Maya looks at Katie under her lashes, caught between wanting and waiting. "I'm sorry," she utters softly.

"My supergirl!" Maya giggles, jumping off the bathroom counter to hug Katie.

"I'm sorry-" she says again, as she rushes over to embrace her sister. But she can't finish because Katie's saying it's okay, it's okay Maya, and everything hurts.

Katie strokes her head with one hand, rubbing up and down her spine with the other. And Maya buries her face in her sister's shoulder, breathing her in. She smells like home and safety, and Maya cries harder. She cries for a long time, cries and cries, and Katie doesn't mind that her tears are soaking her shirt. Maya knows that Katie's shoulder must be aching, them standing up so long, but Katie doesn't say a word; just continues to hold her tight.

Only when Maya starts falling to the floor does Katie adjust her position. They hold each other still, Katie whispering I love you, over and over, I love you so much.

Maya just nods. She knows it with everything left in her heart.

Katie makes her hot chocolate when Maya can't cry anymore. Both their eyes are red and puffy, but they smile, bumping against each other in the kitchen to get cookies.

They watch movies and laugh, Katie putting in Maya's favourites.

Maya watches the screen and Katie watches her; she knows that everything isn't better, but at least tonight Maya is okay.

"I love you," Katie says, and her voice catches.

Maya snuggles closer to her on the couch, and smiles. "I love you too, Katie."

-x-