Special Thanks to Sussietheweeb and the guest for leaving reviews on the last chapter. =3

Keith took a little longer then he should have to wash up, but simply getting a shower that wasn't on a timer was a luxury he hadn't had since before joining the Garrison. Hopefully, he at least gave Katie and her mom enough time to talk.

Luckily when he came back into the kitchen Katie didn't look worse for wear, just pouting slighting at the breakfast bar. Bea Bea rushing back up towards him, eagerly wagging her tail, and nudging against his leg.

"Oh Keith, How do the clothes fit?" Mrs. Holt asked as she seemed to be warming something up in the microwave.

"They fit," Keith replied as he leaned down to pet the excited puppy. "Thank you for lending them to me."

"Your welcome" the woman replied with a smile "I couldn't let you sleep in those dusty clothes. Speaking of... did you put them in the hamper?"

"Yes, Ma'am" Keith answered, taking a seat next to Katie, sparing a glance at his teammate. Wondering what talked to her about and how badly she was reprimanded.

The girl's honey-brown eyes flicker over to him, pausing for a moment before making a so-so hand motion to his unspoken question.

Keith could only nod in confirmation, wondering if he was that easy to read for the small genius, or if she managed to deduce in a few seconds what his most likely question would be.

Two plates with an array of hot food were shoved in front of them breaking their silent talk. "Here both of you must be hungry, eat up while I go throw your clothes in the washer" Ms. Holt insisted before leaving the room. Katie lazily started munching on her food. On closer examination, the plate of food looked like a mix of leftovers veggies and pineapple? That got turned into a stirfry.

Keith took a testing bite, finding it a surprisingly pleasant mixture and quickly took another mouthful.

"Will you really stay here?" Katie asked between bites, her tone suggesting she didn't care one way or the other, but the way she side glanced at him, fingers fiddling with her spoon. Made her look like a worried, pleading puppy.

"Yeah, it's the best option I have right now, and I have a feeling your mom would hunt me down if I tried to run away" Keith added, earning a laugh from the girl next to him.

"Oh, she would" Katie agreed "so no disappearing in the middle of the night okay?" Her tone was teasing, but her gaze was far away and her expression worried. Maybe she had a fear of him disappearing… much like half her family and Shiro did.

It was so strange having someone scared of him leaving when he so often was on the other side, not wanting people to go but constantly expecting them to.

"I won't leave you behind" Keith promised before he could really think about his words.

And suddenly a tornado of emotions flashed over Katie's features, a few he managed to catch were anger, gratitude, sadness, relief. Crap he struck a nerve, did what he say make things better or worst between them?

"You better not" she huffed, stuffing half the food on her plate into her mouth, before pushing the rest of the plate towards him.

"Hir, yu hab rest," Katie told him as she swallowed the last of her food "I need to go grab my laptop." The Girl suddenly barreled past him, and out the room.

Keith blinked serval times just staring blankly, the taller teen at a loss for what to do and what Katie was about to do. A little whine near his feet drew his attention downward. Bea Bea pawing at his leg as the pup gave him the most pleading, starving gaze.

Keith let out a sigh, he didn't know what he did but doubt he could fix it right now anyway. So at least he understood how to make Bea Bea happy, giving the dog a piece of cooked carrot. The pup licking his fingers and happy wagging her tail swallowing the piece in just one bite.

For the time being, Keith turned his focus on eating his food and the rest of Katie's share, tossing a few more pieces of carrot to Bea Bea. Mostly because seeing the pup so happy was kind of cute…

Keith put his empty dishes in the dishwasher and went looking for Katie, Finding the short girl on the couch, curled up with her laptop rapidly typing on the keyboard.

She spared a glance up at him, pausing in her typing long enough to scoot herself over to one side of the couch, patting the spot next to her before her fingers returned to their previous task.

At least she didn't seem upset with him. Keith taking the invitation a carefully propping himself on the couch, Bea Bea quickly invited herself onto his lap.

"Bea Bea!" Katie scolded, looking away from her screen.

"Is she not allowed on the couch?" Keith questioned as the pup slowly wagged her tail.

"Yes, she's allowed but she shouldn't have jumped on you like that without permission" Katie clarified.

"Then it's fine, I don't mind" Keith assured petting the pup, "what are you working on?" he asked, catching a glimpse of her screen, that was split into three separate windows filled with an array of code Keith couldn't even begin to decipher.

"I'm making an algorithm" she whispered, sliding herself closer to him, resting her shoulder against his arm, tilting the screen so he could see it better… as if he could read the array of numbers and letters on the screen...

"I gathered a bunch of video from the ship sent to Kerberos, it's been recording non-stop since takeoff, from both the inside and outside of the ship. Though in order to fit so much on such a small drive and so quickly" she tapped a flash drive plugged into her laptop, the device no bigger than her thumbnail, no wonder they missed it in her fluffy hair.

"I had to use a special compression program, so now instead of the two of us looking through every minute of footage. My computer will now de-compresses the video then auto transfer to a new program I'm creating to scan through the video footage and separating clips into motion and static so we are not scanning over videos with hours of empty rooms" she explained in a huss tone so only he could hear. She went further into detail about how she was compiling her code and what parts were inspired by other programs.

Keith wondered if Shiro had kept up with her, or did he just politely nod along, then again it wouldn't surprise Keith if Shiro understood enough to give Katie his own input. Keith swore she was starting to talk faster, making it harder for him to keep up, the taller teen just barely getting the gist of things.

"Katie?" Keith tried to interject but she just kept going, lost in her own little world of code and computers... Katie looked so invigorated as she talked, Keith really had no will to try and stop her again.

Keith patted the pup on his lap as Katie rambled on, trying not to move the arm the tech wiz rested on, the last thing he wanted was to cause any pain to her injured shoulder. Though the situation he found himself in, felt absolutely bazaar, it wasn't unwelcome. Nor was having a furry creature and a fluffy human cuddle up to him before, in fact, it was strangely comfy.

Was this the atmosphere that Shiro enjoyed during his time in the holt house?

He recalled Captain Holt and Matt were pretty similar when they went on rants, if all of them were here would it be a cacophony as they all talked over each other or would it be like a debate where each took a turn as the other listened. Had Shiro joined in or did he lay back like Keith was just listening to the constant and oddly pleasant white noise of science, maybe drinking tea or petting their dog. Maybe the Holt sibling sitting on either side of Shiro or the siblings could have bunched together with Shiro at the end…

Maybe if Keith had accepted one of Shiro's many invites to come to the Holt household. Keith might have gotten the chance to know what the whole Holt family was like together, and maybe got the chance to have the full experience with Shiro…

When Katie suddenly stopped talking he couldn't help but wondered if something was wrong.

"Sorry, for saying too much… you didn't need to know all that..." Katie said, sinking in on herself, had she been scolded for going too technical?

"Don't worry about it" Keith shrugged he couldn't say he kind of liked listening to her talk, even with his lack of social skills he knew that would be… weird. "A lot of it I didn't understand but it sounds really impressive and useful" He stated, Katie sitting a little straighter.

"It will be" she promised, smiling up at him; great he finally said something right. "I'll finish up everything before I go to bed and the program should have everything ready for us to review in a day or two."

"Okay" Keith nodded "that should give me time to pick up my things"

"Your things?"

"The Garrison won't let me back on the base so they're shipping all my things to my 'home' address" he clarified.

Katie tilted her head back, looking up at him thoughtfully, probably trying to deduce where his home would be. Her mind either drew a blank or she didn't want to say what she did think up.

"Where is your home address?" She questioned.

"It's a PO box downtown." He answered, her body twisting back around to look at him upright… guess that wasn't what she was expecting.

Her mouth opened but quickly covered it with her own hand, slightly shaking her head, probably deciding against whatever she was about to say.

"Katie, Keith, I'm heading to bed, I need to be at work early tomorrow so make your own breakfasts and Keith don't let Katie cook for you," Mrs. Holt warned as she passed the living room heading up the stairs.

"Don't worry Mrs. Holt I've heard stories" Keith assured, earning some disgruntled mutters from Katie.

The woman softly laughed "good night you two, please be in bed by 11 PM" she told them, putting extra emphasis on the PM while looking at her daughter.

"I will be, Night Mom" Katie replied sweetly, then the small genius softly mumbling about 'why must creatures of the night be forced to be morning birds'

Honey-brown eyes glanced at him when he remained quiet "ah good night Mr. Holt" he quickly called out, earning a chuckle from Mrs. Holt as she disappeared upstairs. He couldn't even remember the last time he bid someone good night… probably the night before Kerberos launch.

Shiro stays as close to Matt as the guards would allow, shuffling down a long corridor neither of them had ever seen before, with a fellow group of Alien Prisoners. The Robotic like guards telling them about a gladiator ring, fighting champions, doing so one at a time. Matt was shaking so hard Shiro thought that he might fall over, not that he could really blame his friend. If these Gladiator Rings were anything like what the Ancient Romans did, these purple aliens were using them as nothing more than battle fodder just for the entertainment of it.

The group of them were herded into a queue room just outside the main arena of the colosseum. The place practically vibrated with the screams of the prisoners that went before them and the cheers from the audience as those people were slaughtered by whatever creature or being these bastards were pitting them against.

Matt started crying, panicking as he talked about never seeing his family again.

"You can do this" Shiro tried to encourage but the words felt hollow even to him. Shiro was inwardly struggling to keep himself from breaking down as well. Usually, keeping his focus on protecting Matt helped push those feelings to the back of his mind, but now? How could he ever protect Matt from something like this, he couldn't even go out there with him.

The purple barrier leading to the arena lifted up, one of the robots pointing a sword-like weapon at Matt and declaring him next. Shiro's eyes flickered between his friend and the weapon, a morbid plan quickly forming in his mind. If this was all for entertainment then they wouldn't want a competitor that couldn't properly move, he just prayed Matt could forgive him for what he was about to do.

Using all his pent up anger and hatred towards their captors, Shiro rushed forward, the rest felt like a blur he had no time to hesitate, he couldn't hesitate for survival. Once the weapon was in his hand he turned and instantly slashed Matt's leg, the injury had to be bad enough, needed to be deep enough to make sure Matt wouldn't be selected. Shiro roared about wanting to fight, wanting blood, it wasn't hard to sound convincing, a part of him wanted those things for what these Alien's put him and the Holts through.

Matt clung to his leg blood leaking between his fingers, Shiro couldn't afford to feel remorse pinning his injured teammate to the ground. Pushing the anger away long enough to beg his friend to take care of his father.

The Holts, his second family had to be protected at all costs, even if he couldn't do it anymore.

The Robot's pulled him away from Matt, the light brunette staring after him with shock and fear. Shiro had no time to think about his actions as the battle for his very life quickly began.

Katie sighed laying in bed, eyes flickering between her roof and her laptop's screen-saver across the room. The computer softly hummed as it worked through the night.

It felt strange not staying up in secret, trying to keep quiet so her mom wouldn't hear working. Logically Katie knew that this was the best time to get some rest, she couldn't do any more till her program... but sleep refused to come to her. There was this buzzing feeling of anxiety that kept lingering in her but she didn't know why. She accomplished a lot today, done everything she possibly could have, even taking some painkillers so her shoulder was barely more than a dull ache.

Maybe it was guilt that kept her up? Guilt for holding such a large amount of animosity towards Keith, at least before the crash happened. Though back then she mostly avoided him, Keith hadn't deserved any of those feelings she had about him, he hadn't chosen to be Shiro's true soulmate.

Honestly, she could now understand why Shiro was happy finding Keith as his soulmate. In the short time, she messaged with him and the one day she physically spent with him; Keith had shown how protective, loyal, and okay maybe he was a little violent but cut could be incredibly gentle. Keith even had a social awkwardness that rivalled hers and damn she couldn't deny how adorable it was when Keith blush.

Katie gasped, bolting up in her bed, violent urge to destroy and rip apart anything in front of her racking through her body. Katie had to clench her teeth, forcing quick, harsh breathing through her nose to not act upon the tornado of emotions swirling through her that… weren't her own…

Katie knew this sensation, the ability to experience another person's emotions, the proof of her's and Shiro's soulbond.

Her mind going through everything she researched about soulmates, thank goodness her brian was horrible at forgetting facts even ones she wanted to forget about. She needed to calm down or her own emotions would only feedback into and intensify Shiro's own, and whatever he was going through he most definitely didn't need to feel her mess of emotions.

Katie gripped her bedsheets tightly, attempting to use the same calming breathing method she used for her old anxiety attacks, and as suddenly as the vicious emotions appeared they were gone.

Wait, if she had felt all that…

The short brunette scrambled out of her bed, Keith had to have felt all that too, maybe even worse than her. After that burst from Shiro, Keith was bound to feel… Katie only got as far as opening her door before an intense explosion of panic and horror knocked the breath out of her, followed by a painful whipping wind of dread and adrenaline that nearly made her fall over.

Katie's nails into her door frame to keep her shaking body from falling over, lungs struggling for oxygen as her whole being felt like a forest fire in a windstorm. The wind fanning the flames as the fire swirled into the gust, leaving her unwillingly consumed by both.

The dread and adrenaline they were from Shiro, she was familiar enough with his emotions to know that much, but the sensation from the panic and horror was foreign and completely new to her.

Could that have been from Keith? But how could that be possible, their bond shouldn't be strong enough, not yet, not now, they just met today! She really didn't have enough brainpower right now to figure it out, her processing capabilities mostly consumed by just keeping herself moving. Her small body leaned heavily against the wall as she had to use most of her focus on moving her shaking legs and not just curl into a ball and let their onslaught of emotions consume her.

Bea Bea was anxiously following her, but Katie couldn't bend down and reassure the pup without running the risk of falling over.

She almost stumbled to the ground just opening the guest bedroom door, Keith on his hands and knees shaking on top of the bed, head resting against the sheets and was he crying?

"Keith?" She called out, nearly falling onto the bed as she reached out to try and touch his back. Katie didn't get that far yelping in pain as she was ripped off her feet and pinned to the bed in one swift motion that left her dizzy and a little stunned.

"Katie…" Keith voice cracking as he said her name, her eyes flickering back open to meet his deep violet ones pooling with unshed tears.

"It's Shiro, right?" she asked lifting up her bad arm; because Keith had her good wrist pinned, to gently rub his back. Her pain couldn't matter right now, Keith and Shiro needed her.

"Yes- I-I don't know what happening -I've-Shiro's never felt like this before- I can't help him- I can't do anything-I'm useless" Keith's breathing, and body were trembling, the added pain and loss in his voice cut to Katie's core like a hot knife through butter.

"No, you're not" She softly assured, lifting herself up just enough to rest her head on his shoulder giving him one arm half hug.

Keith froze in her hold before she felt the flames of self-hate heating up and burn to the point it almost made her cry from the pain.

Katie holding him tighter, keeping her breathing slow and herself calm, anything else she felt didn't matter it had to disappear. Her mind imagining the feeling of cool summer breezes, and the gentle warmth of fires on a cold night and trying to push that feeling back through the bond refusing to just drown in what they gave her.

"what we" no Katie wrong, she scolded herself "what you can do for Shiro is help him stay calm, Shiro's so smart and skilled, given the opportunity he can figure his way out of anything" She truly believed in Takashi, he was so talented and brilliant, and Keith had to know that too.

"I-I can't, I want to but" Keith's hand that had been pinning her good arm, let go of her to move around her waist holding onto her tightly, his body shaking a little less. She could feel the heat of his panic easing away but the fire of his fear still burned wildly with Shiro's whirling wind of adrenaline and his own fear. "I can't, I don't know how I-"

"It's okay" she softly hushed wrapping her good arm around him as well. "It's okay not to know, just... follow my lead, Breath in… Breath out" Katie explained, the short girl gently running her hand up his spine as she instructed to breathe in again, then slide back down his back as she told him to breathe back out. Repeating the instructions over and over again, till the fire she felt turned into flickering sparks. Her words falling away, as Keith's breathing and her own falling in time with the smooth movement of her hand up and down his spine.

It was hard to register how long they stayed like that, doing her best to keep her and Keith calm through the storm of Shiro's anger, adrenaline, and fear, whipping and gusting through them. The only things she physically registered was Keith readjusting his grip on her every now and then, but never letting her go. Once Keith buried his face in her hair when a particularly strong spike of fear went through them both, but that was really all that happened.

When Shiro's emotions finally relaxed and all there was left was a fading buzz in the distance, like when you could see trees rustling in the wind but couldn't feel the breeze yourself. Keith let out a long sigh, thumping down onto his left side, taking care so it was on her good arm she noted. The taller teen didn't seem to care that she was laying on his left arm as he kept holding onto her. His hand now resting against the small of her back, that pleasant warmth of their soulmarks touching returned. Mentally and emotionally too tired to be fazed by it right now, letting herself this moment to just indulge in the good side of a soulmate bond.

"Katie…" Keith spoke so quietly she almost thought he didn't speak at all.

"Yeah?" Katie tiredly replied, closing her eyes as she leaned her forehead against his chest.

"Can… you stay?" He asked her, Katie figuring he meant to stay encase more happened to Shiro again.

There was a tight feeling in her chest that felt like smoke filling her lungs… was Keith really that anxious? It wasn't like she immediately showed any signs of leaving.

The side of the bed dipped, Katie, glancing back to see Bea Bean resting against her back and Keith's arm. "Yeah, as long as Bea Bea can stay too" Katie replied, turning back around to rest her head against Keith's chest, he let out a long sigh making the smoke in her chest or his chest fade away.

"Bea Bea's welcome to stay" he replied reaching over her with his right hand to pet the bull terrier.

Katie's eyes closed, even if she did have the energy to return to her room, she probably wouldn't have. She may have been their third and when they got Shiro back (not if,) Katie would have to go back to being alone, constantly keeping a firm distance from both of them. Right now Kieth needed her, and honestly, she needed him, it had taken so much out of her to stay calm and handle both of their emotions.

So for now her tired mind can pretend she wasn't a curse, that things were simple and there was nothing wrong about giving and taking comfort from one of her soulmates.

A/N: I originally had the final part written in Keith's point of view but as I was writing I realized how much more Katie must be going through and switch things up.

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