One week later, and Takashi found himself in quite the similar place he had been when Katie first started preschool. His classes were the same, mundane, even; and his relationship with Allura hadn't changed much more from the initial flirting. He half-suspected that she simply wasn't interested and had just been humoring him for the past week. Knowing, though, that this notion was both a slight on his part and Allura's, he tried to convince himself he was wrong.

This was, of course, a very hard task when one possessed Takashi's sort of self-confidence. Even before the accident, before he lost an arm, he had never been bold about anything. Takashi was smart, often a favorite of the teachers, but lacking in both friends and romantic pursuits.

He and Matt, however, had hit it off from the first day. They were in the same biology class, had been lab partners from the first lecture. Takashi wasn't sure if it was the easy way Matt talked, or the simplicity of his personality, but they had instantly grown attached to each other. Matt was an engineering major, opting to take an introductory biology course to fill a general education requirement. Takashi was a year ahead of Matt (which made absolutely no difference whatsoever) and was initially undecided.

He knew he liked science, all types of the subject, but he wasn't sure which branch he wanted to follow. And Matt had been very helpful, especially since his father had already been through the exact same engineering program at the same college Takashi and Matt attended (Mr. Holt had, though, transferred to a bigger and more advantageous school after two years in the local area). Matt had been planning on doing the same, but then…

Katie's rummaging around in her room knocked Takashi out of his reverie. He followed the sound to see the little girl trying to pick out an outfit while pushing her air out of her face. Recently, and this past week especially, Katie had grown increasingly more frustrated with her long locks, frequently lamenting over how much she hated her hair. Takashi tried to convince her that her hair was beautiful, which it was, but Katie would have none of his compliments.

She was a Holt, and when Holts were certain of something, they made it known and never let the subject drop.

"What're we thinking about today?" Takashi asked, leaning against the doorframe. Katie was still in her pajamas, shaking her head at Takashi's question. She didn't even have anything laid out this time, instead crossing the room to face her guardian.

"Shiro…" she started, almost looking nervous. Katie didn't make eye contact, instead choosing to look at the edge of the bed, and Takashi worried that she had broken something or maybe even hurt herself. But she didn't seem guilty so much as just anxious.

Kneeling down, Takashi lowered himself to eye level with the young girl. He smiled warmly, trying to be inviting. "What is it? Don't have enough clothes?" he laughed, because they both knew very well that Katie had plenty of outfits. But Katie just kept shaking her head, and it was too obvious to Takashi that she was frustrated with something. Sobering up, he asked, "What's wrong, Katie?"

"Wanna cut m'hair," she mumbled after a long pause. She seemed worried, perhaps because she was convinced he was going to tell her she couldn't. Katie finally made eye contact, and was surprised to see Takashi smile.

If Takashi were being honest with himself, he would admit that her hair was becoming problematic, for both of them. Katie didn't like the length anymore, and it was hard for Takashi to keep up with. He had been no hair stylist to begin with, and having one less arm than most people did made it only that much more difficult.

But there was a part of the young man that couldn't even fathom letting Katie cut her hair. He supposed it was because Mrs. Holt had always been so proud of her daughter's long hair; the woman had been a master of French braids, of Dutch braids, of fishtail braids, of four or five-strand braids – of any other braid that Takashi cared to actually know about. She had had long, gentle fingers that had easily carded through her daughter's light brown hair, and Katie hardly ever opposed her mother's styling of her hair. Takashi, on the other hand – the little girl always seemed to find some way to try to fight off her guardian's well-intentioned attempts.

So selfishly, he completely agreed with Katie; her hair would be so much simpler to manage if it were shorter. Yet, he was also convinced that Mrs. Holt would have never forgiven him if he actually let the young girl decided what should happen to her hair.

He needed advice, from a woman, and desperately.

Allura was wearing red, and Takashi nearly died. Her hair was pulled to the side in a wavy ponytail, and her earrings, a cluster of dangly stars, were visible. The teacher wore a crimson swing dress, one that hit below the knees and flared just a bit when she moved. Upon seeing Takashi and Katie, she stood up, smoothing out her skirt, and approached the two.

This morning, there was no protein bar, but she had been taking dainty bites from a tiny instant oatmeal cup. Takashi observed that, yes, Allura had just about as few resources for breakfast foods that he did; but she somehow managed to still choose the healthier options. Still, the young man waved, taking in a long breath, willing himself not to look too silly in front of her.

He succeeded for all of four seconds before blurting out a sweet yet lame, "You look nice this morning."

"Just this one?" she teased, sending a wink toward Katie's direction. The little girl couldn't hold back her chuckle, and Takashi tried not to notice. He was certain that Allura was just giving him a hard time, but it didn't help the blush that rose to his cheeks and spread to his ears.

"You look nice every morning," he amended, and his smile was a bit easier.

"What about in the afternoon?"

Takashi didn't respond until Katie left to go play with a stack of blocks on the other side of the room, dragging her green lion with her. Once she was out of a direct earshot, however, he answered with a quiet, "You look even nicer in the afternoon."

Smirking, Allura decided that it would be both impossible and foolish to let Takashi off the chain so easily. "And what about after that?"

"I haven't seen you in the evening, so how am I supposed to know?" His question was genuine, a little flirtatious, and it was enough for Takashi, dense as he could be, to see a cheeky reply cross Allura's face before she decided against saying it.

Maybe you should find out.

She settled for a laugh, tapping him on the shoulder. "I think I've contributed to a growing ego. Shame on me."

He joined in on the notion, leaning back against her desk. "It's a real tragedy, honestly. I'm usually much more introverted." He watched as Allura nodded, seeming to agree with him, before he switched the conversation to a bit more of a serious topic. "So, I needed some advice from a more…womanly figure, and I-"

"You're free to ask," the young woman interrupted, brushing her hair away from her face. She didn't seem surprised that he needed her help, just looked understanding. Takashi sighed and ran his hand through his hair. A part of him wasn't even sure why he was so apprehensive about Katie's request; he was her guardian, and if he wanted her to have a haircut, there would be no interference. Besides, Katie had been the one to ask for her hair to be cut – the idea wasn't even a selfish notion on Takashi's part.

And yet, he still couldn't shake the idea that it was wrong for him to try to assume such a parental role in Katie's life. Granted, she really didn't have anyone else to depend on, but being a guardian of any sort was still a foreign concept for him.

Allura broke him out of his introspection by clearing her throat. She was a bit more serious-looking, but there was still a twinkle in her eye that reminded the young man of something akin to a tease.

Takashi offered a guilty smile and cleared his throat. "So this morning, Katie was in her room, and – and we weren't even trying to do anything to her hair yet, but she just asked me if we could get it cut. And, yeah, I really, really suck at doing her hair – I mean, I'm sure you've noticed that I'm really only good at brushing it out and kind of putting it in a ponytail – but I still kind of – I don't know." He took in a long breath, trying to find his words again. "I just – I feel kind of bad about it, you know?"

Katie was still very much invested in playing with the building of her block tower; every time it was at an acceptable height, Katie would guide the green lion to knock over the structure. Both adults cringed at the resulting sound of the crashing tower, and Allura glanced back at Takashi.

"Why would you feel bad? She'd look adorable with short hair, you know?" the teacher told him matter-of-factly. Takashi nodded, certain of that fact, if nothing else.

"That's not it. I know she'd look fine. It's just – Mrs. Holt really liked Katie's hair; she was always braiding her hair or putting it up or something, and I – I just can't do that. I've never had to deal with girls, and I-" he glanced down at his left arm, then looked at his right shoulder. "I can't do that," he repeated.

Sighing, taking his hand in her own and squeezing it gently, Allura caught Takashi's gaze, keeping eye contact. It was easy for him, of course, to find himself watching her quite intently, when she had eyes that were as blue as hers were. Her mouth curled upward slightly. "I'm sure Katie doesn't want to cut her hair just because you're not as good at doing it. I mean, it might be a small part of the reason," she joked, "but I think she's just tired of the long hair. Trust me, I've seen her pushing it out of her face all the time at school. It can be hard to manage, especially at this age. Just make sure it's what she really wants, and support her decision. And if she hates it, it'll grow back."

"You're…you're good at this-"

"I've had my fair share of bad haircuts," Allura mentioned, but Takashi simply couldn't believe her. "I know my way around a barber shop. It's a good idea to find a picture online of the sort of haircut she wants, or you could find one of those magazines at the store, or – or you probably have a good idea of what you should do, now," she mumbled, finishing her statement as lamely as Takashi might have.

What surprised him more, though, was her expression. It was, if he wasn't mistaken, a nervous one. Perhaps she felt as if she had overstepped her boundaries, which was the general emotion Takashi seemed to feel at most times. He still wasn't sure how to approach Katie half the time; and it was almost encouraging to see someone else thinking on a similar vein.

"No, you're more help than you could imagine," he reassured her, and squeezed her hand this time. It was then that both adults seemed to realize that they were still holding hands. Allura pulled her hand away, not as if she were burnt, but still quickly.

"I don't suppose holding hands with the teacher was your idea of the morning," she laughed.

"I could think of worse things," he admitted, and Allura's reaction (eyes widening, mouth going slack for a moment) nearly made him chuckle.

Though, he was sure he mirrored her face, due to the fact he couldn't quite believe he actually said that out loud.

Neither could Katie, apparently – a small fit of giggles reminded the adults that there was a child in the room, and she was thoroughly amused by their antics. It only made sense, of course; both Takashi and Allura were both red in the face, and neither could accurately form a complete sentence for at least a full minute.

Before Takashi could further embarrass himself, Lance and his mother entered the room. They might've knocked, had his mother beat her child to the door. The young boy, on the other hand, hadn't quite learned the socially-accepted constructed of knocking. Both looked confused as they entered the room; Katie was laughing, and Takashi and Allura were caught in an awkward sort of stare-off.

Eventually, Allura broke the silence; she hurried away from Takashi, plastering a smile on her face. "Mrs. McClain, how are you?" she asked, quite energetically.

While he should have been focusing on pulling himself together like an acceptable and respectable human being, Takashi was instead mulling over the fact that he had actually and shamelessly flirted with Katie's preschool teacher.

That, and Lance's last name was apparently McClain. Which is a nice name, of course, but Takashi had just never put any thought into what it was. For that matter, he didn't know any of the other children's surnames.

Takashi made his way to observe Katie and Lance, and the two were talking quietly to each other, each showing off their lions and the subsequent destruction they could cause.

When Hunk showed up, however, he made a point of showing all the good the lions could do, too. The little boy held the yellow lion close to his chest, refusing to partake in the destruction of the city made of building blocks. He looked nearly affronted, even, when the blue lion crashed into a stubby building near Hunk's knees.

"Guys, guys," Hunk interrupted the pair, putting Yellow on the floor, helping it pick up the blocks and putting them back in place. "What 'f lions are…superheroes?" he asked, throwing his arms out at the last word.

Takashi grinned at the display, looking over to Hunk's parents (Mr. and Mrs. Garrett, he learned after discreetly pulling Allura aside and asking her) who looked just as pleased with their son and his sweet nature.

By the time Keith shuffled into the preschool room, his red lion was quickly inundated with the new formation of the three-lion (soon to be four) squad of superheroes. Their mission, of course, was to save the building block town from destruction and "bad guys," as Katie had said. All the adults were watching intently, each purely amused with the excitement the children were showing. Without explanation, and with few words, Keith joined in on the team, easily adjusting to the crime-fighting lifestyle.

There was no actual goal, no common enemy, mostly because the children had just started their adventure, but they were thoroughly engrossed in the make-pretend. Allura looked over at Takashi, then at the purple lion, but said nothing. If he ever chose to stay the whole day, she might be able to coerce him into joining in on the children's game.

If she asked, of course, Takashi would agree without complaint or question. And not simply because he would want to impress Allura; he genuinely liked the children, liked having their appreciation.

Mr. and Mrs. Garrett kissed Hunk on the forehead, then said goodbye to the rest of the children, exiting the room so that each could make it to work on time. Hunk waved to his parents, his pet rock Shay sitting beside him. Mrs. McClain ruffled Lance's hair, and her son had to pat it back down with an annoyed expression. Still, he gratefully accepted a quick peck on the cheek, reciprocating it. The woman grabbed her handbag, not before telling Allura (and Takashi) to have a nice day before hurrying out.

Keith, again, had no parents to bring him in, and none left, and Takashi was starting to worry that the poor boy had no family. He didn't mention it, however, instead opting to just flash a smile in the boy's direction. He was certain that watching these parents lovingly dote over their children would be hard to watch, even for someone who might honestly have a family. And, of course, it would also be hard for Katie, and Takashi tried to make a point of being as encouraging to her as possible, too.

Allura looked over, and she smiled. "You're very good with the kids, you know," she mentioned quietly, and Takashi ducked his head a bit. Her flattering him certainly didn't help him like her any less.

"It's nothing, really," he insisted, adding a chuckle to the end of his statement to maintain a sense of humility. The young teacher wasn't convinced, however, as she simply threw a knowing smirk back at his direction.

"Of course it is," Allura argued, "you and Katie make such a good team!" She was quiet for a few moments, smile still playing on her lips, but then a thought occurred to her. "Aren't you going to be late to class? I mean, I appreciate the conversation, really, but I'd hate to be the reason you fail a class-"

It was his turn to sport a coy grin. "I think you're losing track of your days – it's Friday."

Emitting a noise of recognition, Allura nodded sheepishly. "I think I am. You – you don't have class today, do you?"

He shook his head, without any sort of malice. Though, there was a certain sense of insecurity bubbling up from his stomach to his chest. "No, I've got the day off. So, I mean, if you don't want me hanging around here, I can definitely find somewhere else to be-"

While he knew that the children liked him, and Allura tolerated him (at the very least – there was still a small chance that she looked forward to seeing him during the week), there was definitely a part of Takashi that worried that Allura was simply putting up with him, humoring him in conversations that she never wanted to partake in. Maybe her laughter was fake, or her smiles were insincere; perhaps she was just trying to get him out of the room half the time, or-

"Please, stay," Allura said, her eyes hopeful, her smile light; it was enough to stave off Takashi's low self-esteem (for now, anyway). He knew Allura wasn't like what he had stupidly imagined, that she was so much kinder than that, and he felt guilty. "I'm sure the children wouldn't mind if you spend a day with us, if you do – if you want to, that is. You don't have to, obviously, and I wouldn't hold it against you-" As she spoke more, she rambled, eyes flitting about the building, on the children, at the beanbag chairs littered around the room, and she refused to make eye contact with him.

Takashi returned the smile, and he took a seat at one of the little tables. "I guess I'm one of the students today."

"Well, I hope you learn something," she shot back.

As soon as the children learned that Takashi was staying for the duration of the day, they practically attacked the older man with hugs and questions. Hunk wanted to know if he was staying every day, Lance attached himself to Takashi's leg, Keith asked if his lion was also staying, and Katie just snuggled closer to her guardian.

Without their noticing, Allura pulled out her phone, snapping a picture of the scene. They all made a cute little figure, almost like one of those Renaissance sculptures depicting a kind patron saint and a horde of hapless and starving yet heartwarming orphans.

Or, something to that effect.

Takashi laughed, explaining to Hunk that he could only come on Fridays and only if Miss Allura invited him, patted Lance's head, assured Keith that, of course the purple lion was staying as long as he was, and moved his arm so that he could squeeze Katie's shoulder.

There was a tug on Allura's heartstrings, a sort of something that told her that Takashi was more prepared for taking care of Katie than he must think. She couldn't tear her eyes away from the scene, was held captive by the way the children adored and idolized Takashi and the ability the young man had to juggle his attention among all four children and still manage to devote an equal and enthusiastic part of his personality to each student.

That, and Takashi happened to be such an attractive young man that it was hard not to feel anything for a cute man that was surrounded by sweet-faced children.

Allura, naturally, convinced herself (or managed to lie to herself) that she held absolutely no sort of affection for Takashi Shirogane whatsoever. Especially not when he had a sweet nickname that a four year-old orphan had coined for him. (Seriously, though, who could keep a straight face when Katie would excitedly exclaim "Shiro!"? Certainly not Allura). And she definitely didn't care that Takashi was still a struggling college student who was somehow managing to walk the difficult tightrope of pursuing an education and caring for a little girl. No, his hard work ethic didn't resonate at all with the young teacher. Not one bit.

Takashi allowed the children to lead him to the pile of stuffed lions, and he soon added the purple one into the midst. The students resumed their game, explaining the rules to Takashi, who nodded thoughtfully. He sat on the ground, quickly adding to the excitement of the lions' defending the city.

Smoothing out her skirt and sitting at her desk, Allura watched the scene. She didn't have to start lessons for about ten more minutes; she liked the children to have a bit of playtime to unwind before their preschool had to truly begin. Besides, it was Friday; and as of the first week of school (or rather, just last week), Friday was since dubbed "Fun Friday." What that meant was that there were fewer subjects to teach than usual; it was more of a review day for the children, accompanied with a few more games and plenty of snacks. She had even baked cookies for the occasion.

Katie made a noise of surprise, her green lion held in the air. "Wait, what 'f – maybe…lions in space?" she asked, gesturing to the room. It certainly fit, of course; Planet Altea was the perfect place to make-pretend a space adventure, and the stars and planets lining the walls made the idea even better.

The first to agree was Keith. He nodded quickly, cracking a smile at the idea. Lance and Hunk were soon to follow, each a bit more vocal about their excitement of the idea.

Easily outnumbered, and not at all resistant, Takashi hummed in agreement. He was quick to change the scenario for the children, setting the backdrop for the space voyage. Their galaxy was vast and dark, lit with bright stars and vibrant planets, and the lions – Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, and Purple – were the legendary defenders of the universe. He didn't iron out any of important details, didn't even establish what they were fighting, but there was a place for the game to start.

She hated breaking up their fun, but Allura had to interrupt to start the lessons. To her surprise, though, there weren't any interjections, and Shiro pushed himself off the ground, leading the children to their seats.

The first half of the day went by very well. The days of the week had already been successfully memorized, but Allura wanted to go through them again to show Takashi how far they had progressed. He grinned as the students cheerfully started their Happy Days song, and he even joined in during the second round of the song. From the front of the room, Allura conducted the musical number, and she and Takashi caught eye contact for a brief moment. She glanced away, then down, her cheeks heating up at the sight of his wide smile.

When she looked back up, he was still watching her, still smiling, still singing.

It was enough to catch her off-guard, to make her falter for a few brief moments before returning to the end of the song.

She had assumed that Takashi was very bashful, that he'd never be able to keep eye contact longer than she could, and she had apparently been proven wrong. He most certainly was able to stare at her for longer than four seconds, and he could even be a bit cheeky about it.

Though, maybe Allura was still right; after a couple more beats, Takashi looked down, his ears absolutely red. If Allura could have seen his cheeks, she would have noticed that they were just as crimson as his ears.

As snack time came, Takashi helped Allura pass out some juice boxes (ones that were free of artificial food colorings and dyes, no less) and her chocolate chip cookies she had made last night (and she did have a right to pat herself on the back – the cookies were gluten-free, too). The teacher made sure that Takashi had his own treats, and he gratefully accepted them.

As Takashi leaned against Allura's desk, enjoying his juice box, she joined him, taking a bite of a cookie. They weren't too bad, actually, and she decided she might actually start making them this way from now on.

"I really appreciate all the help you've given me so far," Allura mentioned, nudging him with her elbow. He looked over, nodding.

"Anytime. I mean – I like it here. I might…you know, like every Friday here?" he offered, hopefully.

"I'd love that. I think the kids would, too. So…what're your plans for today?"

Takashi thought it over for a few seconds, then smiled. "I think I'll take Katie to get a haircut."

A.N.: Sorry for the delay in a new chapter – getting ready for another year of college and whatnot. Anyway, I'm really starting to think that I'm just writing Shiro and Allura as Professor Utonium and Miss Keane from PPG, but that's okay, because those two were always my favs!

The title for this chapter comes from a quote from Seneca – "The time will come when diligent research over long periods will bring to light things that now lie hidden…" There's more to the quote, but I might use it later, so we'll see!

Thank you all so much for all the positive feedback and sweet messages! I've really appreciated it all, and it just makes my day! Hope you're all enjoying the ride, too!