Caden was surprisingly quiet during dinner. He barely tasted the food despite its spice. His actions were mechanical as he placed his dish in the sink.

  “It's a good crazy,” she had said. The scene looped in his mind.

  He commanded his phone to play a familiar audio drama as he set up his wheel. He tried to focus on making something simple, but his mind was still elsewhere. It wasn't long before he was setting a bowl to dry. He had finally decided what he needed to do.

  Caden found Deflector in his office.

  “Boss, do you have a pen and paper I can use?”

  Soon, Caden was sitting at his desk. He set up his magnifying stand and placed the paper underneath it.

  “Sadie,” he wrote at the top, then paused.

  Words ran through his head. A rambling monologue about gratitude, about wanting to get to know her, about how she made him feel. He shook his head. Between the incoming eye strain and neck ache, he knew he'd sooner abandon a long letter than finish it. And this was not going to be just another unfinished project. Instead, he kept it simple.

  Sadie,

  Thank you.

  You didn't have to say what you said, but you did. And that meant more to me than you might realize.

  I won't pretend I don't want more time with you. Even if we just stay friends, I'm glad I met you.

  -Caden

  He read it over again. Now what? He thought about slipping it under her door, but instead he set the paper aside.

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  Caden checked the time. Tess should be home from work by now. His mind drifted back to the debrief. Teresa Reed, engineering for the League.

  His sister answered on the second ring.

  “Hey, little brother. What's the occasion?”

  “First of all, you didn't tell me your ‘secret government job you can't talk about’ is superhero adjacent?!”

  Caden could hear the smugness in her voice. “Did one of my projects come up?”

  “Yes! And I'm pretty sure my team leader likes you more than me!”

  “I'm sure they like you; you have your charm. Besides, I don't usually get to know the people I build for.”

  “The charm doesn't work on freaking Deflector!” Caden froze, slapping a hand over his mouth. “Okay technically that was confidential so… pretend I didn't say that.”

  “You're on Deflector's team?!” Tess paused. “Okay. Wow. You don't know what you're getting into, Caden. Be careful. Also, he probably does like me more than you. Sorry not sorry.”

  “O filthy traitor! To be betrayed by my own kin!”

  “Is that all you called for?” Tess asked.

  “No, I called because they're taking the staff for testing. They might contact you, so… heads up. Also I'm panicking because I don't know the base very well yet. It's like a labyrinth and I'm going to get lost and I haven't told Sadie yet but I need to because she'll know if she sees me walk into a wall and-”

  “Breathe, Cade.”

  Caden took a shaky breath. “I'm going to order a cane. Just a normal one. If I order it now I think I can still get it overnighted and then I can let them have my staff for testing tomorrow. But then what? I already told Deflector and I'm pretty sure Slated Shroud knows already. I need to tell Sadie, right? I can't just start using a cane with no explanation.”

  “I would advise against that, yes. Tell her.”

  “But what if she pities me and she never looks at me the same?”

  “Give her the chance to surprise you.”

  “Easier said than done, Tess!”

  “I know. Hey, I got some good news though. I'm almost done with my 3D model of the thermal reservoir mod.”

  Caden beamed. “You are?”

  “Yep,” she yawned. “Then I'll start on a prototype. If the League calls, I'll keep it boring and technical. They'll love it.”

  “I love you,” Caden blurted.

  Tess snorted. “You're welcome. Now go order the cane.”