Kaitlyn plopped her backpack onto the common room table, settling into the chair with a sigh.

Dang. Cooking really tired me out last night.

She'd taken to preparing a lot of ingredients in advance for Kate's Kitchen – chopping vegetables, simmering sauces, pre-measuring spice mixes and the like. It meant that her Wednesdays weren't entirely spent getting ready for the evening meals. It also helped her scale up batch sizes better, but the time saved was the most important part. Especially considering how much of that time was now consumed with studying for Algorithms.

As if on cue, the elevator dinged pleasantly. A moment later, Philip stepped out of the sliding metal doors and headed toward her.

"Hey, Philip."

"Good afternoon." He nodded towards her laptop. "Have you been waiting long?"

"Nah. Just long enough to check on the latest assignment." She let her head fall back with a groan. "I'm really not looking forward to this one."

"Why not?"

"I mean, look at it!" She spun the laptop around to show him. "It's all dynamic programming!"

Philip read over the screen, his grey eyes flicking back and forth. The group algorithms assignment had gone amazingly. Between Kaitlyn's lack of other classes to focus on and Philip's competence, they'd managed to hammer it out more quickly than she'd expected. Even better, checking their answers against the key revealed that they'd done quite well for themselves.

I even felt like I contributed a bit there. Mostly with the more time-consuming stuff like formatting and writing things out, but still. Warmth filled her chest. I really thought this class might kill me, at first. But now I'm actually enjoying it.

"I see…" Philip finished reading and settled back into his seat. "That does seem problematic. But I believe that as we work through it and gain experience, a pattern will emerge."

"I know…" She rolled her shoulders. "Alright. No sense in wasting time then."

"Actually, I have one thing that I would like to ask your opinion on before we begin."

Her head cocked to the side curiously. "Sure, no problem. What's up?"

Leaning down, Philip unzipped his mustard yellow backpack where it sat on the ground. But rather than his laptop as she'd expected, he pulled something different out: a pair of adorably plump stuffed animals.

Kaitlyn stared at the guy in confusion. One of his hands held a white rabbit, its beady black eyes and pink nose partially hidden behind ultra-floppy ears that sat askew. In his other hand sat a teddy bear with a red bow, its brown fur curly and short.

"Which do you prefer?"

What. Her brow furrowed as suspicion grew. Why the heck is he asking me? What is this?!

"Uh…?" She shook herself. "The rabbit, I guess? I think it's cuter and more squishable. Though they're both adorable."

Philip nodded. "Alright. Thank you for your opinion."

He bent down to place them back into his bag. Kaitlyn felt her expression turn even more bewildered. "That's it?"

The guy glanced up. "Yes. I needed a second opinion on which would make a better present. I will return the bear to the store."

"Ok…" She pronounced the word slowly. "Will you tell me who it's for, at least?"

"My sister. Her birthday is this weekend."

Kaitlyn blinked. "Your… sister?"

"That is what I said, yes."

"Sorry, I just…" She shook her head. "I didn't realize you had a sibling. Happy birthday to her! How old is she turning?"

"Nine." Philip straightened in his seat, his laptop in hand.

"Nine?" Kaitlyn raised an eyebrow. The image of a nine-year-old with Philip's stern demeanor and judging gaze flashed through her mind's eye. She almost shivered at the thought.

I'm pretty over it now, but imagining that kind of intensity in an elementary schooler's body? Geez.

"That's a pretty big age gap, right?" That brought up a question she'd been meaning to ask for a while. "Actually, how old are you?"

"Eighteen."

Of course, Kaitlyn nodded. Of course he's taking second- and third- year courses at eighteen. Right. Why wouldn't he be?

"I mean, you'd know your sister better than me," she confessed, "but I think that either one of those stuffed animals would be a great present."

Philip nodded. "Thank you for your opinion."

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

"Are you doing anything special to celebrate?"

"No."

Kaitlyn straightened. "Nothing? At all?"

The tutor shrugged. "Between work in the morning, our study session in the afternoon, and working at the restaurant in the evening, there is simply no time."

"We can cancel the study session!" Kaitlyn protested. "The next assignment isn't due for a long time. Plus, we've got the whole rest of the week to get ahead!"

"Barring the fact that my studies are one of my highest priorities, that would still not free up a significant amount of time. Not to mention the monetary requirements implied in a planned outing. I already spent the amount budgeted for her birthday on this present."

Despite his matter-of-fact tone, she saw the slightest hint of guilt flash across Philip's face at the admission. Her frown deepened.

It's not that he doesn't want to do something. It's that he can't. I know he's got a tough money situation, but how bad is it that he can't afford to miss a single day of work? And besides…

"Philip, when's the last time you took time off?"

"A day of missed work means less money coming in that week. A day off to spend money worsens the issue further." His words echoed her what she'd expected as he shook his head. "It is a luxury I can't afford."

Kaitlyn put her hand to her forehead. "Seriously? When's the last time you hung out with your sister, then?"

"We see each other at home quite frequently. I greet her whenever I return from work or before I go to study."

"That's not what I asked."

Philip fell silent at that. Her heart sank.

Geez. I hope she's not too lonely… Maybe they're not that close?

Thoughts of Kaitlyn's own family bubbled up to the surface. She didn't have any siblings, so it wasn't like she could perfectly relate to his situation. But she had her parents, and she hadn't always been the best at making time for them, either. Heck, Kaitlyn had barely called them after going off to college. They'd only been able to visit every once in a while or say hello during holidays. But now…

…Now, I realize how valuable those moments were.

"I…" Kaitlyn bit her lip. "Look. I don't know your situation, but I kind of doubt that you're that close to the edge financially. You have to have something saved up, like a rainy day fund, right?"

"Correct." Philip nodded. "However, those funds are meant for emergencies. Not frivolities."

"Not even for your sister's birthday?" Kaitlyn put her hands up as his eyes narrowed. "Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying to be complacent or blow all your money. What I am saying is that you only get so many birthdays with her. It's… it's important to cherish them."

Philip fell silent, his lips pressing together in a thin line. He doesn't look convinced. But he's not rejecting the idea outright, either…

"Besides," she pressed, "there are things you can do that don't cost money, right? And if you're really that worried, I could help pitch in or–"

His gaze hardened. "As I have mentioned before, I don't want charity."

"It's not charity or pity money!" Kaitlyn explained with exasperation. "It's for your sister's birthday."

"Kaitlyn, you have already done more than enough for–"

"Nope, don't even try to make that argument." Kaitlyn cut him off. She knew Philip too well at this point. Even his glare couldn't make her shrink back anymore. "If you're too proud to accept money, then fine. I get that. But at least spend some time with her. Even if that means letting me help. Whatever it takes to make you take some time off, for her sake."

Philip blinked. He sat there for a long moment, still as a statue. Kaitlyn met his gaze evenly.

Maybe I'm overstepping, she admitted to herself. I'm definitely pushing this point harder than I probably should. Heck, I don't think I could have imagined being this forceful before, much less with Philip. And I really do understand what it's like to just drown yourself in work like he's doing. But… that's why I can't stand to see it happen.

Kaitlyn's dubious coping mechanism had helped her through a lot of hard times in the past few loops. It was also undeniable that it had improved her work ethic and taught her a lot. But there were tradeoffs to it. Tradeoffs that just didn't seem worth it.

Especially when his family is still here.

"...Perhaps…" Philip lowered his gaze. "Perhaps you have a point. Perhaps she would appreciate an effort to spend time together."

Kaitlyn beamed. "You mean it?"

"...I do." Philip sighed tiredly. "Perhaps I can ask for a morning off over the weekend and make up for the lost studying during the week… If I only take a shift at the restaurant that evening, then…"

The guy's gaze went distant as he calculated the consequences and changes that would be required to carry out such a plan. Kaitlyn sat patiently, waiting for his conclusion with anticipation.

"...I believe I can arrange something." Philip eventually gave a slow nod. "As a one-time occurrence, provided no additional funds are spent for this supposed outing. However…"

"What?"

"...As you mentioned, I have not taken a day off in… quite a while." For the first time, she saw him shift uncomfortably. "I am… unsure what kinds of activities one is meant to do. Much less ones that my sister would want to engage in."

Kaitlyn grinned. "Well, maybe I can help. I know some people who are great at that kind of stuff."

After a moment of hesitation, Philip nodded. "Any suggestions or ideas you have would be… appreciated."

She shot him a thumbs up and a determined nod. "Don't worry, Philip. I've got this."

***

As soon as Philip left for the day, Kaitlyn sprang into action.

This is it. This is my chance to use everything I've learned.

The first thing she did was identify every free activity she could think of within twenty or thirty minutes of campus. Any further and she suspected that Philip might be unwilling to make the trip in the first place. She made a list of parks, beaches, hiking trails, museums – anything that didn't charge for admission. Once she'd put that together, she ran it by Heather for additional ideas and a sanity check. They also ended up eliminating a few things that the blonde identified as "lame" or "honestly kinda disappointing", as reviewed through her vast social networks.

After she had a shortlist of ideas – all of which avoided hidden or unexpected costs – she began the next phase: searching for recipes. Given Philip's aversion to spending money and the mention of his budget, it was obvious that birthday cake was probably out of the question as well. Which meant Kaitlyn had carte blanche to make her own.

Only… I don't know what her favorite flavor is. Kaitlyn frowned thoughtfully as she sat at her desk. I'm not worried about her liking cake – every kid likes cake – but I'd better not get too fancy. Quality, not novelty here.

After spending the rest of the day sifting through and discarding recipe after recipe, she finally had a few that seemed promising. She bookmarked them and added the ingredients to another list.

Am I going overboard with this? Yes. Yes I am. Kaitlyn grinned. But Philip doesn't need to know that. And besides. I'm having fun with it.

Pushing back from the desk, she rolled her neck and headed for the door. Time to ask her suitemate for another grocery store run. Then, she had some baking to do.