The knock came three minutes later than expected - three agonizing, worrying minutes. MK cracked the door open, the light from the trailer casting a glow over Beth's face, smiling up at her.
Thank god you're safe, MK almost said. And I love you.
"You're sure you weren't followed?" she said instead.
"Relax, Mika," Beth said, soothing. "I know how to do this."
MK nodded, stepped back to let Beth inside. She shouldn't be here. This lonely trailer was infinitely warmer with her here, but she shouldn't be here.
"You said it was urgent," MK said, recalling the text messages. "Tell me what happened."
Beth's eyes met MK's; MK's darted away. She noticed the large plastic bag Beth had with her, the contents pushing and stretching at the sides.
"Don't be mad, but I lied," Beth said. MK's eyes shot instinctively to hers, and now Beth was the one looking away. "It was the only way to see you in person."
"Why?" Mika asked, face burning.
Beth was leaving, wasn't she? She was going away, and MK had never been able to tell her that she was the only thing keeping her sane, the only thing that mattered anymore.
"Well, I feel kinda stupid now," Beth said, scratching nervously at the side of her chin. "But happy birthday, Mika."
Beth extended the plastic bag out in MK's direction. MK blinked, confused. She should be angry, but she wanted to hide and cry with how happy she was.
"I uh, didn't know when your actual birthday was, but I'm guessing it's not too far from mine."
Tentative, MK reached out and took the bag, slipping it open. Inside, a treasure trove of loose video game cartridges. She nibbled at her bottom lip as she ran her eyes over the titles.
"There's a retro game shop by the station," Beth said, smile evident in her voice as she watched MK. "Asked the guy for recommendations and he just kept naming games. I was probably the best customer he'd ever had."
MK looked up at Beth, tears filling her eyes.
"Thank you." I love you.
"Hey," Beth said softly. Her arms rose and fell almost imperceptibly, and MK was filled with the need for Beth to reach up and wipe her tears. "Well, I'm glad you like it."
Beth smiled, the most wonderful thing MK had ever seen.
"Bet you wanna see what's in there, huh?" she asked, smirking. MK nodded.
"It's actually the second game in the series, but only the first to be released in North America. It sold very poorly at the time, but it's actually considered a cult classic today."
MK buzzed with energy, plucking games from the bag and rattling off everything she knew about each one. Beth wore a kind smile, nodding along. It seemed genuine enough, even if MK suspected it wasn't really due to an interest in game trivia.
MK's lips unconsciously curved into a smile as she pulled out the next cartridge.
"Kirby Super Star. Kirby's Fun Pak in Europe. This was one of my favorite games back home in Finland. I used to play it all the time."
"Oh yeah?" Beth asked, half-smirking. "I did good then?"
"Yes, of course," MK said, and she briefly considered reaching out and touching Beth's shoulder or her cheek or something else she knew people were meant to do with their best friends. She turned instead back to the game in her hand.
"It's actually eight games in one, although some are obviously more substantial than others. It's also the first game in the series to feature a cooperative two-player mode. I… never had anyone to play with."
MK looked down to her knees, embarrassed for having unwittingly turned this into a therapy session. She heard the crinkling of the bag by her side as Beth reached into it.
"Well, you're in luck," Beth said, pulling something out. "I brought controllers!"
MK brought her hand to her face, giggling.
"That's a Sega Genesis controller. This is a Super Nintendo game."
"Oh," Beth said, reaching deeper into the bag, carts clattering loudly against each other. She pulled out the familiar grey controller, lettering faded but still in remarkably good condition. "Got that one too!" Of course she had.
"You want to… play with me?" MK asked disbelievingly.
"Yeah," Beth said, bumping MK's shoulder with hers. MK's skin tingled happily at the contact. "God knows I could use a little stress relief."
MK beamed. She opted not to tell Beth about all the extra controllers she'd already bought in the hope that there'd be a day like this.
The situation was looking dire. MK had been careless; her character was wiped out. Beth (Kirby) was down to a sliver of health. The final boss, a screen-filling armored robotic(?) bird, couldn't be more than one or two hits away from defeat, but Beth had lost her crucial sword ability.
"Christ, Mika!" Beth shouted, turning her body with the controller as she slipped underneath her foe. "Why did you make me player one?"
"Inhale the stars when it hits the ground!" MK offered.
"I'm trying!"
The boss landed, the critical star shooting out from it's talons. Beth ran right, just enough to avoid the game-ending hit by two or three pixels. She turned. Inhaled. Kirby ballooned in size, ready to fire.
"Yes!" MK yelled, unable to help herself.
"Shit shit shit shit shit."
MK saw the opening and trusted Beth to have seen it too. She dashed flawlessly underneath one of the bird's now-familiar jump attacks.
Turned.
Jumped.
Fired.
The star hit their nemesis square in the face, sending it spiraling across the screen and crashing to the ground. Dyna Blade was defeated.
"Holy shit, Mika!" Beth screamed, jumping to her feet. "Holy shit!"
MK grinned. Emboldened, she extended her arm for a high-five and Beth obliged with enthusiasm.
"We did it," Beth said.
"You did it."
Beth scratched at the back of her neck and MK was sure she could see her cheeks turn pink.
"That was pretty good, huh?"
They smiled together and everything was perfect.
"Shit," Beth said, glancing at her watch. "It's late."
MK's face fell. Please don't go.
"Same time tomorrow?" Beth asked.
MK was so sickly happy, she could jump and scream until her lungs burst. Still, it really wasn't safe for Beth to come here anymore. It wasn't safe.
"Okay," she said, feeling stupid for ever having considered another option.
"Okay," Beth repeated, grabbing her coat from the back of the couch. "Happy birthday, Mika."
She turned, stepped to the door. She was leaving and Veera loved her so much and she was leaving and before MK knew what she was doing, she had sprang up and thrown her arms around her.
"Thank you, Beth," she said, and she was crying, eyes overflowing with everything she'd held inside. She needed Beth to know what this meant, even if she couldn't say it.
Beth's hands rubbed small circles across MK's back.
"You're okay, Mika," she whispered. "You're okay."
MK closed her eyes, buried herself in the crook of Beth's shoulder. She was okay. She was safe.