Anything could be a two player game if you tried hard enough.

Really not really. They were both sharing a DS but he was the one holding it…not that she couldn't have held it if she wanted to. She could have been the one doing the controlling and he could have been the one doing the…backseat…side of the bed….controlling….words were kind of hard sometimes. She could have been the one holding the DS if she wanted to but she didn't want to. She needed a free hand to smoke, she said, it was easier than trying to hold her cigarette with her powers. Well not a cigarette, one of those other ones that he didn't remember the name of.

He didn't mind, he just wanted her to be happy.

"I think that maybe if we catch the bee then we go can past…but it might sting us…so I'm not sure." Said Miss Suzuki. She had such good ideas. She was so smart. She could have played this game on her own. She didn't need him. She didn't need him there probably making stupid choices, having dumb ideas, and generally being himself. She could have played this on her own…she didn't need him….

But she wanted to be there with him when she had so many other things that she could have been doing….she was such a good friend!

"Um…whatever you think is best, Miss Suzuki." Said Serizawa. He thought that maybe if they went over the bee then it…well bees could fly….he was glad that he hadn't said anything. That had been such a stupid idea…she had better ideas than he did. She was smarter than he was. She was Miss Suzuki and he was just…just Serizawa…

But he was her friend and that was more than enough for him.

"I don't know what I think, Serizawa, that's why I asked you…but if you don't know then we'll never get by the bee." Said Miss Suzuki

"Um…uh…maybe….maybe if we…maybe if we did your idea! I mean you always have good ideas. You have the best ideas….you're so smart." Said Serizawa

"Thanks…but I don't think that I am. You've gotten more of these puzzles than I have. I only got….I don't remember…." Said Miss Suzuki

"You got six and I got seven…but you can have this one so it'll be a tie. I mean you can even win if you want! We can do one more puzzle and then we can count you as the winner…not that we have to stop playing. We can play this all night if you want…or until you have to go to bed…and I have other games too! I mean I have games you'd like and…and maybe some that you wouldn't. I mean we have a lot of the same taste in games but we like different eras of gaming. I mean I like-" said Serizawa

"Like how you like old videogames from when my dad was little and I like games from…well…now times…like…this year and the year before it and…a few years before that…sort of like that. Like how you and my dad like the same things because your friends and I like different things from him because he's my dad, not my friend…but we're friends…but we like different things…but you like the same things as my dad…and stuff….like that's your favorite kind of games, I mean." Said Miss Suzuki. She coughed as she said that, it might have been a little bit easier to talk if she hadn't been smoking, but he wasn't going to criticize her like that. Friends didn't talk to their friends like that. He didn't know a lot about friendship, mostly just what he saw on TV and played in games, but he did know that he had to be nice to her or else they wouldn't be friends anymore…and he had no idea what he would have done if he stopped being her friend.

"Um…it's more like games from around when I was born. The President and I both don't like 3D games that much but he likes really old games from when he was little…because he's a lot older than me…I mean it feels like he is. I know that with adults it's different and that I'm an adult but…um….eighteen years feels like a long time." Said Serizawa

"Seventeen years." Said Miss Suzuki. Serizawa didn't know if he could fight about this with her…not that he wanted to fight! Not that they would ever fight about anything. They were friends and friends didn't fight, ever, for any reason…even if his friend was wrong about her math…was it right to correct her? Maybe….maybe that would have been too mean…

Maybe she'd leave him.

Maybe if he corrected her then she'd leave and he'd be all alone and…and she'd be gone and…and then she'd never come back. Then he would be all alone like he had been. He had been all alone in his room and….and this was his room….this was another room. He lived in this room…he lived in this house…but the thought of losing her, it took the whole world away. She was his best friend…and she did a lot for him. She was the one who got him up most mornings and if she wasn't there to get him up then he could have gotten stuck in this room for the rest of his life and then it would have been just like being at home and-

She rested her head on his shoulder.

She took a big inhale of her cigarette and then passed it to him. He didn't want it but…but he had just been about to correct her. Friends didn't correct friends and…and also friends shared with their friends…so he shared with her. He took the cigarette between two fingers and inhaled like he'd seen her do before. He inhaled for a long time, like she usually did, because that was the right thing to do. The right way to do it. That was how he'd seen her do it, her and the others, and…and this was what his friends did. He'd never fit in before, for as long as he'd been able to remember there had been other people and him…but he had never felt like one of them. Now he had a bunch of people like him. He'd known these people, been friends with them for nearly a year now, and he wanted to fit in with them….

He wanted to fit in with Miss Suzuki…even if he had to do things like that.

"Thank you!" coughed out Serizawa. His throat burned and there wasn't enough space in his lungs. She handed him her bottle of strawberry milk. He took it from her…he didn't know what to do. He was coughing and…and he needed to drink something…but he couldn't just drink right from where she had drank from. That was…that was a lot…not that he thought of her like that! He'd just seen this on TV and in games…but they weren't like that but…germs! What if he got her germs and then he got sick…or he got her sick. That would have been worse. Him getting her sick…he never wanted to do anything to hurt her.

"Here, you should drink something. It'll help." Said Miss Suzuki. She pressed the bottle of milk into his hand. He took it and passed the cigarette back to her. She took it and inhaled…and didn't cough once. She was so amazing like that.

"That's…that's alright. I don't want to get you sick." Said Serizawa

"Oh…I didn't know that you were sick…you should see Fukuda. He's mean but he'll be able to help you." Said Miss Suzuki. Serizawa didn't need to see Fukuda. He didn't want to bother him. Fukuda was grumpy a lot of the time and Serizawa had no desire to leave the safety of his room to have someone be mad at him…and also he wasn't even sick so it didn't matter…well it did because Miss Suzuki said that it did but also…also he wasn't sick at all….so there…um….there!

"I-I'm not sick…at least I don't think that I am. I was just worried about sharing germs because…because I might be sick and not know it or I could get you sick just from not being sick…wait…no…that doesn't make any sense…um….but um….if you want me to then I will!" said Serizawa. He took a drink from her strawberry milk…it was way too warm and way to sweet but he drank it anyway. She wanted him to drink it and he shouldn't have been arguing with her. He had been such a bad friend…he needed to do better. He needed to work harder. He needed….

He needed to stop drinking this milk. It was almost all the way gone.

He tried to pass it back to her…but she didn't want it back. She didn't want it…because he drank from it? Or because there was almost none left? Or maybe just wasn't thirsty…that was an option. She was just looking at him…she was squinting at him…but he was used to her squinting. She didn't seem to be able to open her eyes all the way when she smoked…was that good or bad? Was she ok? Was he ok? Was anything ok?!

She put her hand on his arm.

"Serizawa, it's ok. I don't know what you're so scared of but I can feel it and I want you to know that you're going to be ok and that I will never let anything happen to you. Ever. You're my friend." Said Miss Suzuki. Serizawa nodded. She was his friend. He knew that. She cared about him. He knew that. She would never let anything happen to him. He knew that.

That didn't mean he still didn't get scared.

The way the energy around him shifted…that scared him…even though he should have been used to feeling that by now. It was only Shimazaki. Shimazaki was his friend and he had nothing to be afraid of…even if he could be kind of….not nice….all the time. Serizawa knew that Shimazaki would never have tried to hurt him…but also he had never just teleported right into his room. It was like he was an enemy that respawned…no, not an enemy. More like…an NPC? No, wait, everyone was the player character. Life was like a videogame but everyone was player one…so more like an MMO…or….or more like…he didn't know…there were a lot of games in the world and he hadn't played them all yet and….he closed his DS….that seemed like a polite thing to do…and being polite was important. The plastic felt good in his hands…he felt good…this was good…Miss Suzuki was here. What had he been so afraid of again?

Well….maybe Shimazaki.

Serizawa felt like he was under a microscope. When he had been little some of the other boys had stolen a microscope from the science room and used it to fry ants. That had been mean and he'd felt bad for the ants…now he wondered if ants would have felt bad for him. He felt like he was standing under the sun, the whole sun, like it was being concentrated on him. Shimazaki was looking at him, he realized, even though he was facing Miss Suzuki….well he didn't have to face someone to look at them…he just sort of looked at them with his aura…

He could feel Shimazaki's aura…he could feel it under his skin…it wasn't a good feeling…but Miss Suzuki was there and she would never let anything bad happen to him…she'd said so.

"Hey Mob…and Serizawa." said Shimazaki. It took him maybe a lot of time to come up with that…but Serizawa didn't blame him. Sometimes it was hard to come up with something to say…maybe that was what he was mad about…and he was mad. Serizawa could tell….he had been around other espers long enough to be able to tell when someone was mad or not…

Shimazaki was kind of…really mad…were he and Minegishi fighting?

Wait….no…he knew what Shimazaki was so mad at him for. He'd kissed Minegishi last summer and…and maybe he hadn't known until now or…or maybe it didn't bother him until now or…or maybe he had bene holding onto his anger for months and months until he was ready to explode and now he was going to stop being friends with Serizawa and-and-and-and-and-

Miss Suzuki took his hand in hers.

"H-Hi! I mean hello…um…." Said Serizawa. She was holding his hand in hers and…and Shimazaki was looking at him even more…like how he was focusing on him…and he didn't know why. Minegishi had even said that kissing him had been ok because they were in an open relationship but…but maybe they had changed their minds or…or something….he just….

There wasn't enough air in this room.

"Hi Shimazaki….um….why are you here?" asked Miss Suzuki. Serizawa held her hand tight. She held it back. Shimazaki somehow got even madder…Serizawa hadn't even thought something like that was even possible. He even frowned. His face was tight, like he was trying really hard not to frown…like the face mom made back when he would see her, sometimes, on special occasions. Like she wanted to say something…like she was mad at him…well that would have made sense, he ruined her life after all, but aside from kissing Minegishi he couldn't think of anything else that he could have done…

Well that was a lot, actually.

"I was looking for you. I was thinking that maybe we could go out tonight…if you want. I found this place that has these reply fancy milkshakes, well they'd better be fancy with how much they cost, and I've got this tiny bottle of that vodka you like so maybe…you know…we could go out tonight?" asked Shimazaki. He was still focused on Serizawa. He wanted to apologize. He wanted to get down into a kowtow and not come back up until Shimazaki knew how sorry he was…but he couldn't. Not with Miss Suzuki holding his hand like that. If he let go then she might have been upset with him…and he didn't need another friend to be upset with him.

"Um….I have plans already. Me and Serizawa are playing videogames right now and…um….I would ask you to play with us but I remember the thing you said about how you held a Gameboy once but you didn't like it so…um…you'd be left out and…and I don't ever want to leave you out." Said Miss Suzuki. She was such a good person…she was always thinking of her friends. She was always thinking of other people's feelings…even his. He wouldn't have been sad if she went out with Shimazaki. Going out was a thing that normal people did.

She didn't have to live in his room just because he had to.

Well…he could leave…but going out with her and Shimazaki would have been too much for him. He didn't know how to be around big groups of people…or even any people he didn't know. But she didn't have to be like him…she could have had fun and…and friends didn't hold their friends back. Friends built each other up…and….and he needed to be a good friend.

He needed to be the sort of friend that she deserved.

"You-you can go. I mean you shouldn't have to miss out because of me." Said Serizawa. Shimazaki stopped looking at him so intently now. So…like he was mad at Serizawa. His aura didn't hurt anymore, he couldn't feel his aura under his skin, and…well if he had been a meaner person he would have told Shimazaki that Minegishi had been the one who kissed him and that if he had a problem with it then he needed to talk to his partner…

But he wasn't a mean person. He was a nice person…well he tried to be…and anyway Miss Suzuki wouldn't have liked him if he was a mean person and the last thing he wanted was for Miss Suzuki to dislike him.

"See? There, now come on. I've got a whole night planned and-" said Shimazaki

"Serizawa and I already have a whole night of videogames planned and I can't just break plans like that. It's not nice." Said Miss Suzuki

"He just said that it was alright." Said Shimazaki

"I know what he says but that doesn't make it true. Like how my dad said that Sho's not gay when he is…or also how dad says that ketchup goes with everything but it doesn't…or also like how dad says that he doesn't use my bath bombs but I after he takes a bath he smells like my bath bombs." Said Miss Suzuki

"So that's why your dad's been smelling so good lately." Said Shimazaki

"Probably." Said Miss Suzuki

"So….you're not coming with me then?" asked Shimazaki

"No…but maybe you should take Minegishi. They're your partner." Said Miss Suzuki. Shimazaki's aura got weird there…and he frowned for a second. He kind of shifted in place, too, almost like he was nervous…maybe he was a little bit afraid of Minegishi too.

"I think that you'd have more fun." Said Shimazaki

"What did Minegishi say when you asked them?" asked Miss Suzuki

"I didn't." said Shimazaki

"Why not? Don't you….don't you still love them? Aren't they the love of your life?" asked Miss Suzuki

"Of fucking course Toshi's still the love of my life. I can love, well be into, other people though…and anyway Toshi's not really a 'date' person. I mean that's ok, I didn't used to be either, and just because I like something doesn't mean that they have to like it too. That's how it goes, you know? We're just…different….but whatever. How about we put a pin in the whole date night idea and I just sit here and get stoned with you both." Said Shimazaki. Serizawa didn't know why he called it date night. He and Miss Suzuki weren't dating….right? She was kind of young for him…or at least Serizawa got that sort of feeling…but he didn't know anything about stuff like this. Shimazaki didn't always make the most sense so maybe he had just completely misread everything.

"I was…um….the only one getting stoned." Said Miss Suzuki. Serizawa had been smoking too….but he hadn't been getting stoned…so she was right. He had been about to correct her again….he was such a terrible friend sometimes. He kept his mouth shut. He shouldn't have been correcting her, first of all, and second of all he got the feeling that he wasn't supposed to be contributing to this conversation. It felt…closed off? Like they were in a different room and he was looking in a window or….something.

"Well then more for us." Said Shimazaki. He teleported onto the bed…there wasn't enough room. Even with Serizawa scooted all the way to the end Shimazaki still didn't even fit unless he pressed himself right up against Miss Suzuki.

"Um…don't you want to get stoned with Minegishi?" asked Miss Suzuki

"Toshi's reading in the tub and doesn't want to be bothered. I mean we'll get stoned later, that's a given, but right now I just kind of want to spend time with you. I don't know….I just feel like things have been kind of weird between us lately. You've been so distant and it's kind of…really starting to eat me up inside, you know? Like maybe I fucked up…and feel free to tell me if I did! Seriously, if I fucked up in anyway just tell me now." Said Shimazaki

"You….you didn't f-word up." Said Miss Suzuki. Serizawa wondered if he'd f-worded up at some point…well more than he already had at this point in his life. He had managed to f-word up listening, maybe, because he was so lost right now he didn't even have words for it.

"If I did then you can say so. If you…if we aren't ok then you can tell me." Said Shimazaki. Miss Suzuki looked at him and then looked away. Serizawa wondered what was so important about being ok. Either you were or you weren't. He didn't see how it could have needed this much debate…but then again he was really out of practice when it came to talking to people.

"We're ok….I mean I know that I am. You seem ok too but you might not be. I don't know." Said Miss Suzuki. Shimazaki reached over and held her hand. He laced his fingers with hers and then, with the other hand, he tilted her face so it was facing his…and kind of close. If Serizawa hadn't known any better he would have thought that Shimazaki had been about to kiss her…but that was crazy. Real life wasn't like a game or a book or a show. He just needed to spend more time out in the real world, that was all, and the once he did that he wouldn't have had so many weird thoughts about his friends.

"No, I mean are WE ok?" said Shimazaki

"I…don't get it." Said Miss Suzuki. Neither did Serizawa. This whole thing seemed like…like warping right to the last world. You could do it but you wouldn't have any idea at all what was going on and unless you'd played before you hadn't honed your skills enough to beat the last castle. Serizawa wondered where he had warped to…and if there was some way to warp back to a place where he knew what was happening.

"Us. This…whatever…we're in. I mean if you want to define the relationship we can have that talk….maybe not here…but I can take us anywhere." Said Shimazaki. Now Serizawa was really lost. They were friends…what needed defining about that?

"I…I don't want to go anywhere…and…um…we're ok. I mean if I'm ok and you're ok then we're both ok." Said Miss Suzuki

"Are you sure? Because it feels like you've been avoiding me…either that or you really are this busy. If you really are busy then that's ok and if you're avoiding me than that's ok too. I mean it hurts like hell but a lot of shit hurts like hell, I'll get over it." Said Shimazaki

"I-I really have been busy but…um…we can hang out later. We can go wherever you want and do whatever you want but um….I really have been busy but….um….I haven't been trying to hurt you. I would never do anything to hurt you." Said Miss Suzuki. Shimazaki smiled and leaned in….ok….now he was trying to kiss her. Serizawa….he wanted to leave the room. He never wanted to leave the room but now…now he had to get out of this room. Shimazaki had Miss Suzuki's face in both hands and now he was bringing his face down really close to hers-

Oh.

Serizawa had been such an idiot. Of course Shimazaki hadn't been getting ready to kiss her. Miss Suzuki moved her head and he kissed her cheek. That was ok, people said hello and goodbye like that sometimes, or at least he'd seen it on TV before. That was ok. That was normal. Serizawa was the weird one. He was the one thinking all of these weird thoughts about his friends…like Shimazaki had been about to kiss Miss Suzuki….

He needed to spend more time around people. He was starting to forget what normal people acted like.

"I'm glad we're ok." Said Shimazaki. He took her hand and squeezed it before teleporting away. Serizawa couldn't feel him close…he relaxed. His shoulders slumped….he hadn't even realized how tense he had been. Miss Suzuki did the same thing…she must have been tense since he had been tense….well he could fix that. She reached down and picked up her cigarette from the ground…it had gone out. She didn't light it again…she just sort of stared at it.

The atmosphere around them was weirdly tense….his fault for being all weird and tense…but he could fix it.

"M-Miss Suzuki?" asked Serizawa. He held his DS in his hands and took a breath. This was….they had been playing before and…and it should have been easy to get back to it. She couldn't read minds, she had no idea about all the weird thoughts that had been in his head, so he was fine…this was fine and…and he wanted to get back to playing. That was the best thing to do, playing videogames, being able to do something right…being good at something…..being able to share something like this, something he loved, with his best friend…the very best friend that he had ever had.

"Serizawa?" asked Miss Suzuki. She was still staring at the unlit cigarette in her hand. Maybe she was sad that it had gone out…maybe she needed her lighter…maybe….maybe he should have stuck to the things he knew…like videogames. Yes. He knew videogames…he opened his DS up again. This was…this was a good idea….

"Do you…do you want to play more Scribblenauts with me?" asked Serizawa. He had no idea what he was so nervous about. He was so…he didn't even know what. He didn't know why he had to be so weird…so….like this…but he was getting better….he was trying as hard as he could to get better and…and she was helping him…..just being with her helped. She was his friend. She was there for him. She would never have let anything bad happen to him…

And he would never let anything happen to her…not that they were in danger. He just felt like it.

"I'd like that a lot. Thank you." Said Miss Suzuki. She scooted back over to him and looked over his shoulder. She didn't want to play, she said, she just wanted to help. Even if she didn't play it was still a fun night. This was just a one player game anyway…

Though any game could be a two player game with Miss Suzuki there.