Mob used to love Valentine's Day.

She had just been a friend, before, and being a friend on Valentine's Day was a lot easier than being a girlfriend on Valentine's Day. When you were just a friend then you could get away with giving everyone the exact same chocolates. Well…not the exact same. She couldn't get them to stay heart shaped. When she poured them into the heart shaped molds they had all looked fine but when it came time to take them out they had all turned into lumps. They looked terrible, the first and second batches, and by the third batch she had been ready to just go out and buy chocolates for everyone.

Even though that was kind of lazy.

A gift had to come from the heart, otherwise it was just a gift. She knew that the chocolates she made for her friends were called obligation chocolates but she in no way felt obliged to make them. She made them because she loved her friends. If she hadn't loved them then she would have gone to the store and gotten them any old thing that anyone could have gotten them. She loved to make her friends happy and to show them how much she loved them….in a friend way…

She had never showed anyone she loved them the other way.

Everyone had been happy with their chocolates even though they looked terrible. Even Sho had been…not as upset as he had been before she had given him his gift. She didn't blame him for being upset, Valentine's Day was hard for him. He didn't get to be with his boyfriend and he was avoiding his girlfriend, too. That was a lot of strain for one heart to take. She wished that there was something that she could do but there wasn't. Sho had told her, before, that he didn't want her help. She didn't want to make him mad, anyway, she had enough to worry about. She knew that she was being selfish but maybe since there was nobody who could help her with this then it all evened out.

Was that how it worked?

She didn't know, she didn't have anyone she could ask. Nobody but Minegishi and Serizawa knew that she was Shimazaki's girlfriend. Minegishi didn't mind, they would have said so if they had, but…it still felt weird. It felt weird and it would have felt even weirder to discuss this with them. What she was supposed to do. What she was supposed to get him. She knew what people did, people in relationships did, on Valentine's Day and she didn't want to do that. She didn't want to make this any weirder than it was already…and she knew that if she did all the things with him then everything would have been weird. She knew that it was supposed to feel good…but she knew what it was like. It was slimy and weird and there was no point in being all slimy and weird with Shimazaki.

She could barely deal with the weirdness that they had now.

There was nobody she could talk to about this. Serizawa was the only person, aside from Minegishi, she could trust to keep this to themselves…and that was just because Serizawa hardly ever talked to anyone but her and maybe Hatori. Hatori was always with Dad, though, so she was ok. Serizawa wasn't going to tell her secrets, she trusted him. He was her second best friend after all, third best if she was allowed to count Sho. if friends couldn't trust other friends then who could they trust. If he'd had some secrets then she would have kept them for him. Aside from kissing Minegishi he didn't have any, and she wasn't even sure if that counted as a secret since Minegishi didn't care who knew. They didn't care about a lot of things. She wondered how they did that. They didn't care that their best friend as dating their boyfriend, they didn't care that they'd kissed their best friend's other best friend, and they didn't even care that they'd left their boyfriend all alone in Shanghai while they went off to see their other boyfriend. They didn't care about how sad Shimazaki was…

At least she assumed that he was sad.

He had been gone all day. She didn't know where he had gone to but she knew that when he came back, when she saw him again, there was a good chance that he was going to be sad. Maybe he would have felt better once he saw her gift. She had no idea if it was even a good Valentine's Day gift, or even a good gift in general, but she knew that…well she knew that it came from the heart. That was what made a gift good or not, right? The intention of the person who sent it?

She didn't know. She'd see how he felt when she gave it to him.

The walk down the hall to the apartment he was staying in felt long. She made it as fast as she could, though. He had been teleporting in and out all day. She had no idea if he was planning on staying this time. If he was then, maybe, she was going to ask him to hang out with Sho like they used to. Sho had been locked in their room for a while with the door shut and locked. That never meant good things. Sho used to love hanging out with Shimazaki…because he'd been in love with Shimazaki for years…so maybe this wasn't the best idea…she wasn't sure. Maybe this whole thing had been a bad idea and it was time to turn back and hide in Dad's room until the holiday was over….or maybe thinking about turning back now was a bad idea and if she did that then she would be ruining the holiday worse than any bad gift and bad mood ever could have…or maybe she would have to think about this some more.

She didn't have time to think about anything.

"Mob! You came! Come in, come in!" said Shimazaki. She had managed to take one more step, one step closer to his door, before he threw it opened and pulled her inside. He smelled like smoking, and drinking, and cologne. He'd been out…not that she minded. If he was out without her then that just meant that there was less time in the day for him to try and kiss her and stuff….but she did like going out, if she ignored the kissing part. She hadn't had anything to drink or smoke in a while now. Minegishi had told her that when she craved drinking and smoking, when she felt like getting drunk or high for the sake of getting drunk or high, then she had a problem. Well she didn't see how something that could have made her feel good could have been a problem. If you were happy, and your happiness didn't hurt other people like how Shimazaki thought it was funny to hit people with his cane and stuff, then what was the problem. She didn't understand Minegishi sometimes…

She didn't understand a lot of things sometimes.

"Hi Shimazaki….um…why do you have a puppy?" asked Mob. That was something she didn't understand. Minegishi said that they didn't like pets because they didn't like the idea of anything being one hundred percent dependent on them. Like a baby. They had managed to turn something as simple as Mob asking if they wanted one of Sho's baby hamsters into another fight about how they thought that Mob having Shoko was a bad idea. Mob didn't see how it was. She knew that twelve year olds didn't have daughters but twelve year olds also weren't supposed to be vice presidents, or be in charge of their families, or have boyfriends that were the same age as their adult best friend…actually older, now that she thought about it. Mob wasn't a little kid anymore and like Minegishi had said, her life was her own and her body was her own and she could do whatever she wanted with it…and she wanted to have Shoko…

But she didn't want to do all the things with a boy so it, of course, wasn't going to happen anytime soon…at least she didn't think that it was.

"It's not a puppy, it's a Chinese Crested. You hear the barking? They're like tiny little guard dogs. What are you guarding? Are you guarding me? Are you? Are you?" asked Shimazaki. He got down on his knees and petted the dog's head. It barked…a lot. Mob wondered how he was planning on hiding that dog from Minegishi. They had made themselves perfectly clear.

"I can hear it barking…and I think that Minegishi will too." Said Mob

"Toshi's got earplugs somewhere. Besides, it won't be that hard to train this little guy to keep quiet." Said Shimazaki. He petted the dog some more. There was some jingling coming from the collar around it's neck. Mob got down on her knees and picked the little license up. It said that this dog's name was Happy and it belonged to the Shen family and then there was an address. Shimazaki had stolen this dog…but that wasn't surprising. He had stolen a baby, once, because she had been missing Mukai a lot. If he was capable of doing that then he was capable of anything.

"But Minegishi said that they didn't want a dog…and also this dog has a family." Said Mob

"He does not." Said Shimazaki

"He does, see? I mean…um….his collar has this thing on the end that says who he is and who he belongs too. His name is Shen Happy and he lives at this address." Said Mob

"Uh-huh, and if he has a family then why did he come right up to me in the park?" asked Shimazaki

"Were your pockets full of dog treats again?" asked Mob

"Yes…but that's not the point. There I was in the park missing Toshi and minding my own business when this little guy ran right up to me and tried to steal my stick." Said Shimazaki

"Why did you have a stick? You weren't hitting people again, were you?" asked Mob

"Yes, but that's not the point. I lost my cane again so I found a big stick and….wait, hang on, let me go back. Ok, so I got up this morning and Toshi's side of the bed was empty…or maybe it was after I took a nap…anyway, Toshi's side of the bed was empty and it felt like they took a little piece of me with them and I thought, ok Ryou, we have two choices here. We can either sit here and wallow in the pain of losing the love of our life to some guy who's claim to fame is catching a few stray spirits for Suzuki-" said Shimazaki

"Matsuo is famous?" asked Mob

"-or we can go out and have some fun. So I chose to go out and have some fun. I went to a place that smelled like fish, either a silent movie or a recording of a concert, a bar that seemed like your kind of place, and a park. It was there that I realized I'd lost my cane but then I sensed this really big stick and then one thing led to another and now I have a dog. His name will be…well Toshi can name him when they get back. Maybe if they name him then they'll get attached to him and they'll let me keep him." said Shimazaki

"He has a name, it's Happy, and he has a family…and I don't think that Minegishi is going to let you keep this dog. I mean if I was the one in charge then I would have let you have a dog but I'm not…well I kind of am but Minegishi doesn't want a dog. They don't want to have to have anything be completely dependent on them, they said." Said Mob

"Toshi gave you that spiel too, huh? I don't get it. Toshi's great at taking care of people. They know how to take care of me. I know how to take care of them…isn't that what this is all about? This love thing or whatever. I mean, ok, I know that the kid ship has sailed but there's still a dog ship, right?" asked Shimazaki. That sounded fun, actually, a boat full of dogs…but not with the dogs as captains because without thumbs dogs couldn't pilot ships…but wait, that wasn't the kind of ship that he'd been talking about. He'd been talking about the kind where he wanted to convince Minegishi that he wanted a dog…but that wasn't going to happen. He had better odds of finding a real, live, dog ship than of having Minegishi agree to this.

They could be very stubborn sometimes.

"I don't think so. Minegishi almost never changes their mind once they've made it up. Believe me, I know." Said Mob

"Yeah…that's what I love about Toshi, you know? I mean one of the things. They know who they are and what they want…they're confident as hell. That's just…you know, I used to look at Toshi and think 'Ryou, we should be like them' and then…I mean I'm great the way I am. I'm not afraid to be human, not like the rest of you, and neither is Toshi…wait. Fuck. I'm making you feel like shit, aren't I? Fucking moron…you fuck everything up…" said Shimazaki. He hit himself on the head just once. Mob only let him get away with that because she hadn't been expecting it. She took his hand in hers when he pulled it back a second time. He tried to move but she was stronger…well she was when she put her powers into it.

"Ryou, stop that. I told you before that I don't like you talking about yourself like that. You don't mess everything up, ok? You don't f-word things up unless it's on purpose and even then it's not f-wording things up because that's what you planned on doing in the first place, ok? So stop it. I felt fine before. What's making me upset right now is you being mean to yourself. Stop it." Said Mob. Shimazaki stopped trying to move. For a moment the only sound was the dog running around and baking at nothing. Slowly he started to move again. Mob let him go when she realized that he was trying to put his hand down. His aura kept on going out then in, putting up his barrier and dropping it, and his face was just as confused as his aura was. He went through so many expressions that Mob didn't even have time to figure any of them out. She didn't know if they were good or bad or what….so she just waited.

She didn't have to wait long.

"So….you're not jealous?" asked Shimazaki

"That you have a dog? Not really. I like cats better." Said Mob

"No, I mean…ok, we're going to have to talk about that later, but I just…you aren't jealous of Toshi?" asked Shimazaki. Mob shook her head. She had no idea what he was talking about. Jealous of Minegishi? Why? They were best friends. Normal friends weren't allowed to get jealous of each other so, of course, best friends didn't even think those sorts of thoughts.

"No, why would I be?" asked Mob

"Because this is your first real relationship, I mean I don't know what you had going on with that guy before me but judging by how he treated you that wasn't anything serious, and normally there's, you know, some jealousy there. Especially when the other person hasn't ever done this before." Said Shimazaki

"Oh, you meant because they're your partner. I don't mind that at all. They're the love of your life just like you said, and you're the love of their life. How could I ever have a problem with true love?" said Mob. Again Shimazaki's face and aura couldn't decide what they wanted to be. She watched him closely. He moved again. She reached out and took his hand incase he decided to hit himself again. He didn't. He just held his hand in hers, brought it up to his mouth, and kissed it.

Weird…in a good and bad way…so maybe just in a weird way.

"You're something special, you know that?" said Shimazaki as the dog licked him and ran away.

"Yes, you've said that before….a lot. I don't see what's so special about not being jealous of true love, though. I want you to be happy and I want them to be happy and I want the two of you to be happy together." Said Mob

"You…you know what? I wish that I was more like you. You just…it's like I see the parts of myself that I don't like and then I look at you and I don't see…well I don't ever SEE anything…heh….but it's like you're just…a better version of me. You're like me but also you…if that makes sense." Said Shimazaki

"It kind of does but mostly doesn't but that's ok because you're drunk. I mean I think that you are." Said Mob

"Drunk-ish, mostly high, but honestly coming down. It's been….it's been a day, Mob, but it's better now that you're here…fuck. We should do something special. It's our first Valentine's Day together and, yeah, I wanted to take you and Toshi on a double date to this indoor garden thing and then Panda Express, which, yeah, I know that we're in China but that's pretty fucking god chicken…but now Toshi's in Japan and it's just us…we should still do something special." Said Shimazaki

"Shimazaki, it's Valentine's Day, not White Day. This is the day when me and Minegishi give you presents…but you don't have to get me anything on White Day." Said Mob. She didn't want him to, she really didn't, unless it was a friend gift.

"Oh no, I'm getting you something on White Day and it's going to be amazing…I mean I don't know what it is yet but I know that it's going to be amazing…and anyway! Anyway, you didn't have to get me anything. I mean, yeah, it's the guy's holiday but I don't give a damn about those rules." Said Shimazaki

"Oh…does this mean that you don't want your chocolate? Or your gift?" asked Mob. Shimazaki's whole aura perked up.

"Chocolate you say? And gifts?" asked Shimazaki

"Yes…but one gift, and the chocolate came out kind of lumpy. Here." Said Mob. She handed him the chocolate box and the gift box. Both had dogs on them, dogs with hearts, and now watching him feel them with his hands she felt kind of dumb. She could have gotten him any kind of box and it wouldn't have mattered…but also there wouldn't have been as much love, there, in them…so maybe it did matter? She'd have to think about this more. At some point everything had gotten very confusing.

"Smells good, Mob, you've outdone yourself my lo-my Mob…uh, ok. Let's see what's in box number two!" said Shimazaki. He took the top off of the other box and tossed it like a frisbee. The dog jumped up and grabbed it. It's tail was wagging a lot, maybe that was why it was named Happy. Maybe she should have changed Shimazaki's name to Happy, too, at least in her phone. She got the feeling that if he had a tail it would have been wagging. He was feeling around inside the box, now, and smiling. He liked this part, trying to guess what his present was.

She wondered, though, if she should have just told him…since this could have gone on for a very long time if she let it.

"You got me…felt?" asked Shimazaki. Mob shook her head.

"I got you a cane…well I put cloth on your old one…sorry. I know that I should have asked you but I thought that if I asked you then it would have ruined the surprise. I know how you like hitting people with your cane and stuff and…well I know how sad you get when you're bored so I thought that it would have been a good idea to give you a way to hit people but also not hurt them. I had to use felt because, originally, I used a cut up pool noodle but then it wouldn't fold back up but…um….the more I think about it the more I think that maybe I should have just gotten you a new came." Said Mob. Shimazaki took it out of the box and waved it opened. It snapped together…mostly…maybe she should have used less felt. He collapsed it back up….again mostly, and put it back in the inner pocket of his coat.

And then he took her hand again.

He kissed her hand, first, and then for a moment she thought that she was in the clear. But then he reached over and did that thing where he held her by the side of her face and kissed her. It wasn't that bad, he wasn't tongue stabbing her, so she could get used to this. Out of the corner of her eye she could see the dog ripping apart the giftbox lid. She was going to have to find some way to convince him to give that dog back.

Maybe it would have been easier than convincing him to stop kissing her.

"You're fucking amazing, you know that?" asked Shimazaki as he pulled away from her. Mob wiped her mouth and nodded.

"You've said that before….um….can we give the dog back now? I'll let you kiss me again if you give Happy back to his family…or if you let me do it, since I'm the one who can read his address." Said Mob

"We can do whatever you want, Mob, seriously. Right now anything you can possibly think of is on the table." Said Shimazaki. His voice sounded…heavy…when he said that. If heavy was even a word that you could use when you describe voices. Mob wasn't sure, she was kind of clueless about these things, but she was sure that she wanted to give this dog back to his family…and she was sure that she wanted to maybe go out with him, too. Dad was gone now. He'd been so mad about the coke thing, and also he apparently was mad about the drinking and smoking even though she'd been doing those since she had been eight, but now that he was gone…well she had heard, before, a saying. What you don't know can't hurt you…or in this case make her Dad mad…

"We could go to the bar…place…you were telling me about. The one you thought I'd like…but only after we give Happy back to his family." Said Mob

"No, no, no…well yes, yes, yes…but also…more special. This whole thing needs to be more special…or maybe I'm overthinking it. Do you think I'm over thinking it? Like I want this to be special for you but in making it special, trying to, do you think that I'm taking the specialness out of it?" asked Shimazaki

"I don't know, I mostly just want to have fun. We can drink and smoke and also…well if you have any coke left I'd like to have some too but don't tell anyone, whatever you do. I don't want my Dad knowing.' Said Mob

"Yeah, alright, I can do that…I mean I'm keeping this whole thing between us a secret so what's one more…ok! Ok. Alright. Ok. Good. Sure. Right. Ok. Mob, go and try and look old enough that you don't get thrown out and then…yeah, that's it. Let's get fucked up! God…you're like Toshi but Mob…ok, ok. I'm good. I'm ok." Said Shimazaki. Mob wasn't sure if he was. He was kind of…well he was Shimazaki. He knew when he was and was not ok. He was happy now, that was what mattered, and so was she. They were going to have fun just like they did before…well of course he would try and kiss her again…but that was something she was getting used to. This was going to be fun, at least a little, and that was what mattered. Making the holiday special for the people she loved and cared about…even then ones who loved her a little too much….

Mob still loved Valentine's Day…most of it, anyway.