Fukuda had never seen anything so adorable in his life.

He wasn't Shibata. He wasn't going to coo over the adorableness, take a million pictures, and then start picking kids up and hugging them and squeezing them until they stopped breathing. Well he was going to coo, in his mind, and he was going to give Sho a hug later…and taking a picture or two couldn't hurt, not if he wasn't noticed, and he made sure to make himself unnoticeable. He didn't want to ruin this for Sho.

His first date.

This was…he wished that Masami could have been here to see this. It was adorable plain and simple. Sho there with his little girlfriend, and she was adorable too. A little red haired girl in an army hat. Sho sure knew how to pick them. The two of them were sharing a nice lunch together, and Sho hadn't deconstructed his, and occasionally holding hands…this was so cute. This was so cute and…and this was just what he needed to take his mind off of everything. About how stressful the past year or so had been. All the shit with Suzuki disappearing and the baby and Shigeko taking over after him…and just….all of it.

He needed this.

And so did Sho. He needed to just sit with someone his own age and just…be his own age. Just two ten year olds on a ten year old date. He wasn't sure if ten year olds were even meant to date but this seemed ok. It seemed a hell of a lot more age appropriate than what Shigeko got up to these days….not that he knew the whole of it….and not that he WANTED to know the whole of it. He knew that if he knew the whole of it then he would have to step in, maybe, and then that would cause a conflict with Shigeko and he just did not want to fight with her….even though he knew that Masami would not have wanted her to have been doing…whatever it was that she was doing beyond the drinking and the smoking and the drug use.

But he didn't want to think about that now.

He focused on the kids. He was chaperoning this date from a table away. He hadn't gone on a date, a proper date, in a while…since before Sho had even been born….but he knew that if he were ten years old on his first date with his first girlfriend then he would not have wanted someone hanging out at the table telling him to eat his peas and to get that fry out of his nose and to wipe his mouth and to stop hogging all the sauce….no, Fukuda would not have wanted that at all.

Which was why he said nothing.

"I don't know why they give up mushy peas, it's like someone's been sick in a bowl. Disgusting." Said Emmy, Sho's little girlfriend, as she pushed her bowl of peas away. Sho did the same. Even that was cute. They were two peas in a pod….why was he only this clever in his head?

"I think to make it healthy….I don't know. I'm not going to eat mine." Said Sho as he took their bowls and put them over on the side of the table. Fukuda reached over and brought them over to his table. More for him then in that case.

"Me neither. If I eat something that looks like sick then I'll get sick and it'll be everywhere and they'd be rightly miffed." Said Emmy. She was red, a little bit, and she made an effort not to make eye contact with him…and Fukuda didn't blame her. Kids were so sensitive about these things. This, going on a date, was the biggest thing in the world to them. They were at that weird age where they were interested in the opposite sex but also they could still be teased about being interested in the opposite sex. God, Fukuda was so glad that he never had to go back to that.

Not a good age at all.

Well the whole period between ten and eighteen was pretty much the worst. Sho was getting to that age and Fukuda…well he could be there for Sho. Help him through this…though he seemed to be doing well on his own. He had gotten himself a little girlfriend. She was his age. That was what mattered. She wasn't a thirty year old blind ex yakuza member….and Fukuda wouldn't have to have a very difficult conversation with Sho, now, so that was a plus.

A plus to Sho being happy, of course.

"Then we'll get kicked out." Said Sho as he reached up…and Fukuda thinks that he's going to get the fry out of his nose, but he just wipes his mouth with the back of his sleeve….and Fukuda bites back the urge to tell him to use a napkin. Nope, he was not going to ride Sho about lunchtime now. Not in front of his girlfriend.

That was not being a good wingman.

And he was a good wingman. After Suzuki…well now he could start his own wingman business. Getting him a date…and making sure that he didn't ruin that date, and then listening to Suzuki go over….in great detail…the play by play of said date….no matter how many times he asked him to stop. God…thankfully aside from an age inappropriate crush Sho was doing a lot better romantically than is father ever had. He had himself a girlfriend and he was treating her well and not firing off a bunch of intrusive questions or telling her that she was the most perfect person that he had ever met. That was….better than Suzuki would have done….

Thank God Sho had turned out so normal.

"Banned for life. I don't know what I'd do, I'd be gutted. I can't live without chips." Said Emmy. She smiled at Sho and he smiled at her and Fukuda surreptitiously snapped a picture. He wished…Masami should have been the one doing this. She would have been so happy to have been her for Sho and to know that he had found himself a little girlfriend….that one of her children was doing well romantically. Shigeko…she would have died right on the spot if she knew what Shigeko had been getting up to….but this was about Sho. This was about Show and he needed to remember that fact and stay present in this moment.

This very adorable moment.

"They'll ban our spirits too, probably. Then we'll never be able to pass on and we'll haunt the world as evil spirits." Said Sho

"No, we could just make an evil movie tape that'll kill people seven days after they watch it." Said Emmy

"You've seen the Ring?" asked Sho. His eyes lit up….and Fukuda shook his head. Sho and those movies. Fukuda had given up on trying to stop him a while ago. Shigeko had written down a list of movies which he was absolutely not supposed to watch. Beyond that list Fukuda had decided to just let Sho win. It just made their lives easier. He had enough things to fight with Sho about and scary movies were not going to be one of those battles. There was the battle over bedtime and bath time and vegetables and school work, he didn't need to add another battle to the pile….no wonder Shigeko drank…

No. He was having….he was enjoying his time with Sho. He was.

"Yup. I've been watching loads of Japanese movies so I can understand your language and culture better…and your spirits are odd. Why make a whole movie just to kill people? Why not do it yourself?" asked Emmy

"Spirits can be sort of weird sometimes. They do things that only make sense in their heads…if they can even still think. Most spirits are just sort of on a loop. A lot of them don't even know that they're dead." Said Sho. Fukuda bit back the urge to warn Sho not talk about things like that with normal people….because he did not need Sho saying things that he should not have…but he stopped himself. Sho…he knew not to talk about certain things. He knew to keep his secrets.

And he was going to keep a lot of them if he was going to date normal people.

"You've seen the Others too then?" asked Emmy

"What's that?" asked Sho

"A movie where there's this family and they live on a foggy island and they think that they're being haunted but really they're the ones doing the haunting….oh bloody hell. I've gone and spoiled it." Said Emmy

"It still sounds cool. I'll put it on my life….so can you come out of your shirt?" asked Sho

"No, I can't. This is my home now." Said Emmy

"This fish and chips place?" asked Sho

"No, my shirt. I went and buggered it all up." Said Emmy

"No you didn't. Come on, I'll let you have some of my fries if you come out." Said Sho

"Alright…but not the chip you've got up your nose." Said Emmy

"….I honestly forgot that I had that there." said Sho

"Put another one in so you'll match." Said Emmy

"I am the walrus." Said Sho

"Huh?" asked Emmy

"You don't know that song? It's from England. You know, the Beatles." Said Sho

"Oh, them. Yeah, my mum and dad like them. They're alright." Said Emmy

"Alright? They're the greatest band that ever lived. My friend said so. He's thirty so he's heard a lot of music…and also he's blind so he didn't have much else to do when he was a kid." Said Sho

"The blind master, you mean?" asked Emmy

"Yeah, Shimazaki. He knows about music. Well old music. He says that a lot of today's music lacks…um….complex lyrics and stuff." Said Sho

"So he only likes old music?" asked Emmy

"No, he likes some new stuff. He just really likes the Beatles." Said Sho

"That's odd. You would have thought that he'd like Japanese music since he's Japanese….and I would have thought that you would have liked it too." Said Emmy

"I do. Shimazaki showed me city pop and he says that Japanese music peaked there." said Sho

"But what do you like?" asked Emmy

"The same stuff Shimazaki likes. He's the coolest guy ever….well you're cool too. You're the coolest girl ever…um….and the prettiest." Said Sho

"Bugger off with that…do I look like a mug to you?" said Emmy

"No, it's true…and you don't look like a mug. You look super pretty." Said Sho

"You're fooling." Said Emmy

"I'm not." Said Sho

"No, you're taking the piss. I know. I'm not pretty and I'm not cool. You don't have to tell me things like that." Said Emmy

"I think that you're pretty and I think that you're cool. You have red hair like mine and it's pretty…and you look good in that helmet….um….and I like your eyes I guess…and you are too cool! You can beat me in smash and you like to climb trees and you're always sending me cool medical pictures and stuff." Said Sho

"Thanks….um….I've got another one I'll send you. It's of a twin that they found growing in this man's stomach. He looked like he was up the pole before they took it out and then when it was out I bet they didn't know if they should toss it or put it in a cot." Said Emmy

"You've got to send me that. That sounds awesome." Said Sho

"I will….I just wish I could send you something…you know…real. I mean you send me things from all over the world, this helmet is tops by the way, and I just….I can't send you nothing. I'm always skint and when I'm not I've got no clue where to even send the post since you're always traveling." Said Emmy

"It's ok. I'm the guy. I'm supposed to get you presents. That's how it works, my dad said so. You're supposed to buy girls things so they know that you can take care of them." Said Sho

"Well no offense but your dad sounds a bit sexist to me." Said Emmy

"What's sexist mean?" asked Sho

"Someone who thinks that girls aren't as good as boys. Just because I'm a girl that doesn't mean I need someone to take care of me and if you're going to get me a present just get it because you fancy me and not because you feel like you have to." Said Emmy

"Oh….ok….but I like getting you stuff. I like being a good boyfriend…and I am being a good boyfriend…right?" Said Sho

"Don't be daft, of course you are. I mean it would be nice to see you more often but I think that we can make a long distance relationship work. I mean if we keep on working at it. I read in a book that long distance relations only fail because people get bored or they start to stray….and I would never do that. You're the only boy I fancy and people who stray are the worst." Said Emmy. Fukuda….he didn't know how to feel about that. On the one hand part of him, an irrational part, felt personally attacked. On the other hand he was glad that Sho had someone in his life who wouldn't….hurt him in that way. God, Fukuda hated this feeling. The guilt. He had nothing to be guilty about. Suzuki had been the one to neglect Masami. He had neglected her, he had been cruel to her, and she'd had no choice in any of what she did. Sho…he had someone who wouldn't hurt him like that…

He didn't know what he would do if someone hurt Sho like that.

He was the biggest hypocrite in the world, he decided as he took a sip of room temperature soda. He needed to do something with his hands, something to distract from the fact that he was eavesdropping. Something to distract from how he felt. He could keep his aura still and usually that was enough…but Sho could read him. Sho could read him like a book and this was not a chapter that he needed to turn the page on. Sho…he was happy…and he did not need to worry about the girl he cared about betraying him.

Not that he would ever drive anyone to that point.

"Worse than people who declaw cats." Said Sho seriously.

"Worse than people who cut off dog's tails so they'll be short." Said Emmy

"I hate it when people do that. Let's cut off their tails…or whatever…and see how they like it." Said Sho

"People are the worst. I never understood how people could hurt animals….they don't even understand why they're being hurt." Said Emmy

"People suck." Said Sho a lot more lowly than Fukuda was comfortable with. He'd seen the worst of people, of his own father...and Fukuda wished that he hadn't. He wished that there had been something that he could do…he wished for a lot of things.

"They do. People are the worst sort. When I grow up I'm going to adopt all the dogs from the shelter that have short tails and all the declawed cats. I'll get a big country house and let them all run free." Said Emmy

"Can we have hamsters and birds, too?" asked Sho. Fukuda cringed. That was…dangerously close to something that his father would have said to a girl. Suzuki…he had always moved too soon too fast. He had always gone right to the forever…and now Sho was too. At least Sho had an excuse. He was ten and he'd been abandoned and of course he was looking forward to his adult life with someone he cared about….and Fukuda…well he would have to have a talk with Sho later.

"Of course….if that's what you want." Said Emmy. Huh. He had been expecting her to make some excuse to leave. That was what girls had done when Suzuki came on too strong too fast. A lot of pretending to get paged, pretending that she forgot she left her oven on…and one memorable instance where a girl faked a seizure. This girl was just sitting there tucking her helmet down over her face and turning a very bright shade of red.

"What's wrong?" asked Sho. Good. He could pick up on what she felt…and now he would learn not to come on so strong and Fukuda wouldn't have to walk him through how to talk to girls. God…that day. He loved Sho and all but he was never putting on a dress and wig and pretending to be a girl to help him figure out how to talk to them and basic date etiquette….the things he did for Suzuki….

The things he still did for Suzuki.

He had never imagined that he would be raising Suzuki's son but here he was. He was sitting there a table away watching Sho sit there on his first real date with his first girlfriend. He was sitting there biting back advice, good advice, because this was not the place for advice. Also Sho…he didn't need as much as his father had. He had some awareness how to talk to girls…and also that girl seemed to really like him. Well of course he did. Sho hadn't swept her off her feet with an insane number of gifts or a shoe locker stuffed full of love notes. He had met this girl and now he was with her. It was all so….normal.

And adorable.

"Nothing." Said Emmy quickly as she covered her face completely with her helmet. Sho leaned forward and tried to look at her…and Sho was getting sort of close…and now Fukuda felt like he should have had a measuring stick to put between them like an overzealous class rep.

"You're hiding under your helmet." Said Sho as he tipped her helmet up over her face. She squeaked and tucked her head down into her shirt….and Fukuda took a quick picture because those two were just so cute….and that was all. He knew that Masami never read his messages, that she had a new life now, but he still liked to hope.

"Well….what if there's incoming enemy fire? Better to have a helmet on than to end up with my brains splattered everywhere." Said Emmy

"Are you really worried about that? Because if you are then I can sit by the window." Said Sho

"But you've not got a helmet. You'd be killed." Said Emmy

"No, I'd be ok." Said Sho

"You're mental. You've gone mental if you think you could take a bullet to the head." Said Emmy

"Well better me than you." Said Sho. She pulled her helmet down over her head again. Sho had been right, it had been a good gift. She was hiding but not for the reasons girls had hid from Suzuki. No, she was just embarrassed. Sho could come on a little strong but he really seemed to like her….and that was just plain adorable.

"…..thanks." said Emmy

"You're doing it again. What's wrong? Tell me and I can make it better. That's what I'm here for." Said Sho

"It's nothing. You've just got me all….well in Japanese t's called doki doki, I've been doing research, and…yeah. I just…it makes me feel all…weird inside when you talk about us being together when we're grown up and stuff…and just…the nice things you say to me….nobody's ever said stuff like that to me before…but it's good." Said Emmy

"Oh...so when I say nice stuff to you it feels like…there's a goldfish in your stomach?" asked Sho quietly. He turned his head to the side and Fukuda looked busy with his own food. Sho was embarrassed…and Fukuda didn't blame him. Ten and a half. It was not a good age. He was getting those sorts of feelings…and it was so…Fukuda wasn't fully ready for this. For Sho to feel this way. To help Sho get through feeling this was. He was just a kid, he didn't need a goldfish in his stomach….but he had one and it was there and once that damn fish started swimming then there was no way to make it stop…and it would only get worse.

"More like an axolotl…or like….a bunch of them." Said Emmy softly.

"Oh those are so fucki-they're really cool." Said Sho. Fukuda bit his tongue. He had been about to correct Sho on his language…and that would not have gone over well. Correcting him like that in front of his little girlfriend.

"I know, right?! Did you know that they can regrow whole limbs?" asked Emmy

"Yeah, and they're the only amphibians to spend their whole lives in the water." Said Sho

"They're brilliant! I've wanted one as a pet for so long but my mum says no….but I really think that they're brilliant." Said Emmy

"Me too. It'd be cooler to have one of those swimming in your stomach than a goldfish, anyway." Said Sho. The excitement had petered off. Now they were just sort of looking at each other. Sho poked at his fries, the one from his nose thankfully gone, and his girlfriend did the same. God, he forgot how awkward things could be at that age…well he hadn't had a girlfriend at that age….but he knew that it would have been just as awkward for him as it was for Sho.

"Yeah….um….Sho? Do you ever feel like that? I mean…" said Emmy

"I do…sometimes." Said Sho. He was kicking his feet under the table. His girlfriend did he same. Hopefully they wouldn't collide…though it would have been less awkward than the moment that they were having right now.

"Um…" said Emmy, her feet getting dangerously close to hitting Sho's. They didn't, though, because the minute she spoke Sho sat up very straight, he practically bolted up from his chair. His pupils were small…and they had been for a while. An idea. He had an idea…and that could have been a good one or a bad one….

"Do you want me to hold your hand? Because…when I get that feeling I want to hold hands." Said Sho. Well he was bold….but in a good way it seemed since his girlfriend didn't look like she wanted to bolt.

"….yeah. That would be brilliant….holding your hand I mean." Said Emmy. They looked at each other and then their hands met across the table. Slowly. Her hand met Sho's first and she laughed. Sho just seemed….pensive.

"Sorry…my hands are kind of greasy." Said Sho. He pulled his hand back and wiped it on his shirt…and now that would need to be washed….but that was ok. At least Sho'd had the presence of mind to wipe his hand. At least he thought about his girlfriend, what she wanted, and he saw her as a person. Sho'd be fine. He'd been doing well, better than his father had at any point in his life, and Suzuki might have even been proud if he'd been there…or upset that Sho hadn't found an esper girl. He didn't know. It depended on Suzuki's mood. He might not have even cared that he even had a son. It depended on how enmeshed he'd gotten with Shigeko…but that was fine. They were what they were. Sho had him and he had Sho and that was what mattered. Sho had someone.

"Mine too. It's fine. We've been eating fish and chips all day. It's bound to happen." Said Emmy with a shrug.

"So….um…" said Sho as he reached over and took her hand again.

"Um….so…" said Emmy

"We could get one of those too…or a bunch. When we're adults I mean." Said Sho

"That….that would be pretty brilliant…" said Emmy. She reached up and pulled her helmet down again.

"Do you still feel weird? Because you're trying to hide under your helmet again." said Sho

"I still feel all….like I have a whole family of axolotls in my stomach…sorry." said Emmy

"No, don't be. That's….that's how your supposed to feel…..and stuff." Said Sho

"I know….because I fancy you…and you fancy me…and it's brilliant to um…to have someone you fancy…" said Emmy

"It is…" said Sho

"So…um…yeah….um…so…uh…" said Emmy. She looked at Sho, then at the table, and then at Sho again. Sho….he was focused. He had his focused eyes on and his aura was focused too. Fukuda…he didn't much like it when Sho made that face. Suzuki made that face…and nothing good ever happened when Touichirou made that face….

"Do you want me to kiss you?" asked Sho suddenly. Fukuda bit his tongue, literally. Yes. That was Suzuki's son. The sudden…asking of it all. How many times had Suzuki just randomly asked some girl who'd he'd barely been out with….and then that of course meant that Fukuda had to spring into action and save what was left of their double date…and they were always double dates….and he wanted to spring in and save Sho….but he also knew that Sho….he did not want to be saved…but that was what it was to take care of a kid, wasn't it? Sometimes you had to save them from themselves…..

"What?!" asked Emmy. She practically jumped up from her seat. Now people were looking…and Fukuda got hit phone out. He went into the sound library and went to his ringtone. Time for the old 'my mom's paging me, we have to go now'….or whatever excuse would fit better in the year 2015. Whatever excuse would best save Sho from his own awkwardness.

"Just…sometimes when I feel like that….I just…really wish that…the person who makes me feel like that…..would hold my hand and kiss me and stuff…" said Sho quietly. Fukuda thought up some excuses….and he settled on a call from home. That was something that his little girlfriend wouldn't question….and Sho might be disappointed that Fukuda had lied….but Sho would thank him in ten years on his wedding day. Sometimes you just had to save a person from themselves….even though….huh. It didn't even look like Sho even needed saving. She was shy looking but…but her eyes were darting to the door. It didn't look like she was in any distress at all…Fukuda put his phone away. Sho had this. Sho had this and Fukuda….he needed to have some faith in him.

"….that's the nicest thing that anyone's ever said to me…and I would kiss you if your nanny wasn't staring." Said Emmy softly. Fukuda didn't much like being called a nanny but he said nothing. He just pretended that he was completely unaware of what was happening a table away. He pushed his food around and pretended that he hadn't heard a thing and that Sho's aura wasn't resting on him now…

Even though he didn't much think that Sho was old enough for that.

But he didn't get to decide what Sho was and was not old enough for. He was not going to discourage this. If he discouraged this then Sho would grow up weird. He would grow up as weird and repressed as his father…and the world did not need another Suzuki Touichirou. The opposite sex did not need another Suzuki Touichirou. Sho…he could do whatever he wanted…and at least he was doing what he was doing with a girl his own age and not a thirty year old blind ex yakuza member with a pretty serious personality disorder and drug problem.

Yes. It could have been so much worse.

"Ok. Fukuda, stop staring." Said Sho. Fukuda didn't need to be told twice. He turned around and buried his face in his phone. He wasn't sure how he felt about that fact that Sho was kissing girl, and in pubic, but he decided to be happy for him….and also maybe talk to him about discretion….later. Right now he would just be happy for Sho. He deserved to have someone in his life who made him happy….and he deserved….well he deserved a lot of things considering how his life was going….how it would go….Fukuda didn't want to think about that now. About the future.

He decided to focus on the adorableness in front of him.