Kids loved cake.

Therefore tonight's dinner was going to be cake. It was the least that Shibata could do. Mob…poor kid. Titanic was a great movie but, yeah, not for kids. He had been ten when he'd seen that movie for the first time but Mob was even more sensitive than he had been….well he had cried plenty…well after that he'd been given something to cry about….but he was not going to be treating Mob like that! He was never going to treat anyone like that!

That was no way to treat a person.

"Hey Mob, you want to lick the bowl? Come on, cake mix?" asked Shibata as he held up cake mix bowl. He hadn't scraped the sides well enough. If mom had been there she would have been so ashamed…but this was for Mob. Kids loved cake mix. When he'd been a kid, on those rare times where he'd been allowed to cook with mom in peace, mom had always said never to waste food. Ever. Leaving this much batter in the bowl…well she would have thought that it had been a waste….but this wasn't a waste of batter.

Kids loved cake batter.

"No thank you." Said Mob. Shibata frowned. He had seen her eating cake batter before….and Sho loved it. Sho, if you didn't watch him carefully, would steal the bowl of cake batter and eat it under the table. Sort of like Shibata had done when he had been little…back when he had been able to still fit under the table. God he must have been five….no, four. Yeah. He had ben four the last time he had been able to comfortably fit under the table. The last time he had been able to be easily picked up….

And kids loved to be picked up.

Well he knew that he had…and he knew that he loved to pick kids up. They were so small and….and he could easily lift a grown man but kids, well kids were….kids. They were small and cute and….and also they liked being picked up. It made them happy. Their parents…not so much….but President Suzuki knew that he would never hurt his kids. He was always careful when he picked Sho up. He may have been an esper but Shibata still treated him like he had glass bones and paper skin. That was how you were supposed to treat kids.

Otherwise you got fired and had to leave town and never come back.

He would treat Mob like she was made of rice paper and fine crystal. She was Sho's sister after all, and a more powerful esper, and also she looked like she needed to be picked up and thrown in the air a few times. She was sitting there at the table all hidden in the sweater he had made her, he'd have to make her another one that was just…closer to the right size, and also she was in long pants and a long sleeved long dress….Minegishi had said that she was hiding in her clothes probably because of what Fukuda had said….

God…he hated that guy.

He didn't like to hate people. Mom had always said that hating people was a waste of time. If you disliked someone enough to hate them then the best thing was just to not let the person stay on your mind. If Fukuda had just been another coworker then…well he could have just ignored him but….he messed with the kids. Not…well not like how everyone else thought. He had been on the receiving end of those accusations before in his life just because he was a man who liked kids and just happened to be almost three meters tall. He hoped beyond hope that Fukuda was just a guy who liked kids but had never had any of his own….but he was just….

He was just so creepy when it came to the kids.

Shibata hated that word, creepy, and the accusations that came with it…but he had thought in his mind that Mob was dating a grown man and he had kept it to himself. Mob was eleven. She did not need to be taken away from dolls and princess movies to do….that…or even to think about that and if Shibata had ever had those sorts of suspicions he would tell Suzuki…well after he taught whatever guy who thought that Mob was old enough for….all of that….a lesson….

He didn't much like teaching people lessons but…well he did what he had to do.

He didn't want to think about this, though, because Mob was there and she was sad and mopey and he had to be there for her. He couldn't be there for her if he was thinking about teaching Fukuda a lesson. He had to be there for her and…and he had to teach her how to make a cake. They were making a normal yellow cake with frosting, something nice and simple that everyone could enjoy, and Mob….she was very sad for someone who was making a cake.

But that was ok. He was there for her.

"Are you sure? Your brother loves to eat the batter." Said Shibata as he held the bowl out to her. She closed her eyes and shook her head. She was holding her stomach….she must have been hungry….but she just…didn't want to eat the batter. That didn't make sense. She had eaten cake batter before…and her brother loved cake batter…and he didn't know if she could hold out until the cake was done. She was hungry now! She was hungry and she was a kid and she needed to eat or she would never grow up and then she would be little forever….but not in a good way!

"I know that Sho eats cake batter….he likes to do stuff like that….and I wish that I had let him eat more cake batter…when I could…" said Mob. Oh. She must have been sad about how her brother was gone. That…also made sense….though he would still take responsibility for his part in this. He was the one who had written Titanic and put it in the hat and let it get drawn from the hat without ever once thinking of the child in the room. It was easy, sometimes, that Mob was as young as she was. She didn't act like a kid all the time….but she was a kid. She was just weirdly mature for someone her age, and she got up to a lot of adult stuff that she shouldn't have, but she was still a kid and he should have remembered that.

"Don't worry, he'll come back eventually and then I'll make you guys a whole bowl of cake batter to share." Said Shibata. That would have been the best day ever! But….but she didn't seem to see it that way. She was still sitting there at the table and she was still holding her stomach and…and she must have been hungry. Hungry and also….also next movie night they were watching something else. Like Pompoco…that was a great movie…but also maybe not for her…he'd let her pick. He'd let her and her brother pick and then they would have a good time and just…happy kids were the best kids.

"Sho can eat it all on his own. He's the one who likes cake batter and…and I'm not Sho…Sho's not here….and he might never come back…." Said Mob. Oh no! She was getting even sadder and…and he needed to fix this! Pick her up? She might like that….but also she might now. She was sitting very still and maybe she didn't want to be picked up…but if she had been Sho then he would have just picked her up…but like she had said, she was her own person. She may have been related to Sho but she was not Sho. She was her own person….and he would do his best to make her feel better! He would find something to say or to do or-

Or he would deal with this.

"What?! Sho's never coming back!" said Shimazaki as he teleported into the kitchen. Shibata…he reminded himself that Shimazaki had something wrong with him and he couldn't help who he was. He couldn't help being the way he was. He'd had a hard life, from what he had shared, and Shibata…well he hadn't had as hard a life as Shimazaki'd had…or a very hard life at all….and maybe that meant that he didn't have the right to complain about Shimazaki because he was like a kid in a lot of ways and he didn't know better….like Sho did….

Shimazaki dipped a finger into the actual cake pans.

Sho was ten. Sho didn't know better because he was ten. Sho could eat the batter from the pans because he was only ten years old and he didn't know better. Shimazaki had been told time and time and time again not to mess with the cake pans…and everything else in the kitchen. Well he had told Sho time and time again to be more careful in the kitchen and not eat things until they were done…but he was a little guy so it was understandable. Shimazaki was thirty, almost thirty one, and the oldest person living in that house.

So, really, he should have known better.

"He's coming back….just not now. Now get out of here." Said Shibata. He knew that he maybe shouldn't have been so harsh in front of Mob, she was very sensitive especially now after seeing the end of Titanic, but Shimazaki didn't do subtlety. You needed to be very firm and very direct with him…and even then he didn't always listen.

"Hey, I have every right to be in this kitchen." Said Shimazaki. He tried to dip another finger into the batter. Shibata was about to take it away from him but Mob put a barrier around it. Shimazaki either didn't want to break through her barrier or he couldn't. Mob was, apparently, strong enough to stop him from teleporting. She was so strong for a kid…but she was still a kid and no matter how strong she was he was going to remember that. It was always hard when people couldn't see you for the person you were, just for what you could do, and Mob didn't need to go through that.

"You can have some cake when we're done…ok? Then everyone….everyone can share…" said Mob softly. She was still hungry and sad…and Shimazaki knew better than to mess with her when she was lie that. He leaned in close and then pulled back.

"Fine…but give me that. I have feelings that I need to eat." Said Shimazaki. Shibata….well Mob didn't want this cake batter…and he knew h should have just scraped the sides of the bowl into the pan…but then Shimazaki would have gone back to eating directly from the pan and Shibata….well that was gross. He knew that germs died during the cooking process but he still didn't want Shimazaki sticking his fingers into the cake pan and eating all of the batter. It was just plain unpleasant.

"Fine. Here." Said Shibata. You had to pick your battles sometimes…and sometimes you just had to give people what they wanted. Well kids, obviously, because giving them what they wanted made them happy. They had their whole adults lives to be miserable, to see the world for how big and dark and cruel that it was, but as children they were shielded from that…mostly. Mob…she knew a lot about the adult world, more than she should have known, but that was alright….well not for her but…but she was still a good kid. She was just a good kid that drank and smoked….and he would much rather have had her eat her feelings. She usually drank and smoked when she was upset and…well he would not be helping her do that…

But he could help her eat her feelings.

"Well he's not coming back but, hey, we have a cake coming to us as soon as that oven is done preheating." Said Shibata. He couldn't believe that he had forgotten to preheat the oven. That was his fault. He was always skipping steps. Mom had always said that he was too scatterbrained to be in the kitchen with her. He hadn't been able to help it then and he couldn't help it now. He just got so excited at the prospect of the cake being done and about how happy Mob would be when she had something to eat that he had forgotten to preheat the oven. Well that was alright. They would just have to wait a minute. Then Mob would feel better, eating your feelings wasn't good but neither was any of the other stuff she got up to so there, and then everything would be ok again.

"I…I…." said Mob. She was shaking her head and…and she was shaking. Poor Mob…well she had been like that all day according to Minegishi….but still. Poor Mob.

"It's ok, if you changed your mind about the batter I can make more." Said Shibata. Maybe she had changed her mind and she was hungry for cake batter after all. Well that was fine, he could do that for her, and he would do that for her. She was a kid and kids needed food and….well he knew that cake batter wasn't good for her….but if she wanted it then he would make her some. He couldn't say no to kids. Who could?

"I…no. I don't know. I want….I want….Sho would have liked and….and I just…I miss my brother…I guess." said Mob. She wiped her eyes and…and that was so sad! But he had to stay calm. He was the adult here and he had to be there for Mob and she….well this was just the saddest thing ever. They were really close, her and her brother, since they were so close in age. They were only half a year apart, if his math was right, and that was pretty damn close. Poor Sho. He must have been really premature. That might have been the reason why the President was so distant with him. Some people thought like that. Some people thought that it was best to put distance between yourself and someone you almost lost. That might have been why Mob was so protective over him and also why Fukuda went with him everywhere…it was better than the other theory that was floating around. He knew that being even a couple weeks premature could be bad for you but months and months….poor Sho...and poor Mob for having to be apart from the brother she had almost lost when she had been just a baby.

"Hey, hey, that's ok. He's coming back and then when he does we can bake another cake…or set off some fireworks….or have another movie night….and you two can pick….but please don't be sad!" said Shibata. He didn't know what to do with sad kids besides pick them up and make them feel better…and he just….well he wanted to but he knew better than to just randomly pick kids up like that. Still. This was just so sad….seeing her like this….and being so powerless to help her when she clearly needed it.

"I'm sorry…I just….I just can't help it. I just….I love you guys so much! I love how you're always so nice to everyone, even Shimazaki, and….and you take good care of people and…and please take care of Sho….ok? When I'm…when I'm gone please take care of my little brother. I love him so much….and I love all of you…" said Mob. He pulled his sleeve down and wiped her face. Well he made a mess out of her makeup….but he didn't say anything about that in case that got her even more upset. She loved her makeup and looking cute…and she was always so adorable…especially when she was happy….and he just wanted her to be happy again!

"Don't worry. Whenever you're not around I'll be right here and I'll take care of Sho. You don't have to worry about anything." Said Shibata. She worried so much about her little brother….but he could take care of him too. She must have wanted a break…and that should have been so confused. It was hard when you loved someone and you wanted a break from them….and she was only eleven. She was starting to realize how exhausting a labor of love could be. It was exhausting in a good way…but not always….and that was ok. She was eleven and she could feel however she wanted to.

"Ok….but make sure he eats a fruit and a vegetable at least once a week….and also make sure he takes a bath every day….and he'll get in the water if you give him a poptart and a can of soda as a reward….and also he likes to be read to before he goes to sleep….and I wrote a whole instruction book and when Fukuda comes back from wherever he took Sho…then tell him that I told you that you could have it….ok? Please take good care of my little brother." Said Mob. Shibata nodded. He could watch Sho every once in a while…or all the time. He was such a great kid. Well he could be a little bit…like Shimazaki sometimes. Sho, if he hadn't looked almost exactly like the President, could have been Shimazaki's son…but that was ok. Sho was a good kid even when he was acting like a smaller version of Shimazaki.

"I'll guard him with my life, don't worry. Ok? While you're gone I'll take care of him like my own." said Shibata. He would love to watch Sho…and hopefully now she felt better. She carried a lot with her. She did a lot for her little brother, she was such a good sister and kid, but it was good that she was getting better at letting other people help out. She wasn't like her father in that way. The President only let Fukuda, and now Hatori, help him with everything that came with running Claw. He couldn't be much of a father to his kids with all he had to do…and it was good that Mob wasn't taking after her dad in that way. She was a lot like him in a lot of ways but in a lot of ways she was nicer….well she let people see that she was nice. Apparently the President could be very nice, according to Hatori, but he never let it show for some reason. Mob was the opposite. Maybe she took after her mom.

"I-I'm not going….I mean I am….I mean….I don't know. Let's put the cake in the oven…and then let's make frosting and then…and then we can all have cake for dinner and…and we can all be happy….and we should be happy together." Said Mob. Yes. Ok, she seemed better now…..and that was great! She was on board with this cake thing and now…well now they were left with one more thing to deal with.

"That sounds like a great plan, Mob, the best plan ever. Ok, now….what kind of frosting do you want? Buttercream or whipped cream?" asked Shibata

"Whipped cream but….but leave it on the side….because that way people can put their own frosting on and…and also….also we should make something that isn't sweet for Minegishi….because they think that sugar is poison….and stuff." Said Mob. Shibata shook his head. Minegishi and sugar…well it didn't matter. He knew how to make other kinds of cakes.

"Mob, that's a great idea! Ok, so we can make them a spice cake or a carrot cake…which are sweet but not that sweet…and they do like sugar, you know, they just like to act like they don't…but it's fine. Now come on, let's make frosting!" said Shibata. She was better now…better-ish…and she would be be all the way better by the time that the cake and frosting were done. Who could resist homemade frosting? No one, that was who. She was better-ish and soon she would be all the way better…and hopefully cake and frosting made…well hopefully he had fixed what he had messed up. He shouldn't have let her watch Titanic and…and she was going to be bothered for a while, he knew that he had been, and…well cake could help.

Was there anything, really, that cake couldn't fix?