There was no better way to cheer someone up than a party….and big sis needed all the cheering up that she could get.

Sho figured as much, anyway, since she was the one all of this was happening to. He was so glad that he had been born a boy. Sure he had to keep the bloodline going, and dad hated him, but at least he would never have to go through what big sis was going through right now. The whole thing was so gross…and not in a good way…and also the internet said that her stomach would hurt a lot and she'd be all mad and sad…and also she had been pretty freaked out, too. He could tell by her aura. He knew that he had been pretty freaked out and he wasn't even the one that all of this was happening to. If he had been a little bit freaked out then she must have been at least a hundred times more freaked out if not more.

But that was ok because they were going to throw her a party and then she'd feel better and then everything would be ok.

It had to be. He had to make everything ok. He had…well he had freaked out about stuff…and he hadn't been able to be there for big sis…but now he could be! He was going to make this the best party ever and then it would make up for how he had freaked out and also how he hadn't been there for her because he had been too busy with baby sis….and how he had to keep baby sis from her…and a bunch of other stuff. So much stuff…and so many secrets….but that was ok. If he threw her an awesome enough party then…then that would make up for everything and she would be better and then….and then everything would be better.

It had to be. There was nothing that a party couldn't fix.

"Watch it! Now I have to fix those!" said Sho as Shimazaki walked through the streamers that he had hung from the ceiling and the walls. He had been in the middle of hanging up the last of them, the twisty way of course since that was the best way, when Shimazaki just walked through them like-like-like it didn't matter! This did matter! This was big sis's 'sorry you got your period please feel better' party and everything had to be perfect!

Perfectly perfect in every way!

"Don't hang those so low, kid, I keep on walking into them." Said Shimazaki as he felt a streamer get caught in his hair. Paper was kind of hard to see when it was so thin.

"You watch where you're going! Don't mess up my big sister's streamers! She likes streamers and this is her party and then everything has to be perfect!" said Sho

"You know I can't." said Shimazaki with a laugh. He could feel the kid glaring at him. His aura certainly sounded like he was. God, Sho was overthinking this whole thing. Sure, ok, parties were important but he didn't need to raise his blood pressure over some bits of paper.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, you're blind. Everyone knows. Just stop messing up my sister's streamers! We need enough to cover the whole ceiling and the walls!" said Sho

"Are you sure that we have enough? I can feel slivers of sunlight coming in through the windows." Said Shimazaki with a laugh.

"Shimazaki, you're right! There aren't enough streamers. You can't have a party without streamers!" said Sho as he put up the last of the pink streamers. This wasn't good enough, he could still see the ceiling. He needed to cover the whole room in balloons and streamers…and then maybe they could do indoor fireworks…if those were real…and also….a smoke machine? Maybe. That might have made it hard to breathe….but they needed more streamers! That was a fact! Once the rest of the steamers were up then…then he could worry about balloons and smoke machines and indoor fireworks!

"On it." Said Shimazaki as he teleported away. God, this was going to be the best party that they had thrown since….well not Mob's birthday party because that had been pretty great…and Toshi's birthday…well that had just been the two of them so it didn't count….but this was still going to be a good party! This was just what he doctor ordered. Poor Mob…not only did she have to go through ketchup packet times but she had to deal with all of this with Suzuki freaking out at her and her little brother broadcasting her business to their entire social circle. Yeah, a little bit of partying was just what she needed…and he didn't just think so because he liked to party.

"Bring back milk!" shouted Shibata from the kitchen. They were going to need a lot more milk…and not just because Mob drank gallons of the stuff. Sho said that she liked ice cream, well everyone liked ice cream, and well….they could just get ice cream from the store…but that wasn't special enough. Mob was going through a lot and she deserved homemade ice cream. She deserved all the ice cream that he could make…and that meant that he needed more milk. Also for the pudding….well maybe Shimazaki was the only one who liked pudding…

But that was ok.

Mob liked pudding too, he'd seen her eat it, so he was going to make all the pudding that he could. She needed to have a good time and if Shimazaki was happy then it was a good time for everyone. Also, well, he was the one bringing them all the supplies for this party…and Shibata was going to ignore the stealing and chose to believe that he was paying for everything with the money that they made from working for Claw…

Because nothing could put a damper on this party.

"I…think that there are enough streamers. I think that maybe we should even take a few down…maybe." Said Hatori from his spot on the couch. This was…a very bad idea. He had never been a girl, and hadn't spent much time with them, but he knew that if he had been in Mob's place than a party celebrating…what was currently happening….would not have been something that he would have wanted at any point in his life.

"Nobody asked you what you think, now get back to making big sis's playlist." Said Sho. He knew that he was being a bossy jerk but sometimes you had to be a bossy jerk to make stuff happen. He wasn't going to be like dad and hit people, these were his friends and even if they weren't he wouldn't have anyway, but he was going to whip everyone into shape…not with whips but….well people had to listen! Especially Hatori! Big sis liked him….well she said that she wasn't sure if she liked him….but she had liked him so she still did and…and Hatori needed to work harder at making big sis happy! Even if he did like boys, according to everyone, that didn't matter. He had to make big sis happy. Big sis deserved to be happy.

"Alright…alright…but maybe you're the guy for this job. I mean you know her better than I do." Said Hatori. So far this was anime openings, let it go remixes, and general Disney stuff. Mob…well not liking the playlist would be the least of her worries. The whole room was done up in pink streamers and there were buckets of pink confetti….and also there was a pink cake in the oven….and maybe he could convince her that they were celebrating Valentine's Day early or something. Something less embarrassing than the 'everyone knows you got your period so here's a party so you feel better' theme they had going on.

"You know her, you took her to the big comics thing and stuff. Come on, she'll really happy if you make her a playlist." Said Sho. That was a thing that you were supposed to do for girls. Well Fukuda had said that before, when he had been a kid, the thing to do was to record songs off the radio into mixtapes for girls but now they had technology so you could just make a playlist without going through the trouble of waiting for stuff to come on the radio. Big sis deserved to be happy and she liked Hatori and he made her happy…even though he was really bad at the boyfriend thing. Maybe because he didn't like girls.'

But that was ok.

Like Fukuda said, it didn't matter what you liked or wanted, it only mattered if you made the girl in your life happy. It was lying, sort of, but the kind that made someone feel better. Like when he and Fukuda played videogames together and Sho told him that he was having fun even though he wasn't because Fukuda really sucked at pretty much all games. Well being someone's boyfriend was a lot more serious than videogames but it was sort of the same thing. He felt bad for lying to Emmy, and also never seeing her, but he was still making her happy by being her boyfriend. Lying to her used to make her feel bad, and it still kind of did, but then he felt better knowing that Hatori was in the same boat that he was. He had to be big sis's boyfriend, if he didn't do it on his own then Sho would make him, and it didn't matter if he liked her back because being with her would make her happy and that was what mattered, making her happy.

Even if you weren't all the way happy.

"Fine, fine, but if she hates this then don't blame me." Said Hatori. Sometimes it was best to just do what the ten year old told you to do. He was the one managing this whole project after all. This was a bad idea, a really bad one, but Hatori…well everyone else was helping so he had to help too…even if he didn't particularly want to.

"I will, don't worry." Said Sho. He patted Hatori on the head and then made his way over to the kitchen. He hoped that the food was going better than the decorations and the playlist. It smelled good in there, that was good. There was a cake on the table and a bowl of pudding, not the chocolate pudding from breakfast but new pink white chocolate pudding, and Sho…well he had to taste he. He was about to stick a finger in the pudding before he stopped himself. Right. That would contaminate the whole thing. This belonged to big sis and she would have been upset if he just went and stuck his fingers in the pudding. He walked around Shibata, he was standing over the stove looking worried and took a spoon from the drawer. He had to use spoons and forks today…and also he would eat stuff that he wouldn't normally eat….because this was big sis's day and it had to be an awesome one.

One as awesome as this pudding.

"You did good, Shibata, now make it again and this time put sprinkles on top." Said Sho as he put his spoon in the sink with his powers. No double dipping. That was gross, big sis had said before, like sticking his head in the bowl and eating like a dog….and maybe when she had said that he shouldn't have eaten from the sundae that they had been sharing like a dog…but he had been little then. He wasn't little, he was ten, and as a ten year old he knew not to double dip into the pudding bowl. Big sis was going to love this….but she also loved sprinkles so she needed a bowl with sprinkles and one without. Sort of like funfetti. Everyone loved funfetti.

"But….can't I just put sprinkles on top of what I made already?" asked Shibata. He was always happy to cook for the kids, they were little people who needed a lot of food to grow up big and strong, but right now he had all the burners going and the oven….and also he was out of milk….and there was no telling what Shimazaki would come home with.

"No. She might not want sprinkles. She likes sprinkles sometimes, when we feel like funfetti, but she might now feel like funfetti now and I can't ask her or she'll know about her surprise party….now get back to work! When I come back I want to see all the food done!" said Sho. They were going to make everything that big sis liked to eat. Giant Disneyland churros, giant mochi's, plain rice, fried rice, milk shakes, ice cream, fairy bread, and probably something healthy, too, since she liked to eat healthy stuff….and also stuff that other people liked, too, because she liked it when other people were happy…

And she had to like this party.

Telling people what to do was hard. Dad liked it. Fukuda said that even when they were kids dad had bossed him around like he was the President of the world or something. Sho…this wasn't easy for him. He wanted to be nice but, also, being nice….sometimes you had to be hard on people. Fukuda said that. He was allowed to boss people around and stuff. He said that he didn't like it but sometimes you had to be hard on people. Sho…well he didn't like being hard on his friends…

But this party had to get done! And soon!

He had no idea where big sis and Minegishi had gone to, or when they would be back, so they had to move fast. Very fast. Big sis….she needed to feel better….and he could make her feel better. She had spent their whole lives, it felt like, being the person who made him feel better. Well he could return the favor. He could be a good little brother….in this way, at least. Good little brothers did not keep secrets from their big sisters. Good little brothers did not see their little sisters in secret when the big sister could never see her…and good little brothers didn't just disappear on their big sisters either…and also good little brothers just….didn't spend years hitting their big sisters because they were nothing but jerks and-

And good little brothers made sure that their big sisters had fun parties.

He made his way back to the living room. Some balloons got in his way but he kicked them. Not hard enough to make them pop, though, because she hated the sound of popping balloons. It scared her and he wasn't going to be scaring his big sister. She had enough scary stuff happening to her right now and she did not need him adding to it. He could pop the balloons later, though, when she wasn't around. Just him, though, not him and Shimazaki since he hated loud sounds like that. Popping balloons reminded him of gunshots, he had, because they were loud and sudden and his hearing was super sensitive. He could hear it if you shook a pudding cup from another room. He was so cool like that. He could even hear ants walking around on leaves and stuff….he was the coolest guy ever….

Even if he had no idea what colors were.

"I said pink and red! This is purple and blue and black! And what the hell is that?!" said Sho. Ok, maybe he had been a little too loud there…but still! Shimazaki has the nerve to teleport right back in front of him with stuff in totally the wrong colors and…and he had gotten skim milk, too. Big sis hated skim milk! She hated it so much she didn't even like to look at it at the store! Was he the only one taking this fucking party seriously?! Was he the only one who cared about big sis?! If she even lived or died!?

"Milk…and what the hell are you on about? You said streamers. I got streamers." Said Shimazaki. Ok. Someone needed a joint or a drink or just….something! His heartbeat was way too high for a kid his age and his aura was shrieking….sort of like Suzuki when he was in one of his micromanaging moods. Heh. This really was his kid...but still! What did this kid want from him?

….well besides the obvious, obviously.

"I said pink and red and….and I know that you can't see colors…but still! You could have…I don't know….asked for help….or something." Said Sho

"Right. Yeah. 'Excuse me, I'm just a poor helpless blind man here to steal from you. Which of these streamers are pink and red?'….yeah. That'd go over real well." Said Shimazaki with a shake of his head. He could hear Hatori laughing from over there on the couch. He….was not going to do something awful to Hatori…even though he sort of wanted to…and he had no idea why. Maybe because he might have seen Toshi naked…but Toshi could be naked with whoever they felt like it….but they hadn't wanted the world to see them naked…even though they had it going on…yeah. That was it. Nothing more.

"…well you could have at least gotten something other than skim milk! My sister hates skim milk! She hates it so much that if she sees it at the store she walks away real fast! She hates it so much and-" shouted Sho

"Skim milk? Why did you get skim milk? What am I supposed to do with skim milk?" asked Shibata as he stuck his head out of the kitchen. He wracked his brain…and found literally no use for skim milk. None. It was the worst of all milks, as Mob had said, and she had been right. He trusted her. Mob knew a thing or two about milk.

"Gross. Skim milk. Mob hates that shit and so do I." said Hatori as he stuck out his tongue. He felt Sho looking at him…and he looked back down at his phone and went back to crafting the perfect Mob-centric playlist. Sho…well he could be a little…intense sometimes. Sort of like President Suzuki. Like…co-op game President Suzuki. All bossy and intense and just…God help you if you fucked up in even the least bit…and he was so glad that he wasn't Shimazaki right now.

"See? Even Hatori hates it! Now come on, I'll go back with you and then we can get big sis the kind of milk she likes. She really likes whole milk but she'll drink two percent if there's no other milk around." Said Sho

"And bring back some heavy cream, too, while you're out! And another sack of sugar! And some saffron if you see it!" said Shibata

"Hey everyone? You know something….maybe I'm not the best man for this job. Just a hunch." Said Shimazaki as he put the jog of, apparently, inferior milk down onto Hatori's head. Hatori picked it up and tossed it to Shibata. He may not have been able to tell Shibata's expression from his face but he could tell from his aura that he was pissed off….and it was his own fault, really, for sending Shimazaki by himself. They were lucky he didn't come back with a jug of orange juice or human blood…or whatever…not that he even knew what had happened to the blood guy….he needed a drink.

"Where are you going?! Big sis needs milk! Now come on! I have no idea when she's coming back and we are nowhere near done! This has to be the best party ever and…and nobody but me is taking this seriously! Don't you guys love my sister!? Don't you want her to be happy?! Don't you care if she lives or dies?!" shouted Sho. He ran out of air by the end of that and started to cough. He put one arm on the couch to steady himself. That had been…well he had been very serious there! Big sis…this had to be the best day ever! Like…like better than any day that anyone had ever had in the history of….of ever!

Ever!

And he was the only one taking this seriously! He…he needed to calm down. His aura was being all bright and…and he just needed to calm down. What was he even ding? Yelling at his friends? No. That was not ok. He was not supposed to yell at his friends…and he was not about to ruin his friendship with everyone….but especially not with Shimazaki. He was…he was doing his best and…and Sho should not have talked to him like that…and now he was probably pissed off and he probably wanted to teleport away never to be seen again and-

And also he wanted to blindfold Sho.

"Kid, lighten up. You are taking this whole thing way too seriously. It's a party, not a life or death thing, so relax and be the streamer mummy. Come on, you know you want to." Said Shimazaki as he wrapped Sho up in, apparently, the wrong color streamer. He hated seeing the kid like this. He wasn't supposed to get this worked up…and especially over something like a party. He knew that he had promised Toshi that he wouldn't get Mob's little brother fucked up but, hey, that ship had sailed earlier that day. The kid was way too worked up and, honestly, he was a little too much like his dad for Shimazaki's comfort. Maybe the whole world would have been better off if the whole of the Suzuki family was just high twenty four seven.

"…fine….but just for a minute….then we have to get back to work!" said Sho. Maybe he did need to calm down, he didn't know, all he knew was that he used to like this game…well when he had been a little kid. Eight. He was ten now, almost eleven, and he was too old for this. Not that getting all wrapped up in streamers wasn't fun but…well he had serious work to do!

Very serious work!

"Aww…and me without a camera." Said Shibata. He smelled something burning…or at least over cooking…but this was just too adorable to turn away from!

"Hang on, I have a camera…well I have all the cameras in the world but my phone's a camera." Said Hatori as he pulled up his camera and took a picture of Sho. He really was an adorable kid, really, when he wasn't freaking out. He'd save this to show Suzuki later. He was Sho's dad after all and he must have wanted to see this…well he must have liked the kid at least a little….because that was why dads did. They liked, loved, their kids. He knew that Suzuki loved Mob, at least, even if he never called her by her name. God. He must have been so freaked out today, his aura had felt freaked out, and he was always so overprotective of Mob and….wait a second.

Nobody had invited Suzuki, had they?

Well he at least deserved an invitation. Mob was his kid, probably his favorite kid, and also…well he wasn't that bad of a guy once you got to know him. The only problem was that nobody ever wanted to get to know him…because he would be a terrifying asshole a lot of the time. But he could be a decent guy too, pretty interesting actually, if not extremely socially stunted…and the only way to be less socially stunted was to be more social…

And Hatori….well he was a good friend.

He sent Suzuki the picture and he asked if he wanted to come…and got an instant answer. Huh. That was weird. Usually he either took forever to reply or did just did his replying in person. He never just replied like it was urgent…and it wasn't…but still. That was nice. Also that was a good sign. If he was on his phone then he wasn't in one of his Suzuki spirals and that was a good thing for everyone….

Even if he didn't want to come.

"Aw, damn it. Suzuki says that he doesn't want to come…and that he hates parties." Said Hatori. He might have said the wrong thing…either that or Sho chose that exact moment to hulk out of those streamers.

"What the fuck?! Why did you invite my dad?! What the fuck is wrong with you!? You're a mother fucking, cock sucking, bitch of a bastard of a-" shouted Sho as he took all the streamers off of himself. He heard something crash and break in the kitchen…and he didn't care!? What was WRONG WITH HATORI!? DID HE HAVE BRAIN WORMS!? Dad was the biggest piece of shit in the whole world! He was an asshole and a jerk and…and he would have ruined everything!

"I think you just killed Shibata." Laughed Shimazaki. This whole thing was just so funny. Shibata freaking out in the kitchen, Sho about to kill Hatori, Hatori thinking that anyone would want to voluntarily spend time with Suzuki besides him….God. Toshi would have loved this if they had been here.

"I'm ok…..I'll live….but we really need more milk now." Said Shibata as he braced himself against the kitchen counter. Sho….he should NOT have been saying things like that! He was just a little boy! He was an adorable little boy who played games and…and was small and…and he should not have been cursing!

"Hatori, go and get milk with Shimazaki. He can't go on his own because he can't tell what the milk is…and then while you're out you can pick yourself up some medicine for the brain worms that you probably have." Said Sho

"What is this brain worms thing you're on?" asked Shimazaki. He felt his head. No brain worms there. Plenty of old head trauma though.

"My girlfriend sent me a picture of some worms that they took out of this guy's brain. Sometimes people get tape worms in their brains. It's cool and kind of scary." Said Sho. He…sort of wished that he hadn't said anything….because now he was thinking about Emmy…which made him think about how dad was proud at him because he had a girlfriend….and now he was thinking about Fukuda and how he said that the best thing to do was to keep being Emmy's boyfriend even though he didn't like her that much…and now….

He didn't have time to think about this! He had a party to put on! Without dad!

"That's disgusting." Said Hatori. He felt his head…even though he knew that he wouldn't be able to feel them and…and he would have known, right, if he'd had brain worms? He just….great. Now he had something else to worry about.

"It is….but you don't have time to worry about that! Now to go the store with Shimazaki! Big sis needs milk to be happy!" said Sho

"Ok, ok, but hang on. Fukuda wants to know if he can come….I guess that they're hanging out right now." Said Hatori. He didn't want Fukuda there. Fukuda….well he knew that Mob would not have wanted him there…but he also knew that Sho liked him and….and he wasn't about to tell Sho to stay away from him…because he didn't want to get into the whys or throw around any wild accusations….

"Hatori…if you bring that man into this house then I have no idea what I'll do to you but I do know that it'll be worse than anything that I have ever done to another human being in my life….or at least this year." Said Shimazaki. He teleported so he got close, very close, very incredibly close. Close enough the he could feel Hatori's breathing….and taste his fear…if he had been a lizard….or something.

"Shimazaki, leave him alone. Fukuda can come….if the kids want him here." Said Shibata as he cleaned up the shards from the pudding bowl. He did not want Fukuda in his house. He did not want Fukuda near the kids. He did not want Fukuda in the same house….the same street…the same city…the same prefecture….the same COUNTRY as him.

"I….he doesn't have to come. I don't want him to come because…well be doesn't like big sis. Big sis…she should only have people here that she likes….and also just….don't ask dad to come either! Big sis loves him but I…he broke my arm today! I don't want him here!" shouted Sho as he kicked the couch. He felt his arm. It was all better. His arm was all better now because Fukuda had fixed it…and Fukuda cared about him and…and not big sis and…and he didn't want either of them there!

"He….seriously. What the….hang on." Said Hatori. He knew that Suzuki was kind of an asshole to Sho and he knew that he hit him sometimes, but to break his arm….what the fuck? That was just….well his dad had hit him when he had been a kid, slapping him on the hand sometimes and stuff, and so had mom but…never enough to hurt him. Suzuki…that was…not good.

"Yeah. He did. He picked me up and threw me down the stairs…and stuff." Said Sho. He pulled his arm up into his sleeve. He hadn't cared, really, at the time. Dad had thrown him down the stairs before and…and that was just…stuff that happened sometimes. It wasn't that bad.

"Well….he says that it wasn't his intention and stuff…and also I told him that you guys didn't want Fukuda there….he's not coming…and I'm sorry about your arm, Sho, I really am." Said Hatori. Well if Suzuki hadn't meant it…and he had said that he lost control sometimes….but still. He could be a nice guy sometimes…and really he should have been nicer to Sho. He was a good kid. He could be very intense and he could be kind of high strung…but he was a good kid. He was a good kid and he didn't deserve to be treated like that.

Poor kid.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, just get the milk already." Said Sho. He didn't care about what happened to him. He didn't care about how dad had been a jerk to him. He didn't care about how dad had thrown him down the stairs and he had broken his arm. He just…he just cared about big sis. He cared about big sis and he cared about making this party good for her…and it would be good for her. Hatori went with Shimazaki to get what they needed, Hatori may have had thick glasses but he could still read what things were, and that was good. Now all Sho had to do was finish the house and then just…wait for big sis to come home.

He hadn't had to wait long.

He felt her aura getting closer and closer after Hatori and Shimazaki came back….and he had no idea what Shimazaki had done to him but he had gone right to the bathroom to hide…but really he needed to stop freaking out so much. Honesty. He had to take care of big sis when they got married. That was the guy's job. The guy kept the girl and the kids safe. Hatori…he needed to take care of big sis and he needed to make big sis happy…even if he didn't like her. Not like she liked him…but that didn't matter. Just making her happy, that was what mattered, and Hatori had better have been able to make her happy….

Later, though, when big sis grew up. Right now it was party time.

Sho decided, early on, that this was going to be a surprise party. That was why he made everyone hide and also why he had Shimazaki drag Hatori out of the bathroom. That was too much hiding, him being in the bathroom, and big sis liked him. She would have wanted him to be right there when she opened the door and then they all yelled 'surprise'. Just that, though, not 'happy birthday' because it wasn't anywhere near her birthday.

But not 'happy period' because Shimazaki had said it would be a bad idea and Sho trusted him the most out of everyone else.

"Surprise!" shouted Sho…and maybe he had been early….no. Everyone else had been late. They should have rehearsed this. They should have rehearsed this for hours and hours because he was early…on time…and everyone else was late…and Hatori was so late that he didn't come out of hiding…and Sho had no idea how he ever expected big sis to be his girlfriend when he had that attitude. Big sis deserved the best surprise in the world. The kind that would make her go 'wow!' and 'great!' and 'now that you threw me this party I'll never be upset again in my life' and stuff.

Not….whatever she was now.

"What's….happening….?" asked Mob as she blinked. She…well she had been planning on going home and taking a nap since she was tired….but then she had come here to nap because her house smelled like paint and was full of people fixing it up after….what had happened….and maybe she had gone to sleep and now the paint smell was making her crazy because it looked like…like everyone had thrown her a party….

A pink party.

Everything, well most everything, was pink and red…and the house smelled good…and normally this would have been great but….but Minegishi had promised that nobody would even hear her come in! They had promised that…that everyone would probably have either been out or busy. Shibata had to keep dad safe and Hatori had to keep dad company and Shimazaki usually spent the day playing with Sho and…and nobody was supposed to notice her! Now everyone was noticing her and looking at her and…and there was this party….and she had no idea why they were even throwing her one…and she knew that she was being ungrateful but….

But she wanted everyone to leave her the h-word alone right now.

"Stupidity. Stupidity is happening right now, Mob." Said Minegishi as they took in all of….this. This was just…they did not have words for the stupidity that they were looking at. This looked like a red and pink themed party. Like a blood themed party. Like a period party….and Minegishi….they felt the plant life around them. They wanted to start knocking some sense into people. There were four people in that room, three of them adults, and nobody had stopped for five seconds and thought to themselves that maybe throwing a period party might have been a BAD IDEA?!

Or hell, maybe they had just decided to celebrate Valentine's Day a little early.

Well whatever they were celebrating they would have to do it without them and Mob. They had been running around all day to drug stores and clothes stores and book stores and they needed rest. They needed their sleep and Mob needed their sleep…and also they did not need everyone staring at them. They pulled their messenger bag close. The only one who had seen anything, really, was Mob's monster of a little brother…and he had been panicked out of his mind and….

And Minegishi did not hurt children.

Not in the serious way they hurt people. That kid…that kid had a lot of problems and…and he could get a pass, one pass, because he had honestly thought that Mob had been dying. This wasn't his fault. He hadn't asked for someone as useless as Suzuki Touichirou for a father, that was just the hand that he had been dealt, and if he'd had a father who took the time to teach him and his sister anything well then…none of that would have happened. Minegishi would have been waking up around this time…and they would have had the privacy that a bedroom door could provide….but there was no point in thinking about what could have been.

They had to focus on the shit show that they had just walked in on.

"Hey! We worked hard on this party for big sis!" said Sho. They were always such a jerk. Well if they thought that this party was stupid then they could just sit alone in their room while everyone else had fun!

"Hey, don't yell at Toshi. They're tired." Said Shimazaki as he listened to Toshi's aura and sensed how they were standing. They were hiding behind their bag and they had one arm over Mob. They were feeling vulnerable and they hated feeling vulnerable….and that was ok. He could make them feel better. As much as he loved a good party he loved Toshi more and if Toshi needed him then he would be there for them.

"I am beyond tired, Ryou." Said Minegishi. They needed to collapse into bed…and that had been the plan…but now they had to put out a gigantic pink and red fire.

"Should I put some coffee on for them you think?" whispered Shibata to Hatori. He just shrugged. Shibata…he felt the same way. Mob…did not look thrilled…and he had no idea why. Well because she was going through her…special times….and also she'd had a big morning and also…and also she liked parties but maybe this wasn't the best time…now that he thought about it…because it had been a big morning for her. Maybe Hatori had been right….and maybe he had gotten too swept up in the fun of planning a party.

"I-I'm tired too….and….and I don't really….I mean….my house smells like paint but it's not that bad so I'll just…be going….now." said Mob. She didn't want to be…well she loved her friends and she loved parties…but also all of her friends knew what was happening to her right now…and also all of her friends were boys…and boys COULD NOT KNOW about this!

"I knew from the start that this was a bad idea…" said Hatori. Mob looked like she wanted to run away….and he didn't blame her. Maybe he should have made everyone listen…because nobody ever listened to him….and if nobody ever listened then maybe he should have just talked louder. Mob…she was not ok…and he kind of wanted to run over and give her a hug because he was sure that she needed it….but he stayed behind the couch. Mob didn't look like she wanted anyone but Minegishi near her…and he didn't blame her one bit.

"Then maybe you should have done something about this….I can't even right now. I'm tired, Mob's tired, and we're going to go to her house and huff the paint fumes until we pass out." Said Minegishi as they pulled Mob close. Everyone they knew was an idiot and they were not in the mood for putting out any idiot fires. Let the idiots burn in the first they started.

"Oh…well if you want to come upstairs you can stay in my room…since I know that you're not really into huffing paint." Said Shimazaki. He hadn't been thinking. Toshi was tired. Toshi was super tired and…and they needed more sleep. Well they could nap in his room, and Mob too, and then they could both pass out in his room. They could always party later. Party time could come at any time, that was the beauty of party time.

"Thanks but no thanks. Come on, Mob, we're both way too tired for….this." said Minegishi

"What…wait! Big sis….threw a party for you and…and I thought that you…would want this. I worked hard…." Said Sho as big sis turned around. Her aura had been all close and she had been all wide eyed and….and freaked out…and he didn't get why. What was so bad about a party? She loved parties but also….also she was going through a lot if the internet was to be believed. So maybe….maybe he had been too…too quick to throw her a party to make her feel better….

And to make himself feel better too.

He had been the one who had told everyone about her private…stuff. He had also been the one to wake her up super early that morning…..and also he had only woken her up that morning, that early in the morning, because he had been sneaking around seeing baby sis behind big sis's back….and he had felt bad and….and maybe he was the one who had needed the party….and not her.

"Um….ok…I can stay if you want me to…and stuff…but why did you even throw this party? It's not my birthday or girl's day or…or Valentine's Day. Just….I don't know what's happening right now." Said Mob. She knew that Sho had worked hard, all of them had, and she just…could not be selfish. She just….she wanted to be alone. She wanted to be alone and she wanted to just….deal with this on her own…and also to nap…because she was tired.

She was so tired.

"We missed International Friendship Day. That's what this is about. Isn't it everyone?" asked Minegishi in a tone that they knew Mob could not read but they also knew that everyone else could read loud and clear. Mob…well they had barely gotten her to show her face in public because she thought that everyone knew what was happening to her…and now she was in a room full of people who knew what was happening to her….and this was going to be quite the setback now wasn't it?

"It sure as hell is." Said Shimazaki. He elbowed Sho in the side. He was the only one in the room not agreeing…and this hadn't been a party specifically for her ketchup times….but it had been her ketchup times that had gotten her all upset in the first place…but maybe they should have gone with a Halloween theme or something.

"Um….ok…that's…good….I think….I mean it was on July 30th….so…this is ok…" said Mob. She wanted to melt into the floor. She wanted to run home and sufforcate on the paint fumes. She wanted….well she wanted to pull her head into her sweater and then just…never come out again…but she wasn't going to. She was….going to stay and…and stuff….because everyone had worked so hard….

"Hey big sis? Um….we can have the party tomorrow. Do you want to go and take a nap? I mean…you look tired." Said Sho. She needed sleep and he…well he loved her. He loved her and, yeah, he had been working all day on this but she had been working all day on….stuff that was happening to her. She looked tired and she felt tired and….and he was partially why she was so tired…

He could be sort of a jerk sometimes.

"That….would be great." Said Mob. She took a step towards Sho…and she felt bad to waste a party…but also she was just…so tired. She was tired and achy and…and she just…she wanted to be alone but also…also she wanted to be with her little brother…even if he did know….but she knew a lot of stuff about him and…and they loved each other. When you loved someone then you never made fun of them or made them feel bad…and stuff.

"Awesome. Everyone, leave the decorations and the food. We'll have the friendship party later!" said Sho. He gave everyone a look. Not one of dad's looks but…close. Maybe too close. He just…he knew that they had worked hard for this party, for him, but it was supposed to be for her…and if it was supposed to be for her then they could have the party whenever she was ready. That time would come later, not now, and that was ok. Right now…she was tired and stuff…and so was he...but this was about her.

There was no better way to cheer someone up than with a party…but it was impossible to get cheered up when you were super tired…and this was about big sis, her feelings, and not his.