It was easier, being out of his room, when he had something to do.
Right now he was sorting M&Ms by color. Shimazaki had asked, told, him to and he didn't mind. He was sitting in the kitchen, Miss Suzuki liked it when he was out of his room, and he was making friends, Miss Suzuki liked it when he made an effort to make friends. So, really, he had no problem sorting out the M&Ms by color…even though there were a lot of them…
A whole crate of them.
"Are you done yet? I'm starving!" said Shimazaki as he teleported back into the kitchen. Serizawa didn't shout or jump or lose control…terribly. The bowl od M&Ms he had been holding went flying out of his lap but Shimazaki caught it…which was pretty cool considering the fact that he couldn't see…but also didn't stop the mess from being made…because now there was candy everywhere…
But he would clean it up. He was a good friend like that.
"I….I still have most of the crate to go but…but that bowl…the one on the table…um it's in front of me…it's full of red ones if you want them." Said Serizawa
"You're a good man Serizawa, keep it up and I'll let your sort my Skittles." Said Shimazaki. Serizawa…well he wanted to help out…and sorting skittles made more sense than sorting these. Skittles were at least different flavors…and he did like to be helpful towards his friends…now that he had them…and this was a lot better than helping out with the eye cleaning.
He really hoped that today wasn't an eye cleaning day.
If it was then maybe Shimazaki's partner could help him. Serizawa could feel them coming. He could hear them, he knew how they walked, but he focused on the way that they felt. Miss Suzuki said that being able to feel if another esper was near was very basic and that he had a lot to catch up on…and for her he would.
She was his best friend. He would have done anything for her.
What are you making him do? And what happened in here?" asked Minegishi. They walked past him and ran their hand through a bowl of M&Ms. They clicked their tongue and shook their head…and he wondered why they didn't like candy…but he didn't ask them that. He wasn't used to talking to them yet. They were Miss Suzuki's best friend….and he wanted to be friends with them…but talking to them was just…not easy…
But he had to say something.
"G-Good morning….afternoon…Minegishi…um…do you want some candy?" asked Serizawa. There. That was something….something that he had said. Now he just…had to say something else. This shouldn't have been so hard. These were Miss Suzuki's friends and she had said that they would all be his friends too. They were his friends…future friends…and they were all like him too. They were cursed, they were ESPERS, like he was an esper…and he just…he could see his colors now. He could see his colors and he just…he wished that Miss Suzuki had been there. She would have told him what to say…
But she wasn't there…so he had to do this on his own.
"Has it all been on the floor?" asked Minegishi
"N-No, it hasn't…um…it's…good." said Serizawa. That should have been easy. They had asked him a question and he had answered it…and he shouldn't have been afraid of them…even though they looked like they wanted to kill him…but that was normal for them. They always looked like they wanted to kill someone. Miss Suzuki said that underneath all of that they were the nicest person in the whole house next to Shibata.
"Why is there so much candy on the floor in the first place? And what the hell is in that crate?" asked Minegishi
"He's sorting my candy for me since my seeing eye kid is off living his own life…leaving me high and dry…" said Shimazaki. He crossed his arms and sighed. Serizawa was glad that nobody was talking to him anymore. That had been a lot…and he hadn't even done anything…but also he had done more than he had done in the past fifteen years of his life. Miss Suzuki had said, before, that the only thing that mattered was that he tried a little more every single day.
"These are M&Ms…they're all the same flavor. They don't need to be sorted…and did you steal a crate of M&Ms? It looks like you stole a crate of M&Ms." Said Minegishi
"Well to be fair I had no idea what was in the crate….and also you like M&Ms…you like them a lot…come on Toshi…try them…they want to be in your mouth…they want to be in your stomach…don't disappoint them." Said Shimazaki. He held a red M&M in his hand and brought it up to Minegishi's…or did they prefer Toshi…he tried to feed them like they were a baby or a bird or a baby bird…or something.
Something that he got the feeling that he was not supposed to be seeing.
"They're inanimate objects. They feel nothing." Said Minegishi
"Nah, I think they feel something. They feel everything and what they want is sweet oblivion. The sweet oblivion of being in your stomach. Come on, can you deny them the freedom that comes with death? Can you really do that?" asked Shimazaki. He pressed a candy to their mouth…and they smiled. Serizawa had never seen them smile before…and they had a nice smile…not that he was staring at them or anything.
They weren't his partner….and also girls hated being stared at….not that they were a girl but…well nobody liked beings stared at.
"Fine, but just one. You know how I am with candy." Said Minegishi. They smiled and laughed a little…and that was just…Serizawa had to get back to sorting candy…or maybe picking it up…or something. This was a very important job that he was doing…even though they were all the same flavor…he didn't know. Shimazaki had said that this was important and…well that was what friends did. They helped each other out.
And they did not stare at their friend's partners.
"I know…and I like it." Said Shimazaki. He reached over and wrapped another arm around them. Serizawa got back to sorting candy. He had to do something other than watch…this. They were a couple. The walls of the last house had been thin. He knew fully well that they were a couple…and he had never been so close to a couple before. Also Minegishi was…well a girl…and not a girl and…well aside from his mother the only girl he talked to was Miss Suzuki…and she was…well he got the feeling that she was a lot younger than him…even if she seemed like she was his age and…
And well….Minegishi was kind of sort of very pretty…even if they were in pajamas and their hair was everywhere…or maybe that just made them prettier…but they were not his partner and he was not going to stare at them.
"Well I don't so just one…or maybe two…and stop tormenting Serizawa. You heard what Mob said and she does not need any more stress in her life right now." Said Minegishi
"I am not tormenting him. He likes to help, don't you?" asked Shimazaki. Serizawa nodded and tried not to look up at…well them being a couple. He wondered what it was like to be in love…but he knew that he would never know…and that didn't matter. Miss Suzuki was stressed by something…something was bothering her. His best friend…what if she stopped being his friend? What if he had done something? What if she was done with him? What if she…no. She was a good person, the nicest person he had ever known, and he just…he needed to stay calm.
He tended to overreact.
"Y-yes….I do. I like to help…to be helpful. Um…s-something's wrong with Miss Suzuki? I mean….sorry." said Serizawa. He got the feeling that he had to apologize even though he knew that…well it was alright to talk to people. He could talk to people and Miss Suzuki even asked him to talk to people…and he had no idea where this…feeling…was coming from….
Too much candy. There was too much candy on the floor. He needed to focus on the candy on the floor.
"She's a little ketchup packet right now, I can tell, and she needs her space." Said Shimazaki. Serizawa had no idea what he meant…and also why Minegishi had hit him over the head like that. That seemed…not right. Like…well he knew that partners were not supposed to hit each other…and Miss Suzuki had been very clear that violence was never the answer and that as friends they were supposed to get along all the time….
So he didn't ask about that.
"Ketchup packet?" asked Serizawa. He had no idea what that could have meant. He had no idea why Minegishi had hit their partner for saying that…and he wanted to know…so maybe if he knew what he had meant then he would know what that had been about. There. It was like when you had to stumble into a mission, it wasn't just given to you. He liked those sorts of missions, they were good for passing the time.
The never ending time.
Time…well it passed quickly these days. He was awake during the day. The curtains were open and there was sunlight streaming in…and he was awake. There was a clock on the wall too. It was a little past noon. He had no idea what it was back home but here, in this place, it was a little past noon. Maybe because he was still on opposite time, he had been practically nocturnal back in Japan, he had gotten accustomed to the time change the fastest. Time was passing better and…well it passed better when Miss Suzuki was near…
But she wasn't near because something was the matter with her…and he had no idea what.
"Yeah, because ketchup is red…well I've been told it's red, and bl-" said Shimazaki. He got himself hit again…and that didn't seem healthy. They had been so in love a moment ago…maybe Minegishi was just being tsundere. He had never understood it, being in love with someone and then going off and being mean to them, but he didn't know about relationships. He knew games, though, and TV…and art imitated life. Minegishi was definitely the tsundere in that relationship…and Shimazaki was kind of like the bakadere….not that he would say that out loud of course.
"This is Mob's business and hers alone…and you need to shut up because I am not explaining the facts of life to this guy." Said Minegishi. They pointed at him. He had no idea what needed explaining to him…but if it was something that he didn't need to know then it was something that he didn't need to know. He just wanted Miss Suzuki to be alright, that was all.
"Wait, you think he doesn't-" said Shimazaki
"I'm not going to find out, I don't have the energy to deal with this. I'm making coffee. You want some?" asked Minegishi. They went over to the cabinets and started rummaging around. Serizawa cringed. He had spent a lot of time making sure that all of the braille labels faced outwards. It had taken time and…well now that he watched more closely he could tell that they were being careful. There. That was good. He should have known that they would have been careful. He was their partner after all so of course they would have known the rules about the labels.
"What kind?" asked Shimazaki
"That birthday cake shit Mob likes." Said Minegishi
"Fuck yeah. Toshi, I love you." Said Shimazaki
"I love you too, Ryou…now stop tormenting Serizawa. He's not Hatori, he can't handle it." Said Minegishi
"I'm not tormenting him, I really do need my M&Ms and Skittles separated by color…and also the rest of the kitchen organized by color." Said Shimazaki. He said that with a laugh…and Minegishi rolled their eyes…and Serizawa…well he felt kind of…dumb…now. He didn't know why he had felt dumb, he had just been doing what had been asked of him by his friend. That was how friendship worked…right? Someone asked for your help and you gave it?
He had never asked for Miss Suzuki's help…she had just given it to him. He hadn't even known that he needed it.
Maybe it was alright, then, to ask why you were told to do something. Miss Suzuki…well she had said that she had helped him because she wanted to be his friend. She had wanted to bring him to this place full of people like him…people who could have possibly understood him. Now he was here and he was making friends…and friends could ask each other things…so that was what he was going to do.
That was alright…right?
"By color? But….you can't see…so….why?" asked Serizawa. He wished that he'd had enough time to come up with something better than that. Shimazaki couldn't see, he knew that he couldn't see, and Serizawa knew that he couldn't see…so there was no point in pointing out that fact that he couldn't see. Serizawa hadn't meant anything by it, he knew that he hadn't meant anything by it, but Shimazaki…well he might not have known that Serizawa hadn't meant anything by it. He might have even thought that Serizawa had been…making fun of him or something…and that just…he would never have made fun of any of his friends let alone one of his friends who couldn't see!
He was such a terrible friend sometimes….it was a wonder that Miss Suzuki wanted anything to do with him.
"Blind guy reasons." Said Shimazaki with a wave of his hand. This got him another eye roll…and he had no idea why Minegishi was rolling their eyes at their partner when they knew that he couldn't see…and he also didn't know why Shimazaki had sounded so…alright…with that. Like he wasn't upset at all…which was a good thing…even though Serizawa didn't fully understand things right then…or ever when it came to Shimazaki and Minegishi.
"Oh…ok." Said Serizawa
"He's being an asshole. You don't have to do what he says. You want to come over and hang out with Mob after I brew this shit?" asked Minegishi. They were looking at him now…and he looked down. They were being…well not mean but…well they were being nice even though they didn't really have a nice tone there…and he didn't much want to leave the safety of the kitchen…
But he did want to be with Miss Suzuki.
"Um…yes. I would like that…but I don't mind being helpful….friends are helpful…right?" asked Serizawa. He knew that he wanted to leave but…well he also knew that he had a job to do. He had to arrange the kitchen and all of this candy by color for his new friend…and it would have been a lot of wok…but it wasn't like he had a lot to do during the days…or the nights...anyway….
But he really did want to see Miss Suzuki again.
"He doesn't need you to do this. He's just seeing how far he can push you. Just come with me. Seeing you would cheer Mob up…and don't ask why she's…the way she is right now. I don't have the mental energy to explain it to you." Said Minegishi
"Um…alright." Said Serizawa. He still wasn't sure what there was that needed explaining but if he wasn't supposed to ask then he wasn't supposed to ask. If your friend said not to do something then you didn't do it…not that he was sure, really, if he and Minegishi were friends. He liked them…as a friend! He thought that they were pretty but he liked them as a friend…well he didn't really know them but he liked them….and he didn't want to upset them. They were very easily upset…or at least it seemed like that…and he…well he knew that he wasn't the best one at these things but he would do his best.
His best was all that he could do.
He did his best to sort as much of the candy as he could, and get it up off the floor, and he did his best to understand the back and forth between Shimazaki and Minegishi, and he even did his best to occasionally speak to the both of them…and that had been the easy part compared to what came next. Compared to standing in the genkan, well the rug in front of the door that served as the genkan, with his umbrella in one hand and a thermos of coffee for Miss Suzuki in the other, and the door right in front of him. That was a door…and it went outside…and he sometimes went outside. To get some air. With Miss Suzuki. She had been the only person that he had ever gone outside with…and he just…he knew that he had to leave the house. He knew that this was something that he should have been able to do…and he knew that it would have made Miss Suzuki very happy if he did…
But there was a whole world out there…and it was so big and bright…and what if he hurt someone again?
"So, are we just going to stand here admiring the fine craftsmanship on this door or are you actually going to walk through it?" asked Minegishi. They were ready to go. They had put on day clothes and combed their hair, it was longer when it was combed not that Serizawa knew if it was alright to notice these things about them, and they were tapping their nails against their arm and were just…annoyed.
They were annoyed with him.
He was being annoying. He had always been annoying and weird and nobody had ever liked him and…and he was never going to make friends and…and Miss Suzuki was going to be so disappointed in him…and he just…he was disappointed in himself. He should have been making more of an effort to just…be normal. To be able to leave the house and make friends and do all of the things that they could do, that the other people his age could do, but he just…he couldn't. Not without her. Not without Miss Suzuki.
He just wasn't strong enough.
"I…need a minute." Said Serizawa
"Do you want me to set a timer? Or just count in my head? One…two…three…is that good?" asked Minegishi
"N-No…I just…I've never left the house without Miss Suzuki before…and this is a lot for me." Said Serizawa
"This is a row house. Mob is literally across that wall…alright? Either come with me or don't. I'm leaving. I can't deal with this right now. This is more of a Mob thing. She's got more empathy for…all of this…than I do." Said Minegishi
"I-I'm sorry." said Serizawa
"Don't be. That's my own shit right there. We all have our own shit going on. You're a former hikikomori, I'm a bastard most of the time, Hatori is afraid of his own shadow…and I strongly suspect that he's got some daddy issues he's working out with Suzuki, Shibata's a complete enabler, and Ryou…well the less said about what's wrong with Ryou the better. Mob has her own problems too but her problems just so happen to involve helping everyone in the world with their problems….so she's better equipped to handle…whatever this is. I'm not. See you later." Said Minegishi
"W-Wait…can I go with you? I mean I can go with you but just…can you walk…slow?" asked Serizawa
"Fine…but if you try to hold my hand I'm abandoning you in the middle of the street and you can figure it out on your own." said Minegishi
"I-I wouldn't! I mean I won't!" said Serizawa. Him…hold their hand? No way. They were a girl…sort of…and he had never held hands with a girl….and also they had a partner. He was not going to get in the middle of them. He could hold Miss Suzuki's hand…but she was different. She didn't make him feel all…like he was next to a girl when he was with her. Because she was so tiny and he wasn't. He had no idea how old she really was, she couldn't have possibly been as old as she looked, but she was younger than him…and she looked way too young for him…so she was alright. Minegishi was…very pretty…and his age…and just…very pretty.
But also very mean sometimes….and very tsundere to the person that they loved.
But they could be nice, too. They didn't let him hold their hand as they left the house, and he didn't even ask, but they did hold on to his umbrella. He held onto one side of his umbrella and they held on to the other…and they went slow. They walked as slowly s Serizawa needed them too…they didn't rush…they just…walked.
He could see why they were Miss Suzuki's best friend.
"God damn it….Suzuki's home." Muttered Minegishi as they got to the door. Their grip on his umbrella slackened…and he wanted them to hold onto him again. He felt like…the sky was too big. The sky was too big and the air was all…cold…and he was just…he wanted to go inside. He needed to go inside.
"Should we go back?" asked Serizawa. There was a house to one side of him and a house to the other side of him. There. Two houses that he could go into. To the left and the right. He had two places he could be…two place that were not out here.
"No." said Minegishi
"Then….should we go inside?" asked Serizawa
"Probably." Said Minegishi. They said that but they made no move to…well…to move. They just stood there. They stood there and sighed. Serizawa…didn't get it. People were complicated.
"Um…can we go in?" asked Serizawa
"Yeah….but you hang out with Suzuki." Said Minegishi
"What?!" asked Serizawa
"Wow, I've never heard a grow man's voice get so high before." Said Minegishi
"Sor-sorry just…I got scared. I've never met him….I mean I have but President Suzuki is just…he's not someone I know and I don't know what to say or do or-" said Serizawa
"Videogames. Old, 80's, vidoegames. He likes videogames, you like videogames, it's a match made in heaven. Just talk to him about videogames or whatever….and I guess Mob too if you really need something to talk about. Just…I need a buffer between me and him and you want to be a good friend, right?" asked Minegishi
"Y-Yes! I do!" said Serizawa
"Good. Then you hang out with Suzuki and I'll hang out with Mob and then you can let go of this stupid umbrella. How's that sound?" asked Minegishi
I-It's sounds good!" said Serizawa. Even though it didn't. Even though he really wanted to be with Miss Suzuki, to spend time with her, to just…be…with her. She was his best friend. She kept him safe. She was the one who made him better than what he was. He was…well he was who he was but a person could always change and become better. She had said so. She had said that life was like Frozen. Well their lives were like Frozen. They had spent a lot of years afraid of themselves and trying to stop their powers from being…well…there…but the only way to get better was to just let it go and….well there was something else about friendship and trolls and…well it got sort of complicated towards the end…
He wanted to watch Frozen with her again.
She was laying down on her couch when he came in. She had been laying down in her pajamas watching Frozen and he wanted to join her…and they would have matched since he was in pajamas too. He didn't own any day clothes…and maybe he should have…and maybe he should have done a lot of things….and stuff. The main thing that he should have done was be near her and just….well he had made a promise to a friend and as much as he should have been near Miss Suzuki he also…had to be near her father….
Who might have been like her.
Even if he looked nothing like her. Serizawa had never seen a redheaded person before, well Miss Suzuki's little brother, but he was President Suzuki's son. It made sense for father and son to look alike. Father and daughter…well maybe because she was a girl she looked more like her mom. That would have made sense. Not that Serizawa would ever ask about Miss Suzuki's mom. She was gone and Miss Suzuki was sad about it…and also President Suzuki must have been sad too…since he was all alone.
Being alone was the worst.
No…being alone when there were people around was the worst. President Suzuki was all alone in his kitchen while Miss Suzuki and Minegishi sat in the living room and talked. He didn't much want to be anywhere but by Miss Suzuki's side but she had said, before, that he would have made great friends with her father. Hatori had said so too. Hatori had said that he and President Suzuki would make good friends…and also that President Suzuki could be kind of…well curse words…but that was…
Serizawa was in no position to be turning down potential friendships…and also he had already promised Minegishi…and also he had promised Miss Suzuki that he would make new friends….so that was what he would do.
"Yes?" asked President Suzuki as he turned around. Serizawa had been lingering in the doorway since Miss Suzuki asked him to spend time with her father. She had said that he needed company…and Minegishi said that they needed someone to act as a buffer between them and President Suzuki…and Serizawa was happy to help…or at least not going to say no…
But he sort of wanted to.
He had seen President Suzuki before, even had dinner with him, but he had always been near Miss Suzuki. She had been there and he, when he needed to, had the option of holding her hand or holding onto her aura…but now she was in the other room….and he wanted to be in that room and not this one. This kitchen was like the kitchen at the house where he was staying….but blue…and also it had President Suzuki in it…and Serizawa…
He held his umbrella tighter.
"Miss Suzuki said…that I should keep you company…and that…um…she wants us to be friends." Said Serizawa. He held his umbrella tight in his hands. She had given him this…and she had said that being under it would be like being in his room…but really it reminded him more of her than anything. Holding onto it was like holding onto her. She was smaller than him, a lot smaller, but being near her…she made him feel so safe…even though she was so small…and even though he had no reason to feel unsafe.
This was her dad. She had come from him. So obviously he must have been just as nice as she was.
"It's true, dad! I really said that!" said Miss Suzuki from her spot in the living room. President Suzuki's eyes swung to the kitchen door and his colors, his aura, did too. He sighed and then pulled out a chair. Serizawa quickly sat down. He didn't want to be rude. He didn't want to be sitting right next to President Suzuki like this but he also didn't want to be rude.
"So…you're here." Said President Suzuki after a moment. He was looking at Serizawa again…and his eyes were so cool. They were kind of scary but also they were a really pretty shade of blue…and Serizawa had never seen eyes like that before. Mostly because he wasn't used to being this near to other people…and also because most people had brown eyes. He had never seen eyes like this before…well he had on Miss Suzuki's little brother, but that made sense because Sho also came from President Suzuki.
"Y-yes…I am. Um…Miss Suzuki wants us to be friends." Said Serizawa
"I'm aware." Said President Suzuki
"O-Oh….right! Because I just said so….sorry! I'm sorry! it's just that sometimes I don't know what to say and I don't know a lot of people and I don't know you…I mean I know who you are! I've just never hung out with you and-" said Serizawa
"My daughter keeps bringing you over for dinner." Said President
"Y-Yes…she does. I like it! I mean eating with your family…I mean." Said Serizawa
"So therefore we have spent time together socially." Said President Suzuki
"I…um…yes? Yes we have…I mean…yes." said Serizawa
"So therefore I do not understand why my Daughter….never mind. I don't understand her at the best of times…and at least she's alright." Said President Suzuki
"I-I'm glad that Miss Suzuki is alright too….I mean is she sick? She's laying down like she's sick…and…um…I hope she gets well soon." Said Serizawa
"She isn't ill…and what is wrong with her is her own business…and nothing is wrong with her. This is just something which she has to deal with…something which I have to deal with…it doesn't matter. Sit there and be quiet. I have work to do." Said President Suzuki. He ducked his head down back into his laptop. Serizawa sat perfectly still for a moment. He didn't know if it was alright to move. He got the feeling that President Suzuki didn't like him…well Hatori had said that he could be a real a-word sometimes but he was nice….so maybe Serizawa was just being ridiculous….and really it was better that he didn't disturb President Suzuki from his work….
Though he had no idea how Teraria counted as work.
He knew that looking at someone else's screen was wrong and an invasion of privacy…but he had been curious. President Suzuki he said that he had been working but Serizawa…well he knew what it looked like when someone was playing something…and President Suzuki liked games. Hatori had said so. He just pretended that he didn't because he was really old and he thought that people his age couldn't like games…
Which made no sense.
They had minimum ages for fames, not maximum ages, and even if they id then so what? If something made you happy…and could keep you sane…then there was nothing wrong with it. Just so long as you weren't hurting other life, of course, not in games. You could hurt people in games and it didn't mater…not that he liked hurting people in games. He liked arcade games best. They were just...simpler...and it was easier to get lost in them…but Terraria was fun too.
Even if there was some fighting in it.
"It's easier if you use arrows." Said Serizawa after a moment. He knew that he should have kept his mouth shut but President Suzuki was dying…well close to it. He was using a sword when arrows, frostbite arrows specifically, would have worked a lot better. They were the best type of arrow in the game since you go them early and they did a lot of continuous damage…not that he was going to be bossy and tell President Suzuki how to play the game or anything like that. No, that would not have been nice at all.
"What?" asked President Suzuki
"Um…arrows work better…and you won't get as hurt. I just…noticed that you were getting hurt…that's all." said Serizawa
"Ranged weapons are for cowards." Said President Suzuki
"Oh…alright. I was just thinking that…never mind. I don't know. It's your game…work, I mean it's your work." Said Serizawa quickly. There was a pause…and President Suzuki died…but he let himself die. He was looking at Serizawa now in that same way his pupils all tiny and his colors focused on him…and Serizawa…well if he had the option of running away he would have…but he didn't…so he let himself get stared at.
"You've been speaking to Hatori, haven't you? He has expressed the exact same opinion time and time again. I don't understand him sometimes." Said President Suzuki
"Um…I have….because we're friends….I mean….I think that we are." Said Serizawa
"No, you are. Hatori has expressed as much…and he has also expressed that you and I should be friends." Said Suzuki
"Oh…um…if you don't want to be my friend…I mean to be friends with me then…then that's fine. You're the President and you can be friends with whoever you want to be friends with…" said Serizawa
"I know that I am and I know that I can…and I don't know if I want to be friends with you yet. I've spent most of my life with one person whom I would call a friend and now I have two…and I'm not ever sure if I need three. There is enough change going on in my life as it is…but I do trust Hatori's judgement and my daughter's as well…but there is a lot going on." Said President Suzuki
"I…um….Miss Suzuki said something about the end of the year being a lot of work for you." Said Serizawa. He didn't want to say the wrong thing…but he had no idea what the right thing was. President Suzuki was staring at him…but he couldn't tell if this was good staring or bad staring. He was just…staring….
"It's not just that, and it's the middle of the year that presents the most work anyway, it's…many things. A great many things weigh on me at the moment….things which I will not be sharing with you…is Hatori awake yet?" asked President Suzuki suddenly. Serizawa jumped a little. That had been just…well sort of out of nowhere…and he couldn't help but just jump…but the room did not jump with him. He had felt it, the surge of his own powers, and he had seen his colors but then as suddenly as they appeared they also disappeared.
But that happened a lot when he was near Miss Suzuki.
"He…wasn't awake when I left the house so no…but um…if you wanted to play two player or something then you could play with me. I mean….Hatori said that we had a lot in common like…um…we both like Minecraft and Terraria and Space Invaders and-" said Serizawa
"What did you just say?" asked President Suzuki suddenly…very suddenly.
"That we both have the same taste in games. I mean I like arcade games too…but not the really early ones like you like…I think because you're older than me…but I do like some of them. I mean arcade games are fun because they just keep going and going until-" said Serizawa
"The game simply can't generate any new levels." Said President Suzuki
"Y-Yeah…and it's like…you beat the game without having to…beat it. I mean it's like-" said Serizawa
"A greater sense of accomplishment because you have not reached a predetermined path to winning but, instead, simply performed at an unprecedented level." Said President Suzuki
"And its like…you don't feel rushed…you know? And when you play it's like….kind of relaxing like-" said Serizawa
"As though the whole world has ceased around you but not in an apocalyptic way." said President Suzuki
"Yes…I feel that way too….President Suzuki." Said Serizawa. President Suzuki was staring at him again…and he got the feeling that this was the good kind of staring now. He was very close and he was staring and…and well Serizawa needed to get used to people besides Miss Suzuki being in his space…so this was alright….
But he was sort of…too close though.
"How far, long, can you play in Space Invaders?" asked President Suzuki suddenly
"I can play for four hours before I just…can't anymore…but I've never gotten the point where it started to glitch because I'd been playing for too long…even when I did go to arcades." Said Serizawa. The game was an endless loop…and that was what he had loved about it. When he had been a kid, back before everything that had happened, he used to be able to spend hours and hours and hours playing those games until either he ran out of money, his wrists hurt too bad to go on, or he lost…and then lost control..
But that…was not something that he wanted to think about now.
"My record is nine hours before I was kicked out." Said President Suzuki
"That was mean…why did they kick you out? For playing for too long?" asked Serizawa
"For not putting in money." Said President Suzuki
"Oh." Said Serizawa. That seemed like a perfectly good reason to kick someone out of an arcade…but he wasn't going to say that. It was important to agree with your friends all the time…and he had no idea if President Suzuki was his friend or not…but he didn't want to NOT be friends with him…so he agreed with him…even though he didn't really want to….but it didn't matter what he wanted.
When you were friends with someone then the only thing that mattered was what they wanted….
And President Suzuki wanted to play Space Invaders…and that was what they did. It was fun…sort of. He liked President Suzuki, he decided, since they had the same taste in games and also he had made Miss Suzuki so, of course he would like President Suzuki. Even though he sort of wished that Miss Suzuki had been there too…but she was either tired or sick. She and Minegishi wee siting together on the couch watching movies and talking…about what Serizawa didn't know. But it wasn't his place to know .Now his place was to sit with President Suzuki and play games with him until he felt like stopping.
Which was never.
Serizawa had never met someone who could match him in terms of endurance…not that he knew a lot of people….but he had never known that anyone could go for as long as he could without getting tired or bored. He and President Suzuki were switching off whenever one of them died…which meant a lot more turns for President Suzuki than him since according to Hatori President Suzuki had spent most of his childhood playing this game, but that was alright. He was happy just to sit and watch. His friend was happy…well his maybe sort of trial basis friend was happy…and that was what mattered. If the people around him were happy. Just like Miss Suzuki had said.
And he trusted her totally and completely.
He felt safe with her in the house and he trusted her…though he did jump when he felt another person enter his range. Two of them. One he didn't know and one he sort of knew…and the one he sort of knew was the one who got closer…and also he had no reason to jump because he knew exactly who that person was….and also Miss Suzuki would have kept him safe if he had needed it.
Not that she had any reason to keep him safe from her own brother.
"That's just my son. Pay him no mind." Said President Suzuki as he passed Serizawa his laptop. Serizawa….well he wanted to say 'hi' because that was polite…and also he wanted to know what was going on in the other room. Miss Suzuki screamed…and her colors got really bright…but it didn't feel like she was scared or angry…but he did jump…and so did President Suzuki…and so did the entire kitchen….
"I…yes sir." Said Serizawa. President Suzuki had made the room jump…and so had he….but if the President wasn't going to get up and see what was happening then nothing bad must have been happening. It didn't seem like anything bad was happening, anyway, actually it seemed like a lot of good things might have been happening.
Hey, he was getting better at reading auras!
"Oh my God! Oh my f-wording God! Sho! I'm so happy for you!" said Miss Suzuki with more enthusiasm than Serizawa had ever heard from her before. He was happy for her, then, because whatever was happening over there was a good thing…right? It must have been….even though President Suzuki was super tense…like he was scared or something….not that Serizawa was going to be nosy and ask him what was wrong. They didn't know each other that well yet…at least he got the feeling that they didn't know each other that well yet.
"Yeah….oh my f-wording God is right…" said Minegishi with a lot less enthusiasm than Miss Suzuki'd had…but that might have just been the way that they were…and if there had been something wrong then Miss Suzuki would have said something. He had no idea what was being said in the other room, just that there were people talking in low tones…well he heard the word 'macabre' and he had no idea what that meant….but if neither President Suzuki nor Miss Suzuki said that there was a problem or acted like it then there must not have been a problem.
So he tried his best to play…and he died.
"That was pathetic. Don't let…whatever that is…distract you. I'm sure it's nothing….just my son." Said President Suzuki as Serizawa passed him back his laptop. He was all tensed up and his colors were really close…and Serizawa sort of wished that they were good enough friends that he could have told him what was wrong…or even friends at all….because he did seem like he would have been a good friend…or really any kind of a friend.
Serizawa really needed more friends.
And also he wanted to spend time with the friends that he already had…and Miss Suzuki's little brother who may or may not have been a friend. He didn't know. He just knew that he wanted to know what was happening over there in the living room with everyone. He wanted to get up and see but….well that would have meant leaving President Suzuki…and right now he was supposed to be making friends with him…so it wouldn't have been right to leave him there for his other friends…right? The whole thing was complicated….but at least games were simple…so he stuck to watching President Suzuki play…
Until he died.
"Son…yes? What is it?" asked President Suzuki as he died. He died because his son stepped into the kitchen. He walked past the table and went to the refrigerator. He used his powers to get out a bottle of strawberry milk and a cup from the cabinets. It was impressive. Serizawa wished that he had that kind of control…but he never would…or maybe he would. He didn't know. He was going to focus on not accidentally hurting anyone for now.
"Just getting milk for big sis." Said Sho. His back was to his father…which didn't seem polite…but then again what did Serizawa know? He didn't have a father or a son and he probably never would. He didn't think that it was such a bad thing, though, since he'd always had mom…and also the thought of having a child is terrifying. Creating another human being and then being fully responsible for that person…he didn't know how President Suzuki did it. Got up every single day and just…took care of two people in addition to himself…
But then again Serizawa had trouble getting up and brushing his teeth in the morning so what did he know?
"Hi Sho….um…what was all of that about?" asked Serizawa. It was polite to talk to your friends and Sho was his friend…maybe. He liked Sho. He was a nice kid and Miss Suzuki had said that he was the best little brother ever and she didn't tell lies.
"Nothing. I just got a ring for my girlfriend because I want to marry her and big sis and Minegishi got all freaked out. I got her an eyeball in a jar too but that's not a marriage thing. That's just a getting a girl a present thing. You know how it is." Said Sho. Serizawa…well he was…confused…because Sho was ten. He knew that Sho was only ten…and as far as he knew ten year olds didn't get married….
But then again what did he know?
"I'm…so happy for you…but aren't you…ten?" asked Serizawa
"My birthday is on the first." Said Sho
"So you'll be ten…then?" asked Serizawa
"He'll be eleven." Said President Suzuki. It seemed like he had said the wrong thing based on the way that Sho was looking at him…but Serizawa had no idea what. He knew that parents and kids fought, that other people fought with their parents, but he had no idea why they did that. He couldn't have ever even imagined fighting with his mom about anything.
"So now you know my birthday?" asked Sho
"I have always known your birthday and I have no idea why you won't just…stop this. I have never once forgotten your birthday and I never will…and I have no plans on doing so in the future…so just stop it already." Said President Suzuki. Serizawa…felt like there might have been something there. Something that he had missed. Like a story or something…but now did not seem to be the time to ask.
"Fine, it doesn't matter anyway. When I'm all grown up and me and Emmy are married and we have ten or twenty kids I won't ever forget to celebrate a single one of their birthdays." Said Sho
"Ten or twenty?!" said Serizawa. Well at least he was waiting for all of that….but still. That seemed like….a lot of kids.
"I agree. What is she, a fish?" asked President Suzuki
"No, she's a girl…and she's Irish…which is a kind of English I think….and….and she's my most perfect person and when I grow up I'm going to marry her and I'm going to be the best boyfriend and husband and dad ever and I'm going to rub it in your face." Said Sho. He stuck out his tongue at his dad, which Serizawa knew was not the thing for a son to do, but President Suzuki just sort of…stared at him. His colors weren't moving…and then they were….and then they weren't again….but he just kept on staring at his son like he expected him to do something. If he expected his son to do something then maybe he should have said so because Sho didn't do anything but stare right back.
"I wish you the best in your future marital, romantic, and parental endeavors….may I see the ring you purchased for her….for your…for this…Emmy?" said President Suzuki. Sho gave his dad a mean look but dug something out of his pocket. Oh. A ring box. That was so…well it was kind of cute if anything since he was just a kid…and really Serizawa was happy for him. It was good that girls liked him, girls had never liked Serizawa, and also it was good that he'd found love at such a young age….though Serizawa had been mostly sure that Sho had been in love with Shimazaki….or at least gay….but he knew enough to know that saying any of that would have been a BAD idea.
Also sort of mean…and he was not going to be mean to his friend.
"Here. I didn't get her another ring pop…so thanks for warning me about that….I guess." Said Sho as he passed his father…what looked like…a human tooth. A human tooth on a metal band…but that was just…
What the….
What the h-word?
Just….
"Why?" asked President Suzuki as he held the ring in front of himself with his powers. Serizawa nodded even though he had been asking a question and not making a statement. That was just…Serizawa had never asked a girl to marry him and he probably never would since he didn't have any girls he liked, that weren't game characters or anime characters or actresses or anything, and no girl had ever liked him either….but he knew that if by some miracle a girl did like him he would never have given her a human tooth ring.
Girls didn't like stuff like that and neither did he.
"Because it's cool. I got her an eyeball in a jar, too, but that's just because I like to get her presents." Said Sho
"Your…Emmy…would…she would accept a human tooth and…I'm guessing a human eyeball?" asked Suzuki. Serizawa felt a little sick. Where…what kind of store SOLD these things? He knew that he had been away from the world for a long time but…what in the h-word kind of store just…sold BODY PARTS? And who was BUYING these things?
Well, obviously, ten year old boys.
"Yeah, she's cool like that." Said Sho. There was another pause. President Suzuki looked like he was going to be sick. He also looked like he wanted to start breaking things. He was sitting perfectly still and his face wasn't moving but Serizawa could tell by his aura. He hoped that President Suzuki wasn't about to start fighting with his son….because Serizawa didn't want to watch that.
"I…am happy that you've found someone….and am going to have to ask you…to store this ring and the eyeball in your bedroom…but not where your sister can see. Understood?" asked President Suzuki
"Sure, dad, whatever." Said Sho as he took his ring and his glass of strawberry milk and left the kitchen. Serizawa watched the door swing shut behind him. President Suzuki just stared at the spot where Sho had been standing. He stared and…and stared and…well Serizawa had no idea what the staring was about but he got the feeling that this was not the good kind of staring.
Not the good kind of staring at all.
"Sho…are you insane? Intoxicated? Have you been in your sister's things? Have you lost your mind? If you give that girl, any girl, that…whatever that was you will die alone! You will die alone surrounded by regrets the first of which being that you did not listen to your father and the second of which being that you tried to give a girl a HUMAN tooth…what is wrong with you….lost your…alright, I'm fine now. Where were we?" asked President Suzuki. It took Serizawa a second to realize that President Suzuki was talking to him now…instead of himself…or maybe his son if his son had never left the room…
Dads were strange and he was sort of glad that he didn't have one.
"Um…it was your turn…or maybe mine…." Said Serizawa
"Mine…it was mine…and I'm sorry that you had to see that. I don't know what came over me. My daughter won't let me punish my son and my son…he seems bent on ending this bloodline….and I had been so happy that he had found someone…." Said President Suzuki
"That's good! I mean that he has a girlfriend." Said Serizawa
"It is…it is…and I am happy for him…but this girl is just…either he's making a big mistake or this girl is just….not the sort of girl that I would want for a daughter in law….but he's my son and I get no say in his romantic or sexual partners…and he's too young for the latter….not the former but most certainly the latter…" said President Suzuki
"He's eleven years old." Said Serizawa
"Exactly. I thought that I had more time….and I thought that I had wanted this…and I suppose that I do. I have no idea. Children are complex creatures. Parenthood is a very complex time of life. When you have children you'll know." Said President Suzuki. Serizawa almost jumped. Him….kids? That was just…no way. Where would he even get them? From a woman…but then he would have to meet a woman and fall in love with her and ask her to be his girlfriend and then his wife…and he could never do that. A ten year old could do that but he couldn't…but that was just his life. He was Serizawa and he was…this person.
This person who had no business making new people.
"Um…I guess that it's complicated….I mean it seems complicated but um….girls don't really like me. I mean I don't know any girls and if I did they wouldn't like me either but…um…I agree that taking care of kids is hard and complicated. They're little people that you make and have to keep alive…and I can barely keep myself alive." Said Serizawa. He wasn't ashamed to admit it. He knew who he was and he knew what he was and he was just grateful to be where he was and have the friends he had. He didn't have a problem with it…
But maybe President Suzuki did.
President Suzuki was sitting facing him now, not his laptop, and he was making a lot of eye contact. His colors were moving again and he didn't seem mad…but he had…well Serizawa barely knew him but he could tell that maybe the President…well he could go through mood swings it seemed…and Serizawa knew what that was like…and even if he didn't he wouldn't have said anything.
He was a good friend like that.
"You'll get better at it, caring for yourself, believe me. You're friends with Hatori and he'll help…and my daughter as well. Just her friend…because she's not interested in…it doesn't matter. Let's get back to work, yes?" said President Suzuki. Serizawa nodded. He didn't know what all of that had been about but he did understand that when President Suzuki meant work he meant more games…and Serizawa…well he understood games…
And he understood how to be a friend.
Well he understood, sort of, how to be a friend. When you were friends with someone then you did whatever they wanted to do and agreed with whatever they said and made them feel good about themselves. Serizawa could do that. He could do that and he would do that. He wanted to be friends with President Suzuki, it was fun. More fun than sorting M&Ms anyway….not that he was complaining because he was a good friend and friends did not complain when they had to help out their other friends….
And, really, Serizawa was just happy to have had something to do with his time be it sorting candy or playing videogames.