Today was Mob's birthday…and Minegishi was going to ruin it.
They had no choice. They were going to have to ruin her birthday. They had been sitting on this information for too long. They had been sitting on this information since even before they had known that they were sitting on information. Secrets. Apparently her little brother thought that he could just fuck off to Japan with Fukuda to hang out with the little vomit machine known as Mukai. Well to be fair Minegishi had no idea if she was still a little vomit machine…because they hadn't seen the little vomit machine in years…
And neither had Mob.
Mob…she didn't know about this…and she should have known! She should have known about her sister, where she was, and that her own little brother who her dad had tasked with raising had been fucking off to see her every so often…if Matsuo was to be believed….and of course they were going to believe Matsuo. He had no reason to lie to them, especially not about this, and Minegishi…they couldn't think of a single reason why anyone would have lied about this. Sho had gone off to see the baby…well kid now…and he had left Mob behind…
Which was pretty damn fucked up if Minegishi did say so themselves.
Which was how they found themselves in their current predicament. Today was Mob's birthday, her twelfth birthday, and she was going to have the best fucking birthday imaginable. That is until Minegishi ruined it. Her own brother had betrayed her, Minegishi didn't have any siblings but they knew how trusting Mob was, and they knew that this was going to mess Mob up really bad…worse than anything else had messed her up before. Worse than losing her little sister, worse than whatever happened with her dead mother, worse than whatever the hell was happening with her dad. This was…not going to be good…
So the least that Minegishi could do was give Mob a good birthday.
"It's not the same…I think, having pancakes without the others." Said Mob as she picked at her stack of twelve birthday pancakes. Dad had taken Shibata and Shimazaki with him because of some person who was doing…something. She didn't know. Dad had just said that an urgent matter had come up and that he was very sorry for missing her birthday and taking her friends away from her. Well she still has Minegishi, they were eating pancakes with her, and technically she still had Serizawa and Hatori too. They were just in their rooms asleep. She'd have to wake Serizawa up soon, at least, because keeping to a sleep schedule was important…
But right now she and Minegishi were having a two person birthday party so waking people up could wait.
"Want me to wake those other two up?" asked Minegishi. Shibata made the party, really, and Ryou was the life of any party. Those other two were…well they were Mob's friends. Minegishi didn't want to brave the dangers of Hatori's room to get him up….and bad thing happened to people who woke Serizawa up who weren't named Mob…but for Mob they'd do this. It was her birthday after all and if she wanted those two idiots to eat cold pancakes with coagulated syrup then they would drag those two morons out here, tie them to their chairs with vines, and force ice cold pancakes down their throats until Mob was satisfied.
That's what friends were for.
"No…no thank you. Hatori is always really out of it when people wake him up and Serizawa…I can get him up later. I'm the only one who knows how to wake him up. I'll make him a new breakfast, too, since he might not like this. Pancakes don't reheat well. He likes cereal, anyway, so I can make him that. That'll be easy. I'll have to make him a bath today, too, but it'll be good because nobody's home and-" said Mob
"Mob, stop it. It's your birthday. You don't have to take care of people on your birthday." Said Minegishi
"People don't stop needing me just because I turned twelve today. Like how at home I still have to get dad's shirts out of the dryer and iron them so there's no wrinkles and-" said Mob. She was Mob, she took care of the people she loved, that was just who she was. What was the point of having people in her life that she loved if she wasn't going to take care of them?
"He'll survive a wrinkled shirt." Said Minegishi with a groan. Suzuki needed to hire himself a maid. Mob was his daughter, not his…whatever the hell Suzuki thought she was. This was her birthday and if he got pissed off at her because she had forgotten to iron his shirts or whatever then they were going to kick his ass…and get some new scars because they had no hope of beating him….but it would have been worth it for Mob.
She didn't need this shit, not on her birthday. She had enough shit coming to her as it was.
"I know it won't kill him, it'll just annoy him, and I don't want him to be annoyed because he's always really mean to people when he gets annoyed. Not to me but to Sho and stuff…and what if Sho comes back from England today and then dad's all annoyed with him? What then?" asked Mob
"Sho…he'll come back when he comes back. Just…Mob…it's your birthday. What do YOU want to do?" asked Minegishi
"What do you want to do?" asked Mob
"I asked you first." Said Minegishi
"I want to do whatever makes you happy." Said Mob
"Mob…come on. I need you to pretend that you're selfish, alright? Pretend that you're me-" said Minegishi
"Minegishi! You are not a selfish person and you shouldn't say those things about yourself." Said Mob
"Mob…I can be pretty damn selfish sometimes." Said Minegishi. That was why they hadn't told her, yet, why they had sat on this information for so long. They hadn't wanted to hurt her. Well that had worked out about as well as Ryou's caramel waffle recipe. They couldn't keep this to themselves anymore. Not with what Matsuo had told them.
"Well…sometimes you can be kind of mean…but not to me. That's just how you are. I don't think that you're selfish and I want you to be happy. Just because it's my birthday that doesn't mean that I'm going to be bossy….well Sho says that I'm always bossy….but I don't want to be. So what do you want to do?" asked Mob. She knew what she wanted to do today. She wanted to watch Frozen with Minegishi. Then she wanted to braid their hair and paint their nails. Then she wanted to do their makeup. Then she wanted to play Mario Party with Minegishi, Serizawa, and Hatori. Then she wanted Shibata and Shimazaki to come back. Then she wanted them all to bake a cake together. Then she wanted Shimazaki and Minegishi to tell each other that they loved each other. Then she wanted them to kiss. Then she wanted them to get married. Then she wanted to go with them to the orphanage and help them pick out a baby. Then she wanted to fly to one of those countries where boys could marry other boys. Then she wanted Shibata and Hatori to get married and she wanted to go with them to an orphanage to help them pick out a baby. Then she wanted to audition girls to be Serizawa's girlfriend. Then she wanted to fly to England and throw a surprise wedding for Sho and Emmy and then help them pick out an orphan to raise too, because Sho was too little to have a baby of his own and also he was her little brother so…gross! After she was done with all of that she wanted to find mom and get her to say sorry for dad and then they could get back together and Mob…well she wouldn't have been happy with mom…but dad loved her and he needed her back.
And then when that was all over she wanted to have a nice cold glass of strawberry milk….but probably none of that was going to happen.
"Mob, come on. It's your birthday. Just tell me what you want to do. Anything. Whatever comes to your mind." Said Minegishi. They were about ten seconds away from ripping out fistfuls of their hair. Why did she have to be like this? Why did she have to be so…nice…all the time? Honestly it was amazing that she had come from Suzuki Touichirou of all people.
"I want….um….I want to watch Frozen. If that's ok with you." Said Mob. She knew how tired Minegishi was of Frozen…sometimes even Mob herself got tired of it…but that didn't change the fact that it was still the best movie ever made in the world's history of movies. She always felt so…good…when she watched it. Happy. Like she was going to be ok. She didn't know what it was that was keeping her from being ok…but she always felt ok when Frozen was on. Not that she didn't feel ok now, she did, it was her birthday after all…
Even though her brother wasn't here…or two of her friends…or her dad….
"We can do that." Said Minegishi
"And I want to braid your hair." Said Mob
"It's….about long enough." Said Minegishi as they ran a hand through their hair. It was getting to that length…and they had been planning on cutting it for a while…but if Mob wanted to play mad stylist with their hair then so be it. It was her birthday and she had been talking about doing that for years anyway so…yeah.
"Then I want to paint your nails." Said Mob
"Sure. Whatever you want." Said Minegishi. That was more doable than the braids thing. They had been needing a new coat of paint for a while. This was fine…even if Mob felt like doing her overly complicated YouTube, Instagram, whatever else she was on nail tutorials.
"Then I want to give you a makeover. With eyebrows." Said Mob. She didn't want Minegishi to feel bad about how they looked. They were really pretty despite not having eyebrows, even dad had said so and dad never had nice things to say about anyone, but they looked even prettier with eyebrows. And eye shadow. And eye liner. And blush. And highlighter. And foundation. And lipstick. And lip gloss. And fake eyelashes. And maybe even some glitter too…
Mob knew that they weren't going to say 'yes' to any of that…but it was worth a try.
"Yeah…whatever you want." Said Minegishi. They could feel their skin breaking out already…but this was one day…and it was for Mob…and they owned her for all the secret keeping.
"Then I want us all to play Mario Party together." Said Mob. Wow. If Minegishi said 'yes' to that then they would say 'yes' to anything…even videogames. Even though they didn't like videogames…and was Mob being selfish? Or was she not being selfish because Minegishi had given her permission to be selfish? Was that how it worked? Getting permission make it all…ok?
She didn't know. She just knew that this was going to be the best birthday ever.
"Well it is your birthday." Said Minegishi. Videogames were always such a headache….but one that they could and would endure for Mob.
"Then I want us all to bake a cake." Said Mob
"We could probably just go to a bakery…you know what, it's your birthday." Said Minegishi. That was going to be a shit show, they could tell right now. That many cooks in the kitchen…and Minegishi didn't know shit about baking, too. They didn't know shit about baking and Shibata…did not like people in the kitchen when he was cooking…but still. This was Mob's birthday and whatever she wanted was going to happen.
"Then I want you and Shimazaki to tell each other that you love each other." Said Mob. She loved it when they told each other how they felt. Love was the best thing in the world and Minegishi being in love…well they were her best friend. What could have been better than her best friend being in love?
"Mob…sure." Said Minegishi. Mob…needed a boyfriend. Or just someone to hook up with…the twelve year old equivalent of hooking up. Not the hooking up Minegishi had been doing when they were her age…or whatever, Mob could do whatever she wanted. Whatever made her happy, that was what today was, whatever made her happy.
Even if they had to be her wingman today.
"Then I want you guys to kiss. A lot." Said Mob. She loved it when they kissed, it was beautiful. When they showed each other that they loved each other. She wished that she had someone like that, someone who wanted to kiss her and stuff, but not Shimazaki specifically. He maybe wanted to kiss her…he had been saying for years that he would when she was thirteen or fourteen…and she was twelve now….no matter what age she was kissing Shimazaki was just…gross. Really gross….but only for her. Minegishi loved him and Mob liked watching her best friend be in love and happy and stuff.
And also watching people kiss was…really nice.
"….alright…" said Minegishi. That was…not something that they wanted to do. Kiss Ryou for Mob's amusement…but it was her birthday…and she was at the age…and…yeah, it was weird but….well Mob had every right to be weird on her birthday.
"Then I want you to get married." Said Mob. Minegishi's aura flared there…and the plant on the table grew some really long vines. The vines didn't do anything, though, not that Minegishi had ever done anything to hurt her. She knew Minegishi and, yes, they sometimes liked to fight but never with her. Maybe since the plant had only grown a little, though, and not out of it's pot or something then they were more open to the idea of marrying the love of their life. Mob knew that if she had a boyfriend, even if he was like Shimazaki, she still would have wanted to marry him. Even if he acted like a crazy person all the time she still would have married him. Then she could kiss him whenever she wanted and stuff…not that she wanted to do all of the stuff yet…and not that she wanted to even do so much as kiss Shimazaki. Even though he looked like…himself…and sometimes she got that weird feeling when she was near him and he didn't have a shirt on or something...but he was not her boyfriend and she didn't even like him like that.
Birthday or not she would never have done anything like that to Minegishi…that just wasn't the thing to do to your best friend.
"Married? Mob, we aren't even….we can't get married here. We aren't German citizens." Said Minegishi. There. That was a good excuse. Now Mob could get back to things that were actually doable. They loved Mob, they really did, and they wanted to make this a good day for her…but marriage was…not a thing that they wanted. Ever.
"That's ok. We can fly back to Japan. That'll be good, too, because then the orphan will be able to understand you." Said Mob
"There are orphans involved now?" asked Minegishi. They were starting to regret…no. They had been regretting, for a while, digging around in this…whatever this was. All of Mob's deeply held hopes and dreams.
"Yes. I want to go with you when you go and pick out an orphan. I remember you said that you didn't want to grow the baby yourself, and that you didn't like babies even, so we can all go and help you pick out an orphan at the orphanage." Said Mob
"Mob…it's not a dog pound." Said Minegishi. They had a lot more than that to say…a hell of a lot more than that…but they were going to stick to pure logistics. Orphanages were not dog pounds…and they didn't even have orphanages anymore. Group homes…hellish places. Places that Mob did not need to get within a thousand meters of.
"Then we can fly to one of those countries where boys can get married so Shibata and Hatori can get married…and then we can fly back to Japan so we can help them pick out an orphan to raise. Then while we're in Japan I can audition girls to be Serizawa's girlfriend, he only likes girls I asked him already, and then I can help Serizawa and his new girlfriend pick out an orphan there too since Serizawa hasn't ever even kissed a girl, I asked him, so he'd be too scared to do…all the stuff. Then after that we can fly to England and throw a wedding for Sho and Emmy and then we can pick out some English orphans for them to raise since Sho is too little to have a baby of his own…and also he's my little brother and he's not allowed to do that gross stuff. After everyone has their babies then we can all look for my mom and then she and my dad can get back together…and I can live with you and Shimazaki and your orphan because I don't…want to see her again…or maybe I do. I don't know. Just…that's what I want to do today." Said Mob
"Mob...something that we can do TODAY, alright? Berlin to Tokyo is a thirteen hour flight and that's if we don't stop to refuel…and we always have to stop to refuel since your dad always gets us those tiny as hell private planes." Said Minegishi. Logic. Appeal to logic. Don't shoot down Mob's crazy dreams…or even tell her that they were crazy. Even though it was obvious that, even though she didn't look it, Suzuki blood flowed through her veins.
"We don't have to go to Tokyo." Said Mob
"It's still on the other side of the world." Said Minegishi
"I guess that you're right…but I just want everyone to be happy. I want everyone to be happy and get married and have babies…and then I can play with the babies…but if you guys adopt kids then I can be their big sister. I miss being a big sister…I mean Sho is still alive and for as long as he's alive I'm going to be his big sister…but…I just…" said Mob
"I get it. I get it and…I feel for you, I really do. But how about we do some stuff that's purely for you, alright? You can braid my hair and paint me up and…you've had that idea about matching dresses for a while…."said Minegishi. They did NOT want to wear a dress. They did NOT want to get painted up. They did NOT want to do anything to their hair besides cut it short and dye their roots….
But this was Mob's birthday and what she wanted…mattered more than how Minegishi felt.
"YOU'LL BE TWINS WITH ME?!"shouted Mob. The table jumped up and all the plates fell on the floor…where they shattered…and that hadn't been the best thing to do…but….but…but….MINEGISHI WANTED TO BE TWINS WITH HER! This had never happened before. Not in the history of ever! Now they were going to be twins with Mob and…and…and….
This was the best day of her life. Not even the best birthday…the best day out of any of the other days that she'd been alive…well except for maybe the day Sho had been born…even if she couldn't remember it…and…and…TWINS?!
"Yeah…sure. Whatever you want." Said Minegishi. The thought of wearing a dress makes their skin crawl. They…did not like dresses. They'd worn them before, back when they'd been young and had no autonomy over their life, and one of the first things that they'd done when the courts emancipated them was burning every single dress they owned…but this was for Mob. They loved Mob, probably more than they loved themselves, and they had wronged her. In keeping this information from Mob they had wronged her…
So the least that they could have done was wear a dress for her.
Wear a dress for her…and get their hair and makeup done. All of that came after cleaning up the kitchen…and they had not been stalling. The kitchen really had been a disaster area. Between Mob's little freak out, Shibata's incessant cooking, and the general state of their home the kitchen had needed a cleaning for a while. They had simply been stating a fact and not trying to stall for time…Mob had gotten the whole place cleaned up in no time anyway.
Telekinesis was useful like that.
They had always known that Mob was capable of a lot of very fine movements but that didn't mean that it wasn't amazing watching her work. The way she could split her focus, juggle so much at once, and do it all without wavering once. She was amazing like that…and would only get more amazing with age. She had come from the most powerful esper alive after all. There was definitely Suzuki blood running through her veins…
And Minegishi was glad that it was balanced out by…whatever her mother had been.
Mob could have easily killed them if she had wanted to. If not killed then maimed or seriously injured them. She had every right to. Minegishi…had waited too long to tell Mob. They had waited and waited until there just…was no more time to wait. Not with what Matsuo had told her. Apparently her little brother had found some esper kid…and apparently some kind of drama was brewing over in Seasoning City. The kind of drama which would make it's way to Suzuki soon. The division leader, the short little bitch who never took her mask off, was trying to handle it all herself in an effort to gain favor with Suzuki…
That whole division was going to end up pissing off the wrong Suzuki.
Mob was not going to like this when she heard about it. Not her brother having had lied to her, not the part that he had played in all of this, and not the fact that another kid had been kidnapped. They knew that Mob had let the first kid go all those years ago…but her brother wasn't nearly clever enough or stealthy enough to do the same…and Mob was not going to like…any of this….
Which was why Minegishi was going to put up with…all of this…and tell Mob once her birthday was over.
They would do anything for Mob…and not just because it was her birthday. Though the fact that this was her birthday really did help. They would have come up with excuses, or just outright said 'no', if under any other circumstance Mob had asked to drag them over to her house, sat them down on the side of her tub, and started using that amazing telekinesis of hers to braid their hair, paint their face, and do whatever else she felt like doing. This was not something that Minegishi enjoyed…or wanted…but it could have been worse.
At least they weren't picking out orphans with Ryou.
"Sorry to pull so tight. Your hair just…really doesn't want to be braided. It's just short…but don't worry, Minegishi, once it gets longer it'll be easier to braid." Said Mob. She had no idea why Minegishi was going along with this. Mob had asked before, and on her birthday too, to braid Minegishi's hair and give them a makeover and be twins with her…but she wasn't going to jinx it. This was the best day ever!
Even if Minegishi's hair was kind of too short for braids.
Well braids the way that she normally did them. Mom had taught her, when she had been really little, how to braid her hair. She knew how to do two long braids…because her hair was really long. Aside from her bangs she never cut it. Minegishi cut their hair all the time, though, so it was harder. Instead of two big braids she was doing a bunch of little braids…and she had to make sure to do them tight, too, so that they would stay. She knew that this must have hurt, and that Minegishi didn't like stuff like this, but they were sitting still through the whole thing anyway…
They were a really good friend like that. The best friend that she'd ever had.
"Yeah….once it gets longer." Said Minegishi. They were cutting it down to a pixie cut at some point. Not today but at some point. They didn't like having long hair, they hated having it braided, but they loved Mob. They also loved her telekinesis. It made this whole process a hell of a lot easier.
Even if it did hurt.
But it didn't hurt that badly. Not like when they'd been her age…and younger. Not like when mom, maybe she burn in hell, had decided that her daughter needed to look presentable. So she chased Minegishi through the house until she caught them by the hair and…and this was not the time to be thinking about that shit. They unclenched the fists that they'd been making. There were little crescent moons in the palms of their hands…..and little spots of blue and purple. It was a shame that Mob hadn't painted them red. Then it would have looked like blood…and maybe they would have been reminded of one of the best times they'd ever had blood on their hands…
Those were macabre thoughts that Mob did not need to know about. Ever.
"But if you want to cut it then that's ok too. I'm just happy that you're letting me do this. This is the best day ever." Said Mob
"Well…I'm glad that this is the best birthday you've ever had…" said Minegishi. This was going to be the worst birthday she ever had, too, but not now. Mob…was happy now…and that was what mattered.
"No, not the best birthday, the best day. This is the best day of my life…well not as good as the day Sho was born…but I don't really remember that since I was a baby when he was born. This is still a really good day though. I didn't know if it would be a good day but it is…so thank you. I love you." Said Mob
"I love you too…Mob. Anyway, what are we wearing today? I know you have some doubles of your costumes. I could probably squeeze into one of those." Said Minegishi. They thanked God that Mob wasn't exactly the smoothest person in the world. She hadn't noticed, thankfully, how quick they had been to change the subject.
"I don't think that I have anything that'll fit you…sorry." said Mob as she did the last of Minegishi's braids. They were pretty much all done now, their hair and makeup, and their nails had smudged…she should have used the quick dry stuff….but she could always fix those. Finding something for the two of them to wear…that wouldn't be easy. Minegishi was taller than them. They were skinny but they were tall. Also they would probably have to wear an undershirt, a girl's undershirt, too if they wanted to wear her stuff since a boy's undershirt would show…and she knew that they didn't really like to wear girl's clothes…
Being twins would have been good and all…but not if Minegishi was going to be uncomfortable.
"Do you still want to be twins?" asked Minegishi with a sigh. They could so easily get out of this. Mob's clothes would have fit them, they would have fit awkwardly but they would have fit, but…well they did have a good excuse…but they were not going to use that excuse. This was Mob's day and…and if past Minegishi got their hands on some kind of time machine and saw current Minegishi they would have killed themselves in order to spare themselves the horror of caring for another human being.
"More than anything else in the whole world." Said Mob
"Then let's go…shopping." Said Minegishi. They regretted the words as soon as they said them. Shopping was a chore but shopping with Mob…that was an experience that didn't have any expression that could fit it. She loved shopping. She loved trying on clothes and getting new ones…she was getting closer and closer to becoming a teenager….and Minegishi had never liked it. Clothes shopping, unless they were getting a new t-shirt, was always just this tedious…chore…that they had to get through….
At least it was easier to let Mob handle it.
Mob didn't speak a word of German, was only twelve years old, and was high as fuck on birthday happiness and probably something else…but it had taken her five minutes to find a department store with things she liked. That was more of the Suzuki blood in her, that can-do attitude that let her father take on the world and her little brother act like the demon he was, and Minegishi…was eternally grateful that Mob used her powers for good. If she'd had something else on her mind, anything besides shopping and Frozen and being twins on her birthday, then the world would not have stood a chance. Thank God Mob was…well….Mob.
The sort of person that she was.
Minegishi may not have known Suzuki personally, certainly not as personally as he wanted to get to know them, but they did know that the man was insane. Completely and totally off his nut. That insanity coupled with the drive and ability to conquer the world…Minegishi thanked God that Mob had as much of her mother inside of her as she did. She wasn't the second coming of Suzuki, not like Fukuda seemed to believe, she was just…herself. A twelve year old girl. A twelve year old girl who loved her family, her friends, animated musicals about princesses, shopping, milk, makeup, and cute boys.
She didn't have a vindictive bone in her body…thank God.
Not that Minegishi was doing all of this for her to curry her favor once the truth came out. No, not at all. They were just…trying to soften the blow once it came. Trying to make this easier on her than it was going to be. That was all. They loved her and they wanted her to be happy…even if that meant walking around Berlin painted up with their hair in about a million tiny braids…this was for Mob. They would have done anything for her.
It was sort of like she was their kid….if they'd ever had one…or something….
"What about this one? We both look good in purple and this one isn't very short. I know how you don't like short things…that's why you never wear shorts." Said Mob as she pulled a long purple dress off of the rack. People were looking at them and talking in German but Mob didn't speak German and even if she did she wouldn't have said anything back. People could say whatever they wanted…and take whatever pictures they wanted. Mob and Minegishi were having fun…that was what mattered…
Even though Mob felt like she might have been the only one having fun.
Minegishi's aura didn't feel like they were having fun…even thought his was the most fun thing ever. Being twins. Minegishi might have just been doing this because they wanted her to have a good time on her birthday. They had told her that she was allowed to be selfish today…even though she didn't want to be selfish. She didn't know if she was being selfish now…but she was going to try and be selfless…that was why she picked out something purple. They both liked purple…
Even though only one of them liked to wear dresses.
"Whatever you want, Mob, whatever you want. Just make sure that they have it in both our of sizes." Said Minegishi. A dress was a dress. Torture was torture…and this wasn't even torture. Not in the, well, torture sense. They knew what torture was, the less Mob knew about what went on in Claw the better, and they knew that in the grand scheme of things wearing a dress was nothing at all.
"Well….you're taller than me and stuff…so maybe I should get something short? No, no, you hate short things. Maybe I could find us something with pants." Said Mob. She hated pants. She could count on her fingers each and every time she had worn pants in her twelve years of life and still had plenty of fingers to spare. They were itchy and uncomfortable and they made her feel like her legs were tired together or something. Also they were hot. She didn't know how Minegishi could have stood to wear pants all the time…
Maybe because they hated dresses.
Mob was not going to be selfish. Even though she was a year older today, this was her birthday, she was not going to be selfish. So what if she had gone to be eleven and woken up twelve? That didn't mean that she got to make her best friend uncomfortable. She…had already been selfish enough. Just because someone agreed to do something that didn't mean that they wanted to do it. Like when Sho asked her over and over again if he could have a bunch of soda at once or something and she just said that he could because she was sick of him asking her over and over again….
She hadn't asked Minegishi over and over again if they could be twins, in fact Minegishi was the one who brought it up, but Mob felt like…like she had been acting like Sho…for all of this….
"You hate pants." Said Minegishi simply
"I can still wear them." Said Mob
"But you hate them, I know for a fact that you hate them, and I know because you told me to my face that you hate them." Said Minegishi
"Ok…I do hate them…but I don't want you to be uncomfortable. I know that you want to be twins with me…and I really want to be twins with you…but not if it makes you uncomfortable." Said Mob
"Mob…why are you this mature?" asked Minegishi with a sigh. They didn't know why they were asking. They knew why Mob was this mature. She had never gotten the chance to be a kid…fucking Suzuki and his lazy approach to parenting…
"Um…I'm sorry? I mean I don't think that I'm mature…sorry." said Mob. She knew what mature meant, it meant that you were an adult and stuff. She knew what immature meant too. I meant that you acted like a kid. Mob didn't think that she acted that much like an adult…at least not when she didn't have to take care of Sho. If anything she had been acting like a kid all day….and she shouldn't have been.
She was twelve years old now.
She hadn't thought that much about being twelve. She had just gone to be eleven and woken up twelve. Nothing had happened. She hadn't woken up taller or anything like that. She was still the same size. She looked the same…for some reason she wished that her breasts were bigger but at the same time she wished that she hadn't gotten them at all…and she still felt the same. Nothing had happened. Not like the time she had gone to bed eleven and woken up covered in blood…she was happy that she never had to go through that again. Not for the first time, anyway, the first time had been scary…and no other scary stuff happened she didn't think…and she didn't want anything scary to happen to her…
She just sort of wished that…something…had happened…that she had changed in some way…or at least become as mature as Minegishi seemed to think that she was.
"Mob…one of these days you have got to stop apologizing. You have nothing to apologize for…trust me on this." said Minegishi
"I feel like I do. I know that you don't like…girl stuff like this…and I know that you're only doing this for me. I don't want to make you any more uncomfortable than you already are." Said Mob
"I'm fine. I'll live. I've been more uncomfortable than this, trust me. I've slept on floors, in gardens, in parks, and even in the woods. None of that compares to sharing a bed with Ryou, of course, but yeah. I've had worse than…this." said Minegishi. Mob believed them…good. They felt bad about lying to her, they wanted to crawl out of their own skin they were so uncomfortable, but Mob…she didn't need to feel worse than she was going to.
"But…you love Shimazaki." Said Mob
"Yeah, I do, but that doesn't change the fact that when he sleeps he hogs the bed and when he's awake he eats in it." Said Minegishi
"Did you try telling him not to do those things? Maybe he'll listen. When you love someone enough-" said Mob
"Some fights just aren't worth having. Like this one. Mob, pick us out a dress to wear already, alright? It's your birthday, not mine, so you get to choose." Said Minegishi
"Alright….but we can be pants twins on your birthday….and we don't even have to be all the way twins today. You can just wear pants underneath your clothes. I've seen people do that." Said Mob. She had seen the girls at her school doing that, before, when she'd gone to school. She had always thought that it was weird how they called her weird when they did something as weird ad wear pants under their skirts. Not that Mob had ever said anything, she wasn't mean like that, and she wasn't mean enough to make her best friend wear something that made them uncomfortable. Minegishi was right there were some fights that just weren't worth having.
And this was one of them.
Mob wanted…well she wanted to do a lot of things today….but being twins with Minegishi was more than enough. They were both wearing purple dresses, Minegishi looked really pretty even if they did have their clothes on under it, and that was enough for Mob. Now they could do something that Minegishi liked to do. They liked to sit and drink coffee and read….so that was what was next. Mob didn't really understand how they could do that for hours and hours…but that was still a fun thing that they did together. She hadn't brought a book but she had her phone, and she knew that Minegishi always had at least two books with them at any given time, so she figured that this would be ok. That this would be something that they would like.
She had thought right.
"This is really what you want to spend your birthday doing? Starbucks of all places?" asked Minegishi as they sat down. They would have preferred going home. They were getting looks…well they always got looks when they were out and about…but they preferred the looks they got when they were…themselves. When they were comfortable in their own skin…when their skin wasn't covered in at least a hundred layers of lotions and powders and powders and creams and Minegishi didn't even know what…
But Mob wanted to be here, at this Starbucks in the middle of Berlin, so this was where they were going to be.
"You like Starbucks and I like you…and also I like Starbucks…but I don't speak the language here so can you order for me?" asked Mob as she sat down. This was a nice place. It was kind of warm out, not super hot but not cold either, and there was a good view of the park here. There were a bunch of boys there kicking a soccer ball around…not that she was looking over there or anything!
Not that there was anything to look at.
Those were just boys…playing soccer….or maybe it was called football here. She wasn't sure. She didn't know the language. This was like English but really complicated and she just…she wasn't going to talk to anyone even if she did know the language! She didn't have anyone to talk to and even if she did then…then she still wouldn't have talked to them. She didn't know how to talk to boys…and she didn't want to…because what would she even say?! She didn't know how to talk to them or even why she would talk to them. She couldn't ever have a boyfriend…so there was no point in talking to them…and also she didn't know the language so there was even less point in talking to them!
So she was just going to stay right here and….drink coffee and read books and hang out with her best friend.
"That steamed milk and vanilla thing? With caramel?" asked Minegishi. They let their eyes follow the path Mob's took. Minegishi got the feeling that their enjoyment of the mediocrity that was Starbucks wasn't the only reason that Mob had brought them there. Well then they'd let her have this. Better she stare at boys her own age than plan surprise weddings for all of her friends.
"Yes…and sprinkles if they have them here. Thank you." Said Mob. There. Now she just had to sit and wait…and then Minegishi would come back…and then they would talk and stuff. Then Mob wouldn't have even had to think about the boys that were over there kicking a ball back and forth on the grass. They were around her age…or maybe even older…and there were a lot of them. Mob didn't know how many…so maybe it was ok to look at them so that she could count them…
Yes, there was nothing wrong with counting people. Nothing at all…
There were six of them there…and now that she was done counting she could just…look down at her phone. Maybe something important had come up. Maybe something other than people she didn't know telling her happy birthday. Maybe Sho had texted her…or dad was coming home finally…or maybe Minori had more stuff to complain about. Yes, there were a million different reasons she could have checked her phone for…
But she also had a good reason not to.
There was another boy there, now, he had come on a bike. He…had an aura. He kept it close but that was definitely an aura. That was…a yellow aura. No…not yellow. Deeper than yellow. Gold colored. That was a gold colored aura…and that boy had yellow hair. No, not yellow, blond. That boy had blond hair and…and she knew that boy! She knew him and she had promised that she would never forget him and….
And judging from the way that he was looking at her he hadn't forgotten her either.
A ball went sailing past the boy…and towards her. It stopped at her feet. She was supposed to do…something…with it. Toss it back or give it back…or something. She knew that she had to do something besides stare at him….but she couldn't help it. She had never thought that she would ever see him again and there he was. He was taller now….a lot taller…and his hair was longer…and he didn't look scared like he had when they'd met. He looked…well his aura was scared but he was just…looking at her. One of the other boys was nudging him and pointing at her…and Mob…she wanted to run away….and she wanted to run over there too….
She didn't know what she wanted.
"I know you wanted sprinkles but they didn't have any so I had them crush a cookie into this for you." Said Minegishi as they sat down. Mob was staring at something….well those boys and…oh. Minegishi felt it as soon as they sat down. Another aura. A bright one for a kid. Mob was staring at the kid with the yellow aura…and there was a soccer ball at her feet too…
And that other kid was staring right back at her.
Maybe he wanted his ball back, maybe he wanted to hook up with Mob, or maybe he had just never seen another esper before. Either way Mob needed this. This was the perfect chance for her to get…all of that…out of her system. The same thing that made her want to watch her friends kiss. Mob had earned this, and she was old enough two. Minegishi had been getting up to much worse than what Mob had on her mind when they'd been twelve years old.
"Th-thanks…I like…this." said Mob. She had no idea what Minegishi had set down in front of her. She was still looking at Teru….that was his name. Hanazawa Teruki but he liked to be called Teru….she remembered him. She remembered how she had saved him….and how she had promised to never forget him…and about how he had said that he would never forget her. Maybe he had forgotten her…or maybe he had. She didn't know. She just…she didn't know if she wanted him to forget her or if she wanted him to remember her or…
Or what.
"I think they want their ball back, Mob, so maybe you should go and give it back. If you want to keep it for some reason then I suggest we start running now." Said Minegishi
"I-I-I don't want to keep it…because stealing is wrong…so maybe I should go and…throw it back…"said Mob
"Or you can just get up and give it to them." Said Minegishi. Mob was so nervous…had they ever been as nervous as she was now? No, probably not, but she was a different person than they were. Mob was her own person and she could do whatever she wanted to…even if she was too afraid to do whatever she wanted to. It was amazing how she could command Claw, run her household, and stand up to her father but for some strange reason she was afraid to talk to boys her own age.
She was adorable sometimes.
"I-I can't! I mean I…I can't because of…reasons." Said Mob. She wasn't going to tell Minegishi that the boy over there, the one with the gold colored aura, was the very same boy who she had let escape all those years ago. She knew that Minegishi wouldn't say anything to anyone…but she also didn't want to give Minegishi a secret to keep….and also…also she knew that if she went over there and talked to him then her heart would beat out of her chest and then she would die…or something….
She certainly felt like she was going to die.
"What reasons?" asked Minegishi
"Reasonable reasons." Said Mob
"Mob, come on. I know you. You want to go over there, that kid with the aura is staring at you, and you've been staring at him. Why don't you just give him back his ball and see where it goes from there….but if it goes somewhere that you don't want it to go then you have every right to kick his ass…or just call me over and I'll kick his ass." Said Minegishi
"I…I don't want that to happen but…but I can go over there….I guess." Said Mob. She did want to go over there…and she did have to give this ball back…and that was what she would do. She wanted…she wanted to go over there…and she wanted to talk to Teru. Even though she had no idea what she was even going to say to him…
She could start by giving him back his ball…yes…that was a good start.
"Don't do anything I wouldn't do…or anything I would." Said Minegishi
"But…then what am I supposed to do?" asked Mob
"Give him back his ball, smile a lot, and laugh at everything he says even if it's not funny." Said Minegishi with a shrug. It wasn't the best advice but it got the job done. Boys her age were easy. Well they had been when Minegishi had been that age. They weren't sure about now, they weren't Ryou they tended to stay within their own age range, but they had been Mob's age once.
"Um…ok. I can do that…I guess." Said Mob. That was the same thing that Minori had said. As long as she smiled a lot and acted like everything that they said was the funniest thing ever then they would like you…but Teru already liked her. Well he had liked her when they had met…he had kissed her…he hadn't known her but he'd kissed her…and that had been the best kiss of her life. Well that had been the only kiss of her life, the time Shimazaki put his hand over her mouth and kissed her didn't count…..thank God, but it had still been the best…and probably the only kiss that she would ever have…
Did he wanted to kiss her again?
Her braids flew up…but she could have blamed that on the wind. It was windy out here. That might have been her fault too. Maybe she should just have…run away….just tossed the ball and run away. The closer she got to him, the closer she got to Teru, the more she wanted to run away…or to run towards him…or just…she didn't know. She needed to make up her mind. It was like her brain didn't know what to do and her feet were on autopilot. She needed to figure out what to do…and soon…because now she was there…and she was right in front of Teru…
"Sprichst du Deutsch?" asked a boy. Mob shook her head. She kept her eyes on Teru…and he kept his eyes on her. If not for the fact that people were trying to talk to her it would have felt like they were the only two people in the world…and it was a good feeling.
"No speak German." Said Mob. That was…the best German that she could come up with. He held the ball in her hands. She was staring at Teru..and he was still staring at her. His aura was touching hers too and…and this was…really good…
"English?" asked another boy. Mob nodded and held out the ball.
"Is this…any of yours?" asked Mob in English. Teru took it from her and tossed it behind himself.
"Lass sie in ruhe." Said Teru. Mob…had no idea what it meant. She kind of wished that she'd let Minegishi teach her German…or that she'd taken the time to learn it herself.
"You can't call her, she came up to all of us, and anyway it was my ball!" said the boy next to Teru. Teru shoved him. Mob shook her head. Why did boys have to be like this? What happened in their heads that told them that they had to fight with everyone? Mob didn't know if she could have a boyfriend who fought with everyone…not that she thought that she and Teru could ever be anything….that was anything.
Dad might still have been looking for him.
Teru had gotten kidnapped on accident before…and that could happen again. Dad wasn't always careful about these things. That was why sometimes people didn't want to be there. That was also why people said such mean things about them on the internet. Hatori had showed her this site where people talked about all kinds of things, she was mostly there for Frozen stuff and the makeup addiction place, but there was a whole place where people talked about Claw.
Mean things.
Like they kidnapped people and tortured and killed them. A lot of people had nothing better to do than be jerks on the internet. She didn't understand it. Didn't these people have jobs? Families? Lives that they had to get back to? She...had spent way too much time correcting people. Dad did not think that he was a God, Claw did not kidnap people, and they were not trying to steal the moon. She didn't even know where that last one had come from. Dad had looked into stealing the moon before, he had said, but moving the moon even a little bit would have messed up the world. So that part wasn't true…and neither was the part about the kidnapping. Sometimes they just…mistook kids for orphans…and stuff. Like what had happened to Teru…
She hoped that Teru wasn't going to end up mistaken for an orphan again.
"Schwanz lutschen!" said Teru. Mob didn't know what that meant…and judging by the way the other boys went 'ooh' she didn't want to know. It was probably some gross boy thing…why did they have to be so gross all the time? Maybe this was why Minegishi liked both.
"That's what your mom's for!" said the boy
"Sich runterholen!" said Teru. He shoved the other boy that time….and that wasn't very nice at all. She didn't think that he had done a friendly shove either….boys could do friendly shoves. She…well she didn't know what to say or do…so she just…well she just stayed there until she figured out what to do.
"If your mom's not too tired after sucking my-" said the boy
"Shut up! This is why he gets girls and we don't! if you're going to say that then at least say it in a language she doesn't speak!" said another boy
"You're all hopeless. Come on, Suzuki, let's go….over there now." Said Teru. He grabbed her hand….he as TOUCHING her HAND! That was…he had called her Suzuki though…which was the polite thing to do…and maybe she should have called him Hanazawa in that case. He had been Teru in her mind for years now…they had kissed and that made them familiar since what could be more familiar than kissing? But maybe kissing didn't make you familiar…especially if it happened a long time ago…and kisses didn't have to mean anything, either. Minegishi had said that, sometimes people just kissed and did other things for the good feeling and nothing more…
She really hoped that Teru had wanted to kiss her for some reason beyond just…wanting to kiss someone.
That had been the greatest moment of her life up to that point, the time he kissed her, and maybe…maybe it could happen again. He was pulling her away from the others…over to some trees. His friends were 'oohing' again…and this did look like the kind of thing that people would….yeah. He was pulling her, leading her, over and…and she just….she held her braids down with her hand. She needed to keep calm and control her powers….and her hair…
This was…she needed to focus on controlling her powers. Once she had that figured out then she could focus on what this was.
"I-I'm sorry about them….just…wow. I never thought that I'd see you again and I was just shocked. I mean I would have told them to shut up and just…wow. You…you're here…Suzuki. Shigeko. Mob…whichever you like." Said Teru
"I-I'm Mob…mostly…but my given name is Shigeko…and my family name is Suzuki. I'm Suzuki Shigeko…but people call me Mob…in case you forgot." Said Mob. His aura flared out at that…and he reached out and took her hand. He laced his fingers in hers….which was REAL handholding….and…and she was really holding hands with him and…and….
Wow.
So much wow.
"Like I could ever forget you….you saved my life! And you got away, too. How did you get away? You told me you…lived…there." said Teru
"I…well I live in a lot of places…and I didn't run away. Like I said, my dad runs it and…oh! I'm vice president now. I got promoted." Said Mob. He let go of her hand. Her hand felt cold the second he let go of it. He…she wanted him to hold her hand. She had only held his hand for a few seconds…and she wanted…she wanted to do it again. To hold his hand and other things and…and now his aura was acting like it didn't like hers and….and…
And she had done something wrong.
"You…you're still in it…and you're in charge?" asked Teru. He let go of her hand and put up a gold colored barrier. She reached for him and touched it. He kept it up. She had done something…wrong. She had done something wrong and she didn't even know what.
"I'm only in charge sometimes, like if my dad is busy or something. I'm not in charge now. I mean I have power but…why are you putting up a barrier?" asked Mob
"No…" said Teru
"Um…yes you are. I can see it…and feel it." Said Mob
"No I'm not going with you! I am not getting kidnapped again! My family barely got out and-" said Teru
"No, no, no! I'm not here to kidnap you, honest! And I'm still sure that it was an accident…like they thought that you were an orphan or something. My dad is here scouting talent, he said, and that means looking for people to join us. I'm sure that when he realizes that you have a family that loves you-" said Mob
"No! I-I-I'm not going through that again!" said Teru
"I don't want you to! Just…um….maybe if you try running away again? I mean to a place that my dad hates. Like…um…he hates Korea and we can never go back for some reason…and he hates Osaka for some reason too…and he hates Seasoning City because he was born there just…um….don't yell at me! I don't want anything bad to happen to you either! And I never did! I just…I didn't even know that you were here and when I saw you I just…I was happy to see you and….and I'm still happy to see you now and…and whatever I did wrong I'm sorry!" said Mob. She sat down on the ground and pulled her knees up to her chest. She held her braids down with her hands. The grass around her grew high.
She wanted to go home.
She wanted to go home and hide. She had been wishing and hoping for this day for so long…and now she had messed it up. She had no idea how she had messed it up but she had…and she wished that he just…left her alone. That he just got away from her and soon, soon enough that she could forget this, and remember him how she had before. As the boy with the gold colored aura who had kissed her. As someone who came into her dreams sometimes and told her that he loved her. That was….that was better…
Better than this anyway.
Better than this boy who was mad at her. Better than this boy who's aura was scared and mad…at her…and she hadn't even done anything! She had just…he had just been holding her hand and…and now he was mad at her. That was…she didn't know what she had done…all she knew was that she felt bad now. She wanted to disappear…to turn invisible….to teleport away…or something.
She wanted to be anywhere but here.
"Hey…don't cry, Shigeko. I didn't mean to…to be…like that." Said Teru
"I'm not crying…I just want to be left alone right now. I'm sorry for whatever I did wrong and…and I just want to be left alone." Said Mob. She had been speaking Japanese, a language that they both had in common, but for some reason he wasn't listening. Instead of going away he just say down right next to her. She wiped her eyes…there were black smudges on her hands…she could see them…and then she couldn't.
Teru was holding her hands again.
He had sat down across from her and now he was holding both of her hands. His hair was kind of in his eyes…but she could still see them. They were a really pretty shade of blue…and his hair was a pretty shade of yellow…and his hoodie was a pretty combination of pink and blue. She knew that boys didn't like pink…but he did…and she liked him and…and his hoodie was so nice…even nicer than all of Hatori's sweaters put together…and he had really nice sweaters….
Boys in nice sweaters were good, she decided, very good….
"You didn't do anything wrong. I mean….you can't get out of it, I guess, and I just….I freaked out. I thought that you were going to…to bring me back there. I mean I've felt more people around than usual and…and I was being a jerk. I know that you wouldn't kidnap me." Said Teru
"Why would I do that? We don't kidnap people and also I helped you run away, before. Don't you remember?" asked Mob
"Like I could ever forget….and thank you….for that." Said Teru. He let go of one of her hands and then reached over and tiled her face up. She felt herself turning red…and the grass around them got higher. She couldn't help it. She had seen enough movies, and watched Shimazaki and Minegishi kiss enough times, to know what it meant when a boy did this. He did this when he was about to kiss you…or maybe not…
Maybe she was just being clueless again.
"You thanked me before." Said Mob. She swallowed hard, he was still touching her. One hand in hers and the other at the side of her face…and he was looking into her eyes like boys did when they liked you and….and he was doing a lot of the stuff that boys did when they liked you and…
And he…might have liked her….
"I know…and I want to thank you again." said Teru. He closed his eyes and leaned in close…like he wanted to kiss her…and she leaned in too…but then she pulled back. What if she had been wrong?! What if he wasn't about to kiss her and she was just being clueless. Minori had said that boys kissed girls and not the other way around…so if she kissed him first then she might have messed everything up!
"Um…what are you doing?" asked Mob
"I was going to kiss you but if you don't want to-" said Teru
"I want to! I mean that would be nice…I would like that." Said Mob. She leaned back in close…and she closed her eyes…and she waited. She waited and…and she kept her eyes closed and…and she heard Teru saying some stuff in German. She wished that she spoke German. When this was over she was learning all the German in the world. She wondered if he had said that he didn't want to kiss her. She opened her eyes and…
And now she was being kissed.
It was better than before. Before she had felt this flutter in her heart…and now it was back…but so was that shook up feeling she got sometimes in her stomach. That good shook up feeling that she used to get when she was around Hatori. She felt all shook up and…and the ground shook a little. She kept on leaning in and she let him kiss her…
It was better than before.
Before he had just sort of pressed his lips to hers. He was doing that but…his lips were….softer? it felt like he used chapstick…which was good…but also it was like he was more…relaxed. More like he just…he was moving a little…and his other hand was in hers. He moved the one from her face to the back of her head…and now he was playing with her hair…
That was kind of weird. She pulled away.
"So….good?" asked Teru.
"Um…" said Mob. He wasn't touching her hair anymore. That was good. She….didn't like that. That was a dad thing, touching her hair like that, and she did not want to think about her dad while she was kissing someone. That was just…the grossest thing that she had ever thought about in her life.
"If…if it wasn't good then you can tell me….but if it was good then you can tell me too. It was good, right?" asked Teru
"Y-Yes….that was…so good…wow! Sorry just…wow…" said Mob. She left out the part about the hair touching. That was just a thing that boys did when they kissed you. She had seen it in movies and also when Shimazaki kissed Minegishi. That was just something that happened when you kissed someone….and that was ok. She could get used to that.
"I've never made a girl 'wow' before…."said Teru.
"Huh?" asked Mob. He was touching her hair again…and her hand…and she wished that he would stop touching her hair…but she didn't want to say anything about that. About him touching her hair or…or about what he had just said. He had never made a girl 'wow' before…which was…he had done this with…other girls?
"S-Sorry just…um…do you want to do it again?" asked Teru
"…..that would be nice, yes." said Mob. She ….was not going to ask if he had done this with other girls. She didn't want the answer to that question. She just wanted to kiss him again. She wanted…she wanted to kiss him and…and there were other thoughts in her head too….but kissing was the thing that she wanted to do and that was what he had asked so…so now…
He kissed her again.
He was touching her hair again with one hand and her other hand with the other. She rested her hand on her leg….and now she was kind of…she knew what this feeling was but she had never had this caused by another person before. These alone sorts of feelings. His mouth over hers and his hand kind of on her leg. These were alone, lay in her bed in the middle of the night, feelings. These were lock the bathroom door and try not to move a lot feelings. These were not out in public feelings!
Well they were now, obviously, since she was having them.
"Good?" asked Teru
"Yes…" said Mob. She wiped her mouth with her hand. There had been…a lot of spit there. It was like he had been trying to swallow her lips with his lips or something. There had been a lot of moving and spit and…and while it was happening it hadn't been gross…and even now it wasn't that gross. Having someone else's spit on her. She had never had anyone else's spit on her before…but it wasn't that bad…not really.
Kind of weird though….
"Still wow?" asked Teru
"So much 'wow'…just…this is the best birthday ever." Said Mob. So it had felt a little weird…the part where he touched her hair more so than the part where he tried to swallow her lips with hers….but this was still the best birthday ever. First she got to be twins with Minegishi and now this! She liked it, being twelve, she hadn't even been twelve for one full day and she already loved it.
"Today's your birthday?" asked Teru
"Yes…I'm twelve today." Said Mob. Teru smiled at her and then he looked down. Then up at her face again and then down again. She could tell that she was being looked at…she could tell by his aura…and also the path his eyes took. She wanted…she wanted to pull her hoodie closed…but also she wanted…to do something that she hadn't ever wanted to do before…well she had but…well not with a person and…
And she stayed still just to be safe…just so that she didn't make the wrong choice.
"Hey um…since it's your birthday and all…um…do you mind if I try something….something that you'll like! I mean that you'll probably like. I mean nobody's complained before…sorry!" said Teru
"Um…ok….sure…that's…ok…" said Mob. She really did not want to think about him doing this with other girls. She knew that they weren't together…she had no idea what they ever were now….but she knew that she did not want to think about him kissing another girl like this. She wanted to keep on kissing him…and she wanted to feel good…and she wanted him to feel good too. Him feeling good….that also made her feel good…and…
And thinking about him with other girls did not make her feel good…so she wasn't going to think about that.
Instead she was going to think about how he was kissing her again. This time there was still a lot of spit, and he was still touching her hair, and so far…it felt a little bit weird but not anything that was too weird. She tried to match the way he kissed her. Minori had told her that you had to match the kissing rhythm with the boy or it wouldn't be good…and she knew a lot about kissing boys. More than Mob did. This was only her second kiss….third….fourth? She didn't really know.
She forgot how to count.
How was anyone supposed to remember how to count when someone else's tongue was in her mouth? She could feel…yes. That was his tongue. He had licked her lips, she had been surprised, and then he had just let himself in. He tasted like…spit? Not bad but…like…another person's tongue? She didn't know. She didn't have much of a chance to think about it…since she was having a lot of trouble thinking. There was someone else's tongue in her mouth and that made it kind of hard to think.
Kind of really hard.
His tongue was all the way in her mouth and her tongue…well it didn't really have anywhere to go. It was like he was trying to fight her tongue and he had won, there hadn't been any contest…but it was like he hadn't realized it yet. Also their teeth scraped….and that was a weird feeling and sound. Also their auras were touching…and that was weird too.
At least he had stopped touching her hair.
His hand left her hair…and then went down the side of her neck and then down to her…chest and….um….ok. That was…he was touching her…ok then. That was…a thing that was happening to her. That was…she knew what this was…and at least she could tell Minori that she wasn't a virgin at doing this anymore…not that she wanted to tell Minori. She didn't want to tell anyone. She didn't even want Teru to know and he was the one doing it to her!
This was…a thing that was happening to her body right now.
There was a hand on her left one…and then another hand on her right one...and now he was kind of…she felt like she was an avocado. Like he was trying to test and see if they were good for guacamole or something. It didn't feel good. It just felt weird…and also kind of…it didn't make sense. The fact that he was touching her, that he liked her enough to do this to her, felt good….but the reality of what he was doing made her feel like…weird. Like really weird and….and she didn't even know why he wanted to. She didn't have anything there to feel…well she sort of did since he was definitely grabbing onto them….but she still looked like a first grader…
She felt sort of like a first grader.
She felt like that time when she was in the first grade and it had been White Day. How she had felt so good that she hadn't known what to say or do….but also…also she felt weird. She didn't know what to do. Not how to feel or just…what to do. There really wasn't any rhythm for her to match, not anymore, he was pretty much just trying to keep her tongue pinned down. She didn't know what to do with her hands either. He was squeezing her breasts really hard…and also….did she do the same? To his chest? She had seen Minegishi do that to Shimazaki…
So she tried that.
She mostly just put her hands on his chest and…alright. This was nice. He didn't feel like Shimazaki did…but Shimazaki was all Shimazaki…and why was she thinking about Shimazaki!? Just because he had a really nice chest…maybe…but Teru did too. She could feel his heart beating and…and that was a first. She didn't know if this was a thing that you could be a virgin at, touching a boy's chest, but if this was one of those things you could be a virgin at then…then she wasn't a virgin at this anymore….
But that was the last of not wanting to be a virgin that she wanted to be.
"I-I should go!" said Mob. One of his hands had gone from her chest to her leg where her dress had ridden up. Because she was sitting on the ground. That was why and….and she just…she had to go!
So she ran away.
She ran all the way back to Minegishi. The rest of the world was just a blur around her as she ran. She didn't look back. She just ran all the way back to Minegishi. Minegishi was reading a book like everything was normal…but everything was not normal! She was not normal! She was not in any way normal! She had just kissed a boy…who was not her boyfriend…and she had liked parts of it…but other parts had been weird…and now she felt weird….and it felt like the whole world was looking at her…
And she wanted to go home!
"Mob…you alright?" asked Minegishi. They felt her long before they saw her. She was bright pink, her aura, with the usual amount of blue…and her face was bright pink, too. They wouldn't have been surprised if her lips had started turning blue. She was freaked out. Minegishi didn't know if this was good or bad…
If this was bad then…well Minegishi hoped that his parents, that little blond boy's, hadn't gotten too attached to him.
"I-I….I want to go home." Said Mob. She did NOT want to talk about this. Not here when she was out in public and everyone was watching her and listening to her and…and…and NOBODY COULD KNOW! Not about how she felt…not about how scared…hoe excited…how…how hot and how cold and how…how…
How weird she felt.
She was…she felt…she felt so weird. She wanted…she wanted to go home and watch Frozen. That was what….what she had to do. She always felt ok when she watched Frozen…and she wanted to feel ok again. She wanted…she wanted to feel anything other than this…than this feeling she had. This combination of good and bad and excited and scared…it wasn't a good feeling…and it was a good feeling and…
And she wanted…she wanted to feel ok. She understood ok.
"In a second, I feel like someone's about to get their ass kicked…" said Minegishi. There. That little….Mob did not need this shit in her life. Minegishi blamed themselves, of course, but they were not above taking this out on the little monster who had dared to make Mob-
"No, no, you don't have to. I just…want to go home, ok?" asked Mob. She reached over and held onto Minegishi. Her hand went around their wrist and her aura went around theirs. They were her best friend, she knew them, and she knew what it meant when they looked like that. When they looked like they were ready for a fight…
There really wasn't any reason to fight….Mob was ok. She felt weird but she was still ok.
"Are you sure that you're ok? Because if someone makes you do anything that you don't want to-" said Minegishi
"What?! No, no…it's not like that just…um….I did some stuff and…and I feel weird and I want to go home." Said Mob
"Good weird or bad weird?" asked Minegishi
"Good…and bad at the same time. Like…like it's a lot and…and it feels like everyone's looking at me…and stuff…and I just…want to be in a place where people can't look at me." Said Mob
"Alright, I understand. Come on, let's get you home." Said Minegishi. Well that was a relief. They knew what she was feeling, they had been there before….well they had been a lot of place before. They had no idea where it was, exactly, Mob had gone…and this was not the time to ask. Wherever she had gone it had been somewhere a lot more intimate, physically, than she had ever been before…and on the one hand good for her. Minegishi had sat through enough of Mob's movies to know that she was a ball of hormones…but also not so good for her since she, apparently, hadn't been ready…
Well it seemed to Minegishi that she hadn't been.
They didn't ask her on the way home. They knew that she wanted to be somewhere alone and that was where Minegishi was going to take her. Poor Mob. Even on her birthday it was hard to remember just how young she was. Twelve was not a good age….the next six to eight years of her life were going to be fairly terrible actually. Poor Mob….poor, poor, poor Mob….
But, yeah, this was what Minegishi was here for. Part of the whole 'caring for another human being' thing that they had spent the better part of their life avoiding.
"Want to go to your house? I think those two should be up by now…if Hatori was ever asleep. I swear to God his blood must be almost fully energy drink at this point." Said Minegishi
"Yeah…the red kind…even though he likes green…and um…yeah. We can go to my house." Said Mob. She really did not want to have to talk to any boys for a while…or dad. Dad wasn't home yet though, which was good, because she had no idea how to explain any of this. Her feelings must have been written on her aura….and dad was good at reading auras…but bad at reading feelings…
So it was a good thing that he wasn't home.
Even if, the minute she had gotten home, Minegishi stopped being twins with her. They pulled their dress up over their head and said that they had makeup to scrub off. Mob didn't mind…it was nice being twins with them but everything had to come to an end and other sad things. Also they told her to put Frozen on….and she really needed some Frozen in her life and stuff….
She wondered if Elsa ever had these problems.
Elsa had powers but then she was afraid of her powers because she almost killed her sister and then she ran away but then she got better. If Elsa could control her powers so could Mob. She had that problem, she understood that problem, and even without being a real person Elsa had helped her…but Mob couldn't see Elsa having this problem. She had never kissed a boy before, she didn't know any boys, and also she might have liked girls like people on the internet thought….but not Anna because sisters didn't do that...but Elsa didn't have a boy who loved her…Anna did…
Did Anna have these problems?
She had read plenty of stories on the internet where Anna and Kristoff got married and had a baby…and did all the stuff to get the baby…but never once had Anna felt the way that she felt now. All…hot and cold…all over. She wanted to run away and hide but also…also she wanted to stand up on her couch and start shouting 'a boy wanted to kiss me' over and over again until someone knocked on her door to complain…or dad got home and told her that she wasn't allowed to kiss boys. He had never come out and said that but…yeah…that did not seem like the kind of thing that he would have been ok with. So she didn't stand on her couch and start shouting….but she wanted to…she wanted to do a lot of things…
Like watch Frozen.
"Play the movie, Mob…and hang on." Said Minegishi as they sat down beside her. There was a static charge to the air around her. She was all worked up…but at least not upset…which was good. Well her being worked up wasn't good but she wasn't upset which was…well that was good for Mob and the rest of humanity too. Still though, this was her birthday and she didn't need to feel like that on her birthday….
God, Minegishi was going to hell for even thinking this…weren't they?
"For what?" asked Mob as Minegishi dug through their bag. She wondered what they were looking for. She could have helped. She needed…she needed to help someone. She needed to help her friend. She just…she needed to help them. She had to help…to be helpful…to be herself.
"Let me just…God, this bag is a mess…here we go. For you, happy birthday." Said Minegishi as they found what they were looking for.
"But…you said about moderation." Said Mob as Minegishi handed her a blunt. That was like a joint but bigger and made from cigarillo paper…she could smell it from here that was the pineapple this time. She didn't like rolling those, you wasted a whole cigarillo and those were like a bunch of cigarettes rolled together in a delicious paper. Seemed like a waste to roll flower into it…but she was probably being clueless again since Shimazaki had laughed at her when she said that.
"It's your birthday and you're all worked up so…yeah. Have at it." Said Minegishi
"We should share." Said Mob as she took it from Minegishi. This was her birthday…and she was always up for this. She just didn't ask because Minegishi had always been saying 'no' lately.
"Alright, but you go first." Said Minegishi. Mob didn't have to be told twice. She took it from there and inhaled like she was worried about them taking it away from her…which to be fair was something that she should have worried about. Mob…was not on a good path right now…and Minegishi was probably doing too little too late…but they had to try.
Just not now. Right now Mob needed this.
"This is really good…thank you." Said Mob
"You're welcome. So, are you ready to talk about what happened? Or does this die with you?" asked Minegishi
"Um…nothing bad happened…and um…cam you keep a secret? Because…um….I don't want to make you keep my secrets but if my dad finds out about this then I know he'll be upset." Said Mob
"Mob, I don't talk to your dad. In fact I actively avoid talking to your dad…but yeah, I can keep a secret." Said Minegishi
"Even from Shimazaki? Because I know that he can't keep a secret. If you tell him something then it's the same as telling the whole world." Said Mob
"Ryou is actually pretty good at keeping things in the vault when he has to….but yeah, I won't tell him." said Minegishi
"Ok…um…Teru kissed me and I felt weird! But weird like…not like the first time, he's the same boy who I helped escape but…but this was weird because he kissed me weird like he was trying to fight my tongue and…and also he touched my uh…I'm not a virgin at being felt up anymore! And just…please don't tell anyone…ever…even if they pluck out all of your eyelashes and then your eyes will have nothing at all to protect them…um…if that ever happens I have false eyelashes or you can just have mine but…um…don't tell anyone!" said Mob. She took a big inhale after she said that, as big as she could do, so big that her lungs started to hurt. She coughed more than she ever had in her entire life as she exhaled. Minegishi patted her on the back.
Which was good.
She didn't know what Minegishi would say. She knew that they wouldn't be mad at her…but aside from that she had no idea what was going to happen. Maybe Minegishi was going to tell her that she had been stupid. What if Teru was the only boy who would ever want to kiss her? She hadn't ever had any other boy…besides Shimazaki but he might have been kidding…but still. What if nobody ever liked her ever again? It wasn't like she was ever going to see Teru again…since he was going to run away again…and…
And this was hard. Very hard.
"Alright…your secret is safe with me…and just to be clear, Mob, you wanted to do all of that, right? Because I am fully prepared to-" said Minegishi
"No, no, I wanted to…I mean I didn't want him to touch my leg under my dress so I ran away…but everything else was…ok. Not the hair touching, though, that was weird…like…like how my dad touches my hair. That part was weird but everything else…well it was weird but in a good way…and stuff…um…yeah." Said Mob
"Well…that's…all perfectly normal. The way you're feeling. You thought you were ready for something but you weren't and…um…way to know your boundaries, Mob. I mean it would have been better if you snapped him in half for trying that with you…when did kids get this bold….but you knew your boundary so…good for you." Said Minegishi
"So…so it's ok that I ran away? And also…also I'll never see him again….and I don't know how I feel about that. He likes me and we can't be together because everyone keeps thinking he's an orphan and trying to kidnap him…and he doesn't want to join Claw anyway…so maybe I should have stayed…other girls would have stayed." Said Mob
"So? Other girls would have done a lot of things. Some of them would have wrung his neck for trying what he did and others would have thrown him down right there and seen what he was made of. Don't think about what other girls would have done. Worry about what you would have done. Trust me on this." said Minegishi
"Minegishi…what would have done? If you were me?" asked Mob quietly. She didn't know if this was ok to ask. She was asking about…things, maybe even all the things. Minegishi was her only friend who was a girl…well who had been born a girl…who had done all the things. She just…she wanted to know which of the things Minegishi had done….and which of the things that she should have done.
"Mob…that's one hell of a question." Said Minegishi. That was….a lot. A lot of things that Minegishi did not think that Mob needed to know about. They had told her a very watered down version of their life…and of course she had been asking them questions for years…questions which they had told her that she was too young to know…but she was older now…
So, yeah, maybe she was ready to hear about…some stuff….not all of it…but some of it.
"Oh….I'm sorry. I just…I shouldn't have asked. I'm sorry if I said the wrong thing." Said Mob
"No, no, it's not the wrong thing just…I made a lot of mistakes when I was your age. I…was a different person than I am now. When I was your age I was doing a lot more than kissing…and not always because I wanted to. Actually wanted to. When I was your age I…was looking for what I was missing…I guess…from other people…and those other people were….a hell of a lot older than me and not the best sort of people…or even the decent sort…so yeah. I would have done a lot of things that you are not, at least I don't think, emotionally ready to do." Said Minegishi
"Do you mean…all the stuff?" asked Mob quietly. She looked around. If dad had been there then he would have…not been happy…but she knew that he wasn't there…but what if he all of a sudden showed up at home?! Shimazaki did know how to teleport…
"Yeah, all the stuff…and the fact that you still say 'all the stuff' tells me that you're not emotionally ready, alright? Now take your turn and pass it." Said Minegishi
"So…I did the right thing by running away?" asked Mob as she handed the blunt to Minegishi. Mob…still didn't know. What if she had wasted her only chance at having someone who wanted to kiss her? What if she really was going to end up growing old with her dad like he had been promising her for her entire life it felt like?
"The right thing for yourself, yes. Never you mind what other people would have done in your shoes." said Minegishi
"But…um…I was thinking that….um….what if nobody ever wants to kiss me ever again?" asked Mob
"What? Mob, trust me. Plenty of guys are going to want to kiss you. You're nice, you're cute, and that's pretty much all they ask for at your age. Most guys your age aren't that bold, though, so keep that in mind. Guys my age are that bold…but you should stay away from guys my age. Just…don't even go there." said Minegishi
"I wasn't going to kiss Shimazaki!" said Mob suddenly. Did they know about all the stuff that Shimazaki had said to her before?! She was not…she was never going to do that with her best friend's boyfriend! Even if he hadn't been Shimazaki…just…no!
"You volunteering that information makes me think that you want to kiss Ryou…and that's…understandable." Said Minegishi. No. They did not need another one. Sho was bad enough. Mob…yeah. This was not going to happen. They could not survive Mob and her little brother being all…like this.
"I-I don't! I think that he might want to kiss me…he said back when I was ten that he's kiss me in three o four years…and it's been two years already….but I don't want that! I mean he might be kidding and-" said Mob
"He isn't kidding and please for the love of God don't enter into anything physical with Ryou." Said Minegishi. That was….a conversation for another day. One which they going to have with Ryou. They were going to tell him to knock it off and Mob…well she was already starting puberty and all that came with it…and Ryou was there and didn't care how young she was…God…
This was their life…great.
"Because he's your boyfriend and you'd be mad at me for stealing him from you?" asked Mob. That made sense. She knew that Shimazaki and Minegishi were in a kind of relationship where they were allowed to kiss other people…but that made no sense…and also even if Minegishi gave her permission she still wouldn't have messed with their friendship like that.
"What? No. That's not how that…neither of us belongs to the other…but…Mob, it would be weird for me. Very weird. It would be several different kinds of weird for me if you were doing…anything…with Ryou. At your age or even if you were older. Just…don't ever take Ryou up on his offer…well I mean I can't tell you what to do with your body but…it wouldn't be smart…and I know that you're smarter than that. You're too smart for him." said Minegishi
"I wouldn't even if he wasn't your boyfriend. I mean I like the way he looks….and he can be very nice but…I don't like him like that. Also friends don't do that to friends…ever. I mean I wouldn't do that to Sho either since he's in love with Shimazaki…ok? Just…even if he looks nice and stuff…and sometimes my brain makes me think about that….I would never do that to you." Said Mob
"Mob…you're a good friend." Said Minegishi. They didn't know what they had done to deserve a friend like Mob…or maybe Mob was the one who had done something to deserve a friend like them. Not good things…either….but that made no sense. This was Mob. She was a drop of goodness sent down to Earth. Mob…God. They just…they looked down at their bracelet. Best friends forever, that was what they were, and part of being best friends with someone was…being the bearer of bad news.
"Thank you, you are too." Said Mob. She didn't know what she had done to get a friend like Minegishi. Someone who was always there for her no matter what. Someone who was never going to leave her. She knew that Minegishi wasn't just going to run away in the middle of the night and leave her all alone…no matter what she did. They were best friends forever. Just like the bracelets said.
"No, I'm not. I'm really not. I…have to tell you something. Just…finish that blunt….and then…well once that's done I'll tell you…something that I should have told you days ago." Said Minegishi
"What are you going to tell me?" asked Mob. She didn't know why Minegishi was being so serious all of a sudden….it was kind of weird. She had just told them all kinds of stuff, stuff that nobody else could ever know, and now…they were going to tell her something? But what?
"It's about your brother." Said Minegishi. They…were going to ruin her birthday…they didn't want to ruin her birthday but they had to. Mob trusted them and…and they were not going to break that trust. No, she already had enough people in her life who broke her trust…and Minegishi was not going to be one of them.
They would ruin her birthday, yes, but they would not break her trust.