Thirteen hours.
That was how long Minegishi had been on a plane reassuring Mob for. Thirteen. Fucking. Hours. People were not meant to fly. If people had been meant to fly then babies would have been born wearing little capes. But they weren't born wearing little capes. They were born wearing amniotic fluid, viscera, and various other bits of filth. So maybe humans were meant to live in filth, then, it would have made sense. Minegishi was already almost there. They needed a bath. They needed a smoke, a drink, a bath, and a nap…in that order.
Thankfully they knew someone who could make that happen.
Matsuo looked well. That was better than could be said about them. They were a mess. Their hair was pretty much an oil slick, their face could have easily been mistaken for a planetarium, and their nails were chipped to hell…amongst a thousand and one other tiny things that they hadn't noticed about themselves. Ryou was blind and they didn't give a damn what the others thought about them…they had been spoiled. Matsuo could see them and…well they shouldn't have given a damn what he thought. Not when everything was going wrong in Mob's life. Not when she was going to get into the fight of her life with her little brother over some shit that shouldn't have even happened. They should have gone with Mob…well she hadn't wanted them to…but they still should have gone with…but here they were, being selfish…
They were good at that. Even when it came to Mob…they were pretty damn good at that.
"Hey." Said Minegishi as they approached Matsuo. He smiled when he saw them. That was…they liked his smile. It was nice…it didn't have the same sort of mirth that Ryou's had…but then again Ryou was one of a kind. Well everyone was one of a kind but Ryou was…well he was something special…but a lot of people were special…like Matsuo….
He was something special.
"Toshiki, you made it." Said Matsuo. Koyama gave him a look as he walked past. Matsuo ignored him. What had happened, happened, and he'd made his choice. Now they were making theirs…and this had nothing to do with social climbing and Miyagawa needed to learn to stop running his mouth. Toshiki ranked above him, sure, but that didn't mean anything.
Besides, it wasn't like he was after their job or anything.
"Barely." Said Minegishi with a shake of their head. They ran a hand through their hair…and knocked their bobby pins loose. Their hair had gotten so long they were back to the bobby pin thing….and they needed to cut it…that could come later. When Mob was done she would probably want to do some hardcore hair braiding….joy….
The things they did for Mob.
"Rough ride?" asked Matsuo as he reached up and fixed the bobby pins in their hair. They put them back in the bobby pins the way they had been, that cross pattern. They were growing out their bangs…and the rest of their hair too. It looked nice…they looked nice…really nice. Even after what must have been a grueling plane ride, airplanes were instruments of torture, they still looked…really nice.
Minegishi Toshiki really had it going on.
"You don't know the half of it. What's happening here?" Said Minegishi as the motioned to the large group of people still milling around. They loved Mob, they really did, but they didn't think that she needed the red carpet rolled out for her. She didn't even like that shit. She was already at the end of her rope…and maybe they should have gone with her…or maybe she wanted some space….they didn't know…maybe they were the one who wanted some space…
"Ishiguro's showing off again. She likes to make us line up like this…among other things." Said Matsuo
"Well I'm going to take that in the worst way possible." Said Minegishi
"Yeah, you got it. Have you ever seen any hentai ever? It's like that." Said Matsuo
"What do you take me for? I only read the finest of trashy romance novels." Said Minegishi
"So the guy on the front's shirt is only partially ripped?" asked Matsuo
"Hmm…which guy?" asked Minegishi. They raised the space where one of their eyebrows would have been and let it sink in. It didn't take long.
"God, Toshiki, this is so much better in real time." Said Matsuo with a laugh. God, he had forgotten how funny they could be. The smart kind of funny, not the kind of funny where someone soaped up a staircase and watched pain ensue…this division was staffed and run by children….it was so good to talk to an actual adult for once….well…he caught Tsuchiya's eye.
One without a kid.
"What? Are you saying we don't have textual chemistry?" asked Minegishi going for two. They saw the path Matsuo's eyes traveled. There. A muscular…and very well endowed…woman with a little red haired toddler. That was…they looked away. That was Mob's business. That was Suzuki family business…they didn't have a dog in this race…
Though Mob would be happy to know that the little vomit machine was doing well.
"Textual chemistry? I think I failed that." Said Matsuo. He took a step forward…Toshiki had some really dark circles going on. A nap, then, when he got them inside. If they didn't have anything to do for the Vice President. He had no idea what she was even doing here….and he wasn't going to ask. Toshiki said that she was apparently the sweetest kid in the world…but she was still…her. Way too powerful…and her eyes were haunting….and she came from Suzuki…
He blinked. He didn't know why. His vision in his eye, the one with the scar, would never be the same again….
"No, you're alright. You pass…just barely." Said Minegishi as they leaned in and kissed him. Short, sweet, and to the point. Nothing long and drawn out…they didn't have the energy for something long and drawn out. They didn't have the energy for…well…a lot of things they felt like doing. They had the energy to kiss him, though, something short and sweet and to the point…
He seemed to have the same idea.
"Toshiki…don't take this the wrong way but you look like you're dead on your feet." Said Matsuo as he stepped back from Toshiki. He knew that he was getting looks…he didn't care. Toshiki was his…whatever they were to him. Partner? Or maybe just…friend with benefits? They hadn't talked about this yet…and he knew that Toshiki was in some kind of situation-ship with Shimazaki Ryou….and he didn't want anything to do with that nut job…
"How am I not supposed to take that badly?" asked Minegishi
"No idea. Maybe you'll take it better if I ask you to take a nap with me." Said Matsuo
"You're right, I am taking it better…but I'm not up for more than a nap right now." Said Minegishi
"That's fine, we have time….right?" asked Matsuo
"I don't have a fucking clue. Come on, it's hot out here." Said Minegishi. They took his hand and let them lead. He knew this place better than they did. This was his home after all. They had spent some time in Tokyo HQ before moving to the floating hit squad. Before all of this stuff with Mob they hadn't ever had…this…
A permanent home.
Well a permanent group. They had a group now, their home was wherever Suzuki felt like it was, but a group…could feel like home. Not that they felt homesick. There was just…a lot of tiredness right there inside of them. That was why they felt that twinge of…whatever…when a Scar slapped Matsuo on the back and told him that he was lucky. They checked their phone as they walked. They had signal again…they had signal but Ryou might not have…Suzuki was probably following them right now. Suzuki was probably pissed and this whole thing was going to turn into a shit show…
Hopefully they slept through it.
Matsuo…they had never slept with him before. They had hooked up with him but they had never slept together. They….were alright with this. They needed a nap and they liked him…and they could sleep without Ryou. They could sleep…well they could sleep with someone else. They trusted Matsuo…and if they didn't then they could just knock themselves out and wait for Mob to wake them up…they sent her a text just so she knew that they were around…maybe they should have left her alone…she had a lot going on right now…
She had too much to deal with.
Was this alright? Them holding hands with someone and…and it was in this moment that Minegishi knew that they were spending way too much time with a twelve year old girl. They were holding hands with a guy. They were holding hands with a guy and they were going to take a nap with him….so scandalous. They needed more adult company….they had adult company….so why were they lonely?
They were way too tired.
"Here it is, home sweet home." Said Matsuo as he opened his door. He…didn't know what he was so nervous about. He cleaned up….sort of. The trash was in the trash can, the dishes were in the sink, and the laundry was in the hamper. There. Clean. Adult levels of clean. He watched Toshiki as they slipped their shoes off in the genkan. Their eyes were darting around his apartment. Too many stickers? Too many posters? Too many figurines? He knew…well his apartment was where taste went to die according to Sakurai…..
"Clockwork Orange….in Japanese. Nice." Said Minegishi as their eyes landed on a beat up poster on the wall across from them. This wasn't a big apartment…and it was made even smaller with the sheer amount of…stuff…on the walls. There wasn't a free section of wall anywhere. Where there weren't posters there were shelves and in the little places where some wall could have been seen there were stickers. Anime characters, animals, anime animals, fuzzy stickers, even the ones that came on fruit…
Not much worse than cluttering your room with plants and books, really.
"That's an original poster. I picked it up after I saw the movie…and you were right, it was good. The book was…alright." Said Matsuo as he took his belt off and hung it on the coatrack. He could feel Toshiki's eyes on him.
"Don't tell me you like the movie better than the book." Said Minegishi with a shake of their head.
"Ok, I won't tell you that I liked the movie better than the book." Said Matsuo as he put an arm around Toshiki's waist. God…he had been waiting to do this for so long. He hadn't expected to see them again….not until the next holiday party anyway. This was…he was lost…in a way. Lost in the sense that…he couldn't remember the last time he'd done this. Had someone he liked over…
It was nice…a little terrifying…but nice.
"Well then I won't say anything in retaliation to that." Said Minegishi with a yawn. Matsuo's hand was around their waist…and he felt…his hand was too small. Minegishi…they had no idea why they were thinking of Ryou. They had been with him…and only him…for too long. They knew that he was fine…they knew that he was on his way probably…and they knew that they'd had other people's hands around their waist.
And they knew that it was just in bad taste to compare one partner to another.
"What would you say if I asked you…which one you like better? The right or the left? Of the bed I mean." Said Matsuo. He felt like he was a kid again. Toshiki was looking at him…staring at him….in that way where it was like they were looking right through him….but that was just how they looked at everyone and everything. They were intense like that. He liked that about them. They were intense but also….
Pretty cute sometimes….like now.
"Whichever side won't have me pressed up against the wall." Said Minegishi. Ryou always liked to have the outer side of the bed…even though he could teleport and they couldn't. They switched off sometimes…but it would have been nice…to sleep on the outside…especially when they were sleeping with someone new. Well not new but….well sleeping was….
They were too tired…way too tired….
"Well then there's the left….or the right…or I guess that I can clear out the loft." Said Matsuo. There….that was good. Let them decide if they wanted to sleep next to him. Was this too soon? They'd been knuckle deep inside of him…the soon boat had left port a while ago…but that was sex and this was…..well he wasn't opposed to sex…actually he wouldn't have minded at all…and they had but…this was…different….
More…domestic…maybe? Or just…he was overthinking this.
"I'll take the left. Can I borrow some pajama pants, Mob didn't exactly give me time to pack up before we left." Said Minegishi
"You know what, I'll let you borrow a whole pajama set. How's that sound?" asked Matsuo with a laugh. That came out a little too high…he knew his voice was grating. Toshiki…will if they were bothered then they didn't say anything. They just took his hand.
"Think those Totoro ones will fit?" asked Minegishi. They took his hand in theirs. He was blushing…he was kind of…cute…when he blushed. It was like an anime blush sticker, kind of, it stuck to his cheeks. When Ryou blushed he just sort of turned red…and he had no idea how…they needed to stop thinking about Ryou.
"We're both mediums." Said Matsuo. There, his voice broke again. He reached down for his belt…but he'd taken it off. He hadn't wanted to do anything with it just…just kept it near him for his own emotional reasons.
"You're a medium….I'm chlorokinetic….and also in some brands I'm a large." Said Minegishi. They were fliting….they didn't need to flirt…but they were still flirting. There was something to be said for flirting with someone new…new-ish….they had been messaging with him for a while now. They had been…well it was different in life…real life…they could see him smile now…and blush….
God, he was so…him.
"Well I have plenty of-" said Matsuo and he laced his fingers with theirs. They had really rough hands…he liked it. Their hands were rough and their fingernails were chipped and….and he liked it. They felt sort of….real….there…if real was the word. Well he had known that they were real….and they were something that he could reach out and feel….and he had no idea how long that would last….
But he knew that he didn't want this…whatever it was…interrupted.
But it was interrupted. There were two knocks at his door. One strong, and one that sounded more like his door was being kicked…by a tiny foot. A tiny and adorable foot. A tiny and adorable foot who belonged to a tiny and adorable person….who he might have been scheduled to babysit….no….Sho was the one who watched her….
But apparently there was some kind of Suzuki family drama going on.
"You've got company." Said Minegishi. They could feel an aura…a familiar one….and they could hear a little voice demanding that 'uncle Matsuo' open the door. The little vomit machine….spoke now. Well that made sense. She was old enough to speak and walk and maybe even eat solid foods and not throw them back up. Good for her…now she could go and enjoy all this new autonomy in her life somewhere else…
Don't be an asshole, she's just a kid.
She was the caught of all of this…no. She was only here because Suzuki couldn't keep it in his pants or take responsibility for his actions. She was just a casualty of Suzuki's insanity and…yeah…there was a lot going wrong but it wasn't because of this little girl. It was because of her father…and her father's…Minegishi wasn't even sure what to call Fukuda. Well besides living human embodiment of discharge of course. He was something to Suzuki, something that wasn't Minegishi's business and had no bearing on their life, but someone who made their life exponentially more difficult than it had to be. Hopefully Mob was putting him in his place….and if she didn't then they could and would. After a nice long nap.
And whatever this was.
"Hey…Tsuchiya. Now's not really a good time. I kind of have company and-" said Matsuo as Tsuchiya pushed his door opened. Mukai ran in and launched herself into him.
"Matsuo! Hello! You! Hello!" shouted Mukai as she pointed to Minegishi.
"Vomit machine….hey." said Minegishi with a wave. The little vomit machine let go of Matsuo's leg and walked over to them slowly. They took a step back. That was….a bright aura…for someone who was so small….and she was still small. They had been expecting….well not expecting but picturing…a baby. An infant. The little infant that couldn't even hold her own head up. The little infant who couldn't even hold her food down…though that might have been because nobody in that house knew jack shit about how to choose formula or feed a baby…
They were so glad that they ate solid food now…maybe…she did have teeth now….
"I know. I need to talk to her…him…." said Tsuchiya as she made her way into Matsuo's apartment. She knew full well that she was being rude and that she was teaching Mukai to be rude…but she needed to talk to the Vice President's….best friend? Mother? Parent? Matsuo had said best friend but...well adults were not friends with kids…and the Vice President was definitely a kid…
She couldn't have been more than ten years older than Mukai.
"Them." Said Minegishi shortly. That was supposedly common knowledge…and it was really more polite to ask than to pretend that they weren't in the room. They could speak for themselves, thank you very much, not that they had much to say to the mother? The person raising Suzuki's illegitimate love child. There was some misplaced hostility there….they had to place it somewhere else…
It wasn't this woman's fault that the baby…toddler now…had been taken from Mob…so Minegishi needed to stop being an asshole…or at least severely curtain their natural impulse to be an asshole.
"Right. Them. I need to talk to them." Said Tsuchiya
"This really isn't a good time." Said Matsuo
"They are right here and if you want to talk to them then start talking…also your kid is eating a sticker. You might want to do something about that." Said Minegishi as they pointed over to Mukai. She was peeling a scratch and sniff sticker, strawberry, off the wall. Matsuo jumped down to her level….note to self, never touch the stickers….
"Mukai, spit it out! NoW!" said Tsuchiya. This was why she hated bringing Mukai here. Matsuo's apartment was pretty much a baby death trap…and Mukai was back in the habit of putting everything in her mouth…they had almost had that broken…but of course that brother of hers hadn't exactly gone along with her directions…
Maybe the sister was worse.
The sister…the sister and not the mother. Certain people, who had a one way ticket to pain town coming to them, had decided to start this crazy rumor that Suzuki had gotten his daughter pregnant and was hiding the evidence at this division. That was why his son, and only his son, but not his daughter came to visit. That was a sick rumor that did not bear repeating…and also…if there was some truth to it then…well then Tsuchiya was defecting and taking Mukai with her. That was not what she had signed up for! Not that she was jumping to any conclusions…not that she was making plans to defect yet…
She had no idea where she would ever go.
Claw had at least once base on every continent. There were people everywhere constantly on the look out for more espers and proto-Awakened. She knew that if she ran with Mukai she was going to have to disappear completely and…maybe move to the jungle? Or the arctic? Or maybe get some kind of dramatic plastic surgery for the both of them? She…hadn't thought this through…but if she had to defect…and not just for crazy rumors…
Then she would have liked a head start…before Vice President Suzuki…took Mukai back with her...
"Want candy! Now! Sho! Now!" shouted Mukai
"What the….he had better not have been giving you-" said Tsuchiya
"I've got her, I've got her." said Matsuo as he pried one of his stickers….these were limited edition and only came with the figurine….from Mukai's mouth. She still didn't know what was and was not food…but she'd learn…and hopefully she stuck around long enough to learn. She was so small….he didn't know what the Vice President was doing here but he did know that…well it couldn't have been good…
Not that he believed Miyagawa or anything…
The President…was a piece of work…but he wasn't that kind of piece of work. Sure he had shamelessly started this cult of personality around himself but he wasn't….like that. No, Vice President Suzuki was not Mukai's secret mother and she was not here to take her daughter back. Toshiki would have said something…and also…well Miyagawa liked to start crazy rumors…like about Tsuchiya sleeping her way to the Seventh Division…though he had shut up pretty fast after Tsuchiya shattered his jaw…
That had been the most peaceful six weeks the Seventh Division had ever seen.
"Can she keep food down yet?" asked Minegishi as they watched Matsuo pry the sticker from in between Mukai's teeth…she had teeth now. A full set of them. Mob was going to get a kick out of this. She'd probably make a new baby tooth box just for her…she had saved all of hers in a shoebox and all of Sho's in an old Christmas cookie tin….God…Mob had lost a tooth shortly before they met…where had the time gone…
Not even thirty years old yet and they were starting to feel nostalgic.
"What?" asked Tsuchiya
"When she lived with us she couldn't keep anything down. Just wondering if we were going to have to invest in rain ponchos or not." Said Minegishi. That baby…toddler….small former vomit machine was going to end up coming back with them. They knew Mob. They knew that she never thought before she acted. Her baby sister was coming back to the group….and this woman too…and then Suzuki was going to freak out…and they were going to freak out too because, yeah, they weren't a big fan of small children. Also Mob was twelve and did not need to take care of her sister…though it would be nice, having a woman around…
Maybe Suzuki's weird crush would transfer over to her or something.
"She's got some food sensitivities..." said Tsuchiya. She knew Mukai. She didn't like too much dairy, her stomach didn't, and sugar didn't agree with her either. Mukai…there was a lot to know…like how she needed her grapes peeled and cut or she'd choke…or how she was afraid of the dark and needed her Hello Kitty nightlight…or how she liked to pretend she was working out and it was cute but if you took your eyes off of her she would try and lift something way too heavy and hurt herself…..
"Well she had better not throw up on me. I got enough of that two years ago." Said Minegishi
"It depends on what she eats." Said Tsuchiya
"I figured. Well I hope to God that they stay your problem. I don't need to deal with this…not again…and neither does Mob. She has enough on her plate as it is." said Minegishi
"Mob…the Vice President. She's just a kid…right?" asked Tsuchiya
"She just turned twelve…why?" asked Minegishi
"Nothing, just a rumor…a really sick rumor. I don't believe it….tell her that I don't believe it…ok?" asked Tsuchiya. Maybe if she got on the Vice President's good side. She…well she had always wanted to see more women in power…or any women who weren't Ishiguro…but…the Vide President had the power to take Mukai away from her…
And she couldn't let that happen.
"I have no idea what you're talking about and I don't think that Mob will either." Said Minegishi. They had better things to do than repeat Scar gossip. Like nap. Like nap and nap some more and then deal with…whatever the hell Mob was planning on doing after she told her brother and Fukuda off….and hopefully her plan involved leaving the little vomit machine here in the Seventh Division where she belonged.
"I honestly hope that none of those rumors reach her." said Tsuchiya with a shudder. She had no idea how Miyagawa came up with this stuff…what must have happened in his mind….
"Then maybe don't repeat rumors where her close friends can hear….and your kid, too. She can talk now….Mob's going to be so excited…prepare yourself." Said Minegishi
"The Vice President….is here for…Mukai?" asked Tsuchiya. She felt her qi trying to activate. She knew that in a contest of brute strength she could snap this person like a twig….but there was a difference between the upper echelon, the Scars, and then…well the espers the President surrounded himself with. She knew that she couldn't take one of them in a contest of…powers….but she had to try….for Mukai she had to try.
"To see her, yeah." Said Minegishi with a shrug. Mob wasn't thinking…they didn't think she had a plan…they hadn't asked.
"Is that…why he sent her here? The President…is he taking her back? Just…tell me what you can." Said Tsuchiya. She lowered her voice and looked around…she knew that the walls didn't literally have ears but…better safe than sorry. This person…didn't seem like one of the devoted. Actually they looked like they wanted to be anywhere but there….but also they were in Suzuki's close orbit…
"Honestly? President Suzuki hasn't mentioned her once. I get the feeling that he doesn't even remember that he has an illegitimate love child. This is purely a Mob thing and…yeah. She's probably going to take Mukai back with us but she doesn't break up families so…congratulations on your impending promotion. She'll probably come looking for you once she's done chewing her brother and Fukuda out. Really they deserve-" said Minegishi….before they were knocked onto their back.
Then they were plunged into darkness.
The ground shook.
The walls shook.
Something broke.
Pain.
Dizziness.
Blood.
Screaming.