Mob had no idea why Fukuda had asked her over for tea.
It was weird. First of all Mob didn't really like his tea, he only made green tea and he made it really watery, too. Second of all Fukuda didn't like her and she didn't like him, she had made herself perfectly clear, she thought. She had told him that talking to him was like having her period, which in her opinion was a very clear way of telling him that she didn't like talking to him. Third of all she had things to do today. She had been planning on taking Serizawa for a walk so he could have some fresh air and then she had been planning on finding Sho and measuring him so she could get him new clothes and then she had been planning on teaching Mukai how to braid her hair since she was three now and three was old enough to learn. There was also Dad's party that needed planning, he didn't like parties but everyone else did and he would never learn to make more friends than Fukuda, Hatori, and Serizawa if he didn't learn how to be nice…
She had a very long to-do list today and Fukuda wasn't on it…but also she was polite so she sat down on his couch and drank her tea.
It wasn't all bad. He had the cat, the last of the cats. This was the one that didn't have a home. Shimazaki didn't know the difference between borrowing and stealing and also he didn't see why it was wrong to borrow or steal someone else's pet. Animals had feelings just like people did and people also had feelings so stealing someone's pet was like stealing a member of their family. Like how Fukuda had stolen Mukai from them when she had been a baby. All the other cats had been given back to their homes and families but this one since it had neither of those things…though maybe Mob should have worked harder to find the cat a family, or to make Dad let her keep it in their house.
Any home, even one with Dad, would have been better than letting it live with Fukuda.
She didn't know why he disliked her so much, she couldn't ever remembering doing anything to him, but he disliked her now and she disliked him and that was that. The past was in the past and now this was the present and in the present Mob was stuck here drinking tea with him in silence while he stared at her. She hoped that he wasn't going to tell her that her hair looked ugly like Dad had. He never said anything about her hair anymore but she had caught ad staring and making that face he made when he absolutely hated something. Like the one he made when Mukai made him eat candy and stuff. Well Mob wasn't changing her hair. She liked her hair like this.
Her hair was her own, her body was her own, and her life was her own…and right now she wanted to be doing anything else with her life other than sitting here drinking really bad tea while Fukuda stared at her like she was an exhibit at a museum.
"The tea is very…green." Said Mob. She didn't want to lie. There was no way to pretend that this tea was good. She wasn't a liar, or at least she tried not to be. The last thing she wanted, anyway, was to add lying to the list of things that Fukuda imagined that she did. He imagined enough about her…she scooted back a little bit. She wanted to tug her arms and legs into her t-shirt, it was another giant one she had borrowed from Serizawa. She wanted to crawl inside of it and hide forever but that would have been rude. If she was rude then Fukuda would add rudeness to the list of things he disliked about her and then he would imagine…well she didn't even want to think about what he would imagine.
She didn't want to think about what he was imagining right now.
"I thought you liked green tea, Miss Suzuki." Said Fukuda as he watched her. So that was what she opened with. Alright then. He had been dealing with Suzuki, and other powerful men, for most of his life. The best thing to do was to let her think that this was on her terms. She wanted something else, fine, he had black tea and white tea. He would gladly have made her any of those…and even if he hadn't been glad he still would have been obligated to do it.
She outranked him in every way, after all.
She was, on paper, his boss. She was also the daughter, adoptive daughter, of the most powerful man in the world. Someone who, with a word, could order Fukuda to…don't think about it. He forced himself not to think about it because if he did then he knew he wouldn't be able to focus. All he would be able to think about was the fact that he needed a shower. A bath. To be dry cleaned. To be dipped in acid. Anything to get rid of the feeling that clung to him, the feeling that had been clinging to him, the feeling of pure and utter violation and revulsion and-
-and he needed to stay calm. For both of their sakes.
"I do, I mean I like milk better but this is nice." Said Mob as she took another sip of her tea just to be polite. What she wanted to do was to tell Fukuda that if he wanted to have tea parties then he needed to talk to Mukai about that. He still liked her, why wasn't he with her? Why did she have to be here? And why did he keep looking at her like that? She wondered if Serizawa would let her borrow his robe, too. It was good for hiding in.
"Would you like a glass of milk?" asked Fukuda. If she ordered him to get it for her then he wouldn't have a choice. She was the one with all the power here…but he could take that power away from her, some of it. Not all of it. But he could at least remind her that, yes, she was Suzuki's daughter and she was the second most powerful esper in the world but she was still human. She still had her weaknesses. She still had someone to answer to.
And that someone would have been extremely upset with her if he knew the full extent of what she was doing.
"No thank you, Fukuda." Said Mob. She didn't want a glass of milk. She liked milk. If she drank a glass of milk with him, if she turned this from a tea party to a milk party, when she knew she would always associate milk with him…and also if she asked for a glass of milk then she knew she'd just be stuck here for even longer. She didn't have time to be stuck here. The sun was going to get too high, soon, for Serizawa to be able to go outside without getting upset. He needed fresh air and her other friends needed things too. Fukuda had forgotten, probably, what it was like to be busy. She and Sho never got hurt, everyone took good care of Mukai, and nobody had shot at Dad in a while. She knew that he did other things in Claw, that other duties had been assigned to him, but she had no idea what those duties were or why he wasn't doing them right now. If he had things to do then he needed to do them and if not then…then what was he even doing travelling with them?
She wondered, sometimes, why they even needed Fukuda at all.
"Are you sure? I have that strawberry milk you like." Said Fukuda
"I'm fine, really. This is very…it's tea. I'll drink it and…and I'll finish it now. It was a very nice tea party. Thank you for inviting me." Said Mob. She tipped her glass all the way back and drank the whole thing, She knew that it was rude, drinking so fast, but right now…well she could be a little rude. She would much rather have been a little rude than to have been very rude, the kind of rude where you got up and walked away in the middle of a tea party, because she just…she didn't want to be here. She was her own person, she could go wherever she wanted to go and she could do whatever she wanted to do, and right now she just…
She wanted to be anywhere but here.
"I'll get to the point, in that case. You're a very busy woman and you haven't got all day." Said Fukuda. She was in a hurry. She had a big day of doing whatever she wanted ahead of her. A big day of putting on makeup, thinking up new outfits, and running around with men twenty years older than her. Masami would have hated him if she could have seen what he had let Shigeko become. She was just like Suzuki but worse, much worse. It had taken Suzuki thirty two years to realize that he could order his subordinates to sleep with him. Shigeko had figured it out at twelve….
She wasn't even a teenager yet.
When Fukuda had been twelve he'd spent his days thinking about videogames, what he would do if he had a giant robot, kissing girls, and how to best get out of clarinet practice. Shigeko worried about running around with grown men, dressing like she was a twenty year old….he didn't even want to finish that, and…and he didn't even want to think….he couldn't think. He couldn't reconcile the person in front of him from the person that he'd known since…since she had been two. The little girl who loved stories and dolls and being pushed on the swings. The little girl who clung to him and begged him not to leave. Masami's daughter…but she had never really been Masami's daughter, now had she? She was Suzuki's child if anything.
Out of the three children Suzuki had Shigeko was more of his child than his actual, by blood, children…and Fukuda had let it happen.
"I have a lot to do today. I have to take a walk with Serizawa and then I have to see if Sho needs new clothes and then I have to plan Dad's party-" said Mob
"That's actually what I wanted to talk with you about." Said Fukuda
"You want to help me plan Dad's party?" asked Mob. She nearly spilled her tea. Fukuda…but he hated parties. He didn't say a single word and hardly touched his pancakes at Mukai's party. Maybe it was because he hadn't been friends with Mukai for as long as he had been friends with Dad. Maybe he knew what kind of party Dad would like. He knew Dad the best out of everyone….so…so maybe this would be ok. Maybe in planning Dad's party with her he would start to like her again. Maybe he would ever stop imagining her having sex with people. The thought was nice…good, even. Nearly enough to lift her right up off of her seat….or just her braids.
She held them down with one hand and held her tea with the other.
"That's your area of expertise, Miss Suzuki." Said Fukuda. Her aura was bright, now, and she was losing control. What? Did she think that he actually cared about her party planning or whatever? Suzuki hated parties. She was, essentially, throwing one for herself…but that was fine. She had always been selfish.
"Oh…ok. But if you wanted to help you could. You know Dad the best out of everyone else so you'd probably know best what he liked and…stuff." Said Mob. Fukuda nearly spilled his tea. She reached out with her powers and caught the cup. His aura flared and he seemed….upset? But he had no reason to be upset, she hadn't even DONE anything!
"What…what makes you say that? What makes you think that I know anything about what your father would like?" asked Fukuda. Did she….did she know? But how could she have known? She had spent Christmas halfway across the world and Suzuki…Suzuki wouldn't have said a word to his child. He would have said something to Hatori….she would have heard it from him but…but she wouldn't have just sat on the information…right?
Right?
"Because you're his best friend?" asked Mob. She knew everything about Minegishi and they were best friends…well she thought that she knew everything. They knew everything about her, even the stuff she didn't like knowing about herself. That was just how it worked when you were friends with someone…or maybe Fukuda just didn't know how friendship worked.
"What makes you say that, Miss Suzuki?" asked Fukuda
"Because you're….he said that you guys were friends when you were kids…and….um….I don't understand the question." Said Mob. Her head hurt. She just wanted to go. She was out of tea. The point of a tea party was to dink tea and now, well it was gone, so she should have been gone….
But she didn't know….she didn't know if she even could.
"I don't understand….you know what? How about I just get to the point." Said Fukuda. She either didn't know or she was being intentionally obtuse. Well whatever. She didn't want to talk about it, he didn't want to talk about it, and there was no reason to talk about it so they could just…stop talking about it. He hadn't brought her here on a social call, he had things she needed to hear, and a deal they needed to make.
"That would be nice, thank you." Said Mob
"Alright then. Miss Suzuki…I know what's going on between you and Shimazaki." Said Fukuda. The tea cup in her hand shattered. Good.
"What?!" asked Mob. Her hand was bleeding…but that didn't matter. Fukuda had just…he had just told her that he knew that she was Shimazaki's girlfriend and…and she didn't want to talk about it! She didn't him to…to think about…but he already thought about it! He looked at her and he thought about her having sex and then…and then….she crossed her arms. He was looking at her…right at her….
"I said that I know how you've been…seeing Shimazaki. I know about him, the boy you have in Seasoning City-" said Fukuda
"I'm not with Teru! He doesn't even like me!" said Mob. She covered her mouth as soon as she was done. She tasted blood…her hand was bleeding. Fukuda was right there, he could have fixed it, but…but then she would have had to tell him that she needed him and….and she didn't want to need him! She didn't know if she would be ok. She didn't care. She would rather have bled to death right there on the couch than…than to have had to deal with him for another second! And she didn't want anyone else to have to deal with him…especially Teru. Even if he was kind of a jerk and he did all the stuff with her…and he'd kicked her out…but now he would have to deal with Fukuda! Also he'd end up getting kidnapped but…well dealing with Fukuda was worse.
"I don't need to know his name and I don't need to know the specifics, Miss Suzuki. In fact I don't want to know any of the specifics." Said Fukuda. Teru….oh. He had seen the list more times than he could count. He assumed that Teru was short for Teruki and the boy in question was Hanazawa Teruki. So that was it…that was what her 'selfless' actions, her orders to throw out the asset acquisition list, had been about. She just wanted….but it would have made more sense to bring this boy into the upper echelons….or maybe she just wanted him all for herself. Maybe she just wanted this poor boy to feel indebted to her….obligated to sleep with her whenever she asked….
That poor little boy.
"I-I don't want to tell you specifics! I don't want…I mean I just…stop talking about this! Stop talking about my-about my life! It's none of your business!" said Mob. Her body was her own and what she did with it was nobody's business but her own. Minegishi had told her, before, that her body was her own and that nobody could tell her what to do with it…well they thought that they could tell her if she could and could not have a baby but….but that was two different things! And she didn't want to discuss either of them with Fukuda!
"That's right, it's none of my business…or your father's." said Fukuda. The teapot in front of her shattered. Good. She could have crushed him if she had wanted to, like an ant, but he had her on the ropes. Good. Maybe this would work out…of course it would. He knew her. The only person she was afraid of, the person who's opinion mattered to her, was her father's.
How would Suzuki feel if he knew that his daughter was out there giving to everybody and their brother?
"Yeah…Dad shouldn't be asking me about this stuff either. It's really weird that you would ask me about this stuff or that you would think about this stuff…is this just what adults are like? They just think about other adults having….being….why can't you just mind your own business? I mind my own business…" said Mob
"I want to mind my own business but I can't. Not when you make your business my business." Said Fukuda
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Said Mob
"You're relationship, or whatever, with Shimazaki. I know that you're sleeping with him-" said Fukuda
"I'm not! He just kisses me sometimes!" said Mob
"Like I said before, I don't want or need any specifics. You're doing whatever it is that you're doing with him and that's your right. You're just as human as the rest of us and he's a very attractive man. Congratulations. You can do whatever you want with him but maybe you should keep it to yourself. It is, after all, your business." Said Fukuda. She had her eyes closed. She was shaking her head. Her hand was bleeding pretty profusely, it was blending in with the red of her shirt. He should have fixed it….he should have done a lot of things….they both should have done a lot of things.
"Fukuda….please stop talking." Said Mob. She wanted to go. She didn't know what she was even doing here. Had he just brought her here to be mean to her? But why…she just…why did he hate her so much!?
"I will, in a moment. You can do whatever you want but, really, you should be more discreet. Sho knows, I know, your friends know, and it would be pretty easy for your father to find out. How would he feel if he knew that his oldest daughter was sleeping around?" asked Fukuda. He let her aura pass over him. He didn't even flinch. She was upset….she could have lost control…but he would have lived. Sho and Mukai were out of the house, they were at some Chinese theme park and would be gone for a while, so if this building came down over their heads then it would have been perfectly fine by him.
"I'm not sleeping around! I only…it was only that one time and-" said Mob
"I don't need or want specifics…and I don't think that your father would want them either." Said Fukuda
"Dad….Dad would never have asked me about this stuff…why are you asking me about this stuff!? Why do you want to know about…about stuff…" said Mob. Nobody asked her about this…why did he need to know? This was weird…this whole thing felt weird and…and she just…she wanted to go. She wanted to leave. She wanted…she wanted to pull her arms into her shirt and pull it up over her head and then never come out!
"So we agree, your father doesn't need to know about what you've been getting up to." Said Fukuda
"Yeah…yeah, we agree…so please just…what are we agreeing on?" asked Mob
"We're in agreement. I'll keep this to myself, whatever it is that you have going on with Shimazaki and whoever else, in exchange for one thing." Said Fukuda
"Wait…we're making a deal?" asked Mob
"Yes. You stay away from Sho, leave him alone, and I'll keep this whole thing to myself. If I find out that you've been bothering him, or that you've done anything at all to hurt him, then I'll tell your father everything that I know. Everything." Said Fukuda. There. She had two options. She could either agree and they could get on with their lives or she could disagree and kill him so this never left the room…he forced himself to stay calm. She wasn't going to hurt him…not on purpose….he knew her.
"You…what? But why…Sho is my brother, I have never done anything to hurt-" said Mob
"Do you think that it doesn't hurt him seeing you carry on with Shimazaki the way you've been carrying on? Come on, I know that you're smarter than this. You know that Sho may not be in love with him anymore but you know…you know that those feelings never really go away. You've been hurting your brother for months now and I won't have it. I don't care what you do to me, I only care about him, and if you want to silence me or whatever then you can try. You can try to hurt me or kill me or threaten me…but I'm a difficult man to kill. I'm a difficult man to silence. I will tell your father. I will tell him, maybe not today or tomorrow, but I will tell him." said Fukuda. Shigeko's aura brightened, then dimmed, and then brightened again. Her eyes were glassy, her hand had stopped bleeding, and her powers…well the building hadn't come down over their heads…
Good.
"Fukuda….I….just…don't tell Dad!" said Mob before she got up and ran away….why hadn't she done that in the first place!? Why hadn't she just gotten up and left or…or why hadn't she said 'no' when he asked her over for tea and….and why hadn't she just…why did she just….why….
Why was any of this happening!?
She ran all the way back to her apartment. She had so much to do. She had so much to do and…and she had to stop her hand from bleeding and then…and then…this was too much. She couldn't think about this right now. This wasn't going to…she wasn't going to…she had hurt Sho! Her own little brother…she hadn't even wanted to kiss Shimazaki or be his girlfriend. She was his girlfriend and there was no way out of it and…and no matter what she did it was just…she was just….Fukuda still thought about her doing stuff! He still thought about her doing stuff and Sho…Sho was hurt and…and she had never wanted to hurt him and….and she just…she wanted….she didn't know what she wanted. She wanted her Mom…but Mom was gone. She wanted her Dad…but if Dad found out then he would have liked her even less than he liked her now. She wanted her Little Brother…but she had hurt him. She had hurt him without even wanting to and…and she had been hurting him for a while. She hadn't meant to, she didn't want to, but she had and…and maybe it was best that she stayed away from him. She didn't want to hurt him and didn't want Dad to know about….about stuff and…and she didn't want to….
She never wanted to have tea again…especially not with Fukuda.