All hotels smelled the same.

Minegishi wondered if every single hotel was obligated to use the same detergent or fabric softener or something. It smelled like somewhere between the smell of a hospital and a children's home. Not homey at all…not that they wanted to be anywhere homey…not that they wanted to be anywhere at all.

They didn't even know what they were complaining about anymore.

"Fuck…" muttered Minegishi as they turned onto their side. They reached over and felt…nothing. Of course they felt nothing, Ryou was gone. Hopefully he had listened to them and gone away, far away…but of course he wasn't going to listen to them. He didn't listen to anyone, not even the little man that he should have had in his head that told him that he was being a moron…though maybe the little man in his head hadn't shown up to work…or he'd killed it after years of drug use and blows to the head…

Whatever.

That was Ryou. They pulled their hand back. The other side of the bed was empty. They didn't know what they'd been expecting. They'd gone to bed on their own, passed out on their own, and they had woken up on their own…and they didn't want anything else. They didn't want Ryou back. He'd fucked up. He'd completely and totally fucked his life up…worse than ever. He had…he had made his own bed and now he had to lay down and die in it.

Both of them did.

They cracked their eyes opened. Bright…very bright. This room was way too bright…Mob had opened the curtains. They turned their head to the side. Mob was sitting there, on her overly white hotel bed, scrolling through her phone with her earbuds in…like normal. Like this was just a normal…sunlight. Morning.

Like this was anything other than a complete and total disaster.

"Let it go….let it go…." Sang Mob under her breath. Someone was ready to start the day. She was dressed and her hair was brushed…what time was it? What did she even have to get up for? What did…they were being terrible right now. Mob had been through a lot. She had…it was Ryou's fault, their fault, and Mob's parent's fault. Not hers. She was just a kid…it was hard to believe but she was just a kid. A kid who's aura filled the whole room. A kid who could have destroyed the building, the city, the entire country…or even the world if she wanted to. She was…she was not without agency and…

And it was too early for Minegishi to be thinking about this.

"Here I stand…here I stay…." Mutter-sang Mob as she kept on scrolling. She was kicking her feet against the bed in time with the song. She did that sometimes. She did…she did a lot of kid things like that…because she was a kid. She was just a little…not a little. She was their friend who was a kid and had slept with…had agreed to sleep with….had…

She had known what she'd done.

She had called them so many times guilty…so many times asking for their permission…she had known that they wouldn't have been ok with that. She'd had enough sense to know that sleeping with Ryou was a bad idea. She had known that she shouldn't have…Mob was a kid and kids did dumb stuff. That was part of it. Minegishi had been just as much of an idiot when they had been her age. They'd had their fair share of…

Well things had been different for them.

Minegishi would have killed for a bed like this, for one thing, when they had been thirteen. They had split their time between the group home and the park when they had been her age. Sleeping either under a thin cotton blanket on top of a granite slab or in the play tunnel at the park had been normal for them. The cold, the hunger, the…Mob had her own problems and they shouldn't have even been thinking of comparing themselves to her. They were the adult here and Mob was the child and…and Mob was faultless here…

She really was.

"The past is in the past…." Muttered Mob. Minegishi rolled their eyes. It looked like Mob was taking wisdom from Frozen again. What did Minegishi have to do to get Mob to listen? Rent an Elsa costume? What did they…well they hadn't told her not to sleep with Ryou specifically but…but she should have been smarter than this! They had told her that she needed to stop…that she needed to think. That she needed to listen to her brain and not…well she was thirteen and of course she was stupid…

Or maybe they were just making excuses for her.

There was a part of them that wanted to take her and shake her and asked her if she had a brain in that head of hers. Fine, alright, she could sleep with whoever she wanted…but Ryou? Why had she…had she not given it a moment of…they LIVED together! They all lived together and she thought that it would be a good idea to-to-to…Minegishi sat up. They were getting themselves all worked up….there was no point to it.

The past was in the past.

Wishful thinking.

The past wasn't in the past. It was in the present. It was sitting right there listening to the Frozen soundtrack for what must have been the hundred thousandth time. The past was hiding somewhere in this city wondering if he was going to die or…or he was probably living it up somewhere. Ryou could always find a party, even at whatever time in the morning this was. The past was…the past needed to get up. Sitting here and ruminating about everything that had gone wrong in their life, in everyone's lives, wasn't going to benefit them…or Mob.

Mob was the kid here and right now, even if it didn't look like it, they needed her.

"Morning, Mob." Said Minegishi as they sat up. That was what people said when they got up, good morning. That was what people normally said. That was…this wasn't normal. Nothing about this was normal. Even the basic facts of where they were, a hotel, wasn't normal. Normally they stayed in Claw houses or HQs…they wanted nothing to do with Claw right now. Nothing to do with Suzuki or…or anything.

They needed some space from their life.

"Morning." Said Minegishi again. Mob wasn't even looking in their direction.

"Good morning, Suzuki." Said Minegishi louder than was needed. Than should have been needed. What, now she wasn't listening to them at all? Now she was…they needed to calm down. They were…they needed to calm down. Mob was going to her happy place. That was all. She loved Frozen, it spoke to her, and right now she needed some wisdom from Elsa…

They doubted that Elsa ever had these sorts of problems.

They doubted that Elsa had a song for what you did when you slept with a man twenty years older than you were. They doubted that Elsa had a song about what to do when you caused…were a part of a massive schism between you and your best friend…your best friend who was seventeen years older than you were. Mob…she needed some friends her own age.

No wonder she thought that she was an adult…no wonder she was acting like she was an adult…

Minegishi sighed and reached over. The houseplant, a suffering fern, on the nightstand shuddered and came to life. They manifested a vine and slapped Mob's phone out of her hand. Maybe harder than they should have…they needed to calm down. Ok, yes, this was a shitty situation for the both of them. For everyone involved. For their entire working and social group. This was…this was, at best, awkward as hell…at worse it was a complete and total disaster. There was no way to walk this off. There was no way to go home, walk through that door, kick their shoes off, and pretend that everything was normal. There was no way to…there was no way to go back to normal from this. They exhaled. This was…this whole thing was incredibly…this was a disaster…

There was no going back from this but Mob wasn't…she wasn't at fault here.

She was only thirteen.

"Minegishi! You're awake!" said Mob before she hopped down off of her bed. Hotel beds were unusually high up off the ground or maybe…or maybe Mob was just short. She was still smaller than them. She was still…she could move fast. She practically launched herself onto them.

They let her.

"I didn't know if you were ever going to wake up!" said Mob as she hugged them. They were supposed to hug her back. They were supposed to…they were not going to strangle her. They were not going to…they were not going to get pissed off here. They were…they were not going to lay down either. Their head was swimming…they needed to lay down….

But Mob needed them more.

"Don't be dramatic. It's only…whatever time it is." Said Minegishi as they forced themselves to hug her back. This was…this was fine. Their bracelet got caught in her hair. They were still friend. She was still best…they had to stay her friend and she…she was always the best. Even when she…even when Ryou asked her to do something that, of course, she would have gone along with…hormones and puberty and all….baby fever too….

Wait, no, they'd discussed that.

They kept on hugging Mob even though their arms, their veins, their entire body felt like it was filled with ice water. Mob and Ryou had discussed…why did that disgust them more than anything else? Ryou had said that Mob was his girlfriend…that this was an actual relationship…to him, at least. For Mob it was just a sex thing…neither option was pleasant but…but a sex thing was better than…than sitting around discussing their lives….their futures….all of that…

Mob broke the hug. They were grateful. They shouldn't have been.

"I really was worried. I tried to wake you, I got us breakfast, but you wouldn't wake up. I mean you were breathing and…and I knew you were alive but I was worried-" said Mob

"What time is it?" asked Minegishi as they pushed Mob off of them. She shifted back…but still too close.

"Noon…I mean it's a little before noon, saying noon was just easier-" said Mob

"Noon? How it is…I guess I overdid it." Said Minegishi, their eyes jumping over to their mint tin. They had just wanted to get some sleep…and they had. Over twelve hours of it. Still tired…this was not the time to get off the wagon. If they had ever been on it in the first place. This was…this was not the place to backslide, that was the point. This was…they had to be here for Mob. She needed them. She needed someone to look out for her.

They were, of course, the only person up for the job.

"You did. You had a lot to drink and-" said Mob

"Did you?" asked Minegishi. Mob looked away…down to the pile to tiny hotel beers on the floor in front of her bed. How many pills had they had left…fuck…they were going to have to start counting their pills now. They had told Mob do many times before not to touch their Xanax but they had told her a lot of things.

Things that went in one ear and out the other.

"Not…not much. I just wanted to sleep and my pen died." Said Mob

"Were you in my pills?" asked Minegishi

"No, of course not. You told me not to ever touch your mints…I mean pills. So I didn't." said Mob

"So now you listen to me?" asked Minegishi. They wished that they could have taken it back as soon as they said it. They…they knew that Mob didn't need this. She had dark bags under her eyes. She had been listening to let it go on a loop. They could hear it from her headphones…it was never good when Mob listened to that song on a loop. Mob was just a kid….

Mob was the kid and they were the adult…and they had to act like it.

"Um…yes? I mean I never wanted them in the first place but I remembered what you said so I listened." Said Mob

"Ok, ok…I'm sorry. I'm still tired. You said that there was breakfast?" asked Minegishi as they pushed their blanket off…way too cold. Why were hotel rooms always so cold? And why were they complaining? They were the one who'd wanted to come here in the first place….not that they'd had a….too early.

It was noon. Much too early for this.

"It's cold. I got us a lot of bacon and waffles but…um…we don't have a microwave or a kitchen. It's not like at home." Said Mob as Minegishi swung their feet over the side of the bed. One of their socks had come off in their sleep…they needed it. They could either take off the other sock or look for it and they were going to look for it. If they had to be here then they could at least be comfortable…

As comfortable as they could be right now.

"I know it's not…now help me find my other sock." Said Minegishi, their voice gravelly from too much sleeping and not enough drinking…water. They needed water. They needed food and water and…and they needed their other sock. Then they could think. Then they could plan their next move….whatever the hell it could be. They had to go back. There was no leaving Claw…and they didn't even want out. What else was their for them? If they weren't working for Suzuki then they'd be working for some other maniac. Not a lot of work for an esper…

They could always go back to the flower shop.

Not that specific flower shop, no, but a flower shop. They didn't much care for caring for plants, not someone else's, and they hated dealing with the public…but that was the only other way they could earn a living. Either they killed people or they grew flowers and wanted to kill everyone who walked through that door. They had no desire to get back to their first job…it had been hell at fifteen and it was hell now...God. Fifteen. Two years older than Mob was now…

Had they ever been that small?

They watched as Mob lifted the blanket off of the bed with her powers. She was…had they ever been as small as she was right now? They had never been as strong, and never would be, but they….they must have been that small. When they had been two years older than she was now they had been alone in the world. They had been all alone…they had been on their own without someone to tell them…to teach them…anything. They hadn't had anyone to tell them not to drink too much or smoke too much or pop too much or snort too much or get involved with men and women who were bad for them…they hadn't had anyone at all…

They would have killed to have had someone who actually gave a damn about their wellbeing.

"I found it, it was all wrapped up in your blanket." Said Mob as she held their sock out with her powers. Minegishi took it and slipped it back on. Mob seemed pleased with herself, like everything was going to be ok since she had found their sock. They could see it in her eyes, they way she watched them. The little expressions that danced across her face. She was sitting there wondering if things were ok. She was wondering where they stood. She was probably telling herself that since she had found their sock that it meant that they were ok.

They were not ok.

But Mob couldn't know that.

"Thanks." Said Minegishi. They pulled her into a hug that time. They were not ok. Every time they looked at her they just…they didn't understand. How in the hell had she thought that it would have been a good idea…she was only thirteen. This was on Ryou. He was the one who should have been thinking, who should have known that he was being an idiot. She…she was thirteen and she didn't know any better. She was thirteen and all alone in the world…aside from Minegishi. They had truly been all alone in the world when they had been her age. It wasn't as though the group home had been a loving environment. They would have killed to have had someone who cared about them…who wanted to make their life better….

This wasn't about them. This was about her.

"You're welcome. I mean you don't have to thank me, it wasn't hard. I just…even if it was hard I would have found your sock for you anyway. I just…I just want you to be ok, that's all." Said Mob as she hugged them back. They patted her back twice before letting her go.

"Mob, are you ok? That's what's important right now." Said Minegishi

"My ears are ringing a little but I think that's just because I had the volume up too long. I was kind of worried about you since you were sleeping so much and also my friend, well my old friend, Minori's been posting some weird stuff about how we're all just a bunch of-" said Mob

"Hey, no. I don't care about Minori. I want to know how you're doing. You, specifically." Said Minegishi

"I feel fine….just a little tired. I didn't sleep that good because…well you know what happened." Said Mob softly. Minegishi nodded.

"Yeah, I do. I know what happened." Said Minegishi before they literally bit their tongue. Mob didn't need them to get pissed off now. Mob needed someone to be there for her. This was big. This was the biggest thing that had ever happened to them, to her, and…and Minegishi knew that if they had been in her shoes that they would have wanted someone to be there for them…

Not really.

At thirteen Minegishi had been completely self sufficient. They had spent more time living in the park than at home. They had figured out how to get at least one meal a day, when they weren't in school, and two meals on the weekends when stores were busy and people didn't notice the skinny girl lingering near the snacks. They'd mostly figured out how to make their gardens grow food, though it wasn't always edible. They'd figured out where to store caches of food, clothes, and whatever money they could scrounge up. They'd also figured out that boys, men really, were happy to share their beds when the nights were long and cold….they wouldn't have accepted any help. Even from their future self. They would have insisted that they could do it all themselves…that they needed no one. They still…

Mob wasn't them. She was her own person.

"Do you…do you know what's going to happen next?" asked Mob. Minegishi shrugged. They knew what needed to happen. They both needed to go home before people thought that they were defecting. They needed to give Ryou a piece of their mind and…and they didn't know. They lived together. They'd ended things but they lived together…they did not want to deal with that. They didn't want to have to deal with the others, of course, with their questions and their drama…there was Suzuki, too. They needed to take their heaviest book and knock some sense into him…but they couldn't. Even though he was a piss poor excuse for a father….they had to go back and deal with everything….

They didn't want to.

"I'm going to eat breakfast and you're going to turn down that volume, that's what's going to happen next." Said Minegishi. Not a lie. No, that was literally what was going to happen immediately next. After that…they knew that they had to get back to the others. They knew what happened to defectors, they'd hunted plenty of them down, and they didn't want to be on the other end of that. They just…well they didn't have to go home right this second…..

They could at least enjoy the hotel…even if it did smell both hospital-y and prison-y.