For someone so small Miss Suzuki certainly took up a lot of the bed.
Not that Serizawa minded, of course, he was just happy that she wanted to be near him. It could have been worse, the bed could have been smaller, or they could have been sleeping on the floor. No, the floor wouldn't have been comfortable at all. Not unless they had a futon or something to sleep on but Miss Suzuki liked beds and he liked whatever she liked. Besides, it could have been even worse, even worse than sleeping on a tiny bed or on the floor. He could have been alone.
There were very few things worse than being alone.
"Do you want some more blanket?" asked Miss Suzuki as she turned onto her side. She was facing him, now, he could see her eyes shining in the darkness. She had turned off the light a while ago even though it looked like she was still planning on staying up. She had been tossing and turning all night. He had given her more and more of the bed, so much that really he only had a sliver of it to himself, but that hadn't helped.
All she had done was move closer to him. He wasn't sure why.
The bed was big enough for two, it used to be President Suzuki's before he left, and the blanket was big enough for two, too. She took up a lot of both even though she was so small…so tiny. Shibata had said, once, that it worried him when Mukai climbed into bed with him and Tsuchiya because of how small she was and how easy it would have been to roll over and crush her on accident. Serizawa was so much bigger than Miss Suzuki and it would have been easy to accidentally roll over onto her, especially since she insisted on being so close…
He made more room for her.
"No, that's ok, you can have it all." Said Serizawa as he turned to face her. Now it felt like he was halfway off of the bed. There was no way he was going to get any kind of sleep tonight. He was too big, or maybe the bed was too small, or maybe she should have just slept alone. She deserved a big bed like this all to herself, she deserved to be comfortable, and he had no idea why she was even in here with him. She seemed to like being near him but she also seemed to like having the whole bed to herself, the bed and the blanket.
He wished he'd kept his robe on, it was cold in here.
"Are you sure? You barely have any." Said Miss Suzuki. Serizawa shook his head. He was cold, he could feel the bumps forming on his arms, but he wasn't going to tell her that. If she passed him the blanket then there would be less for her and then she would be cold, too. That was the last thing that he wanted. She was wearing even less than him, after all. She was just in one of his t-shirts, and not a very warm one at that. He at least had sweatpants on. He wished that his pants would have fit her, or that she liked pants, or that she explained why she didn't like pants so that he could understand. Not that he was ever going to ask that or anything of her, no, it wasn't his place.
His job was to make her happy, that was all, that was his place and he was happy to be there.
"It's not that cold in here." Said Serizawa quickly.
"But…but it is a little bit cold, right?" asked Miss Suzuki. He didn't know what he was supposed to do now. Lie to her? No, no, no, that would have been terrible. Friends didn't lie to friends, especially not friends who were as good and kind of Miss Suzuki was. She had done everything for him. She had saved him, in every single way a person could be saved, and he was not going to repay her by lying…so that just left telling the truth.
But what would happen then?
Would she give him the blanket off of her back and then be cold, too? She was that sort of person. Minegishi had said, once, that Miss Suzuki was the sort of person who would set herself on fire to keep someone else warm. That was true, she was a good person like that, but he didn't want her to set herself on fire or be cold, either. He just wanted her to be happy and safe and warm and…and everything that she deserved to be…
She didn't deserve to be lied to.
"Just a little bit, nothing too bad." said Serizawa. Miss Suzuki didn't say anything, she just pulled the blanket off of herself and gave more to him…and she scooted even closer. There was nowhere else for him to go. No matter what he did he would still be crowding her…not unless he let himself fall. It wasn't like it was a long way down to the floor. All he had down there to land on was his robe and it wasn't like that would do much to cushion his fall…but what was he thinking about himself for, anyway? He should have been apologizing for crowding her and taking up more than his fair share of the bed. It was her bed, after all, and he was lucky to have been invited into it.
It wouldn't have been so bad to let himself fall…not if it was for her.
"You can come closer, if you want." Said Miss Suzuki softly. His eyes met hers in the dark. She looked away.
"I-I don't have to, I mean I was just about to lay down on the floor." Said Serizawa
"You'd rather sleep on the cold floor than next to me?" asked Miss Suzuki
"No, no, no! I mean I want to give you room, that's all. I want to sleep with you and I like sleeping with you and if you want to sleep with me that's alright but you keep on coming closer and I just thought that you didn't have enough bed and I was worried and I don't know if you have enough blanket and I don't want you to be cold and-and I think that I said that already….um….I think that…um…." Said Serizawa. It was like someone had turned his head upside down. Words were just falling everywhere and he was grabbed them whenever he could but the ones he was grabbing made no sense. It just kept coming and coming and she must have been getting annoyed and then he stopped talking and she must have been getting even more annoyed and-
-and she held his hand.
It was like everything went right side up again. He knew her, he knew what she was like, and he knew that she liked him. She was his friend and she would never have thought things like that about him…not unless he gave her reason to feel that way…the cold feeling, the fast feeling, the feeling like he was falling came back. He could see his aura now. The purple of it mixed with the pink and blue of hers. He could feel her aura settling in on his. Her hand tightened around his. She was his friend and she was there for him and she had said that she would always be there for him but he knew he needed to do better. Eventually she would get tired of being there for him…eventually he would just become a burden onto her like he had onto Mom. He should have been better by now. He had been out of his room for years now but he still felt like this…he still got like this sometimes…
He was lucky to have someone like Miss Suzuki in his life, as his friend, as someone who wanted to be around him despite what a burden he was…so lucky.
"It's ok, you're ok." Said Miss Suzuki
"I-I am…I mean I know that I am. You're here." Said Serizawa. Even in the darkness he could tell that she was smiling. He didn't know why. She was always doing things for him and he never did anything for her…she was such a nice person like that.
"I am. I'll always be here for you." said Miss Suzuki
"But you don't have to be. I can be here for myself…I mean I should be here for myself." Said Serizawa
"I would never ask that of you. I mean, why should you be here just for yourself? That sounds really lonely…kind of like something my Dad would say. He likes to say that he doesn't need anyone because he thinks that it makes him look weak." Said Miss Suzuki
"The President? Weak? But-but he's the strongest person I've ever met…well, next to you." said Serizawa
"You're strong too, Serizawa, but that doesn't mean that you have to be there for yourself. I'm there for you, too." Said Miss Suzuki
"But Miss Suzuki-" said Serizawa
"We're friends. When you have friends you never have to be alone." Said Miss Suzuki. She squeezed his hand tightly. He let her. He had heard her, what she was saying, and it was the most beautiful thing that he had ever heard in his life…or maybe not. She was always saying nice things to him. Maybe this was just the only nice thing he could think of right now. Never having to be alone again…how many times had he imagined it? And now it was happening. It was…it was good…but then why was he worried? Why did he feel like he was going to mess it up somehow?
Maybe because he messed everything else up…everything in his life so far, anyway.
He hadn't been able to control his powers so he'd had to lock himself away in his room and become a burden onto Mom. Thanks to him she hadn't been able to make friends or do any of the things that she had wanted to do. Before that he had always caused her trouble by not fitting in or being able to make friends. Before that he had made his Dad leave when he had been born. He just messed everything up…everyone either left him or he left them…why did he think that it would be any better with Miss Suzuki?
Because she….because he got the feeling that she understood him.
"Really. I mean it." Said Miss Suzuki. She couldn't read minds but….but part of him knew that she understood what he was thinking. What he was feeling. What he was always feeling. Even though she hadn't locked herself away she still….she knew what it was like to have powers that were too big for you, powers that you couldn't control. She knew what it was like but…but she had a parent who was like her, and she had friends who were like her, and she had never once had to be afraid of herself…but that was a good thing. He wanted that for her. He wanted her to be happy and…and he wanted her to have had a good life. He wanted her to understand him, too, or maybe he didn't. Maybe understanding him would have meant that she hadn't had a good life or…or maybe he was just thinking too much….
He did that sometimes. Even Miss Suzuki had told him so.
"I…I know that you mean it." Said Serizawa. She let go of his hand. He heard her hair rustling against her pillow. She was looking away from him. Maybe she was tired. Maybe he was keeping her up. Maybe she was just too nice to tell him that she-
"Then…then why are you so far away from me?" asked Miss Suzuki. That was…not what he was expecting. He could feel his head being turned upside down again. Words were falling down all around him. He caught some, and they made sense this time too!
"I didn't want to crowd you." said Serizawa quickly. He stopped himself from saying anything else, from bothering her. She was tired and she didn't need to hear him explain, explain, and explain some more until there was nothing more left to explain.
"I don't mind. I want to be near you." said Miss Suzuki
"But…but don't you need more of the bed?" asked Serizawa
"I have enough bed but…but um…I think that you need more. I mean it looks like you're about to fall on the floor." Said Miss Suzuki
"I'm keeping my balance." Said Serizawa
"I can…I mean you can…you can be closer to me, if you want." Said Miss Suzuki. She was still looking away from him. She must have been really tired. He didn't want to crowd her. He always wound up crowding her one way or another when they slept together like this. She always wound up having to use him as a pillow or wrapping herself around him like he was a blanket. It was always worrying waking up next to her like that, he could have crushed her accidentally in his sleep, and that would have been the worst thing in the world. Then he would have been alone for the rest of his life…and also he would have crushed her.
But if this was what she wanted….
"I you want me to be." Said Serizawa
"I want whatever you want!" said Miss Suzuki. She was kind of loud there but he didn't say anything. It wasn't like there was anyone else in the house for her to wake up and if there had been then…well it was her house and she could be loud in it if she wanted to be. He didn't know why she had to be but she was Miss Suzuki and she could be whatever she wanted to be…and he could be whatever she wanted him to be.
Right now she wanted him to be closer to her.
He was careful as he scooted closer to her. She was so small and he was so big. He scooted closer to her and she stayed where she was even though there was a lot of bed behind her. He got as close to her as he could without crushing her…and she got closer to him. She sat up, slightly, and before he could get up too she rested her head on his chest like it was a pillow. That couldn't have been comfortable, at least he didn't think that it was, but what did he know? He hadn't used anyone as a pillow before.
He didn't say anything. If she was happy then he was happy too.
"I mean…um…are you comfortable?" asked Miss Suzuki
"Yes? I mean yes. Are you comfortable, Miss Suzuki? If you aren't then I can move." Said Serizawa. He wasn't, not really. He was losing feeling in his arm but that didn't really matter so long as she was comfortable.
"You…you don't have to move." Said Miss Suzuki
"If you're uncomfortable I can move, really, it's no trouble." Said Serizawa as he tried to move his arm just a few centimeters, just enough to get the circulation back in it. For someone so small she sure was heavy.
"I'm fine." Said Miss Suzuki
"Are you sure? I mean I know that you're really nice and…and sometimes you have trouble speaking your mind when something bothers you. Like when your brother eats soup with his hands or when your sister pulls your hair or when Shimazaki…um…the things you said about when he liked you…uh…the point is that I know that sometimes you have trouble saying what's on your mind." Said Serizawa as he tried to move his arm again. She was too heavy and too warm and…and this was fine if she said that it was fine…though he wished that she would tell him that he could go back to laying halfway off the edge of the bed. It hadn't been very comfortable but at least he'd been able to feel all of his limbs.
"I'm ok, Serizawa, but…but if you wanted to put your arm around me then you could. I mean the one I'm laying on right now. That way there'd be less room between…um…I mean there would be more room on the bed." Said Miss Suzuki. She had told him before that she couldn't read minds but he was beginning to have his doubts. Maybe she could read minds or maybe they were just really good friends. How did the song go? Their mental synchronization could come with one explanation? That was probably how it went. He'd remember the next time they watched that movie together. It made sense. She always knew just what he was thinking.
Though, really, he didn't always know what she was thinking…so maybe their mental synchronization or whatever wasn't that great after all.
He moved his arm out from under her. She rested more of herself on his chest and wrapped one of her legs around his. She must have been really cold. He wondered if she wanted him to get the blanket from her bed, too. If he had been her and she had been him then he would have known what she wanted, but he wasn't her, so he would just do as she asked. It was always better to go with the sure thing. He moved his arm and wrapped it around her. He kept it around her shoulders even though she was kind of high up on him and this felt…well, he had all of his circulation back so that was better, though this was going to hurt in the morning.
It always hurt when he fell asleep in weird positions.
He used to fall asleep on the floor in front of the TV all the time back when he had been in his room. It had never been something that he had planned, he just sort of drifted off. Of course when he woke up he had always been stiff and sore…he knew he was going to feel the same way now. Even though he was with her he was going to feel the same way but…but this time it was ok. Everything was ok so long as he was with her.
That was how it felt, anyway, and maybe if he felt it enough then it would be true for every single situation they found themselves…he found himself, in.
"Are you comfortable like this?" asked Miss Suzuki
"Yes, I mean I am if you are." Said Serizawa
"I asked you first." Said Miss Suzuki
"I…I'm….I'm whatever you are. If you're uncomfortable then you can move or I can move or…or one of us can move…but if you're not then we're fine. I'm whatever you are." Said Serizawa
"I'm….I'm fine but…but if you wanted to move your hand, your arm, lower then you could…but only if you want to!" said Miss Suzuki. Could she read minds or was she just a good friend? He was going to be asking himself this for the rest of the night. He moved his hand down until his arm was around hers. That was better. Not the best but better than it had been before. He didn't know how it was for her, though. Her aura was being very…colorful. He still wasn't good at reading them. Sometimes it felt like colors were bad and other times it felt like colors were good…he had no idea what her colors meant right then. He wasn't sure if he could ask or not. Maybe he was just supposed to know like she always seemed to know how he was feeling…sometimes before he even felt it….
"Um…is that good, Miss Suzuki?" asked Serizawa
"Is…is this good for you?" asked Miss Suzuki
"I'm fine but are you…are you alright? Your voice is shaky and your aura is…I don't know what it is but it's showing. Sorry." Said Serizawa
"Why are you sorry?" asked Miss Suzuki
"Because I don't know how you feel. You always know how I feel but I never know how you feel and…and it's not fair to you." said Serizawa
"That's not true at all. You always know how I feel. When I'm lonely you're always there for me, when I'm sad you always make me feel better, and you always want to spend time with me and you never make it weird like Minegishi does sometimes. You never tell me what to do or…or other things that don't really matter right now. Sorry." Said Miss Suzuki
"Um…I don't know why you're sorry but…but you don't have to be. I mean I can't think of any reason why you would be sorry right now…why you would have to be, I mean." Said Serizawa
"Because I just kind of dumped all of that on you and…and you have your own stuff to worry about." Said Miss Suzuki
"I really don't have a lot of worries. I mean when you're with me I don't worry about anything because I know that it's all going to be ok. Sometimes when I'm alone I just feel…worry, but not specific worry…but that doesn't make any sense. Sorry." Said Serizawa
"You don't have to say sorry, I know what you mean. Sometimes I'll just be on my own or working or something but then my brain just starts putting worries in my head. I worry about Sho and how he keeps on locking himself in our room and I worry about Minegishi and how things are between us and I worry about Dad and how he's been kind of mean, less mean but still mean, lately and I worry about Mukai and how she keeps on watching that squid show and I worry about Shimazaki and how nobody wants to be his friend and I worry that Shibata and Tsuchiya are maybe going to break up and if they do then that means that every single couple I know is going to break up and I worry about my friend Minori who doesn't even like me but she's still my friend, sort of, and how there's this evil spirit and…and I worry a lot." Said Miss Suzuki
"That's….that's a lot to worry about and…and I'm sorry. I wish that there was something that I could do but there isn't and…and I'm not a very good friend! I mean to you I'm not…I'm not as good of a friend to you as you are to me and I'm sorry about that." Said Serizawa. He felt Miss Suzuki shift. She was sitting up now and looking down at him. Her hair was falling onto his face. It tickled but he said nothing. He didn't move. It didn't feel right to move. He might have overbalanced her. She was resting so much of herself onto him and she was so close…closer than she had ever been before…
He wondered if it was ok to ask her to give him some space…no, it probably wasn't.
"You're one of the best friends that I've ever had. You don't have to be any better than you are now. You don't have to be anything other than you are now. I like you…the way you are." Said Miss Suzuki as she leaned down closer. He wasn't sure what to do. He felt pinned down…she was very close…
But then she wasn't.
She laid back down on her side of the bed, her aura bright and moving. She was warm, too, warmer than she had been before. His arm was trapped under her again. He wondered if it was ok to move it…she had said that it was, before, so maybe it still stood. He moved his hand out from under her and she took it with her powers. That was good, it was always easier when she told him what to do, and even if she put it back somewhere like her shoulder and he was uncomfortable that wouldn't really matter. No, the only thing that mattered was if she was comfortable.
She didn't put his hand back on her shoulder.
She put it on her side…very low on her side. Right on the side of her leg. This was…not something he knew what to do with. He felt weird, like he was doing something wrong, but it couldn't have been wrong if this was what she had wanted. If this was what made her comfortable then he was comfortable too…even though he was more uncomfortable now than he could ever remember being in his entire life…no, no, there must have been a time when he had been more uncomfortable than this, like when he could hear Shimazaki and Minegishi through the walls, so…so this was nothing. This was…this was…
This was where his, her, where the shirt ended and her leg began.
"Is this alright?" asked Miss Suzuki
"It's…it's alright if you say that it's alright." Said Serizawa. That seemed like the thing to say. A lot more polite than 'what are you doing' anyway. He felt like she was doing something or trying to do something or…or maybe he was just overthinking things. He had been away from people for most of his life, he was clueless about everything and everyone. He'd seen Minegishi curled up with Miss Suzuki like this before and…well they had never been this close but…but this was just how people slept together sometimes and he had no reason to feel uncomfortable.
Miss Suzuki was his friend, she would never have done anything wrong, anything to make him feel uncomfortable. This was obviously all in his head.
"I think that this is alright…I mean if you think that it is. I mean…I mean that I want whatever you want." Said Miss Suzuki softly. He had barely heard her she had been so quiet. Maybe she was getting tired. Maybe she wanted to go to sleep. Maybe when she fell asleep he could roll over and end up on the floor and then he could pretend, when she woke up, that he had fallen out in his sleep and couldn't remember…no, no, that was lying. He was her friend and he wasn't supposed to lie to her. She trusted him and he trusted her, that was how friendship worked.
If she said that this was ok then it was ok.
Even though it felt just so…weird was a word that he didn't want to use but it fit. This was…he had held her close before, sometimes she got really sad, but it hadn't been like this. She was pressing a lot of herself into him now like she was trying to use him as a mattress or one of those big, hugging, pillows or something. Maybe that was what she wanted for her birthday, one of those big hugging pillows he'd seen, but not one with an anime girl on it since girls didn't like that kind of thing. Maybe one with Elsa on it because Elsa was her favorite of all the Disney girls. Elsa and then Anna and then Rapunzel and then-
And then she moved his hand higher.
Which, of course, must have been a mistake. She had just been trying to pull the blankets up or something. She would never have purposely moved his hand so it went that high up her leg, and under her t-shirt too…well it was his, so it fit her like a dress, but not a long one and…and the length didn't matter! That had been an accident and he should have foreseen it and not let it be an accident and…and that had been weird and…and he was sorry!
She had to know that he was sorry.
"Sorry! Sorry, I didn't mean to let you move my hand there, I mean to touch you there, I mean-" said Serizawa. He heard something fall to the ground and break…something plastic. One of his models. He could always rebuild them in the morning. What he couldn't rebuild was his friendship with Miss Suzuki! If he had messed it up, ruined it on accident, then-then-then he didn't know what he was going to do!
He didn't know what he would do without her…besides die. He would probably end up dead without her…he needed her…and he had messed it up!
"It's ok, Serizawa, it's-" said Miss Suzuki
"I didn't mean to be weird and it was an accident and if you don't want to be my friend anymore then I understand and-" said Serizawa
"What? No, of course I want to be your friend and…and I'm sorry. I thought that you wanted…I'm sorry, ok? I didn't mean to make you feel…upset." Said Miss Suzuki. She let go of his hand with her powers. He brought it back up around her arms where there was no potential for any more accidents to happen. That had been a close one, he had almost lost her. He didn't know a lot about girls, most of them were actually kind of scary, but he did know that whenever misunderstandings like that happened in anime they slapped you and called you names. Miss Suzuki wasn't the sort of person to hurt other people but…but maybe he deserved it.
At least then he would have understood better what was going on here.
"I'm not upset and I'll always be your friend. I…I'm sorry if I upset you. I didn't mean to do and…and if you wanted me to leave them I'll leave. I mean if you want me to leave…I mean." Said Serizawa
"I don't want you to leave but…but if you want me to leave then I'll leave." Said Miss Suzuki
"I could never want to leave you, Miss Suzuki. I don't know what I'd do without you." said Serizawa
"…same. I don't know what I'd do without you either. You're my…you're tied to be my best friend…" said Miss Suzuki. Serizawa forgot how to breathe. Her best friend? But Minegishi was her best friend and…and he'd never been someone's best friend before. This was…this was amazing…
"And if…if you wanted to be more than that then…then um…." Said Miss Suzuki
"More? You mean like your only best friend? But what about Minegishi? I mean I know that you've been fighting with them but…but they're still Minegishi." Said Serizawa
"Um not…not like…like that….just…I don't know. I don't want things to be weird between us. I mean I like this but I would like….I like this, that's what matters." Said Miss Suzuki
"I like this too." Said Serizawa. He wasn't entirely sure what she was talking about but he was sure that he liked this, being tied to be her best friend, and even laying here with her too. Even if things had been a little weird and awkward there he was still happy that she wanted to be with him, that she wanted to be his friend, and that he hadn't ruined things with her like he had ruined so many other things in his life before this.
"That's…that's good. So we both like this but…but if you like, or would like, something else then…then you can tell me and it won't be weird." Said Miss Suzuki
"I'm happy right now." said Serizawa
"And if you're happy then I'm happy too but…but if….um….if you like…." Said Miss Suzuki
"I like this." Said Serizawa. He needed to talk to more people. Clearly his communication skills needed a lot of work. He had said that he was happy so many times but it just wasn't coming out right, in a way that made sense to her. He was so bad at this.
"I like….I feel good when I'm with you. I mean you make me happy, happier than a lot of people have before, and…and I want to keep on feeling this way." Said Miss Suzuki
"So do I. Nobody's ever been as nice to me as you have. Nobody's ever done as much for me as you have. I've never had as good of a friend, before, as you…but I've also never had any friends before you." said Serizawa
"I know and…and this friendship is…is really good. That's why I worry about messing it up." said Miss Suzuki. She worried about messing it up? But the whole friendship was built around her. She was the one who had saved him, picked him, and she was the one who had decided that they were going to be friends in the first place. He really hadn't had a say in it. He liked that he hadn't had a say. He didn't know how he could have gotten the words out if she had just come out and asked to be his friend.
Talking to people had been even harder back then, even if he had wanted to become more…more like her, he wouldn't have been able to get the words out.
"I don't see how you could ever mess it up." said Serizawa
"You'd be surprised." Said Miss Suzuki quietly.
"Um…yes? I mean yes, it would be surprising if we stopped being friends but I can't think of anything that you could do that would make me not want to be your friend anymore." Said Serizawa
"I could…I could…um…I don't….it's nothing. It's just…do you…did you…." said Miss Suzuki
"I…I don't know what you mean." Said Serizawa
"I mean…just…why did you pull away from me like that? I mean before." Said Miss Suzuki
"I'm not sure what you're asking? Sorry, sorry, I can just be kind of clueless sometimes and I know that I should be better at talking to people but you're the only person I talk to-not that I mind! I love talking to you, Miss Suzuki, I just mean that I haven't had a lot of practice talking to other people and I think that I would be better at talking to you if I had more practice and…and um…that's all, that's what I meant." Said Serizawa
"No, no, you're fine. I just…I just have to be better at talking. I mean at asking…at asking what I want to ask." Said Miss Suzuki, her voice turning into a whisper at the end.
"What do you want to ask?" asked Serizawa. Whatever she wanted to know he would tell her. There weren't any secrets between them, at least on his end. He didn't even know what he would have kept a secret from her and he had no idea what she would have kept a secret from him…of course they wouldn't have been secrets if she'd told him, after all.
"Did you pull away from me because you didn't want to touch me or because you thought that I'd be mad at you if you touched me?" asked Miss Suzuki. Serizawa had no idea which was the right answer. He didn't want to make things weird but…but if he told he that he didn't want to touch her then she might take it like him saying that he didn't want to touch her ever and he thought that she was gross or something and that was the opposite of how he felt…he had no idea what she wanted to hear…
This was too complicated.
"I…I pulled away because…because I thought that you didn't want me to touch you. it's nothing against you! I mean I don't not want to touch you! I mean I want to touch you! I mean…I mean I didn't want to make things weird….I can be kind of clueless sometimes. Sorry." Said Serizawa. She shifted again, and she was facing him now. Her aura had settled and even in this darkness he could tell that she was smiling.
"Ok, I get it now. That was a lot for you. I'm sorry, I just…it's like I want to and I don't and I don't want to make things weird but now that I know that you don't NOT want to then…then that's a lot easier for me." said Miss Suzuki. Serizawa nodded. He had no idea what in the world she was talking about so, really, the best thing to do right now was to nod.
"Alright, Miss Suzuki." Said Serizawa
"But um…if you want to…I mean if you like me then…then we can…I mean I can…I mean…um…" said Miss Suzuki
"Yes?" asked Serizawa, which seemed like a much nicer thing to say than 'I have no idea what you mean'.
"I want us to…I mean if you want us to then…and I doesn't have to be…I mean it does…I mean-" said Miss Suzuki. The door slammed and cut her off. Serizawa kind of wished that it didn't. Maybe if she kept on talking she would find the words that she was looking for. Trying to figure it out on his own with what she had given him was like trying to complete a puzzle in one of those really complicated puzzle games…without a guide.
"Sho's home!" said Miss Suzuki. She used her powers to lift herself out of bed and before he knew it the room was filled with the light of the hallway and she was gone. Her side of the bed was still warm. He reached out. He wished that she had stayed but he had no right to tell her where to go or what to do.
Their friendship went the other way.
If she had wanted him to come with then she would have said something. She hadn't so he would stay here. He had wanted the bed to himself for so long, well he had wanted the floor but that was kind of like wanting the bed, and…and this was….this was good. He had room to stretch out, now, and he didn't have to worry about anyone laying on him or anything weird happening.
He didn't stretch out.
She would be back. He knew that she'd be back and if she didn't then….well then he still wasn't going to move from his position. It had taken so long for her to get comfortable than, on the off chance that she came back, he wouldn't want to go through all of that again. He could hear her saying something…Sho's aura was showing and so was hers. Maybe she was going to come back or maybe she and her brother were going to fight for a while. Either way he wasn't moving.
This was her bed, really, more than it was his.
More raised voices, mostly from Sho, and more auras…mostly from Miss Suzuki. Was he supposed to do something? No, no, she wouldn't have wanted him to get in the middle of things. He stayed there, perfectly still, waiting for her to come back. He hadn't had to wait long before the door opened and closed, the hallway light gone and the room dark again. He didn't have to see to know that she was back. There was the sound of a door slamming and he could still see Sho's aura…he was home, and so was Miss Suzuki.
He didn't have to see her to know that she was there.
It was a good thing that he hadn't moved. He stayed still as she climbed back into the bed next to him. She snuggled up to his side and he put his arm around her in that way that wasn't too comfortable for him but she wanted. If she wanted to be held like this then he would hold her. She needed him to make her happy. She had just had a fight with her brother, she was so…so sad…or at least he would have been if he had been someone's big sister…brother….sibling. Actually he would have been hurt if he had fought with anyone.
He held her close. This was, it must have been, a lot for her.
"Miss Suzuki? Are you…are you alright?" asked Serizawa as she crawled into bed with him. Her aura was bright and closed off. He knew what closed off meant. She was hiding behind it. She…she and her brother had just gotten through a fight and it hadn't sounded that bad but what did he know about these things? Something was bothering her, that was all that he knew, and he had to make it better.
He just had to figure out how, that was all.
"I'm ok, Sho just wants to go back to Seasoning City and…and that's…it's not safe but he can do what he wants and…and I can't stop him anyway and…and just….let's just go to bed, ok? I just…I just want to be with you right now so…so let's just be together." Said Miss Suzuki as she rested her head on his chest. He reached a hand up and patted her back.
She seemed to like that.
He wasn't exactly sure, even now, how to comfort someone. He hadn't been comforted a lot when he had been a kid, back when there had been some chance of getting near him, and Miss Suzuki…she just comforted him by being there. That was the kind of friends they were. As long as she was there he was fine and…and he wasn't sure if it went both ways…but he could try.
He had to try.
He rubbed her back. She snuggled up to him like a cat. She was very warm but her aura was a lot calmer now. He must have been helping her. She didn't say so, though, and he wished that she would have told him what he was doing right. Then he could do it again…though he might have just been with her…that might have been the thing. They were friends after all and whatever she wanted, he wanted.
It was amazing how someone so small could take up so much of the bed, and of him, but he didn't mind. He loved being there for her. He loved being her friend.