#and then serizawa is like by the way can you cut my hair again reigen is suddenly very confident that he won't leave him

[edarfly]

On one hand the whole serizawa leaves spirits and such isn't angsty to me cus like reigen can still see him outside of work. That's how most couples are like they don't see each other all the time. On the other hand it's angsty to me because reigen doesn't think serizawa would wanna keep seeing him unless he wasn't tied down in some way

[shrimparted]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY R- what the hell do you mean I’m two days late

[ID: A Mob Psycho 100 comic set post-canon. Mob, depicted with chin-length hair and wearing a skirt, says to Ritsu, "I just haven't been able to think of a gift he'd actually like. And I want it to be special, cause this time he'll expect the party."

She looks down with a frown. "Especially since Teru accidentally added him to the group chat." Ritsu laughs with a "Hah!" and says, "I do have an idea, if you want to hear it." Mob smiles tiredly and says, "Please." Ritsu says, "Okay, but it's a pretty big gift so we should check in with everyone."

Teru, shown with hair past his shoulders, exclaims happily, "Yes!! I think he would love that!" Tome grins and says, "Oh my gosh, yess! Maybe we'll actually see him cry this time, hah!" Shou looks interested and says, "Oh for sure! I actually know a place we can find one!" Serizawa smiles, "I'm pretty sure his new lease allows pets!" Dimple squints and says, "… How do you know that," and Serizawa says, "How about we stop talking for a little while."

Next, marked "a few days later:", we see Reigen opening the door to Spirits and Such. The door creaks open, and he screams with terror when people loudly go, "Happy birthday!" We see scenes of the party: Reigen sweating and grimacing as Tome offers a cake with Ritsu laughing in the background, Serizawa and Reigen smiling fondly at each other with a heart floating between them, and Reigen looking dead-eyed as everyone photographs him and his cake-covered face.

Reigen, now cleaned of cake, flops on the couch and smiles, "Wow! All that's missing now is a present!" He sweatdrops. "… I can feel you all staring. Then he exclaims "Oh!" at the sight of all the kids looking happy and excited. Mob is in the center, smiling with anticipation and holding a box about the size of a large shoebox.

Reigen takes it with a fond smile, saying, "Aw, kids… I was joking but this is really--" He breaks off with a shocked sound as something shifts within the box. He holds the box away from himself and says flatly, "Is this a prank--" but is cut off by a laughing Tome shouting, "Just open it already!!!"

Reigen, frowning, exclaims, "No way! I'm not falling--" As he speaks, a canine nose pokes out from the boxes lid, and his expression turns to shock. "-- for that?"

We see a small puppy excitedly wagging its tail from within the box. The kids all talk. Teru: "Surprise!!~" Shou: "It should be a Shiba but since it's a rescue it's probably not pure bred." Mob, nervous: "… Do you like it?" Tome: "Who cares!! It's adorable!!"

Reigen stares down with silent shock. Making a hiccuping noise, he looks at everyone with an overwhelmed expression that moves to tears as he picks up the dog, making wordless wavering noises as he does.

The puppy licks Reigen's cheeks, and Reigen scrunches up his face as he tries not to cry. The kids exclaim: Ritsu, grinning: "Oh my god." Teru: "Awww." Tome, surprised: "Holy shit, he's speechless!" Mob, happy: "So you like it?"

Reigen sniffs loudly and says, "You guys…" Everyone looks at him eagerly. Once again crying, Reigen says, "Get out of my office." The kids looks surprised, and Serizawa sweats and wryly raises his hands, saying "Reigen--" Reigen cuts him off by shouting so hard he motion blurs. "I said-- get out." His shout is also blurred, and it's bold and in large font.

The final page shows Reigen lying down and blubbering while holding the puppy, who keeps wagging its tail. Narration says, "After everyone left, Reigen proceeded to weep in the privacy of the Spirits and Such office." Ritsu is shown facing away fromt he camera, arms crossed behind his back as he mutters, "Man." Narration says, "Ritsu was blamed for the whole ordeal even though for once he was trying to do something genuinely kind for Reigen, even if it was just for Mobs sake." End ID]

ID by @princess-of-purple-prose thank you so much!

[cowardlybean]

Hey. The Times They Are A Changin’ by @bandtrees and @tigsbitties amiright (muffled face down on the floor)

more (some unsettling things) beneath the cut :3

(Image 3 is my favorite sequence from an animation for TTTAAAC I’ve been working on, so here it is just in case I never finish </3, image 4 is me thinking about Mob’s house. If. That makes sense.)

OH MAN. OH MAN OH MAN. this fic has altered my brain chemistry in a way that has doctors baffled and leaves tragedy in its wake!!!!!!!!! Absolutely a masterpiece I’ve reread it 3 times now and every time I notice a new detail, there’s just SO MUCH CARE put into it. I think I could write an essay about every page of this fic LMAO it honestly blows me away, huge kudos to everyone who was a part of the project!!!!

Especially the multimedia aspects, they were so much fun to find and in some cases decode (Scared the SHIT outta myself with Breathe I think it’s one of my favorites). the youtube videos were so cool as well

Realizing a third of the way in that things will never get better was such a gut wrenching experience, and by the time I realized just how deep the hole Mob dug himself into was it was absolutely too late for anything to happen (the end of act 1 was horrific in the most amazing way. So many things stuck with me: the state Reigen was left in compared to how he was, Ritsu’s “surgery”, Dimple losing his best friend, Shou’s report to the police, Minori’s conversation (if you can call it that) with Mob?? Bone. Chilling.

One of the parts that has been sitting in my gut is Reigen’s fall, where he starts to ramble through fragments of old times. I genuinely thought he was calling out to Mob until just as the same time Mob did I recognized the words and it hit me like a HAMMER. I don’t know how to put it into words but Reigen rambling on like a broken record tore me apart, and then it gets WORSE. I only realized on my second read that the intro of the fic. (Correct me if I’m wrong) IS REIGENS PERSPECTIVE OF MOB SEVERING HIS TENDONS???? Holy fuck. Holy FUCK. The vague semblance of consciousness written there is so deeply unsettling I’m absolutely OBSESSED with it. ESPECIALLY THE FACT THAT EVEN IN THAT STATE HE STILL WANTS MOB TO BE HAPPY (the cheer ^^ mob bit) and idk if I’m interpreting right (this is gonna be so embarrassing if I’m not) but him recognizing the filthy jacket as well. Taking me OUT. AND. AND THE FACT REIGEN NEVER SPEAKS AGAIN AFTER THAT?????? (I could be wrong oops)

The mental states of every character in the fic are written so chillingly well. I can understand how Mob spirals, the anger and grief Tome feels, Shou's spite and anger, Teruki's conflict, Dimple's loss of his best friend, Serizawa's waning optimism, I can't name every character in this fic but they are ALL characterized so well. There's no needless conflict that make them OOC, there's a reason behind every little tragedy building upon themselves and creating a giant disaster that deeply affects the entire cast. Not to mention how its not just the loss of Reigen and Ritsu, but the loss of Mob too. If they were to have died on impact, its unsettling to think that things may have turned out better than this.

There’s a lot of things I wanna say that would basically be restating the fic (dimple losing his best friend, teru shaving, and the irony of ritsu’s powers being taken away by mob) so instead of writing 20 more paragraphs I’ll ask some questions I’ve been mulling over (ofc yall don’t have to answer if it’s revealing too much or smth)

Does Mob actually end up getting investigated or arrested? The formatting of the social media posts and texts makes them seem as if they're evidence and so does the ongoing "interview?" with Shou throughout the fic

In the party, is Reigen saying he doesn't like citrus a reference to the lemon sour :eyes:

I'm probably missing something but im curious about the metaphor around Reigen and a stray cat (hair clinging to Mob's clothes, comparing him to a stray cat finding a place to die, comparing him to a cat outside Serizawa's door)

If I'm not wrong and the "glitchy" sections at the beginning and end of the fic are Reigen and Ritsu's povs respectively, is their mind constantly like that or is it just in the specific circumstances where they have a small burst of consciousness?

last (thats a lie im definitely drawing more fanart in the future) but not least, some notes from when I was re-reading

[james-fun-in-the-sunderland]

Mob Psycho 100 for fandom! And Amy from Sonic for character~

omg hello thank u niru c:

obligatory link back to the original ask game

Mob Psycho 100

sorry that alot of these repeat and probably arent like insane thoughts, i was only big into mp100 when i was like 16 and finished the anime like a year ago 😭

Favorite character: Serizawa c: hes a 6w5 so legally i must enjoy him but also i just like him ... he has curly hair and is cool OH AND TOME !!!! shes fun :) i dont fully remember my interesting thoughts on her but i enjoy her and how she works for reigen post canon. i think her weird girl charms get to me

Least Favorite character: uhhhh probably mogami or shous dad... theyre both just annoying like whateverrr stop being a dumb adult stop beefing with 15 year olds losers...

5 Favorite ships (canon or non-canon): 1.... serirei?? is that the ship name. serizawa and reigen. basically canon ? 2. mobteru again basically canon 3. . um . theres not much ships i really have with this show so idk if i can do 5 but i can at least do three bc i think tome and mezato is cute :) i briefly became obsessed w them for a bit after season 2 .... i think the ship of the two claw guys . the like sword one and the other guy is pretty cool...

Character I find most attractive: serizawa. who would have guessed.

Character I would marry: nobody everyone here has many red flags also theyre 90% children

Character I would be best friends with: if i was a teenager there is a non zero chance i genuinely would be besties with tome but also maybe slightly find her annoying. but also maybe i would become besties with mob. in normal life none of them bc i would never talk to children or the adults in the show

A random thought: i think reigen is one of the last tumblr sexymen before that term really became used as meaning: character im sick of seeing so much of... but also i could be wrong. also can everyone stop drawing serizawa with straight hair ... i know they do in the manga/anime but if he had curly hair before they cut and washed him then it wouldnt go away. thats not how hair works and i should know as ive lived with it for like years.

An unpopular opinion: mogami arc wasnt that good, stop using it as an excuse to be weird abt child characters plsss

My canon OTP: nothing is canon :/ so

Non-canon OTP: serirei as i said above ☝

Most badass character: mob :] hes cool and awesom... but also i do think

Pairing I am not a fan of: idk if its bc i dont remember much but i cant see shou and ritsu as much more than besties but also obvs im not at all a fan of the . weirdly large amount of reigen and mob stuff like whats wrong with you all im killing you . i also just dont care too too much about ships between teenage characters so many of the ships in the fandom are like yea thats alright, also can see them as just besties, u kno?

Character I feel the writers screwed up (in one way or another): i didnt realize how little there was of serizawa in the manga or the anime .. i feel like he had more when i first read it ???? anyway he should be there more .

Favourite friendship: i think mob and reigen are fun as friends :) especially as they grow older, i think the dynamic would be fun. also teru and ritsu are fun when theyre together. worlds most dramatic 12 year olds.

amy will b under the cut

amy rose :)

How I feel about this character: I like her !!! i feel like shes not talked about much outside of ships which is a shame because i feel like if people came together on her character (this includes people writing canon) then there could be a compelling character here that wouldnt deny her roots or just stay the same sort of trope she used to be. I cant deny i do enjoy that they occassionally dip into her little interest in tarot :) its nice to see that trait remembered.

All the people I ship romantically with this character: sonic of course, shadow, blaze a bit?, metal sonic anddd... yea thats it

My non-romantic OTP for this character: i think her with silver or knuckles is always fun :) idk why i think its because they bounce off of each other well. equal levels of no braincells happening here at least with silver. and with knuckles i feel like they could have a fun brother sister dynamic.

My unpopular opinion about this character: what is the popular opinion on her .... idk ill just use this as more of me talking about her character in general. i wish people would use her abandonment issues more, or at least like integrate that into her character since i think its a trait that shows up a bit in the little visual novel and in sonic frontiers and i think that makes sense as a trait for her

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: if she was ever playable again . I HAVENT played the sonic frontiers dlc but i think giving her a little spin off game ala the princess peach games would be fun. maybe then her team from sonic heros can be used again and i could like care about big and cream outside of them being sparingly used in canon .. and big not just being a joke ... also i just want more development for herrr im always begging for development or character in this series i know its for children but plsss also i wish they would like actually like .. fully deal with her whole thing with sonic... it feels like they wanna pretend her obsession just never happened and wasnt like the main thing with her character before they basically turned her into sally acorn.

My OTP: honestly ive really come around on amy x metal sonic :) i think mainly bc i cant see her with sonic at all (<- sonadow truther) and also i think it could be interesting if i thought about it more deeply

My OT3: amy x sonic x blaze i know i just said i cant see her with sonic but this is the exception, if i had to have an ot3 it would be this .. otherwise idk if i would have one.

[uuchanjustice]

Ekubo Week Day 4 - Final Form

(Dimple, Mob and Tome, word count: ~700)

"Mob!!!" Tome burst into the office with windswept hair and her cell phone in her hand. "They're showing the ORIGINAL Aliens Vs. Zombies Vs. Salarymen at Fennel Theater tonight!!! They're gonna have snacks and sell keychains and it's gonna be so fun- oh, sorry, Mr. Serizawa..."

Mob was grimacing and gesturing at Tome to stop yelling, but she realized her mistake too late as the stranger in the office jumped out of his chair in surprise.

Serizawa smiled ruefully at Tome, then turned his attention back to the startled client whose cursed plushie he had just exorcised. "Sorry about that! She's my, uh, niece... so, 5000 yen?"

"You have to come, Mob!!!" Tome whispered to Mob as Serizawa ushered the client out. "This movie is the ultimate cult classic!!! Everyone says it's best experienced in a rowdy theater full of nerds! Who knows when we'll get a chance like this again??"

"Uh, Tome..." Serizawa returned to his desk and fixed the picture frame the client had accidentally knocked over. "It sounds fun, but... isn't it a school night? You should be responsible with your schoolwork..."

"I don't have any homework today!" Tome shot back. (It was half true... she didn't have any homework due tomorrow at least.) "And I bet Mob doesn't either!"

Mob nodded. "She's right, I don't."

"But that's not all," said Serizawa. "You also need to get a good night's sleep before school, and..." Tome tuned him out and sat down at her and Mob's shared desk, huffing. She gave Mob a Look that meant "we'll discuss this after work" and hoped he would understand what she meant.

---

"So there's something else," said Tome once she and Mob were a full block away from the office after closing. "We have to go with an adult to supervise us, it's the theater's policy or whatever. I was going to ask Mr. Serizawa, but apparently he's too 'responsible', and no way are we asking Mr. Reigen..." She took a deep breath. "I know you don't like breaking the rules, but we're gonna have to sneak in. We could maybe pass for adults with different clothes, I can-"

"Tome." Mob's voice cut through Tome's chatter. "I want to go. But we don't need to sneak in." He smiled. "I know someone who could take us."

---

"I still can't believe you never mentioned this," grumbled Tome.

"It never came up," responded Mob.

A seven-foot-tall, muscly green figure walked next to them, wearing a poorly fitting T-shirt and sweatpants bought from a nearby thrift store. Perched on top of his head was a wig of curly hair.

"Really, I'm more surprised that Dimple agreed to this," said Mob. "He usually doesn't like being asked favors..."

"Are you kidding?" Dimple waved a giant hand flippantly in the air, in a way that he would never admit was influenced by Reigen. "I'd never get in the way of you breaking the rules, Shigeo."

Officially, Mob and Tome were on a job with Reigen and Serizawa. Dimple had called Mob's parents from Tome's phone and done an impressive impersonation of Reigen to explain the situation. Tome's parents only needed a text. She was going to make a great adult one day; she was already living the carefree young adult life.

They approached the run-down theater. Most of the attendees were already inside, so they walked right up to the ticket booth and Dimple slapped the 3000 yen Mob and Tome had given him onto the counter. "Three for the zombies," he said casually.

The attendant looked at Dimple for about one second before deciding that he wasn't paid enough to ask questions. "Go ahead. Concessions on the left, no outside food or drink."

Tome skipped into the theater, dragging Mob alongside her. "Kids, right?" Dimple cracked at the attendant, who was pointedly not making eye contact.

---

Two hours later, the group staggered out of the theater, surrounded by teens and young adults hopped up on soda. Tome's eyelids were drooping, and Mob was clutching his stomach. "Why... did I eat... so much... popcorn..." he groaned.

Meanwhile, Dimple was as energetic as ever. "You were right, Tome," he exclaimed, clapping a hand each onto the kids' shoulders. "That was an unforgettable experience."

"Haha, just wait... the sequel is even..." Tome trailed off and slumped onto Dimple's shoulder.

He shook her gently. "Kid, wake up. We gotta get you home."

Mob gave him a Look that Dimple understood perfectly. He rolled his eyes and lifted the sleeping Tome onto his back. "You guys will be the death of me, I swear," he complained.

"But you're already-"

"Don't go there, Shigeo."

[reigenhusband]

Psychic Wedding Time!

Art by @/cowboyologist

After months of holding back, we finally tied the ole knot! Me and the conman are officially hitched today September 10, 2021!

This silly little blonde anime man means an awful lot to me and its really more than I can say. These months with him have been a great help.

When I went through some of the roughest things I've ever gone through, I had him to think about for comfort. He is a little part in what keeps me going and I wish I could thank him for everything. He sparks a lot of joy so I think I'm gonna keep him!

I've never been happier and I'm so lucky to call him husband! He's had such a positive impact and I love him so, so much.

Special thank you to my friends and of course our son Mob who carried the rings!

Under the cut is a little fic about getting ready for the wedding. Thanks everyone for your support!

Reigen squinted at his reflection, dark eyes hauntingly focused on a strand of hair that didn't take to the product he put in it. A grunt of dismay rumbled low in his throat.

"Um…Reigen?" 

"Just a second, Serizawa. Almost got it."

The taller man's voice wavered but he managed to hold fast and keep his confidence. Reigen could almost hear his hands wringing. 

"Er...Well. Its just...you've been staring at yourself for a little over 20 minutes now and you haven't moved and…"

Reigen sucked his teeth and pressed his palm firmly to the side of his head. Damned strand of hair! Slick like the rest of it! Don't you know know day it is?!

"What I mean is..! Are you alright?" Serizawa finally asked, his voice heavy with concern. "Since it's your wedding and all I figured you'd be nervous but you seem really on edge. Is something bothering you?" 

The blonde twitched.

 "W...what are you talking about? Of course not! I'm calm and-" He stopped abruptly and slammed his hands flat on either side of the mirror, his eyes wide and bloodshot upon inspection of his suit. A fleck of black thread pervaded his white vest and he looked around frantically for the lint roller. "You thought you could hide but you can't best Reigen Arataka." He muttered as he furiously went over his all but pristine wedding attire. 

His best man scratched his own cheek nervously and looked on with clear uncertainty. "If you're sure." 

Once he was satisfied after a thorough inspection and having Serizawa scrutinize the back, he dropped into a chair. Nearby was a table decorated in what was probably a thousand congratulatory flowers from clients. He exhaled and stared a hole into the arrangement of colors. His heart was pounding. His brow, coupled with his hands, were visibly slick with chilled sweat. His stomach was full of stones. 

He met his own gaze in the mirror again. He looked well kept and yet...disheveled at the same time. Come to think of it, his face was flushed the shade of his usual pink tie. The last 3 days without sleep also hollowed out dark circles under his eyes. His shirt collar began to feel more and more constricting as time went on no matter how much he tugged on it. 

Maybe he really was scared. 

He didn't doubt that he loved Mitty. In fact, he wanted to be with him more than anyone. A case of cold feet wouldn't change that. It was himself he was wrestling with here. 

Spirits, monsters, and deadly espers. He'd faced them all and came out on top. But they were nothing compared to these looming expectations to be a person to rely on. This wasn't something he could bullshit his way through. This was marriage. Mitty was going to see the warted underbelly of when he was Reigen the man instead of Reigen the psychic. His fiancé was going to experience sides of him he only revealed when he was alone. Would he still like him even then?

Reigen was good at a lot of things but this had to be the one that counted most. Could he really be a good partner forever? 

Was he really going to cut it as a husband? 

"Hey, Serizawa?" Reigen asked, not looking at him. 

The man's shoulders lurched at his name suddenly being called. He straightened his back. "Oh! Yes sir?"

"Do you think we'll be good together?" 

Silence sat heavily for a moment. Every second felt longer than the last. 

His friend seemed taken aback by the question but nonetheless looked at the ceiling as though collecting the right words to answer. "Well…"

Another moment passed and Reigen waited with his hands clasped and breath baited. 

"I've never been with anyone so I can't say for certain what a good relationship is but," A compassionate smile spread across the esper's face before he continued, visibly more sure of his words. "I think you and Mr. Mitty understand each other. You always seem to know what the other is thinking. You motivate each other to be better and you seem happy when you're together. And...and you trust each other too. And I think that's whats important." 

Reigen looked at the velveted floor. "Then…"  

"You've become more honest by being with him and he talks like you're really important to him. So please...get married if it makes you both happy! I think you can really be something!" His friend was beaming with 

what Reigen could only say was genuine assurance. 

"I really believe you'll take care of each other." 

His co-worker actually really was resourceful. Maybe someday he ought to pay him more. The uncomfortable feelings waned slightly and his shoulders slowly slacked. Mitty was waiting for him so now wasn't the time to lose it. 

After a few seconds of letting his feelings iron themselves out, he stood and smoothed his hands over his suit jacket. "Well alright then. If thats what you think then I guess there's no backing out of this one." 

Serizawa pressed his hands together in delight. "YES! I've got your back, Reigen!" 

The door into the hallway opened and a set of black eyes peered into the room. "Master, It's starting. Are you coming?" 

The jarring announcement had him scrambling to fix the piece of hair he'd been fussing with. 

"OF COURSE." He jabbed his thumb into his own chest to feign total confidence. "Right behind you, Mob!" 

He held his breath. Alright, let's do this. 

Mitty POV

Teal eyes darted around the room carefully. 

"Hey...Dimple? You there?"

The whizzing of the spirit materializing buzzed next to his ear. 

"Yeah whaddya want? You're on soon, aren't you?" 

Mitty jabbed his right hook into the air where the voice was coming from. "AGH WHAT THE HELL?"

A swift flash of green dodged his reach. 

"HEY, why are you hitting me?! You asked for ME, remember?" The ghost clucked his tongue in disapproval and floated a few inches away for safety. 

"WELL MATERIALIZE WHERE I CAN SEE YOU, YOU BIG BOOGER! I'm on edge!" 

"On edge? What for? You're the one who wanted this, right?"

"W..well….yeah, sorry." He looked at his clenched fist and opened it. "...sorry." He said again more thoughtfully this time. 

Dimple raised a spectral eyebrow. "Whats wrong? Having second thoughts? I mean it's Reigen so who can blame ya."

Mitty scowled while straightening his tie in the mirror. "Hey! REIGEN'S…." His voice softened closer to a whisper. "A pretty good guy. Get off my case. Aren't you supposed to be my support? You're being kinda harsh!" 

"Well kid, something is obviously on your mind so let's hear it. Wedding starts soon right? Yeesh. Once you do all this he's your problem forever." 

"I'm not worried about him!! I'm more worried about...me."

"About you? What're you talkin' about?! You're too good for him!"

"Thanks for the flattery. You still can't have my body though."

"Well I didn't want it anyways, ya bastard. You're weak compared to Shigeo. I'm just being honest here!" 

Silence.

"So? Out with it, What did you want anyways? You're talking nonsense here!" 

Mitty wrinkled his nose in discomfort.  "I just needed to ask something. But you can't run your mouth off like you always do, you old gossip. You're like a knitting circle."

"TCH. like I'd blabber your business to someone. It's all so boring."

"Yeah, yeah just listen, alright?!"

Another few seconds passed. "So? Say it. We don't have all day, you know."

He was looking at his hands again like he was somewhere far off. "Well. D...D'you think I'll be good at this?" 

"Good at what, exactly?" 

"Being married." 

Dimple's form rippled with thought. "You're seriously worried about that?"

Mitty was going to make a sharp remark but his head dropped and his face buried into his knuckles. "Yeah."

Dimple deflated slightly in exasperated defeat. Humans could be so ignorant. 

"Listen. That fraud never shuts up about you. You think you're not good enough? You should hear him talk. It's annoying how you both don't realize things."

"Realize things?"

He sighed and shrugged his tiny arms. "I hear everything whether you like it or not. You two idiots never stop talking and moaning about the other is too good for the other. It's getting old, really." 

"HUH? He says that? No way! But he's always beaten me at everything! I always thought he was way out of my league." 

 "Kinda the opposite actually but...sure. What I'm saying is…! You're both seeing the best parts of each other. Keep doing that and it'll be smooth sailing."

"Yeah but...what if he stops seeing the best in me?'

"You planning on making things hard?" 

"Not really. I just know I can be difficult to deal with." 

"So is he. You really think you got this far because Reigen's all roses and sunshine? 'Course not. You've seen all the stuff he does and you still like him, right?" 

He certainly was flawed, that was for sure. Mitty spent most of Reigen's antics with his eyes rolled up in his head but that didn't mean he wasn't enjoying the moment either. 

"Right."

"Then it's the same for him. Sure it won't always be fun but that phoney won't give up on you just because you're annoying. He's way too persistent. It kind of ticks me off." 

I'm annoying???  That stung but he shook it off.

Reigen was going to have to deal with him for the rest of his life once they said the right words. But if Dimple was right...would it be so bad to annoy each other for the rest of their lives if the other was willing to put up with it? 

Reigen seemed okay with it so far. Mitty would just have to listen to him make a fuss about his coffee table clutter until he died. But really, he wouldn't have that any other way. His voice was kind of cute when he hit that inhuman octave he had when he was in disbelief. 

The door from the hall swung open and a blond clad in what was perhaps the most blinding and loud suit he had ever seen poked his head in. 

"Oh, You're still in here? It's bad luck to be late on your wedding day! Master Reigen is waiting. " He cocked his head to the side. "Or did you need some help with your suit? Its looking a little plain." 

Hanazawa. This kid would try to accessorize his suit in the worst way possible. He put up his hands to wave him off. 

"N-nah, kiddo that's alright. I'll be right there."

Hanazawa, after a few more attempts to get Mitty to let him help retreated back into the hallway. When it was quiet again he eyed Dimple. He was abrasive and unpleasant. He always had a motive for everything and rarely had something nice to say. 

But he came through when it mattered. 

"Hey Dimple?" 

"Yeah? What is it?" 

"Thanks." 

Dimple wouldn't meet his eyes and levitated towards the hall. He didn't want to acknowledge he was helping, he supposed. It was in character for that tsundere blob.

"You ought to get out of here now if you wanna make it on time." 

He stood and dusted himself off. 

"Welp. Here goes everything."

[lunar-lair]

*Crawls out of my hole* did someone say 'dead Reigen' AU? No? Well I'm talking abt it anyways

So just. Think for a moment: what would happen if Reigen killed himself before he met Mob?

Third year of middle school, around the same time Mob is born, even.

And then, what if Mob met him as a spirit?

12 years old, almost ready for middle school, and he finds Reigen in an alleyway. He immediately goes to exorcise him, but Reigen does his usual arm-flailing charade and yells, "Wait, don't shoot!"

And Mob complies, listening to the ghost.

He vaguely notices the red stain on the right side of his head, the way his hair looks a little mottled and his clothes are roughed up.

The uniform he's wearing is for Salt Mid, the school he's enrolling in next year, the school he just walked past.

His form is still intact; recent enough, then.

Mob tries not to think about it.

Reigen and Mob talk for a little bit, but eventually part ways.

On his way home, Mob thinks about it.

(He ends up asking his parents. He ends up describing Reigen, unsure that they won't brush him off, but he does anyways.

His mom's eyes widen. "...what's his name?"

"He said it was Reigen Arataka."

"Shigeo..." His dad looks worried, oddly enough.

"That's the name of a boy who went missing about 12 years ago."

"It was all over the news," His mom added, nodding and turning to his dad and back to him. "But..."

"Maybe it was a cover up?" Ritsu suggests from the couch, half-rude as always.

Mob's mother lightly scolds him, but Mob barely hears.

That was the day Mob vowed he'd help Reigen find his way.

That was the day things really began.)

He comes back to the same alley the next day, finds Reigen in the same place, petting a two-tailed-fox in his lap.

He doesn't ask, despite his mild surprise, but Reigen tells him about the Kitsune-Haru, was his name-anyways.

Mob ends up just talking to Reigen, that day.

And again, and again, and again, every day after that.

Before he knew it, they were friends.

And removing ourselves from this little narrative, let me add a couple of details here. Reigen's backstory, to simply summarize (I'll tell more later, promise ;)) includes a psychic friends who idolized Mogami, a gang, and Reigen's important realization that psychics are only human; they can do terrible things, and they can do excellent things, just like anyone else can with any other talent. You could kill someone or pick up groceries with big muscles, you could tear people down or build people up with good charisma and speech,

and you could kill someone or simply cut vegetables with a knife.

This is how Mob still learns some of the lessons Reigen taught him in canon, and this is how Reigen still tells them. His morals are still upstanding, though maybe a little less developed, and he still makes a good companion for Mob.

Over the years, they become each other's closest friends; although this does sway Mob a little closer to the spirit side of things, I like to think that with a friend closer to his age, Mob could learn more about befriending people, and he would have someone to properly vent with, too. Making Reigen Mob's age levels the playing field with him also being a ghost; if he were a ghost and still an adult, the scales would be a little tipped, but he isn't, so things stay level. This may mean that Mob has a couple people he's a little closer to, but I kinda doubt it; he's just better at making friends once they come his way, I think.

Plus, Reigen officially having an older sister makes him a *perfect* candidate for Mob to talk about Ritsu with; he can give Mob the perspective of a younger brother, which could help out their relationship pre *and* post clean up arc.

Other than that, though, general basics go...pretty basically; the two of them slowly gain a deeper friendship over the years, of course, with it being much closer now that they're the same age. Reigen declares first named Allowed starting about when Mob turns 13 or so, somewhere like that, meaning Mob calls him Arataka a lot of the time; specifically with an added '-kun', because he's too polite not to add the honorific. Reigen still calls him Mob, usually, but isn't afraid to call him Shigeo to get through to him. Mob also has a little more sass, since Reigen pounded it into his head over the years. There's one less adult to keep the cast all balanced, which is...a bit of a problem, but I think Mob's parents can just be a little bit more Involved, maybe even getting in things a little more to teach Serizawa The Ways Of Adulthood since Reigen kinda can't.

I might add some other posts about little details, but for now, here's a mostly-base? This got longer than I wanted it to; sorry about that, hehe.

[a-flickering-soul]

2020 summary in my writing!! I wanted to join in the party visual artists do at the end of the year where they look back at the progress they made and since 2020 was the first year I actually started writing a Lot (wonder why) I wanted to make a template! Transcript below cut!

Slide 1: 2020 Summary of Writing – a-flickering-soul / Kirjavi

Slide 2: Total Words: 136, 432 words. Longest Work: 108, 492 words (WIP)

Slide 3: Word Count Trend. Image description: a picture of a Microsoft Excel graph where the Y-axis runs from 0 to 160000 (word count) and the X-axis runs from 0 to 14 (months). From months 0-5, the increase is slow, and from 5-10 it’s much faster, then it slows from 10-12.

Slide 4: Top Fandoms. Image description: a picture of a Microsoft Excel pie chart where 77% of it is EverymanHYBRID, 18% of it is Mob Psycho 100, 4% is Miscellaneous (later clarified as TribeTwelve, Adventure Zone: Commitment, and Original Content), and 1% of it is Star Wars).

Slide 5: Top Lines of the Month

Jan: “They breathe together as the sun stretches gold fingers through the window.”

Feb: “He leans back against her, soul-hurt.  “Her hands rub soothing circles over his skin. ‘She’s right, what she says. It’s in your nature. You see someone hurting and you want to fix it. And that is brave, and strong, to do that over and over again.”

Mar: “’Trust me,’ Ren says quietly. Hux doesn’t. He doesn’t. But he holds still anyways and lets him place his fingers at his temples.”

Apr: “’Does it get easier?’ he asks quietly. “Firebrand is silent for another long moment. Easier? he says. No. No, it never gets easier. “Noah sags against him, boneless, hopeless, exhausted. “Firebrand brushes the hair off of his forehead and reaches to grab a tissue for him. It gets better, though, he says. That I can promise. It gets better.”

May: “Steph looks around, up at the bountiful sun, then back down to her feet. She sits down in the grass, buries her head in her hands, and tries not to think about the smell of her baby’s head and how she had just begun to babble.”

Jun: “MARYANN: I love you too. It’s okay. (A pause.) It’s not, really. But I’m too old to be mad at you.  “They sit in silence—the comfortable, heavy silence of two people who have grown as familiar to each other over the years as a hand is familiar to a glove. Ambient sound rushes and grows like the susurrus of trees.”

Jul:  “’Fair,’ Steph says, ‘but it’s fast, remember? Even walking all weird on four legs. What if it catches up to me?’ “He grins at her. ‘You forgot you’re not alone anymore,’ he says. ‘You call me. And I’ll come running.’”

Aug: “She pulls him down back to her level again, and by the time they are finally in his car, speeding down the road with the autumn wind weaving through the windows, the streetlights have come on one by one, flooding the night with light.”

Sep: “A simple in-and-out job, and they would take the kids out for some food and Teru would pretend not to want the last takoyaki and Mob would give it to him anyways and Reigen would ramble on about how they are eating him out of house and home even though Serizawa knows only two days ago he came home with a 6000-yen Majesty Palm nearly as tall as him and they had more than enough money to treat two high school boys and two adult men to some fucking takoyaki–”

Oct: “’I only eat when it’s funny,’ he says loftily. ‘Come home with me tonight.’  “‘Okay,’ says Serizawa. He tastes like ramen, rich and savory, when Reigen leans in to steal a kiss instead. It should be weird, but it’s not. This whole thing should be weird, but it’s not. Reigen’s learned to take weird but good things in stride over the past few years.”

Nov: “Habit takes a few steps closer to Corenthal, moving casually, controlled. He presses his forehead against the muzzle of the gun, a rictus grin on his face. Corenthal’s hands are still steady, but his breathing turns jagged and uneven.  “HABIT (Conversationally) You can’t kill me in a way that sticks, Doc. You know that, don’t you? “

Dec: “Steph stays awake. She does not sleep. She watches the slow shift of moonlight as the night grows old, how it stretches over the faces of the people she has grown to realize she not only cares about but depends on in order to gentle herself like a wild animal. The rise and fall of their chests, the quiet gentle shifting as they sleep. “She keeps watch, throughout the long night.“

[justphilia]

There’s a definite chance I might not be writing this BUT

I had a detroit become human idea for a Mob Psycho fic, it’s pretty loose considering I had the idea while sitting in the back of a car and standing under the shower head.

There’s probably a chance I would be writing it but it’s kinda leaning to a “Nah, probably not”.

With that being said, I kinda don’t want to trash the idea as a whole without it meeting the light of day, so I’m gonna spill my ideas here so I can look back and think; “Wow. That’s shit.”

To add, this whole thing will sound more like babbling than an actual summary, so excuse me lmao.

Tsubomi doesn’t have any friends. But coming from a wealthy family, her parents decides to buy her a friend. Cue Shigeo/Mob. 

I had a funny model name for all the child androids ‘ESP(insert number, for Shigeo it’s 100)’ despite this being a no powers AU. Then I realized it probably wouldn’t fit because I am low key planning for all the espers to be androids and realized ‘Wow, ha ha, that’s a lot of androids’ so now SOME of the espers are androids.

Okay so fast forward and Tsubomi’s parents are thinking, “We should replace Shigeo, he’s kinda old fashioned now.”

“Mom we only had him for 4 years.”

“Exactly.”

But Tsubomi’s really attached to Mob because he’s her best friend, and doesn’t tell him he might be replaced until he finds out himself. He goes bat shit crazy and tries to kill himself and Tsubomi. Cue Serizawa, a cop android.

Serizawa calms my boy down and Shigeo’s like, “You’re right, I shouldn’t be doing this. I’m so--” bang. Tsubomi low key gets traumatized, Shigeo is bleeding blue on the floor.

We shift to the next scene where Shigeo wakes up on like a bed except it’s actually a table. Cue Reigen, he works at Cyberlife as a child therapist/repair worker. Actually, my man was suppose to be just a repair worker but he got promoted to child therapist for calming down a raging Teru.

“Kid, you remember anything?”

“I- Sorta? Where am I, am I gonna be killed?”

Reigen’s like sweating because he isn’t sure himself, Shigeo’s the first kid who tried to commit murder. But as they talked, Reigen’s kinda surprised to realize that Shigeo’s actually a really really sweet kid.

Shigeo asks how Tsubomi is doing and if she hates him. Reigen tells him she’s fine and she misses him. Which is the truth, but he doesn’t mention that Tsubomi did end up getting a replacement in fear of ticking Shigeo off. Cue Ritsu, the replacement android best friend.

There’s a sort of cell holding all the ‘defect’ child androids, like a little playroom but also an actual cell, and inside there’s: Gou, Rei, Takeshi, Daichi, Kaito and Teru.

Cue Teru, who is the only one who has a similar case to Shigeo; he punched a kid in the nose and sent him to the hospital, which made his mom very very pissed and sent him for repairs. Because of this, he’s enraged further and the staff can’t send him back unless his attitude changes to the “ideal son”.

Teru thinks being an android is a gift, he can’t die and he’s pretty much flawlessly shaped. When he meets Shigeo, he asks why he looks so plain, and it’s revealed it’s because Tsubomi didn’t want anything flashy.

And mostly because Shigeo’s an older model.

Each kid (except for Teru) had an actual defect to their system. Gou has somehow obtained a built in lighter function, which isn’t suppose to be there. Rei has the reconstruct and construct feature for unknown reasons. Takeshi is basically a walking magnet, except he doesn’t really know when it’s turned on or off (when it’s turned on, it’s strong enough to accidentally pull all the others towards him and it gets pretty annoying). Daichi and Kaito’s memory cloud keeps syncing with one another, which disrupts them from being able to remember the right things correctly (i.e Daichi gets Kaito’s memories and believes they are his own and vice versa).

The only reason they’re still stuck here is because they come from middle class families (except for Teru), so they’re way behind on the waiting list to get repaired.

Shigeo, on the other hand, came from a rich family, so he’d be out in no time. This makes Teru very mad, he states it isn’t fair that Shigeo gets to be let out sooner than them even though he just got here.

He tries to attack, but unfortunately for him, they’ve installed a software that prevents Teru from being able to kick and punch. Like a parental lock sorta? The same has been done to Shigeo.

Shigeo only makes Teru even more mad when he says he wishes he was human. If he wasn’t human, none of this would’ve happened, “Teru, if you were human, you wouldn’t be right here y’know? Your mom wouldn’t need to send a real human boy for repairs.”

And Teru is pissed because he knows Shigeo’s right. 

But being the cunning bitch he is, he smiles and pretends to accept Shigeo’s opinion, and he asks for a hug. Shigeo happily agrees and let’s Teru wrap an arm around him.

Then Teru squeezes.

“Teru, I can’t, you’re crushing- I can’t--”

“Oh, I know. If I break you enough, you’ll have to stay here with us even longer.”

Shigeo tries to retaliate, but due to the software, he’s unable to kick himself free. The rest tries to intervene, but Teru threatens them to stay back or he’ll squeeze harder.

“Can a human do this? Shigeo? Can they?”

Shigeo manages to break through the system and finally breaks free, he’s back in his aggressive mode and actually starts attacking.

He takes it too far when he rips Teru heart out.

Everyone is screaming at this point and Reigen’s rushing towards the cell like mad. Serizawa is there too, because he wanted to visit Shigeo to see how he’s doing.

“Why are you running?”

“Something bad is happening, I need to be there- Woah there buddy!” Serizawa picks Reigen up and surprises him. Then the android fucking bolts.

When Reigen finally reaches the cell and enters, he finds Shigeo on the ground, bleeding out once again, and Teru staring motionlessly at Shigeo.

“He...gave me his heart.”

Shigeo is sent to be repaired again and this time, he’s kept in a separate cell, because no one knows how he managed to break through their system. It’s almost impossible for a child -and not to mention an OLD- model to be able to do that.

While Reigen’s thinking in his office, cue Mitsuura, who says it’d be a shame for all those child models to lose their cool abilities. He jokes about just creating a child model meant to possess those abilities, like a tiny cop or something.

Cue Suzuki, no no, the other Suzuki. Mommy Suzuki. Except she’s a single lady who surrounds herself with Touichirou, the first ever android model made. That’s right, she’s head of Cyberlife.

She comes in, because she can’t sit still, and says, “Not a bad idea, man.”

Mitsuura has a fit and thanks the woman.

“So, about that old model that broke my parental control lock?” She turns to Reigen and he huffs, shrugging.

“I really don’t know, ma’am.”

She hums, definitely interested. Unlike the OG DBH, in this AU, they’re more lenient in the deviancy of androids because Suzuki believes they can have rights too. Except they don’t need to get paid, unless they want to? Honestly my idea for that aspect is low key fuzzy.

So anyways, Suzuki remembers Mitsuura’s idea and basically starts sketching out the draft. Cue Shou, who doesn’t exist yet but he’s in the making.

“Can you take the extra components of those child androids and keep them somewhere for later use? I’ll be needing them.”

“Ma’am, those androids are at the back of the waiting list, we can’t just--”

“Just do it.”

Cue Roshuuto, who seriously believes they should just kill Shigeo. “He’s too dangerous” blah blah blah SHUT THE FUCK UP.

Anyways, Reigen doesn’t want to do that because a) android or not, that’s a kid and b) You can’t make that decision and neither can I. Only Suzuki can.

Roshuuto sorta frowns, because everyone knows Suzuki plays favorites; and that favorite is Reigen. He’s the reason why Touichi now has a bit of sentience, before that android was pretty ruthless.

So if Reigen personally doesn’t want to get rid of Shigeo, then Suzuki would say the same too.

Meanwhile, Teru has been showing signs of positive improvement in attitude, there’s a speculation it might’ve been because Teru now has Shigeo’s heart, but that’s just dumb. That kid believes he just killed another android and he’s not sure how he feels about it, so he decides the least thing he could do was to be a better android.

Since Shigeo doesn’t share the same cell as them and nobody told them Shigeo survived, everyone in the playroom thinks Shigeo is dead.

Teru gets sent back after that, and the rest of the kids got their needed repairs.

Meanwhile, Shigeo and Reigen has daily consultation sessions, where they try to find the source of Shigeo’s issues. It takes about a month and Reigen hands Shigeo his cellphone number, saying if Shigeo ever needed him, Reigen would be there.

Shigeo gets sent back to the Takane’s family, because if he doesn’t, Tsubomi will throw a fit. She doesn’t do it often, but when she does, it’s ugly. It’s not like she’s spoiled, but when she strongly and firmly wants something, she’s determined enough to get it.

Originally, Ritsu was meant to be a direct replacement of Shigeo. He even had the bowl cut and everything, but Tsubomi’s intelligent and manages to figure out Ritsu’s a fake. She doesn’t get mad at him though, he doesn’t deserve it, instead she just befriends him too. Ritsu becomes a whole new person he wants to be, even mussed up his hair to look different.

So Shigeo meets Ritsu for the first time, and he’s sorta confused and upset, but Tsubomi got attached to Ritsu as well and refuses to leave him. Ritsu says he’s glad to finally meet Shigeo, because he has heard so much about him, and Shigeo decides he could like Ritsu.

I kinda stop making ideas from here, but I had a rough idea what happens next. Teru and Shigeo do meet again at some point, and Ritsu does meet Shou at some point too.

There will be background Serirei, and Shigeo does eventually grow a crush on Tsubomi and confession and oh no it went wrong. I think that’s when Shou makes his first appearance?

Because they think a child can calm another child down. It doesn’t work.

Nobody realizes Reigen’s probably the only thing that can help until the very very last minute.

So anyways, that’s the end of it. I don’t know what to do with this idea because now that I’ve spilled them all on the table, I kinda feel like writing it now. Though I already have two other projects planned, one being Nap’s birthday gift fic and another being a secret project that features Ritshou and amnesia, so it might be delayed to maybe June :(

[needsmoresleepwrites]

To Anon for MP100 SS: Reigen swears he has a boyfriend but Ekubo doesn't believe him and Serizawa is Serizawa

The Teenager Who Cried BOYFRIEND

Read on Ao3

Reigen was slightly upset and ok, perhaps it was his fault he was in such a predicament but really, would he exaggerate (because he never lied...just told it how he saw it) about something as serious as a boyfriend? No. Except nobody believed him

He shivered, bringing his shoulders closer to his body and burying his nose into his soft pink scarf (a gift from his BOYFRIEND). Apparently, the color had reminded him of Reigen and Reigen being the sentimental boyfriend that he was, wore it religiously once the weather got colder. Yes he got some talk from it ('What is that THING' was Ekubo's horrified response when he'd first worn it) but, Reigen colored a little from the cold and from remembering his boyfriend's pleased look when he sent him a picture that day, he didn't care

It really does suit you

Idiot! It's just a scarf, are you still coming?

Yes

Now that he was on school break he could start holiday shopping. Yes he'd left it last minute but he already had some ideas in mind and not many people to gift. Only Serizawa, Ekubo (He grunted. He should get him some socks...in the wrong size!), and -

"Reigen!" but it was too late. He nearly collapsed under the height and weight of Ekubo

"Hey, lover boy, where are you headed off to so sneakily?" The guy always (and he repeats always) sniffed him out. But only when Reigen needed him to be miles away. If he were ever to need the taller man to bail him out then it's like nobody even knew who he was. Like my "imaginary" boyfriend

His voice was muffled under his scarf, "Christmas shopping, I'm meeting Mob this weekend."

Suddenly there was a shadow over him and he was grateful to see the giant umbrella his friend seemed to carry around religiously

"Oh, are you spending Christmas with him?" was Serizawa's kind reply. He seemed to be the only one who "believed" Reigen but it seemed more so that he was trying to keep peace

"Yes, and you guys don't need to come with me," he made sure he was looking at Ekubo when he said this because honestly, he didn't mind Serizawa's company and his umbrella, but Ekubo could be troublesome in many ways, "Don't you have someone else to bother? Girls and boys to make cry this holiday?"

It was a well-known fact that Ekubo was a raging bisexual and by raging he meant that he'd never turn down an adoring fan from his fanclub, which he was the president of (he seemed to love that people loved him). Some people tried to get into his pants a couple times and yes Ekubo had a few flings here and there but he seemed more amused with just messing with people and waving at his adoring crowd than actual relationships. Aside from Serizawa and himself it seemed.

"Come now Rei-chan, friends need to help each other out. Plus, knowing you, you'd probably give this Mob fellow something plain and boring. I'm here to spice up the holidays," and that was what Reigen didn't want. But he didn't try sending his friends off again. Not after Serizawa nodded in assent and not after Ekubo laughed aloud and added, "Besides, I need to know how far you're going to take this whole boyfriend business."

Reigen sighed at that

Serizawa stage whispered Ekubo's name right before hitting him with the umbrella

---

The first time Reigen met Mob was at a Spirits and Such Seminar about a  year ago. Reigen had attended as a self-proclaimed psychic, as whenever anyone in school needed a little extra hand, his services were requested. Unfortunately (or fortunately), none of his assignments ever involved actual spirits. It was usually something about lost animals, stressed-out students, and creepy photographs. Which he usually solved in a manner of a few minutes, sometimes a few hours. Rarely more than that. It was a good way to earn money and it combined many of his unique skills

He'd found out about the seminar while browsing online and was particularly impressed with the whole proclamation about a "real esper" attending. He'd never heard of people with actual powers before. Everyone he'd met along the way had been phonies and, well, he was intrigued

The seminar was being run by someone named Tome Kurata, who was well known in the community for being obsessed with aliens and telepathy. She'd also run a couple other seminars (that had all flopped) but this one had been legit. When he arrived they'd been given some candy, which he'd then re-handed out, and once it started, boy had he been impressed

Impressed by the handsome guest speaker in more ways than one

Not only was he an ACTUAL esper, but he was a powerful one. To settle everyone's minds he'd done a few tricks like made some objects in the room float and then made bubbles with water, creating an almost otherworldly atmosphere. They'd then gotten down to business, talking about the dos and don'ts of spirits, and how to avoid catching the attention of one. Many things he already knew but also some new tidbits he hadn't known. Like the part where Mob had pointed at the woman next to him and said she had a playful spirit atop her head, feeding into her dreams. She'd then confessed that yes, she had been having some strange dreams and the spirit had been exorcised

It had been brief but their eyes had met and he'd seen interest in those black orbs. Possibly because he was the youngest in attendance.

It has to be that, because, unlike his friends, Reigen was average. He didn't work out so he had no muscles to brag about. He was also rather short, something he never thought about until he started high school and found himself dwarfed by quite a few people. Ekubo and Serizawa being two of these people. And he didn't have any distinguishing features.

Mob on the other hand. He was tall, like all the people Reigen seemed to be doomed to meet. And there wasn't anything eye-catching about his physical features aside from his height - he wore a black suit and there was a black jacket on his seat, black hair, black eyes, and pale skin - but there was something about the way he spoke, how kind and patient his voice sounded (like he truly cared about them) and how his eyes wouldn't stray from whoever he was talking to

Which is why Reigen decided he needed to talk with the man

It took a while since everyone wanted to talk to him but finally, he pulled through. Unfortunately, it was because Kurata was shooing everyone away

"Wait, Mob?" the man turned at his name being called but Kurata stood in front Reigen, her voice stern and a scowl on her face, "Mob is tired and the seminar is over kid. Everyone needs to leave now, he'll be consulting for a few days this week, you can come by then. There are flyers being handed out when you leave."

"Ah, but, we're colleagues!" he blurted out and then began to sweat. It wasn't technically a lie. They both worked with spirits afterall

She eyes him suspiciously, "You an esper?"

"Tome-chan?" Mob called out, walking over to her. If Reigen felt dwarfed, he wasn't sure how Kurata felt as she was nearly a head shorter than him. It was slightly amusing

"Mob! He's saying he's an esper!" her eyes seemed to almost sparkle in his direction and Reigen wondered if she liked the guy

Mob turned to him, his eyes almost boring into him and Reigen felt his face heat up. Could espers tell each other apart? He wasn't sure but there was something playful in Mob's gaze, amused, and yup, Reigen got his answer

Reigen cleared his throat, "I'm Reigen Arataka, I'm a senior from Salt Senior High School-"

"Hey! You said you were a colleague!" Kurata cut him off

"-and I also work with spirits." He looked pointedly at Kurata, "And that's why I called myself a colleague."

That made Kurata pout and she promptly walked away, continuing on her duties and leaving him to Mob. Seemed the rumors about that were true

Mob's mouth lifted into a smile, "It's nice to meet you Reigen, don't mind Tome-chan. Did you need help with something?"

"Well, not of the usual sort. You see, I've been helping around the school and town, anyone who says they're haunted or you know, have ghost problems. I was hoping to learn more and since you're clearly more experienced on the matter..." oh god, his eyes, that attention, "uhm, and well, Kurata mentioned you travel a lot, I plan to keep myself local, help out here in Seasoning City. You'd be surprised considering its size but there's a lot of people here who need help!"

Ok he was rambling now and his heart was beating too quickly and he felt sweat beading his brow and upper lip and if he didn't calm down he'd have clammy hands and breath, breathe!

He took a deep breath and nearly rushed through the rest, "Could we maybe keep in contact? Exchange numbers? I'd only text you when I absolutely need help of course!!"

Smooth. That was smooth, right? Ekubo would be proud

"You want Mob's number?" Kurata asked behind him and Reigen nearly jumped out of his skin, his face more bright now he was sure, "Aren't you a little too young? You do know that Mob is already 30, right?"

He turned towards her quickly, "It's for work purposes!"

But just like Ekubo, she gave him a disbelieving look. And no he didn't know Kurata like that (just read a couple things about her) but if it turned out she and Ekubo were related in some way, he wouldn't be surprised

He looked over to Mob, "B-but that's fine if you'd rather not. I know it's weird to have a stranger ask for your number and you probably get this a lot and don't listen to her I didn't mean-"

"That's fine," Mob's quiet voice made Reigen pause, "I don't mind. Here."

"He could also be a serial esper killer Mob," Kurata warned, "Remember what happened last time?"

Last time? Now Reigen was intrigued but Mob only hummed before passing him a business card with a number written on the back, "Don't worry about the time. I can't promise to reply immediately but I'll try to help out however I can."

And okay, maybe Reigen did want Mob's number for that. Or at least eventually, maybe. And maybe Reigen also melted a little when Mob smiled at him and when he placed his warm palm on his shoulder and maybe the rest of his day was a blur because of that

---

Reigen pauses as he feels Serizawa tug on his jacket and he sees Ekubo a couple shops down, waving at him, pointing towards, he looks over, Victoria Secret? Why would he...

"He thinks your boyfriend would like it," is Serizawa's answer and Reigen can't believe that smile on Serizawa's face. Is this betrayal?

Reigen ignores Ekubo's calling and continues walking around the mall. And maybe he's a little glad that they lose Ekubo for awhile but then he finds the two of them again

"Where did you go?" Serizawa asks quietly

"Oh just getting a friend a present, WAIT, Reigen why not get something from here? I hear the back has a few interesting things!"

They stop by at this strange little alcove with the name Spencers on top and shrugs. They go inside, Serizawa giving Ekubo a pointed look and Reigen raising a brow at them both. It seems they carry similar content to Hot Topic. He goes to the back and quickly leaves the store, a laughing Ekubo trailing after him and Serizawa the traitor!

---

Reigen isn't sure what to do. It's been a few hours since they arrived at the mall and he can't seem to pick out what to get Mob. Ekubo has tried to get him to buy some indecent things (I bet your 'boyfriend' would like this and For when you're not around, don't want him getting bored, right?) but it's obvious he means all of them to be for Reigen (as they're for his size). Reigen has gotten close to buying Mob a tie (then remembered he hardly used ties), a coat (then remembered Mob recently bought himself a coat), and a scarf (but he left the store, blushing when Serizawa mentioned a matching set would be cute). And yeah, Reigen kind of liked the idea of matching

They'd passed a couple jewelry places (Why not get him a collar so everyone knows he's taken) but he'd never seen Mob wear anything flashy and some of the prices were way over budget.

But they did pass by a movie theatre and he did see a movie he wanted to watch so perhaps they could come back later that week. Serizawa thinks he wants them to go in and starts looking at the times as well, noting that everything has started already

It's only when they're heading back and he sees a sports shop that he remembers Mob likes to work out. Has told him stories about his middle school days and the Bodybuilding Club and he decides to check it out. It confuses his friends and he can't help but smirk a little. He doesn't work out so obviously this stuff isn't for him

He ends up buying a hairband and a work out sweater with a wide neck because he is a healthy teenaged boy and Mob has a beautiful neck

"Well, I think that's enough for today," Reigen says, a bit of a yawn in his voice, "I don't think I'll find anything else here."

"Were you planning on going elsewhere later?" Serizawa asks, a bag of his own in his hand, his umbrella in the other

"Maybe, though I still don't know what else to get. Do you think these are enough?"

"BORING," Ekubo calls out as he's trailing behind them, "He probably could have brought that stuff himself."

"You should also give him chocolates," Serizawa recommends, "Does he like them?"

Reigen nods, mentally adding that to his list. That's when his phone goes off and he checks his messages

"Is that him?" Ekubo asks. Reigen nods, quickly reading over the message and pocketing his phone, "Joining us?"

"No, just sent me the details of when he's coming by. His plane comes in on Christmas Eve. I told him I'd pick him up."

Serizawa coos and Ekubo raises a brow, "When's he coming in?"

"He's on an early flight, 7."

Ekubo chuckles, "Isn't that rare! You waking up early. WELL, Seri and I are going to bolt now, we have some planning to do."

He nearly pushes Serizawa away and the bigger man waves at Reigen. Planning?

---

It's early on Christmas Eve when Reigen leaves his home to head to the airport and pick up Mob (though really Mob doesn't need picking up, he's a grown man but Reigen didn't want to wait to see him later today). He's still yawning when he leaves and maybe he dozes a bit when he catches a taxi. He's decided to dress casual because they're probably going to head back home and just sleep until later today. Mob did mention he hadn't gotten enough sleep and he was sure to be jet-lagged for awhile. Today wasn't as cold so he wore a cozy hoodie, his scarf, and some jogging pants he had lying around.

He makes it to the pick-up terminal about half an hour early and he finds a place to sit. As it nears time for Mob to come in Reigen begins to nod off, semi-aware of his surroundings and semi-thinking about later tonight. He'd tidied up the house and made some chocolate cookies (thank you internet) and bagged up Mob's gift. He'd also taken out the fluffy blanket Mob liked and made space in his closet. All that was left was for Mob to come home

And really, he could have sworn he'd only closed his eyes for a second, maybe five minutes, but next thing he knows he's being woken up by Mob. That instantly wakes him up and he bolts upright, "Mob! A-uhm, sorry! I said I'd be picking you up and here I am falling asleep and-and...Welcome Home."

Mob is smiling down at him, amusement in his eyes and leans down until they're only centimeters apart, "I'm home."

---

OMAKE p1 

"I can't believe he fell asleep. Probably wouldn't even notice if I mobbed him," Ekubo said, a hand to his forehead, "But he's wearing that so he probably didn't bring anything on him."

"We should go wake him up, Mob should be here any time now and it's not safe to be sleeping out here," Serizawa fussed, his trusty umbrella on hand.

"We can't go up to him!" Ekubo nearly cried out when Serizawa started to walk over, "What part of secret mission didn't you get?! He's not supposed to know we're here!"

"I could walk by him and make a noise or something, he won't know," Ekubo looked at him pointedly

"With that umbrela there? Yeah, he won't recognize you."

"Good, I'll be-"

"I was being sarcastic!" Ekubo groaned. That's when they both noticed someone walk up to Reigen

"I told you it wasn't safe!" "Is that him?!"

It was a taller man dressed in a black hoodie, a turtleneck peaking out the top, black jeans, and black beanie, a carry on bag with wheels trailing a few inches behind him. They couldn't really see his face from where they were hiding but they could tell Reigen hadn't noticed yet. Not until the man nudged his shoulder. Suddenly Reigen stood (probably apologizing) and -

Ekubo whistled, "Guess he does have a boyfriend and a hot one."

Serizawa raised a brow but also looked on in wonderment as the couple kissed

"Good thing I got that gift in the right size."

---

OMAKE p2 

Mob curled up closer to Reigen and smiled at how sensitive the younger man was. Since Mob traveled all over the place he had gotten used to colder weather so something like today was nothing. And even with the heater on, a breeze still entered the house (he'd need to find out where, didn't need Reigen to get a chill).

"You know," he placed a kiss to Reigen's ear, "you have great friends."

"What?" Reigen answered, confused, "You haven't even met them."

Mob only smiled, placing a kiss to Reigen's neck and sighing happily.

---

OMAKE p3 

"Soooo," Ekubo pried once they got back to school, "How was it?"

Reigen lifted a brow, "How was what?"

"Don't play sly! Did you guys use my Christmas gift? He liked it didn't he? He seems the type."

Reigen colored at the little Christmas bag he'd hid in his closet and glowered at his friend, embarrassed, "NO!"

That wiped the smirk off Ekubo's face, "Prude."

The bell rang and the rest of his class started to trickle in, the ones inside settled down. He noticed Serizawa was running late and he began to worry. That guy was never late. He felt a kick to his chair and turned back to see Ekubo grinning at him, waving him to come closer. He clearly had that playful look to him and Reigen felt weary but came closer anyways

"Since you didn't use the gift I so generously sent, why not try out kabeshiri?" Ekubo whispered low enough where only Reigen would hear but loud enough that his voice would carry past the noise of everyone. A sort of stage whisper

"Kabeshiri? What's that?" Reigen mimicked him, a bad feeling stirring in his belly

Ekubo whispered the rest (quietly THANK GOD) and Reigen colored, his earlier worry of Serizawa gone

"I bet he'd be into it and don't forget to use the gift."

The teacher called attention and wow, Reigen had to cool down. Now. But the image of Mob's attention on him, pounding into him while wearing that in such a vulgar and primitive way...would Mob like it? They'd never talked about doing anything different but if Mob wanted to - No wait! Yes, it turned him on but also he liked to see Mob, liked to kiss him, liked to hold him. No, there were too many cons

He was distracted the whole day and Ekubo kept sending him knowing looks

-----

A/N:

Thanks for reading!

Can also leave kudos, comments, bookmark via ao3~

p.s. i can’t find the horizontal line break thing, is that no longer an option for tumblr posts? oh and this was written for Anon H (as i shall call them) for the mp100 secret santa like a year or two ago?? i don’t even know. i noticed it wasn’t on my tumblr and since it’s the one i had the most fun writing (and plan to “continue”, i thought i’d share it)

[shoezuki]

Shou didn’t kiss him, this time. Not during this night, filled with stars and the ache in under Ritsu’s ribs and the thoughts floating from his brain and out into the air. Not then, with the warmth of Shou’s body making something almost bittersweet bubble up from his stomach and into his throat, into his mind. 

Sometimes, Shou slept in what was technically considered his home, in a room that was technically his room and a bed that was technically his. Sometimes he woke up to a mother that was there and looking at him like she was surprised to see him, other times waking up to the silence of someone that had left without even leaving a note. 

Other times he slept at Reigen and Serizawa’s apartment, on a futon that was called his futon. Or maybe in Teruki’s spare bedroom, one that didn’t have his name on it officially but held Shou’s clothes in it’s closet. 

It felt more often than it really was, the rare times Shou would crack open Ritsu’s window in the dead of night. Always when Ritsu was supposed to be asleep, always when his house was silent in the dead of night. And yet always, as Shou would crawl under the covers beside Ritsu, curling up like a cat just barely touching Ritsu, he always woke up. 

They never mentioned it. Ritsu refused to bring it up, maybe thinking he’d scare Shou away or lay something bare they didn’t need to talk about. And they never got the opportunity; Ritsu’s bed was always empty save for him just after the sun rose. 

Ritsu was going to destroy something secret, that night. 

The window cracked open at a bit after 1 am, just like it had the night before, and the night before that, for about a week. He’d been showing up more and more, Ritsu noticed. he had decided not to think too deep into the why’s and what’s of Shou’s appearances, but he did anyways. 

And it had been eating him away. Ritsu would lay there, in the dark, staying completely still as Shou hovered outside his window for a few minutes as if begging Ritsu to stir awake and meet him. Every time Shou would pad, bare foot across his room, every time Shou would pull at the covers so softly and would sigh at the warmth and Ritsu would have to fight every urge to lean into Shou’s warmth and it killed him. All of it. 

He could still feel the burn of lips on his knuckles, his forehead, his cheek. The mental scars of it burned into his skin every silent night, every broad daylight smile sent his way, every jab to his shoulder and every hand clapping on his back and every laugh so bright and airy and suffocating all the same. Ritsu didn’t know what to call it, maybe love, but it was crushing him under the weight of it all.

Ritsu waited, and thought, and mulled as Shou’s feet padded across the floor. The dip of Shou’s weight in the bed made words burst out from his longs, so invasive in the air: “We should talk, Shou.” 

The air turned to electricity. Ritsu’s eyes snapped open and his body moved without his say. Suddenly he was up, blankets pooling around him, his grip so tight around Shou’s wrist. Shou’s eyes were wide, body tense with that instinct to bolt. 

His hair was down for once. Ritsu bit his lip to keep from cussing Shou out for throwing Ritsu’s heart up into his throat and messing up every planned out word in his head. 

He gulped. Ritsu just watched. “You’re supposed to be asleep.”

“I was never asleep,” Ritsu says it curtly, lips a thin line. Shou tensed even more at that. “We need to talk.” Ritsu said, again, and that didn’t calm Shou in the slightest.

“You should lock your window at night.” Shou attempted at a laugh. Ritsu didn’t buy into it, looking at Shou through his lashes. “There’s a reason I never did.” 

Even in the dark, even as Shou seemed to struggle to stay corporeal and was flickering in and out of view, Ritsu could see how his face flushed bright red. “O-oh.” He sounded choked. 

Ritsu let go of him, his eyes never leaving Shou as he swayed on the spot, collapsed on the bed beside Ritsu, sitting a good foot away and hunched into himself. His eyes traced the curved line of Shou’s spine, over the bumps of tension in his shoulders, the dip of his neck as his head hung low. Every word he wanted to say was gone and all Ritsu wanted to do was move, suddenly. And that was terrifying. 

“Do you remember the school,” Ritsu found himself saying, his head swirling with memories of a mock bow, laughter, a hand grabbing his, lips brushing against his knuckles as soft as a paintbrush. He saw Shou’s face and knew he remembered it even without the soft nod of his head. 

“Or the time we ran from the cops?” Shou chuckled in that sort of nostalgic way before Ritsu could even finish, his laugh halting in his throat at the look on Ritsu’s face. “Uh,” he hums, rubbing the back of his neck, at least having the decency to look sheepish, “yeah, not my best moment, maybe. But...”

He kicked his feet to a rhythm Ritsu could hear or feel, eyes unblinking in their focus at the floor. “Yeah I... remember. What you’re talking about.”

Ritsu’s face burned and his heart burned and his ribs were burning against the heat of his heart, his lungs full of smoke. It was rising up his mouth and bringing stinging tears to his eyes. “My cheek,” Ritsu’s voice wobbled, his gaze steady on Shou, “you kissed me, right on my cheek, in front of my brother and Teruki and Tome--”

And then Shou was standing, tall over Ritsu yet looking so small. “I can leave if you want.” He wasn’t looking at Ritsu. “You can lock the door. I want show up at your school anymore.”

Ritsu was angry, then. Angry that he thought he could just run away and cut himself out of Ritsu’s life like that would be anything like what Ritsu would want. Angry that he was going to bolt away from this just like he did every other time.

“You didn’t let me finish.” He huffed low, suddenly between Shou and the open window. “You always do this, Shou. You never let me say anything, just like all those other times?”

“What even is there to say?” 

“A whole damn lot, actually,” Ritsu laughed, it sounding almost bitter yet fond, strangled yet free. “Like, maybe, I could tell you how every damn time you’d grab my hand or throw your arm over my shoulder or anything, I’d tell myself that you were like that with everyone, because thinking that made it easier? Or how every time I’m near you you drive me crazy in the best way? Or how it took my brother, and Tome, Tome, of all people, to tell me that you aren’t like... that affectionate with anyone but me to even consider you liking me back?”

Shou was looking at him, now. His gaze was searing, eyes wide and full of something Ritsu would finally, finally admit to being hope. Ritsu didn’t feel like he was erupting into flames, boiling away into nothing from the inside out. He felt warm, so, so warm, just like he always did when Shou touched him.

“Can... what are you trying to say, Ritsu?” Shou said, and there was a slight tilt to his smile that made Ritsu narrow his eyes and his face flush. “I... sh-shut up, I don’t need to spell it out for you, do I?” 

“Um actually...” Shou huffed. His voice sounded sweet in the cold night air. “Uh, yes. I think you do. but--wait! let me get my phone so I can record this.”

“Are you serious right now?”

“Uh, yes?” Shou scoffed, like Ritsu was the one being ridiculous. “I need digital evidence so I can listen to you saying what I think you’re saying, over and over and over, for the rest of my life.” Shou smiled, phone in his hand, Ritsu bunching his fist and stepping towards him. “And also to make it my ringtone. Obviously.”

Ritsu smacked his hand, phone falling to the ground with a thunk. Shou went to protest, something annoyed on his tongue, but he choked on whatever he was going to say as Ritsu grabbed the collar of his jacket and yanked him forward. 

Ritsu kissed him, properly kissed him, not those half-way attempts and blood-boiling kisses Shou had given him. Ritsu kissed him, once. And it made Ritsu feel as light as a feather, floating in a world somewhere else, somewhere with no one but himself and Shou. 

Shou was never, ever, going to let him forget it. 

[turning-the-kaleidoscope]

For the Caretaker Prompts - 7. “Hold still.”

This one took me forever to decide on bc it’s such a broad prompt and there are so many characters to choose from so i’m using it as a bit of practice for writing Seri’s character! i need to write him more anyway askdjksljdlad

Thanks for the prompt!! Hope I did it justice! :> (this also turned out to be a lot longer than I thought it would which is steadily becoming more and more of a norm for me and I’m not nearly as happy with this as I wanna be so jkjkfjgkljdflgdfgdfg)

It’s been a little while since Reigen took a job on his own. 

He used to do it all the time, he told Serizawa on his way out the door. And he did. It was never a big deal. He was more than capable of taking on jobs by himself, depending on the nature of the work. His sense of being would lead most to think he’s unqualified for it, but honestly, Serizawa has yet to meet a man more capable than him when it comes to dealing with difficult people and insufferable clients. 

But something had been off, today. Serizawa can’t read people in the impeccable way that Reigen can, but he’s at least known him long enough to tell that something wasn’t what it should’ve been. Something was out of place. In Reigen’s tone of voice, in the way he shrugged off Serizawa’s help, even in the way he swung his coat around him. There was a nervous something accompanying the movements that wasn’t Reigen. A sour note in a familiar melody. 

He let him go, though, because Reigen is capable. Because he’s more than able to do whatever it is he’s set out to do. 

Fingers filing through papers, clicking through emails, sorting messages on their website, Serizawa sifts through the paperwork in Reigen’s stead, making sure everything is kept in proper order and sort. Reigen is much faster at this than he is, but only because Serizawa triple-checks every order to make sure everything is as it should be. And he may or may not be intentionally dragging himself through it so he has an excuse to be here when Reigen returns.  

On a normal day, he’d be finished with paperwork by around seven in the evening. Tonight, he finishes at nine. The office closes at six. He’d gotten up to flip the sign and make himself a cup of tea (more out of nervous energy than anything), and since then has been seated at the desk. 

He sits and fiddles, his prepared but untouched cup of tea placed by the closed laptop. Reigen left at four. The clock ticks onwards until nine becomes ten. It’s been too long. He should’ve been back by now. 

Ten thirty. Serizawa texts him, because he’s worried and desperately grasping for reasons why he shouldn’t be. Each time he reaches out, there’s less and less to grasp. Reigen hasn’t responded to the text. He sends another one, and Reigen doesn’t reply to that, either. 

He wonders if he should go looking for him. Reigen is capable, yes, but he’s human, too. And he never really seems to realize just how human he is. 

He’s still debating, and is just about to cast reason to the wind and go after him, when there’s a sound knock at the office door. 

It doesn’t make sense for it to be Reigen, not unless he’d forgotten his keys (and his phone, because Serizawa has been texting him fruitlessly for a good long while now). But he hadn’t forgotten his phone. It isn’t him. 

Serizawa swallows hard and tries to ignore it, too worried and frazzled to deal with a customer at the moment, even if all he has to do is politely remind them that they’re closed for the night and they’d have to try again tomorrow. He’s already restless enough as it is, bouncing his leg and wringing his hands together on the desktop. He’s not in the right mindset for it. 

But there’s a knock at the door, somewhat more forceful this time, and Serizawa scolds himself for being so unprofessional and gets his legs underneath him. They ache from so much time spent sitting doing nothing, but he ignores that and crosses the room. All he has to do is ask them to come back tomorrow; and then, once they’re gone, he’ll grab his coat and look for Reigen. 

He makes his way over to the door. The blinds are shut, and it’s so dark outside that he probably wouldn’t be able to see much of anything anyway, and he takes a moment to mentally prepare his speech before sliding back the locks and pulling it open. 

“I-I’m sorry, we’re closed right now, you-you’ll have to come back tomor–” 

It isn’t a client. 

Reigen smiles wanly at him, an expression tight and drawn enough to snap, and something is wrong. There’s a bruise on the side of his head, dark and splotchy in the porch light over the office door, and he’s holding himself oddly, favoring one leg over the other and keeping his arms tight around his chest. His coat is gone. His hair is a mess.

“Sorry,” he says in a hoarse voice, “but I’m not sure I’ll be able to wait until then.” 

Serizawa blinks.

“Arataka, what…”   

Reigen drags in a breath through his teeth. “I swear it’s not as bad as it looks.”

It catches up with him. 

“What happened?” Serizawa stammers, heart in his throat. He feels sick. He wants to do something with his hands, but all they manage is hovering by Reigen’s shoulders. Should he touch him? How bad is it? “Should I call someone? Do you need a hospital? What–” 

“Katsuya, I know you’re worried, I’ll explain in a sec, but I really need to sit down right now.” 

“R–Right.” Right? “R-Right! Here, I’ll–” 

He beats down his panic and replaces it with purpose, and he takes Reigen by the shoulders and leads him inside. With a flick of his aura, the door shuts and locks in their wake. 

“Mugged?” 

Reigen sighs longly and twirls a finger by his head. “S’mthing like that. They weren’t very good at it, though.” 

“They were good enough.” Serizawa ties off the bandage at Reigen’s wrist, and when Reigen lets it down to his side, Serizawa takes his opposite arm and studies it carefully. It isn’t broken, but there are bruises, and a cut of concerning length stretches from the back of his hand to his shoulder in a messy, twisted fashion. 

Reigen catches him staring and laughs hoarsely. It sounds like it hurts. “One of them had a knife.” 

Serizawa clenches his teeth and swallows back the acid in his throat. He takes a fresh cotton swab from the first aid kit, douses it generously in disinfectant, and drags it along the length of the gash. Reigen stays quiet, but his face is a shade paler than it should be, and his jaw is set tight. 

Blood turns the cotton swab red, and the gnawing pit in Serizawa’s stomach grows. “I should’ve been there,” he says quietly, hardly able to get the words out. 

Reigen hears him, though, and shakes his head. “No, you shouldn’t have been. There was a reason why I didn’t let you go.” 

“I would have been able to protect you, they could have killed you–” 

“They weren’t murderers,” Reigen says. Serizawa can’t pin down exactly why his voice wavers. “I didn’t let you go because it wasn’t worth it.”

Serizawa tosses the swab off to the side and grabs a roll of gauze instead. “What wasn’t worth it?” 

“I know you don’t like using your psychic powers against actual people,” Reigen answers shortly. “I didn’t want to put you through that again.” 

That… makes sense. It makes sense, but still– 

“You at least wouldn’t have been alone,” Serizawa says finally, and hopes it’s the right thing to say. “I know you’re my boss, but you can rely on me, too. You don’t have to put yourself in danger like that, or at least not when you’re on your own. We would’ve figured something out.” 

Reigen turns and stares into the back of the couch, just to avoid meeting his gaze. He sighs. “You’re right, you’re right. Sorry. I’ll… work on that.” 

He’s brushing it off, they both kind of are, but only because there are more pressing things to deal with right now. They’ll talk about it later, and Serizawa will make sure there is a “later,” but first things first. 

“You should see a doctor,” Serizawa says once he’s done bandaging Reigen’s arm. He lets it down at his side, and Reigen doesn’t move. “I don’t know how serious any of this actually is.” 

“I don’t feel up to it right now.” 

“Then I’ll take you.” 

“Take me tomorrow,” he says, still without looking at him–only now, it’s because he’s closed his eyes. “Waiting a few hours isn’t going to kill me, and it’s not like I have a concussion.” 

Serizawa wants to push it, but the fact he’s admitting to needing a hospital anyway is huge. It’s enough to worry him. But he does trust Reigen’s judgment in this. 

“First thing tomorrow, then,” Serizawa says, grabbing one final roll of gauze from the medical kit. “And no getting out of it.” 

“No getting out of it,” Reigen repeats, nodding to himself, and Serizawa takes a breath, holds it for a second, before he goes on; 

“I’m just gonna put something around your ankle to keep it stable until then,” he murmurs, already dreading it. His ankle doesn’t particularly look broken, but he hadn’t put weight on it earlier, and he’d bit his lip and clutched the edge of the couch while Serizawa pulled off his shoe and sock. Those weren’t great signs. 

Reigen doesn’t look very happy with it, either, but he nods and lets Serizawa pull his leg onto the couch between them. It’s definitely bruised and swollen, he can see that now. He’s afraid to touch it, but it’s just to keep it stabilized until tomorrow. 

“Alright,” Serizawa holds his breath a moment, “alright, hold still…” 

Reigen does hold still. Perfectly still, actually, while Serizawa wraps it. He keeps it loose, unsure of how tight it should be, and tells himself that it’s alright, they’ll get it looked at tomorrow, this is fine. 

He makes quick work of it, and as soon as he’s tied it off, he lifts his head. Reigen has an arm draped over his eyes, teeth clenched behind closed lips, skin even paler than before. He doesn’t move. 

Serizawa’s heart skips a beat. “Arataka?” 

“M’fine, sorry,” he says, and Serizawa releases a sigh of relief. “Just–g-gimme a second.” 

“Yeah, right, of course.” Serizawa uses one of the couch pillows to elevate his ankle, not missing the slight hitch of Reigen’s breath when he’s jostled again. Serizawa apologizes quietly, Reigen waves him off with a flop of his hand.

It takes a while for Reigen to catch his breath after that, but he does indeed catch it, and Serizawa dumps his cold cup of tea in favor of making two fresh one. It’s well past midnight now, but neither of them care and sit together on the couch as best they can with Reigen’s leg elevated. 

They sleep in the office that night on the couch, without really intending to, and don’t realize they’d done so until the sunrise of the following day.

[My original tags:

because they’re worth sharing]

[janekfan]

Allocation

Trudging through ankle deep snow towards the small town’s only bus stop, Serizawa spared a sympathetic look for the man next to him when he coughed harshly into his elbow.

“Ah...tol’ Mob I would quit.” The esper didn’t have the heart to tell him it probably wasn’t the smoking; Reigen had been hacking painfully all day, the color so high in his face he wasn’t willing to attribute it completely to the chill and snow in the air. He tugged up his boss’ collar, risking a pat on his shoulder in commiseration, and spared him the struggle it would be to check the schedule as they finally approached.

Just their luck.

They’d missed the last bus by a wide margin, apparently this routine exorcism had taken far longer than either of them had anticipated and now they were stranded here in the middle of nowhere. Another cough startled him out of his pondering and he turned to see Reigen sinking to the lone bench, skin grey and panting. This cold wasn’t doing him any good and he looked back down the street, snow already filling their footsteps. They’d passed an inn--

“How long ‘till the next one?” Raspy, no hint of his usual spark, just tired resignation.

“Tomorrow.” Serizawa looked up into the sky, brushing large, fluffy flakes of the stuff from his curls. “Maybe.” Another cough. “There was a place back a ways. They might have a room.” Nodding, breathless, Reigen climbed shakily to his feet, would have fallen had Serizawa not caught him by the elbow as he slipped on the ice and he kept up his firm grip as he stumbled again, all but leaning on him while they staggered to the inn. Being so near to him, Serizawa had to fight his own blush, pulse racing faster each time Reigen slumped closer, the heat of him exhilarating even through their coats.

 

The room was reasonably priced though sparsely furnished and Serizawa hung their sopping coats, helped Reigen shrug out of his damp suit jacket and toe off his soaked shoes before settling him in a low chair to tug off his dripping socks and glance out the window. It was really coming down now, piling up in the panes. The innkeeper had been right. No one would be coming in or out of town probably for the next day at least.

“Sorry…” That barking cough again, deep and wet this time and Serizawa pushed the spike of worry away before it could set anything in the room to floating. It was probably from transitioning out of the cold, that’s all. “Can get it…” Tugging pathetically at his collar, fingers clumsy with cold tried to loosen his tie with a frustrated huff. Serizawa chuckled just a bit at Reigen’s attempts, chest pounding as he cupped his jaw gently with one palm and pressed his struggling hand down with the other.

“I got it, just relax.” Softly, bold in the face of his disorientation and content to believe he wouldn’t remember any of this tomorrow. It felt a bit like he was taking advantage of the man while he was in this state.

“Mmf…” Barely awake, Reigen leaned his hot cheek into the cool touch as Serizawa slipped the tie from around his neck.

“You’re really hot.” The gust of air passing through his teeth at the comment was more an exhale than a laugh, but the half smirk on his lips was contagious even as Serizawa felt the blood rush to his face. “Wait here, I’m going to check if the desk has anything for it.”

In the end they hadn’t had anything more than Tylenol but Serizawa roused him from where he’d fallen asleep, head tipped against the chair back, and got him to take it with a full glass of water before turning his attention to their ruined trousers, drenched almost to their knees with snowmelt. He couldn’t sleep in those, he’d get worse.

“You’ve got to get out of these wet things and into bed.”

“Getting fresh with me now, Serizawa?” Reigen fixed him with an amused, if exhausted, eye, voice fading in and out.

“N’n’no!” Ramrod straight, arms at his sides, the full body bristle made the conman laugh for a moment before a wheezing fit made him lurch forward. Serizawa forgot all about his embarrassment in favor of soothing him through it, filling another glass and encouraging him to sip slow.

“Might be right.” A tired, shivery sigh and he fumbled with his belt, all thumbs, and Serizawa laid his palm over them, mouth pressed in a tight line as he shifted them aside and unclasped the buckle, pulling him forward so he could kick them off and catching him against his chest as he toppled over. They hung there, suspended in the moment, and Serizawa’s mouth went dry as he swallowed thickly, Reigen’s head leaning on his shoulder and breath beating quickly against his neck. “Sorry...los’ my balance.” The esper nodded, paralyzed with Reigen overwarm and flush against him.

“Yeah,” the word caught in his throat, he cleared it nervously, “yeah, you should sleep.”

And therein lay the rub. There was only the one. Bed that is.

A small futon and no other linens. The innkeeper had apologized and explained that the unexpected storm had trapped quite a few travelers unawares. But the room was warm enough and the chair would suit him for a night. He’d dealt with worse. Reigen was limp under the quilt, melting into its softness and blinking slow as the chill seeped out of him. Serizawa pulled off his own damp clothes, hanging them all up with the coats and jackets before checking on Reigen one last time, surprised when his hand snuck out from under the blankets and grasped his shirt.

“S’cold.” He shivered hard to prove it.

“Rei--”

“Don’t be foolish, there’s only one bed...and s’cold.” Speech slurred from fatigue with eyes half-lidded and hazy, he held his gaze and tugged insistently. “S’okay…” And between one moment and the next Serizawa found himself tucked closely next to Reigen’s warmth, wrapped up in that softness with him and far too near his face to trust himself. His heart was thumping so hard against his ribs he worried that Reigen would hear it. “L’call Mob tomorrow...tell him.” He shuddered, burrowing even closer, burrowing into Serizawa’s chest and sighing deeply, relaxing by degrees until the esper was sure he’d fallen asleep. It was only then he dared to run tentative fingers through hair damp from sweat and snow. Allowed himself this one touch. As many times as Reigen had cut his hair, run his hands over short curls to admire his handiwork, he’d hadn’t ever had the chance to do the same and oh how he’d wondered. Reigen hummed low and Serizawa froze, eyes wide in the dark of the room and suffocating beneath the silence of snow being laid thick and fast outside. “Nice…” Serizawa stroked his head again, running his hand down his nape, over his shoulder blades, feeling the unrelenting heat through the creased material of his shirt.

“Just try and sleep.” Another pass and Reigen drew back to examine Serizawa for long seconds, something achingly familiar in those brown depths, before he shifted forward, pausing in his attempt with an expression akin to frustration and settling for cupping his ear instead, stopping him with a gentle nudge.

“You’ll get sick.”

His lips were soft against his, slightly chapped from wind or fever, and the kiss was too clumsy to be anything romantic but at the same time nothing less than perfect. They broke apart, Reigen’s nose brushing against Serizawa’s cheek as the esper moved to pepper the column of his throat with featherlight kisses. He could feel more than hear the hum of pleasure as it reverberated through him and he forced himself to stop, smiling into salt skin at the noise of discontent the younger man made.

“You need to sleep.” One more chaste press to his forehead and Serizawa knew it was true when minutes later Reigen was well and truly under, settled there by the hand moving over his back. Warm and so, so content, he followed soon after.

 

The busses weren’t running that morning because of the weather and Reigen made do on his promise to call Mob and tell him not to come in that day, unsure of when they’d make it back. He groused, Serizawa felt it was mostly for show, about having to pay for another stay but didn’t seem keen on moving far from bed, still not feeling well and happy to spend the day sipping tea for his cough and dozing, limbs akimbo. He convinced Serizawa to sit with him on the futon, leaning against him and talking about everything and nothing, cup warm in his hands and so sleepy the esper had to lift it away as he nodded off. By the time the busses were running again, their clothes were dry and Reigen’s newest dose of Tylenol took care of most of the lingering discomfort. They parted on the train at Serizawa’s stop, suddenly shy and just barely brushing fingers as they exchanged pleasantries regarding work tomorrow.

 

A knock on the door made Serizawa groan. He knew he shouldn’t rely on his powers but he didn’t think he could make it to the door aching like he was and decided that this one time would be okay.

“Serizawa?” Reigen stepped into his small apartment, pharmacy bag in hand, slipping out of his shoes to come stand before the couch, no doubt taking in his rough appearance. “Ah, told you.” A conciliatory pat and he dropped a kiss to the top of his head, brushing a hand through his curly hair and it was so good to have someone care like this. “I’ll make you tea and you can take some medicine.” Rolls reversed, Serizawa curled up against Reigen on the small couch, the worst of the symptoms now kept at bay as he drifted, eyes slipping to the window and the flakes of snow fluttering down before the hand at his back whisked him gently away.

[thinkanamelater]

Boys (A Mob Psycho 100/Age swap fanfiction)

Despite Tome’s insistence of “only real espers will go on this job!”, Reigen trotted alongside Mob-shishou and Serizawa, attempting to join their hushed conversation.

“I-I do believe it’s a spirit, Master…” Serizawa muttered and looked up to Mob, who nodded in agreement. “B-but it must be good at hiding… I can sense it but its presence is very vague…”

Reigen nodded too, exaggerated.

“I can sense it as well!” He exclaimed, and a stare from Mob made him lower his voice to a strained whisper. “The- the presence and… all that…”

It was true. Mostly. Even with his alternative powers – because of course he wasn’t powerless! He had his own particular set of powers, you just weren’t advanced enough to notice them, thank you very much - he could feel there was something going on. The setting itself was enough to make one uneasy: a quiet, empty playground, surrounded by trees that made it harder for the streetlights to illuminate it. And besides that, there were the many stories of people – children and adults alike - getting scared senseless in there.

However, none of that was enough to scare the soon-to-be Greatest Psychic of the 21st Century, Reigen Arataka!

So, when a sudden movement shook the vegetation around them, he definitely did not shake in unison. With his not-shaky limbs, he posed with two fingers on his temple and his other hand stretched outward. “Over there!” He signaled dramatically to where the threat could be found.

Serizawa let out a shy laugh, and Mob pointed to a completely different direction.

“It’s over there. Serizawa-kun, are you ready?”

“E-eh?” The teen jumped, peeling his eyes off Reigen and looking forward. “M-me? Master, are you sure…?”

Mob nodded again, wordlessly, and placed a steady hand on Serizawa’s shoulder. Encouraged, he inhaled deeply and raised his trembling arm, extending his fingers slowly. A sudden spark of light came out of his fingertips and hit a tree branch, making it fall off and making Serizawa yelp in surprise.

“I can’t- no… no…” Serizawa’s voice hitched as he started retreating his hand, with his eyes shut.

“Shh…” Leaning to match his height, Mob breathed in and out in a soothing rhythm, prompting Serizawa to do the same.

From two safe steps behind, Reigen watched immobile and with great interest, letting out his own breath when Serizawa opened his eyes and there was a calmer expression on his face. He repositioned his arm and tried again – now, fascinated, Reigen could see a controlled stream of purple-ish light flowing all the way from Serizawa’s chest to his hand, illuminating his round face in the process.

Just as Reigen was about to (quietly) cheer on him, the three of them jumped when a high-pitched scream of “No!” filled the air, followed by a blurry figure diving head-first into the bushes.

A second later the figure resurfaced and they could see a boy with messy hair, about Reigen’s age, probably, but whose skinny frame made him appear smaller, holding…

Reigen had to blink repeatedly to make sure he wasn’t seeing things. What he was holding was a fluorescent… creature, about the size of a fat cat or a medium dog, with many eyes looking here and there and never blinking. The thing squirmed in the boy’s grip, but it didn’t seem to be trying to escape from his arms. One of the eyes turned to look at Reigen, and realization hit him.

“Wait- that’s the evil spirit?!” He yelled, startling Mob and Serizawa out of their astonishment.

“She’s not evil!” The boy yelled back, holding the spirit closer to his chest, and stuck out his tongue, making Reigen scoff. “She just… she’s a bit naughty but I’ll control her better… I promise! Please…” This time, he looked right at Serizawa, his eyes big and pleading.

“I-I don’t…” Frantic, Serizawa looked at Mob, then at Reigen, then at the boy and finally down into his own shoes. His hand went down a bit, but he did not suppress his powers, which danced like candlelight over his hand. “I-it was making people scared, so… w-we have to exorcis-!”

“She’s my friend, please don’t hurt her!” The boy cut him off, now close to tears, (which Reigen was sure were fake). “I can teach her to behave! I promise!”

“Master…” Serizawa looked up, letting his arm fall to his side. “I can’t do it, Master… He says he can take care of her… N-no, I won’t do it!” He was determined and Mob’s face softened in a smile.

“You made a good decision, Serizawa-kun”

“Yay!” The boy beamed, leaving his pet spirit on the ground before throwing his arms around Serizawa. "Serizawa-kun, you’re the best!!” He planted a firm kiss on Serizawa’s flustered cheek.

Reigen’s choked noises were only covered by Serizawa’s ones.

“By the way, I am Matsuo!” He (finally, Reigen thought) let Serizawa go, and beamed a smile at them. “I’m going to be a great psychic one day!”

Reigen scoffed louder, but no one paid attention to him. That was no fair! It wasn’t his fault he was not a weird… spirit whisperer, or something.

“That sounds good, Matsuo-kun” Mob replied politely. “It was nice knowing you. Make sure to train your spirits accordingly so they don’t bother people!”

“I will! Yes!” Matsuo assured, picking his pet up and waving.

As he walked out, he stared at Reigen and smiled mockingly at him. Offended, Reigen stuck out his tongue.

“Reigen-kun” Mob sighed “Don’t be childish.”

[lo2writes]

“Living Up to Your Name” - a mob psycho 100 fic

AO3 link here!

Summary: Takenaka accompanies Mob and Reigen on a job, and it turns out that using his telepathic powers to help others has a bit more emotional baggage than he bargained for.

~~~~~

Takenaka looked up to read the sign, then back down at the address he’d written on a scrap of paper in his hand. Spirits and Such Consultation Office. This was the place, of course. A tacky neon sign couldn’t very much be mistaken for anything else. He sighed, opening the door and ascending the steps. He was not looking forward to this.

When he reached the office proper, he knocked on the door a few times and a tall, sturdy-looking man answered it after a moment.

Takenaka looked up at the stranger, then past him to peek into the office before finally making eye contact. “Hello, I’m—“

The man startled as if suddenly remembering something. “Takenaka! Yes, hello! This is… You’re in the right place. Please, come this way.” He guided Takenaka inside and closed the door. “Would you like some tea?”

“Er, no. Thank you, um...?”

“Oh, my name is Serizawa. Pleased to meet you,” he said with a slight bow. He reached out a hand and Takenaka took it hesitantly. Serizawa’s grip was firm and friendly.

"I’m an esper, like you,” Serizawa continued. “I’ll be watching the office while you are gone with Kageyama-senpai and Master Reigen.”

Takenaka nodded, not sure what else to say. They rounded the corner and Reigen’s desk came into view, the man himself typing intently on a laptop. Reigen glanced up at the sound of their footsteps, his eyes brightening as he stood and greeted him.

“Ah, Takenaka! Right on time.”

“I’ll, uh… leave you to it then,” Serizawa said, and Reigen nodded at him in thanks. Serizawa turned awkwardly with a slight smile and took a seat at a nearby table to resume what looked to be organizing paperwork into various piles.

(Why had he hired an esper just to do secretary work?)

Reigen came around the desk and shook Takenaka’s hand. His bony fingers cut into his skin, the grip even stronger than Serizawa’s despite his smaller size. Then Reigen released him and clasped his shoulder instead, showing off a warm smile.

“We should get going,” Reigen said, swinging on his heels and sauntering toward the door. “Come on, Mob, we’re leaving,” he yelled over his shoulder. Kageyama, who had been sitting patiently in the corner of the room, stood and grabbed his backpack before following suit. He’d been so quiet that Takenaka hadn’t even noticed him until now.

Takenaka was the last to leave the room. Just before he went through the threshold, he heard Serizawa’s soft voice wish them luck.

They descended the stairs quietly, with just the clomp of footsteps on wood resounding through the narrow passageway. Takenaka bit his lip and sighed again. This was the first time he’d ever done something like this and well... he was nervous. He didn’t really know what to expect. Or if he’d actually be of any help at all.

“Hey, Kageyama?” Takenaka asked quietly.

“Hm?”

“How many of these job things have you done with Reigen?”

Mob’s eyes squinted almost imperceptibly as he thought for a moment. “I’m not sure. I’ve been working for Master Reigen for several years now, though. So it’s been a lot.”

“Have you ever done anything like this before?”

“Not really. But I do think we’ll be able to help the client either way.”

Takenaka huffed a breath. “I hope so.”

“Don’t worry, Takenaka,” Mob reassured. "Master Reigen is a spirit specialist. He’ll help you if you need it.”

“...I honestly don’t know whether that’s supposed to comfort me or not,” Takenaka replied curtly.

Mob’s mouth flattened into a line. “Ah. Well, I’ll be there to help you if you need it then.”

Okay, that was, admittedly, a little more encouraging. Besides, the only reason he was helping them in the first place was because Mob had asked him to. And regrettably, this wasn’t the first time that kid had persuaded him to do something he didn’t want to do despite his better judgment.

~~~~~

When they arrived at the client’s home, they were greeted by the hospice caregiver at the door, a small, thin woman with a kind face. She looked like she’d been expecting them.

“Tachibana-san is upstairs with the family,” she explained.

“Yes, thank you,” Reigen said. Takenaka was right in assuming Reigen would be doing most of the talking here. Mob and Takenaka shared a glance before stepping inside after Reigen.

Takenaka had felt a bombardment of negative thoughts hitting his mental barrier like pebbles against a window ever since they had entered the neighborhood. However, as they ascended the stairs, it only got worse, forcing him to focus on keeping the barrier in place more securely than usual.

They followed the sound of quiet voices until they came to one of the bedrooms and stepped inside. Immediately, Takenaka’s face fell.

Hearing about it was one thing. Seeing it, though, connecting the situation Mob and Reigen had told him about to a real person and a real family and a real life, was something entirely different.

The sick grandmother was lying in a railed hospital bed in the middle of the room, swathed in blankets. A plethora of wires were attached to her, probably to do different kinds of monitoring, though the most noticeable thing was a cannula wrapped around her ears and into her nose. She was surrounded by about a dozen family members who were scattered around the space, sitting, standing, whispering quietly to each other.

No one was crying. It was obvious that they’d all done their fair share of that already. Still, the whole scene made a heavy weight drop in Takenaka’s stomach, tugging at his insides and filling him with complicated negative emotions he would really rather not be feeling.

The client was the grandmother’s eldest son, Mr. Tachibana. He stood at the side of the room wringing his hands and he spoke briefly with the hospice caregiver as they came in. He looked to be in his late fifties, bits of grey peppering his dark hair. The youngest in the room was a girl who couldn’t be older than six, sitting on her mother’s lap, gentle fingers stroking her head. In between were aunts, uncles, cousins, siblings from all walks of life.

Takenaka thought it was understandable; of course they’d all wanted to be present at the prospect of knowing their recently-nonvocal grandmother’s thoughts.

Takenaka took another timid step forward into the room and was able to see the old woman more clearly. She was sleeping, her wrinkled eyes closed in a slight frown and her labored breaths coming and going with steady motions. He could see that her neck was puffy and swelled with fluid, a side effect of the cancer that had overtaken her throat and lungs.

Reigen walked over and began speaking with Mr. Tachibana and the hospice caregiver. They shook hands, their words coming in hushed tones. Reigen nodded occasionally and gestured at the two boys he’d brought with him. Takenaka was actually glad Reigen was there to play the adult, even if he was a glorified conman.

A girl who looked to be a little older than himself was sitting by her grandmother’s side, holding her fragile hand. The girl’s face was blank, though Takenaka could see the remnants of dried tears staining her cheeks. Her chest deflated as she exhaled a heavy breath and she shifted a bit in her seat. The six-year-old he saw earlier (maybe her sister?) left her mother’s lap and padded over to the other side of the room, wrapping her arms around the elder girl’s waist and squeezing with all the force she could muster. Lifting her gaze from the six-year-old, the elder girl turned and caught Takenaka looking at them. Her eyes softened and the side of her mouth lifted into a sad smile. Takenaka blinked and awkwardly turned away, feeling as though he had intruded on something.

Eventually, Reigen returned to them with Mr. Tachibana in tow. He placed a slender hand on Takenaka’s shoulder.

“Our client would like to get started,” he said, voice significantly muted compared to its usual grandiosity.

“Yes. Reigen tells me that you are the telepath who agreed to help us?” Mr. Tachibana began.

Takenaka nodded.

Mr. Tachibana suddenly gave him a low bow, and Takenaka startled. He hadn’t even done anything to deserve it yet.

“Thank you so much for coming today,” the man said. He raised his head and reached out to take one of Takenaka’s hand’s in both of his.

He was receiving far too many handshakes today.

“The family and I didn’t know what else to do,” Mr. Tachibana continued. “Her illness just progressed so fast… I hope that you can help us.” Then he smiled, his eyes shining with unshed tears.

Takenaka returned the smile weakly. “Yes, sir. I’ll do my best.”

“If there’s anything you need, please let me know.”

“I-I will, thank you.”

“Takenaka, could you try getting a gauge of Mrs. Tachibana’s thoughts now?” Reigen asked.

With a nod, Takenaka made his way over to Mrs. Tachibana’s bedside. The older girl he’d noticed before got up and wordlessly offered him her seat.

“Oh, thank you,” he mumbled awkwardly. For some reason he couldn’t bring himself to meet her eyes.

“You’re welcome,” she replied with a small bow of her head. The girl gave him that same sad smile and stepped away to join the rest of her family on the other side of the room. Then, it was suddenly very quiet. Takenaka could feel their eyes watching him.

Mob came over and stood by his side, nearby but with enough space between them so he could concentrate. Mob wasn’t a telepath, but he could certainly do more with his powers than Takenaka could and, though he wouldn’t ever admit to it, having him here was the biggest relief he’d had all day.

Hooray for moral support.

With a deep breath, Takenaka reached inwardly at the barrier he’d so carefully built in his head over the years. He lifted it slowly to allow some thoughts to come in.

Immediately, Takenaka’s brain was overwhelmed with the worry and sorrow resonating from every living person in the room, his face contorting at the searing pressure that pounded suddenly at his temples and the crown of his head. The sheer volume and weight of the thoughts, the emotions that flooded into his skull, felt more like it was coming from a hundred people rather than the few that were actually present in the room. He felt like his eyes were going to pop out of their sockets.

It quickly became too much, and Takenaka replaced his barrier with a sharp wince after a few seconds, graciously welcoming the silence. Mob placed a gentle hand on Takenaka’s tense shoulder.

“Are you alright?” he asked, his concern breaking the usual monotone.

Takenaka cleared his throat. “Y-yeah, it’s just… a lot.” He rubbed at his temples. Doing that never really helped, but it was hard to break out of the habit.

Mob hummed in understanding, letting his hand fall back to his side once Takenaka’s face had relaxed again.

“Would it be easier if you did this alone? We could ask the family to leave for a moment,” Reigen said.

Takenaka almost let out a dry laugh but he choked it back. “Sadly no. They’re so emotional that I could probably still hear them from ten blocks away if I let my barrier down.”

“Ok, that’s a problem,” Reigen mused, bringing a hand to his chin.

“I could try to block out the others for you,” Mob suggested. “So you could focus on Mrs. Tachibana.”

That was… actually a good idea. There was no way he’d be able to pay attention to one person with everyone else essentially screaming at him at once. He knew that they didn’t mean to, of course, but you couldn’t exactly tell someone to just turn off their thoughts.

Takenaka nodded. “Alright. I guess we could try that.”

“Master, Mr. Tachibana, please stand back a little,” Mob said. They complied.

Then, Mob extended an arm in front of him, palm facing forward, and released a flash of energy. Immediately, his hair lifted slightly at the roots and floated around his head like he was underwater. A barrier appeared to surround the two espers and the bed, the swirling blues and purples of his aura forming a dome.

The family startled and gasped in awe at his small display of power, a tiny “ Wooow… ” coming from the little girl. After a moment, the colors began to flicker and fade until all that remained was a faint distortion of light where the barrier remained in place.

“Okay, it should be quieter for you now,” Mob said, his hair gently falling back to its original shape. Takenaka couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy at how effortlessly Mob used his psychic abilities, how they were so much more versatile than his own, but he shook away the thought.

Takenaka took another deep breath. Alright then. Round two. He tentatively removed his mental earplugs again and sighed in relief as he was met only with the quiet hum of Mrs. Tachibana’s dreams. He listened for a moment. They were mostly nonsensical, a conglomeration of short-lived thoughts and feelings that didn’t tie together very well.

Reigen took a step toward him but was careful to remain just outside the barrier.

“Is that better for you?” Reigen asked.

“Yes,” Takenaka replied, a bit surprised at Reigen’s consideration.

“Whenever you’re ready, you can go on and wake her. It’s alright,” Mr. Tachibana said, gesturing at his mother.

Takenaka steeled his nerves, trying not to focus on the dozens of eyes fixed on him as he reached out and placed a hand on Mrs. Tachibana, carefully shaking her shoulder to rouse her awake.

“Hello? Mrs. Tachibana, can you hear me? Your family would like to speak with you,” he relayed.

Her eyes blinked open and she turned her head to face Takenaka.

“Hmm? Would they now,” she replied.

Takenaka drew back in his chair, utterly stunned. People did not usually react so casually to having someone else’s thoughts thrust into their heads.

“Y-yes. They asked me to come and—”

“And read my thoughts? I figured as much.”

Takenaka startled. “Have you... met telepaths before?”

She smiled, amused. “I was married to one, actually. Why do you think my family asked you to come? Did you think we were a bunch of whack jobs or something?”

Well, obviously, despite her illness, Mrs. Tachibana still had a very readable consciousness and enough strength to talk to him and… make jokes. Takenaka’s mood shifted to something considerably lighter. He welcomed it, considering what the atmosphere had felt like ever since he first entered the room.

Mrs. Tachibana must have noticed Takenaka’s change of expression. “There you go, young man, there’s no need to worry. I’m very much used to this. My children were too young to remember much of my husband before he died, but they do remember his abilities, I’m sure.”

“Oh, that’s… I’ve never... known any other telepaths,” Takenaka admitted.

“Really? That’s a shame. I wish there were more of you, honestly. You make quite interesting conversationalists.”

She smiled weakly at him again. “But listen to me go on. Should we get down to business? I’m sure my family is quite eager.”

“Um, yes, of course.”

Takenaka turned to face her son, whose brow was furrowed with worry. “Well? Can you… communicate with her?” he asked.

“Yes.”

Mr. Tachibana sighed in relief. “Oh, that’s wonderful. Can you ask her how she’s doing? Does she need anything? Is she hungry? Thirsty? Is she in any pain? Does she need more blankets?”

“Slow down, son, I can only answer one thing at a time.”

Takenaka repeated her aloud.

“Oh. Sorry.” Mr. Tachibana scratched his cheek awkwardly. “What’s most important is that she is comfortable. Would you please ask her if there is anything she needs?”

Takenaka was about to relay him when Mrs. Tachibana’s thoughts interrupted, “Stop, stop, you don’t have to repeat everything. I’m mute, not deaf. Please tell my son that I am quite comfortable. I am a bit thirsty, though. This awful cannula dries my throat out.”

Takenaka turned again to face the others and repeated what she said, prompting the hospice caregiver to dash over with a cup of water and a straw for the elder woman. After she had taken a drink, Mr. Tachibana tentatively spoke to Takenaka.

“Young man, if you please, many members of my family would like to speak with my mother… We would appreciate if you could translate her thoughts for us.”

Takenaka nodded. “Of course, sir.”

Mr. Tachibana motioned over to two older women. Apparently they had already planned out who would get to speak with her first.

“Takenaka, these are my sisters.” Both of them gave a small bow. The elder one took out a slip of paper from inside the pocket of her suit jacket and took another tentative step toward him.

“We’ve each prepared a list of things to talk about so we won’t take up too much of your time,” she said, her voice apologetic.

“O-oh, um...” Takenaka stuttered. “It’s no trouble, really. Please.” He motioned for her to come next to him, but she hesitated. She extended a slightly trembling hand and hovered it over the distorted light of the barrier for a moment before withdrawing it to her chest.

“Is it safe?”

Mob spoke up. “The barrier I created is ethereal. It won’t hurt you, I promise.”

Reigen nodded and hummed in agreement. “Nice work, student. I’ve taught you well.”

Takenaka resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

The woman hesitated another moment, staring unblinking at the barrier. Then she took a deep breath and stepped through, looking relieved when she realized she’d made it in one piece. She exhaled and turned her attention to her mother, unfolding the paper in her hand as she gave a watery smile.

“Hi, mom.”

Takenaka spent about a half hour with them inside the barrier, translating Mrs. Tachibana’s responses, all the while hearing her daughter’s thoughts and trying not to let the particularly depressing ones get to him. They were, unsurprisingly, turbulent and disjointed, a mix of anxiety and sorrow and love all at once. He tried to focus on his task of translating, and, miraculously, succeeded for the most part. Hopefully this whole experience was helping him get better at filtering out people’s mind-equivalents of word vomit that he usually had to sort through.

When she had finished, she leaned down and kissed her mother on the cheek. She whispered a goodbye and exited the barrier wordlessly, her sister pulling her into an embrace and holding her head against her shoulder. They parted after a moment, then the younger sister walked over next to Takenaka to begin her time.

She didn’t stay as long, having heard the earlier conversation and not wanting to risk breaking down crying in front of her children.

Um. Takenaka felt like he’d intruded having read that last thought of hers, but he couldn’t really help it.

It went on like that for a long while, each person spending time with Takenaka and Mrs. Tachibana within the barrier and saying their goodbyes. Mr. Tachibana stayed for an especially long time, his thoughts saturated with a grief Takenaka couldn’t begin to understand. The afternoon eventually tipped over into evening.

At some point, Reigen had left his spot next to Mob and was wandering from person to person throughout the room, striking up quiet conversation and trying to lighten the mood while everyone waited their turn. Takenaka couldn’t hear him exactly, but he was definitely an expert at entertaining. His hands moved animatedly as he spoke and it seemed that he never ran out of things to say. Mob, on the other hand, remained silent, observing Takenaka or Reigen with his usual stoicism. It was strange to see such polar opposites working together.

Takenaka had expected it would be tiring, using his powers so much like this. But it was actually sort of liberating not having to keep his own barrier in place for an extended period of time. Despite everything, he was… happy.

Eventually, the two girls he saw earlier came over hand-in-hand. The elder one spoke.

“Is it alright if we go together? Kaori’s too shy to be on her own.” She looked down at her young companion, who was averting her eyes from Takenaka and fussing with the hem of her skirt.

“That’s fine with me.” Little kids were pretty easy to handle, actually, so having an extra person wouldn’t be much trouble. Children always said what they thought.

They walked through the barrier and both girls quietly greeted their grandmother. Takenaka listened and relayed her response.

“She says hello too. She’s… she says she’s very proud of you.” It was a bit of a simplification, but he hoped they would understand all the other things that went with a statement like that.

He was right. The elder girl’s eyes immediately welled up with tears, but she smiled through them.

“Thank you,” she replied, then looked down at her sister. “What do you say, Kaori?”

The girl hesitated, looking to the side.

“We talked about this, remember?” She knelt down and pointed at Takenaka. “This boy knows what grandma’s thinking, and he can tell us. That way we can talk to her even though she can’t talk herself.”

“I know…”

“You don’t have to be scared,” she said, looking up at him. “He’s a friend.”

“Um…” Kaori hesitated again.

Takenaka may have been able to deal with children’s thoughts, but children themselves were a different story. He had no siblings, no experience with situations like this. But he had to do something. He could hear her nervousness but also her quiet curiosity whispering in his ear.

“Do you want to play a game?” Takenaka offered.

Kaori eyed him from her hiding spot behind her sister’s skirt. After a moment, she stepped forward a bit and nodded.

“How about you think of a color, and I’ll tell you which one you chose?”

Her eyes lit up. “Okay.”

“Alright then,” Takenaka said. “Think of any color you want.”

Kaori pursed her lips and squinted her eyes, thinking. She hummed little contemplative noises as Takenaka sensed her cycling through the color wheel in her own thoughts. Green, blue, yellow, purple, orange… He could see them clear as day. Then Kaori smirked, finally settling on something.

“Ready?” Takenaka asked.

“Yeah.”

Takenaka’s lips cracked into a smile. “Oh, come on now, that’s cheating. You can’t pick ‘rainbow’ as a color. That’s too confusing.”

Kaori gasped in awe. Her tiny, adorable voice made Takenaka’s heart melt a little bit.

“How did you know?” she whispered. Her sister let out a watery laugh.

Takenaka tapped his temple with one finger. “Like your sister said, I can see it all right here.”

“Wow…” Kaori gasped.

Her sister spoke up. “See? He can do the same thing with grandma. Want to talk to her?”

Kaori nodded, a hint of a smile on her face as she approached her grandmother’s bed. Then she looked at Takenaka.

“Ready?” he asked.

~~~~~

“Tell me, what is your name?”

“Huh?” Takenaka startled.

“You know so much about me now, but I don’t even know your name.”

“Oh, right...It’s Takenaka. Takenaka Yuuto.”

Suddenly, Mrs. Tachibana smiled. “Yuuto, huh? Well, I should have figured. You really live up to your name, don’t you?”

Takenaka didn’t know what to say to that.

“You’re going to be just fine, young man. Take an old lady’s word for it.”

The corner of his lip lifted into a small smile. “It was good to meet you, Mrs. Tachibana.”

“Likewise, Yuuto.”

He finally stood from his chair and bowed to her, doing his best to show the deep respect he felt for her and her family in the gesture. Then, reluctantly, Takenaka raised his head, willed his mental block back into place, and the world went silent. Mrs. Tachibana’s smile never faded.

Takenaka turned and looked at Mob. He raised his hand without a word, palm facing forward, and his own barrier dissipated, the light of the room shifting back to normalcy. Again, he felt the thoughts of everyone in the room battering at his barrier, but they felt calmer now. He took that as a good sign. Straightening out his uniform, Takenaka made his way back over to Mob and Reigen.

Regien clasped a hand over his shoulder. “You handled that very well, Takenaka. Couldn’t have done it better myself.”

It was very possible that Reigen was telling him what he thought he wanted to hear, but something about the tone in his voice made him think the praise was actually genuine. They said their goodbyes to the family and Reigen spoke with Mr. Tachibana before the trio headed back down the stairs. Just before Reigen opened the door, he heard the sound of tiny feet coming down the stairs.

“Wait! Mister telepath!”

Takenaka turned to see Kaori pattering toward him. She held out something in her hand.

“Mama said I could give this to you. To remember us by,” she said.

Takenaka held out his own hand, tentative. She dropped a tiny, smooth stone into his palm.

“I found this yesterday, by the creek behind our house. I… I thought it was pretty.”

“Thank you. I’ll keep it with me, don’t worry,” he replied, ignoring the way his voice shook a little. He wrapped his fingers around it, feeling the coolness of its surface on his skin.

Kaori nodded. “Okay.” She hesitated for a second before rushing in to give him a fierce hug around the waist, then dashed back up the stairs before he could say another word.

Reigen cleared his throat. “Let’s head back to the office. We can stop for soba on the way.”

“Alright, Master,” Mob said. And Takenaka was in no place to disagree.

~~~~~

end

[mustdang-100]

Shifting Perspectives - Ch. 5

Reigen works through some issues.

Summary: 

How many espers does it take to rescue one abducted conman?

Months after the events of the World Domination arc, Reigen disappears sometime between leaving the office and after-work plans. Serizawa finds himself the unwilling leader of a bunch of former Claw members and a couple of stubborn teenagers, determined to get Reigen back.

Read on AO3 Ch.1|Ch.2|Ch.3|Ch.4|Ch.5 Tumblr Ch.1|Ch.2|Ch.3|Ch.4|Ch.5 - below|Ch.6

“Nice place you have here.”

Teru glanced up at Shou, who had thrown himself across Teru’s neatly-made bed now lay leisurely on his back, legs crossed, foot dangling. Teru tried not to be irritated.

“Thanks,” he said shortly, then returned to folding a spare shirt, tucking it neatly into his shoulder bag.

Teru stood to survey his apartment, gaze sweeping the spotless floor and shelves of books and knick-knacks, contemplating what else he might need during a covert spy-slash-rescue mission of unknown duration. Binoculars, maybe? He tried to remember where he’d put his pair – somewhere safe, he was absolutely certain. He remembered the feeling of satisfaction as he tucked them somewhere that was definitely, positively safe. Now if he could only remember where that safe spot was…

“Do you really think we’re gonna need all that?” Shou interrupted his thoughts just as he reached up a hand to search the top shelf of his closet. “This all kinda seems like overkill. It would have been simpler to just wait around and then follow Serizawa and his merry band straight to Hatori.”

Teru glanced back over his shoulder. “Now is when we know exactly where they’re going next, so it might be the only time we could leave without risking losing them. Of course, all of them together throw off so much power that I could find them anywhere in the city with a small amount of effort, but it doesn’t hurt to be cautious. And they might leave the city, and then where would we be. Unless you can sense auras from further away than a couple dozen kilometers?”

Shou made a huffing sound, but pillowed the back of head on his arms and didn’t protest further. Teru had thought not, considering that he could only sense other espers within a radius much smaller than the entire city, but he’d wanted to be sure.

However, the question brought back some of Teru’s earlier curiosity; he turned back to fully face Shou.

“You don’t have to stick around, you know. I’d be fine following them on my own. And you don’t even really know Reigen. There’s no need for you to help if you don’t want to.”

Shou sat up on his elbows and looked back at him, face solemn, light eyes steady and piercing. Teru blinked, a little unnerved; he decidedly did not like being the subject of that too-intense gaze. It made him feel like Shou could see straight through him.

But then Shou grinned cheerfully, erasing the serious persona as though it had never existed. “I’m bored. And this seems like it’ll be fun.”

Teru eyed him for a moment, dubious – he recognized the kinds of smiles people wore as masks. But then he shrugged and turned to reach back into his closet, trying not to care. Shou did a lot of things that he didn’t really understand.

Truthfully, part of him had hoped Shou would leave. They didn’t know each other that well, and Teru preferred working with people he had more of a handle on. He knew very little about Shou: he was an esper. His asshole father was an egomaniac with too much power, and was now incarcerated somewhere. He had befriended Ritsu, something Teru hadn’t known was possible. And as of the confrontation today, Teru knew that Shou knew Serizawa quite well; the undercurrent of tension between the two of them had strummed in the air like a guitar string, adding undertones to Serizawa’s apology that Teru did not understand.

Teru’s own relationship with Shou had started off rocky, given that it had commenced with the small, red-haired stranger carrying the unconscious bodies of the Kageyama brothers into a room where he himself was already restrained and groggily coming-to.

Yet Teru’s initial, rather violent, disposition towards Shou had been confounded by his defending them not even hours later. Shou had appeared out of nowhere, crushed their opposition right when events had taken a turn for the worst, and then disappeared into the night. You had to admire that kind of power, Teru had admitted grudgingly to himself. And not to mention, that presentation.

They hadn’t seen much of each other during Claw’s push for world domination, but they had been solidly on the same side that time, at least. In the months that followed Shou would disappear for weeks, and then Ritsu would show up with Shou suddenly in tow, both of them acting like it was nothing out of the ordinary. Teru took his cue from Shigeo, who always took Shou’s appearances in stride. But he and Shou had never interacted without the Kageyamas present, and the lack of that buffer now made Teru wary.

The hand searching the top shelf found the smooth, cool shape of the large shoebox he’d been looking for. He pulled it down and lifted the lid. A floppy outdoors hat rested on top; he half grinned as he set it aside. Underneath were a magnifying glass, sunscreen, a field guide on Japanese insects… aha! He removed the binoculars and added them to his bags.

“You're taking forever, and I’m starving,” Shou groaned. He jumped off the bed and headed for the kitchen area. Teru heard the fridge door open and a pop from a Tupperware lid, and spun to glare at the intruder.

“Why don’t you go back to your place to get your own food. And your own supplies, for that matter. We don’t know when we’ll get another chance to get more.”

“I have cash,” Shou said indistinctly, mouth already full of whatever he’d grabbed. He swallowed. “I’ll just grab what I need on the way. If we ever get around to actually leaving.”

Teru raised an eyebrow at him. “Why don’t you want to go back to your place?”

Shou paused in taking another large spoonful to glare at him. Teru couldn’t resist prying further.

“Do you even actually live around here? Like, did your dad have a place here, in the city he tried to destroy?”

Shou’s body had gone a little tense.

“Don’t worry about it.” He put down the food and gave Teru a smile that could have cut glass. “Why do you live alone?”

Teru crossed his arms across his chest, an automatic gesture. Then, slowly, he gave Shou a crooked smile back, shifting his weight onto one hip.

“Don’t worry about it,” he replied coolly, in turn.

Message received. No personal talk. No family talk.

That’s okay, that was just the way he liked it.

Teru grabbed an older, empty bag from under his bed and tossed it at Shou, who caught it automatically with one hand. Shou held it away from himself, eyeing the bag like it was going to bite him.

Teru hefted his own bag onto his shoulders. “You can borrow that. We’ll stop somewhere on the way if we need anything else. And we’ll get some real food so you can stop eating my leftovers.”

Shou hesitated a second more, then nodded, relaxing as he rolled his eyes. “Whatever, dude. Let’s go already, before we lose them.”

***

Reigen wasn’t left alone in the interrogation room for long.

A muscular man with short brown hair threw the door open and, without a word, hauled Reigen up from the glass-covered floor. He gestured for Reigen to follow, and led him down a series of nondescript off-white hallways and staircases. A cloud of invisible pressure brushed at Reigen’s arms and torso, taking some of the weight off his shaking legs but enforcing the unmistakable threat of restraint should he try and run. Reigen barely registered surprise at the appearance of psychic power, and accepted the support unthinkingly. It wasn’t like he’d be running off anywhere just then anyway, and frankly he wasn’t sure he’d be able to stay upright without that aid.

It occurred to him, as they paced through hall after hall, that he ought to try keeping track of the layout of the place; where he’d come from, and where he was going. Laying the groundwork for the devious escape plan he was certain he’d formulate any moment now, just in case he needed one. But the notion just made him feel tired, and it slid away almost as soon as it appeared, too slippery for his mind to keep hold of.

He almost ran right into the esper he was following when he finally stopped before one of the dozen-odd identical gray-painted doors that lined the current hallway. The esper opened the door, prodded Reigen inside, and shut it again behind him. A locking mechanism clicked with a sound of finality.

Reigen gazed blearily around at what was clearly a jail cell, furnished with a single bunk flush against a concrete block wall, a small desk and chair, and not much else. That they had set up a place to stash him did not bode well for his hopes that, now that they knew he wasn’t psychic, they might just… let him go.

There was a tray on the desk, with food he didn’t bother to identify. Reigen knew he should eat – who knew the last time he’d eaten anything, he really should be hungry – but the last remnant of shock from his interrogation was draining away, and sweeping all that remained of his energy along with it. It left behind a fuzzy numbness that settled over his mind like a fog, smothering any interest in food. His stomach churned nauseously at the very thought of eating.

Eh. The tray would still be there later.

He slumped onto the bunk’s thin pad and stared at the flat gray wall.

Well. He was alive. And as far as he could tell, unharmed, other than a few bumps, bruises, and shallow slashes. He supposed that was probably a good thing. But, as the weight of the misery settling onto his shoulders reminded him, that did not mean he’d come out ahead in that encounter, not by any stretch of the imagination.

Reigen buried his face in his hands.

He’d gotten in over his head. Again.

He’d never intended to be drawn into the world of espers, back when he’d first started Spirits & Such, despite his grandiose claims of otherworldly powers. He used to be so good at taking on only those troubles he knew he could solve, whether through a quickly-mastered skill or an assertive, soothing lie – and usually, some combination of the two. If other people – the firefighters, the search-and-rescuers – chose to try combatting the world’s greater ills, good for them. He applauded their efforts. But he was perfectly content to make his living by easing the small, everyday problems of the people who walked through his door, whether they were the problems they thought they had or not.

They walked in with a problem. Reigen provided them with a solution. They left. The cycle repeated.

Except sometimes… sometimes the person who walked through his door was a ten-year-old boy searching for reassurance of his own morality, even humanity, just because he could do something that others couldn’t.

Sometimes the person who walked through his door was a fourteen-year-old kid who’d been told he was an adult so convincingly and often that even he believed he was entirely self-sufficient. That is, until his own loneliness drove him to swallow his pride and go looking for help.

Sometimes the person who walked through his door did so admittedly because Reigen led him through it, because that person was an adult with a new chance at life, and because Reigen had seen potential in him that must be allowed to blossom and thrive.

Espers were people first, and despite the occasionally paranormal packaging, the cores of their problems were the same ones any person might have: ones that dealt with loneliness, or human morality, or living day to day life. Problems Reigen could undertake with confidence, or at least the appearance of it.

No, the trouble had come when new problems followed the espers in his care, problems larger than he could handle, dealing with powers well out of his league.

At that point, Reigen’s options were to either turn away from the people he cared for, the ones who stayed, whose problems he had already decided to make his own. Or, he could continue to help them in any way he could, regardless of his personal safety.

It was no kind of decision at all.

It was the Claw’s attack on the city that violently alerted Reigen to the fact that he’d ignored all the warning signs, and finally dived into events too far out of his depth. His futile struggle to protect Mob at the top of the tower had almost gotten himself killed, and ultimately had done nothing to prevent the weight of an entire city’s safety from being pressed onto the shoulders of a fourteen-year-old child.

Watching the immense shadow bursting from the rubble in the last place he’d seen the kid, his kid, was the first time Reigen really, truly thought he’d lost Mob. And there had been nothing, nothing he could do to help him.

But Mob had survived. And Mob was his own person, allowed to set his own path and make his own mistakes. But that didn’t mean he didn’t deserve help.

Next time, Reigen had told himself. Next time, I’ll be there.

Except the next time had been the day the broccoli disappeared…

Reigen winced, pulling his head up and rubbing at his forehead, as though he could force back the dull pain that suddenly bloomed deep behind his eyes. It always made his head hurt to think about that day too hard, which in and of itself made him uneasy. His memories of the day were so fuzzy…

But what he did remember, was that he and Mob had set out to take care of the broccoli and the esper responsible for its hold, and that it had indeed been taken care of. But not by him. Once again, Mob had set out to accomplish a task, and once again, he must have done so, without any help.

Reigen had been worse than useless – he couldn’t even remember how it had happened.

And now…

He hadn’t been able to fool the division into believing he was the psychic responsible for the phenomena that had threatened the city. Which meant they would keep looking for the one who had.

And in that, he’d failed Mob again.

Reigen returned his gaze to the wall, as though hoping answers for what to do next might begin scrawling themselves into the concrete blocks.

He didn’t know how long they planned to keep him here, but they hadn’t gotten an identity for the esper they were looking for yet. That meant there had to be hope, that there was still something he could do, if he could get out in time…

This pep talk did nothing to lessen the numb sense of dread that was deadening his limbs, trapping them in an invisible miasma. Another conclusion was staring him in the face, taunting him, inescapable:

No one was coming to help him.

He’d never been more aware of just how few people he regularly interacted with. He didn’t talk to the members of his family often; the most frequent was his mother, and even her he only talked to once every few weeks. It would take her a long time to realize anything was wrong.

He hadn’t talked to Mob in over a week. Mob stopped by the office with increasing rarity, especially since the summer break had begun; he wasn’t scheduled to come in to the office until next Thursday. In fact, Reigen was more likely to see Teru come in his door than Mob, of late - but that was without notice, without schedule – without obligation. If Teru stopped by to find the lights off and door locked, he would probably just think the office was closed for the day.  

Reigen wondered, for the thousandth time, where Dimple could be. He hadn’t seen the spirit in months. He’d felt almost foolish, when he’d finally given in and casually asked Mob when he’d last seen Dimple, a few days after Reigen had noticed his absence. Mob’s face had gone blank, completely blank, to the extent that not even Reigen could tell what emotion he was fighting against. Reigen had backed off quickly, distracting his student with something work-related, but he feared the worst. Reigen had not asked again.

And Serizawa…

It seemed so stupid, so comparatively trivial, his dismay over missing the chance to spend time with Serizawa – outside of work, with no justification for the invitation but that Serizawa enjoyed his company. And that smile when he’d agreed to join him…

But now, Reigen was sure Serizawa thought he’d decided to blow him off.  

He wondered what Serizawa had done when he hadn’t shown up at work. He wondered if he’d tried tracking him down, or just gone about the day as usual. He knew at some point Serizawa would realize something really was wrong, but what could he possibly do? There was no way for him to find Reigen, no way for him to even know he’d been taken, and not just up and disappeared.

And if Reigen never showed up again?

Serizawa was set up for success. He’d already been making preparations to go on and do something else in his life, something more, causing Reigen to bite his tongue all the tighter every time he thought about suggesting making Spirits & Such officially an equal partnership… But no. Reigen had accomplished his task, and Serizawa would be fine. He would finish his schooling, and move on to a new place of work.

Reigen’s despair swelled, swamping his mind, drowning him in hopelessness.

He wondered, idly, how long he’d been staring at the wall.

He decided it probably didn’t matter.

***

An uncertain amount of time later – it had to be hours, surely it hadn’t been days – the sound of the door opening stirred Reigen from his apathy. He sat up, blinking; at some point he’d moved to a horizontal position, falling in and out of a restless sleep.

Nagata entered the room with confidence, as though Reigen had never seen him press himself quivering with fear against a wall. Two people followed: the esper who had brought him here, and –

Reigen did a double take. The other was the dark-haired woman who had been driving the car and asked him for directions the night he was taken. She showed him no sign of recognition, and looked far less friendly now; hair pulled back in a tight, functional ponytail and dressed in the same black fatigues as the ice esper and the man beside her. The two sported similar expressions of boredom, yet somehow both managed to emanate an impression of “badass” into the room. They assumed positions of alert distance on either side of the door. Reigen would have bet his freedom that the woman was an esper as well. Fantastic.

Nagata sat at the small desk and propped his elbows on the surface, gazing at Reigen over his crossed fingers, not a hair out of place. His carefully-schooled expression sat somewhere between disappointment and concern, as though he was a teacher who wanted to guide a wayward student into making the best choices for their future.

Reigen barely refrained from asking how often the slimeball had practiced that expression in the mirror.

Reigen crossed his legs on the bed and leaned back on his arms. He was still in the same clothes he’d been abducted in, and now that adrenaline was pushing against the haze of lethargy, he felt greasy and disgusting, and smelled more than a little ripe.

He was tired, tired of being trapped, tired of feeling useless, and tired of this man and his power games. He raised an eyebrow, and went on the attack.

“So. Have you cleaned up the mess your esper made of the interrogation room yet?”

Nagata instantly lost the concerned mask, face flashing through fear and anger before settling into an annoyed scowl.

And… something snagged in Reigen’s brain there, in that response. The con-artist in him sat up and concentrated. He prodded Nagata again, curious.

“For someone so concerned about powerfully destructive espers, I’m kinda surprised you have one on staff. I mean, she doesn’t really seem that respectful of government property. And please know that, yes, that does include you.”

Nagata’s eye twitched as his glare deepened; Reigen was certain he was going to start yelling. But then he took a deep breath, and pulled the calm, concerned mask back over his features, so completely and decisively that it was unnerving.

“Sonata and her employees are… outside consultants, contracted for their very specific expertise in… combat. They are not government employees, and thus are still learning what is and is not necessary and permitted.”

Reigen read between the lines to what Nagata left unsaid. He’d learned there were espers working as mercenaries just this past year; that there were entire organizations of them available for anyone to hire was not so surprising. He had not expected that mercenaries could be hired by their own government, though. It seemed to him that it exposed a level of ruthless desperation that Nagata didn’t seem to realize.

Reigen caught movement in his peripheral vision, behind the agent’s back. The two espers by the door had both turned to look at Nagata, faces mostly blank but somehow still giving the impression of scorn. When they noticed Reigen’s attention, however, they turned back and resumed looking at nothing in particular.

Reigen guessed they must be among the ice esper’s – Sonata’s – people, and did not appreciate being talked about as though they were naughty children who hadn’t learned proper manners yet.

Nagata turned to follow Reigen’s line of sight to the two esper guards. He paused for a moment, as if considering, then turned his back to them.

“I need to speak with Mr. Reigen alone for a moment. Please wait outside the door; I’ll alert you should you be needed.” He waved a hand, dismissive.

The two stepped outside. Nagata waited until he heard the door close, and then visibly relaxed. Reigen, watching the entire display with interest, wondered how much of Nagata’s behavior was an act.

“I understand you concerns about Sonata, and I apologize for the treatment you experienced at her hands,” Nagata said smoothly. “I, of course, intended no such thing to happen. And I don’t want you to get the wrong idea about our department – I assure you that our own esper agents know how to behave themselves.”

Reigen rapidly decided he didn’t like that tone any better than the esper guards had. But Nagata leaned in, conspiratorially.

“But of course, we must always remain vigilant even around our own employees, mustn’t we, when they have that kind of power at their fingertips.” He smiled, expression too understanding, inviting Reigen to join him in noble victimhood.

“Mr. Reigen, I know the company you keep, and the feats you have witnessed. You know these… people can’t always control themselves, and their powers.”

There was the barest hesitation before the word ‘people.’ Something cold and hard clenched in Reigen’s chest at the implications of that deliberate hesitation, the insinuation that people with psychic powers were somehow inhuman, violent animals who lashed out indiscriminately.

“They require rules: guidance that we at the Paranormal Monitoring Division are happy and eager to supply…”

Espers must be controlled and subdued if necessary.

“…in order for them to persist in our society peacefully.”

They are not like us. They are other, and must be treated as such.

Reigen thought of Mob, who’d fought for so long and so hard to control his powers, and longed for nothing more than to be ‘normal.’ He thought of Teruki, who once set upon the right path, struggled to do good, to learn and keep from making the same mistakes again.

He thought of Serizawa, who, instead of inflicting his uncontrolled powers onto innocent bystanders, forced himself into isolation for over a decade.

Reigen had to fight hard against his immediate inclination to try punching the superior self-righteousness right out of Nagata.

“I know you might not like it, but it really is in everyone’s best interest, in our country’s best interest, for you to tell us anything you know about the esper responsible for the appearance and disappearance of the Divine Tree. Or, anything else you feel might be relevant?”

Deeper down, below the bright and immediate anger, the government agent’s words terrified Reigen. Reigen had been good in school, especially in classes that explored society or human behavior. He’d also particularly enjoyed baiting his history teachers, and read outside material just to demonstrate how incorrect the outdated and biased textbooks were.

He knew his history well. And history contained far too many examples of what those in power did to any group of people they fear.

He needed to learn more. He needed to know if this kind of prejudice was indicative of the government as a whole. But more than that, he needed to warn his espers of a possible danger.

The cogs of his brain began to whir again, pushing back against the sucking pull of apathy as the con artist in him smiled in grim satisfaction. Despite its chilling implications, the way Nagata talked about people with psychic power – up to and including the people he worked with – provided the gift of opportunity.

Reigen looked down, forcing his features into an expression of uncertainty, of wavering conviction. He looked back up at Nagata and opened his mouth slightly, as though he was going to say something, and then closed it, looking away again.

From the corner of his eye, he saw the agent smile in satisfaction.

“I understand this might be difficult for you. You don’t want to betray your… associates? But I think you know what the right thing to do here is.”

Nagata stood, brushing creases out of his clothes.

“I’ll give you some space, and more time to think it over. Let me make sure you get a change of clothes, and something else to eat, and I’ll be back to see if there’s anything more you’d like to discuss.”

As soon as the door closed behind Nagata, Reigen let his face relax. He got up and sniffed at the tray still sitting on the desk. He shrugged mentally, and began eating with one hand, tapping his leg absently with the other as his mind chugged back to work, weaving ideas into the beginnings of a plan.

If he was going to attempt a daring escape, he might as well do it on a full stomach.