#mp100 fan fic

[acermp100]

IT'S WAWA WEEK

And I've been working on shorts for over 10 days now! Excited to share~

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25/3 – Friends: ZOO

Based on my many fun but fraught visits.

Seri learns the power of FRANDSHIP Shou tries to pet a crocodile Ritsu experiences churros They are at a zoo with American food don't question it ANTS

General Audience. No trigger warnings. Depictions of disassociation and anxiety/sensory issues. Some minor Seri/Rei. Capybara.

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Serizawa stood in the middle of the walkway. Throngs of people flowed past- left, right, strollers, backpacks, balloons- all moving with their own purpose. That was the problem of a crowd. Being surrounded by so many yet still left completely alone, even if one’s anxieties preyed on that ever present fear that everyone is watching, everyone is judging. His fingers tensed at his sides before balling into fists. Just focus on one thing. That tree looks nice. It didn’t work. Bits of conversations bled into one another until all he could hear was chaotic noise as he took a slow, strained inhale.

“Oi, Katsuya.”

Everything snapped back into place. What was once churning and bleating returned to laughter and normal voices. A little kid ran past him asking an older sibling for ice cream. Serizawa blinked a few times until his eyes focused on a hand waving in front of his face.

Reigen gestured to the gate past the courtyard. “You’re holding on to all their tickets, buddy.”

Purpose swelled in to replace nervousness. Serizawa looked up to see the four middle schoolers gathered at the large, glassed off map near the entrance. Teru was pointing to one of the exhibits as Mob laughed, with Ritsu and Shou hanging back to avoid looking too excited. It had all started with wanting to take the Kageyama brothers out to the zoo for a small trip while their parents were out of town. Shou found out and invited himself and of course Mob was going to ask Teru to come as well.  

“You alright?” Reigen tilted his head. “Kinda went a bit-“ He widened his eyes. “Starey back there.”

“S-sorry. I’m fine.”

Serizawa steadied his fingers and unzipped the small pack at his waist before starting to rummage for the pre bought tickets. Got to save money so Reigen set them up as a school trip, among other things. He didn’t even know there were discounts for the son of a wife of a veteran.

The fanny pack had been picked out by Teru when the group went shopping together last week. Serizawa made sure to pack only the essentials. Inside the bright, green, reflective, and waterproof fabric were a mini first aid kit, some hard candies, nylon rope, a small utility knife, compact flair gun, translation book, and a magnesium fire starter with two pens and a pad of paper. And of course the tickets.

“Here they are!”

His voice came out a bit too loud but Reigen didn’t seem to notice, or maybe didn’t care. He could never tell. The tickets were held at arm’s length as Reigen took and inspected them.

“You know, I’m glad you decided to come, Serizawa” A flick of his wrist, Reigen gesturing even with tickets in hand. “You’ve really improved these last few months. Taking night classes and handling society and all it throws at you. I mean the train we took here was wall to wall people.” He paused, meeting Serizawa’s eyes. “But I know one can’t just magically be fine with all of that. So let me know if you need a break, alright?”

“Of course, Reigen-san!”

Reigen blinked back, leaning into his raised hand.

“Oh, right. Casual outing, not work.”

“Right. Just like going to class!” Reigen turned. “Let’s catch up with the kids.”

No, it wasn’t just like going to class. There he took the same train, walked down the same road, saw the same people, smelled the same smells. He had built that up all on his own: forcing himself to go until every detail was memorized. Predictable. Safe. Even the shopping trip had been short enough for him to handle at a small store that lay on his normal rout to work. Serizawa could feel his heart beat ever faster.

A small pack of kids ran by screaming. Music played from various speakers. The smell of fried food mixed with a musky, earthly scent. New sounds from every side conflicted with the various signs, decorations, and posters his eyes tried to read all of them at the same time. Even his clothing, though comfortable and casual for the day, left him feeling itchy.

“Serizawa-san.”   

He suddenly found himself at an exhibit in front of a glass wall looking over a recreated wetland. On land a few reptiles were lounging on broad leafed plants with fish under the water line. Mob was at his side glancing up at him without a hint of judgment in his eyes.

“Shishou says he wants to gather everyone up for a snack before we head into the rainforest building.”

“Oh.” Gears turned then started to grind. “Oh! Where- where is everyone?” Serizawa started to pull at his own hair, looking back and forth. “I was supposed to be watching and- Reigne-san- I should have-”

“It’s fine.” Mob turned his head to peer down the little trail to another section. “My brother and the others are feeding the crocodiles.”

Serizawa’s heart skipped a beat as he frantically stared ahead. “WHAT.”

Mob’s voice remained steady, but he punctuated his words with a short laugh. “Don’t worry. I don’t think a crocodile could take them on. Plus there’s zoo keepers monitoring the entire thing.”

Lowering his arms, Serizawa tried to catch his breath. A few of the fish swam by, their forms distorted from both the surface of the water and thick glass window. Four conversations, no five. Parents talking over kids. Loud footsteps on the wooden planks that lined the ground. All that with the constant, wet smell of algae.

“The first time I went to the zoo, Ritsu had just mastered walking.” Mob looked out over the water continuing in his monotone. “My parents had the stroller for him, but he still wanted to do it all himself. I barely got to see any animals because I was so worried about him.”

Serizawa looked into the enclosure as well. It’s fine. Everyone is fine. You’re fine. His fingers were still clenched, tongue pressed against the roof of his mouth.

“After when we were heading back, my mom took me aside and said she was proud of me for watching over my little brother so well. But-” A glance up at Serizawa. “She said there’s no need to do everything all by myself. We are a family, we have friends.”

A long exhale. Everything melted away accept for Mob’s voice. Serizawa could now feel the auras of all the others: Shou, Teru, even Reigen, and senses their emotions. Calm, happy. It’s fine.

“Do you mind getting your brother and your friend?”  Serizawa cracked a smile. “I’ll wrangle up Shou.”

A bit later they now all sat around the classic outdoor table made of rubber covered metal that formed a crude mesh so the employees didn’t have to worry too much about weather or cleaning. Serizawa recalled sitting at one when he was little with his mom as they waited for some fast food. That one had an umbrella though. Don’t need one now: not with the clear weather and good company.

“Hey, I was only gonna touch one.” Shou pointed a ketchup dipped fry at the others. “When else will I have a chance to pet a crocodile?”

Teru looked up from his burger. “Maybe try when the zoo keepers are not right there?”

“Not my fault you were too chicken.” Shou grinned back.

A scoff. Teru leaned back and crossed his arms. “What about Ritsu? He was standing back with the all the rest.”

“I was trying to get a good angle for a photo.” Ritsu didn’t look up from his food as he answered.

Reigen and Mob had gone back in line for more food. They returned triumphant with more fried, unhealthy goodness.

“Alight, got some desert. Mob said he’s never had a churro so here we are.”

Reigen set a cardboard tray in the middle and sat down; eagerly eyeing the double decker burger he had been forced to leave behind.

A smile from Serizawa, lost in thought as he listened to the kids talk about their day so far.

“So Serizawa.” Reigen was speaking from a half full mouth, pointing with his burger in hand. “You enjoying your order?”

“Oh! Yes!” Serizawa stiffened before grinning back. “Though I thought a corndog was going to be something different.”

“Right? I remember getting one as a kid when some American fair came to town.” Another bite, some of the sauce dribbling down Reigen’s chin. “Still tasty. I swear they make this stuff to be addicting.”

The burger was nearly gone now. Still so many sounds and smells. Serizawa took some breaths and focused on the conversation happening in the moment.

“Do they have wolves here?” Teru was gazing out down the path toward other habitats. They were mainly small mammals and birds. “I hope they don’t keep them in little enclosures.”

“No, it’s a big area in the back with trees and little dens they put into the walls.” Mob took a bite of his churro and suddenly forgot what he was saying.

“Yeah, this place is kinda famous for it.” Shou chimed in. “That and the lions.”

“Lions?” Teru’s face lit up.

“Wait.” Setting down his soft drink, Shou raised an eyebrow at Teru. “Have you never been here before?”

“Um.” Teru started to tug at his shirt, looking away. “No? I mean it’s not like my parents took me. And um- I guess-“

“The schools never have field trips here anymore.” Mob met Teru’s eyes and gave a nod of his head. “They claim it’s too expensive. But you’re here now.”

“Yeah.” Teru’s face softened. “It was worth the wait.”

Serizawa had kept back, not wanting to interrupt, but now invasive thoughts were flooding in. School, his failure, the bullies, just wanting to hide in his room forever. He closed his eyes for a moment before letting the toxic memories into the light.

“I’ve never been here either.” The kids all looked over at him. He had to glance over at Reigen to get enough strength to continue “Th-the schools back then took trips here all the time. I was pretty excited to go. Wouldn’t be stuck in some stuffy classroom or hallway for once. But well-“ He was gripping the stick of his corn dog so hard it broke in his hand. “There was an incident with some bullies the week before and- um- and-“

“Ugh they always do that.” Reigen gave Serizawa a pat on the back. “Even my teachers did: punish both the bullies and the victim. As if taking away fun activities and privileges would help.”

“Hey, kids are cruel man. Spesh with anything different.” Shou nodded at Serizawa. “Sorry you weren’t able to find a good bunch until now. The night class people seem pretty chill.”

Serizawa’s muscles relaxed. “Yeah, it’s nice to not always have to worry.”

“Being your true self is hard around the wrong people.” Added Teru. “But bullying has gotten a bit better, what with the student councils and all that. They get more power and police each other.”

“Oh yeah my brother was doing something with that.” Mob stole one of Teru’s onion rings with no resistance. “What do you think, niisan?”

Ritsu had said very little, and even less now. It was not due to the current subject, however.

“Pfff.” Shou nudged Ritsu with an elbow. “You here in the same reality with us, dude?”

He was looking down at his food, hands holding up his head with a distant stare. Serizawa grew worried.

“Um, are you alright?”

A sigh. “This is the most unhealthy, horrible thing I have ever eaten.” Ritsu spoke in a low, serious tone. “I’m probably going to get sick after we get home.” His head sunk lower. “But I can’t stop eating it. Why is it so good?”

“Ah.” Shou held up one of the churros. “The existential crisis of fried dough covered in sugar.” He playfully dangled in front of Ristu. “Truly a conundrum.”

Everyone gave a friendly laugh, even Serizawa. His experience with food had been quite limited until recently, relating easily to the bliss of trying something delicious even if it was bad for you.

The noise was still getting to him even after they ate. So many random and chaotic ones mixing together. Serizawa would calm down for a moment before a small kid would scream right next to him. In between there was the music and smells. He followed the kids along into the building hoping that would be better. Nope. Now all the noise was contained in an enclosed space leaving him feeling claustrophobic. He focused on his friends enjoying the animals.

Mob had lagged behind, what with the last area being dedicated to frogs. Not wanting to get separated, Serizawa hung back as well. A group of adults pushing strollers went by. Each were loudly complaining about the cleanliness of the place, and in their own little bubble, they nearly ran over Mob’s foot. One of them turned and gave a cruel sneer. Mob shrank back, holding his arm and looking at the floor. The same group almost bumped into Serizawa as well.

He wanted to help but one of the babies starting crying, causing the others to join in. His limbs froze, muscles knotting. The room spun for a moment and he looked up to check on Mob. He was having the same reaction, backing away and breathing harder, his shoulders tense.

“Hey, there’s a cool ant display ahead!” Teru had walked up and taken Mob’s hand. “Wanna watch them carry little leaves and stuff? They have all these clear pipes you can see them travel through.”

Serizawa smiled as they walked by, Mob now calm. Maybe he could get the same relief. The babies continued to cry while he stared at his footsteps, ignoring the mini crowds in front of every glassed enclosed snake, lizard, and spider they passed.

“What’s on your mind, Serizawa?”

Another sudden jolt as he was forced out of his head. They had made it out of the building but that just meant even more differences to deal with. Serizawa blinked before turning to see Reigen at his side. He found himself standing in front of a ground enclosure where the animals wandered around in an open air pit behind a fence.

“You seem really focused. Never seen one before?”

He wanted to say something but failed to conjure up anything concrete, instead turning his head toward the enclosure. Inside sat a few large, furry mammals. Their fur was brown with big eyes and snouts

“It’s a capybara.” Reigen brought up a hand. “They are the largest of the rat family and in some areas are actually classified as fish to avoid religious traditions of food consumption.”

Serizawa leaned a bit to the side as Reigen gestured, looking past to see an information sign with the same words his boss was stating at this very moment. He couldn’t help but grin.

“They seem very calm.” Serizawa shifted his gaze to meet Reigen’s eyes. “And rather cute.”

“Ha ha. Yeah.” A blush formed on Reigen’s cheeks. “I guess they are.”

A large crowd wandered past them, some breaking off to yell and point at the capybaras. Why can’t he just be in the moment? Why does he tense up every single time? It’s not like he was doing it on purpose. Serizawa let out a grumbling exhale while wrapping his arms around himself. But one of his hands was stopped.

“Hey, you need anything?” Reigen gave a light squeeze to Serizawa’s hand. “I did say you could ask if you needed.”

Serizawa inhaled, no longer hearing the random noises, immune now to attempting to read every sign, only smelling the cheap body spray Reigen used every day. Tears welled in his eyes but he forced them back.

“I- I can’t do this. It’s too much.” The first words came out shaky but he managed to keep them calmer and low now. “The kids are enjoying this so much, so I can’t just go home when they need me. But- but I can’t- there’s so much here and I can’t seem to focus and-“

During the desperate rambling, little pebbles started to rise and float around Serizawa, as well as Reigen’s ball cap.

“Hey.” Reigen had a hand on Serizawa’s shoulder now, looking straight at him, face serious but kind. “I used to work here you know.”

Breathing fast, Serizawa concentrated on his boss’s words.

“I thought I was going to get to play with animals and stuff. Nope!” Fingers up, gesturing out toward the other half of the zoo. “It was all shit. Picking up shit. All day.”

Serizawa had stopped crying and was lost in a state of confusion and admiration.

“Still, I had to finish my summer out so I just tried to push through.” Reigen continued. “That definitely did not work. But I did learn one thing: there’s this café that barely anyone goes to. Families all want fried food and animal toys and stuff, but this place just has tea.” He stopped flinging his hands around and held one out for Serizawa to take. “Wanna take a break and go there? The kids will be fine on their own for a bit.”

Instead of taking the offered hand, Serizawa wrapped his arms around Reigen and pulled him into a hug.

“Yes! I’d like that.” Serizawa mumbled into his boss’s shoulder until he realized what he was doing and released his hold, stepping back and fumbling his arms in front of him. “I mean, if that’s ok with you, Reigen-san.”

His boss nodded back, still recovering with his hair messily sticking out from his ball cap. “Sure thing, big guy.”

[luxphobia]

GESTALT

An organized whole recognized as more than the sum of its parts.

curseswap again. au is by wyrvel. so many thoughts always

[omgiamwish]

Scene from Just Breathe by @ygodmyy20

"As Shigeo walks, his energy pools out from under his feet, aura black like spilled ink with highlights of blue and purples. It coils around his body, covering him as he fades into the shadows of the street around them. Ritsu follows suit, concealing his powers before he flickers away from view, completely invisible."

[chocopuchino]

genuinely going insane does anybody have serirei fic recommendations

[da-janela-lateral]

I open Archive of Your Own and search for Mob Psycho 100 fanfiction. I find something with an interesting concept which catches my attention, so I read. The story suddenly hits me with a paragraph about how Tsubomi was "cruel and uncaring". I calmly close the tab.

[teruthecreator]

(tw for racism, pedophilia, transphobia, child impregnation mention)

yeah idk why y'all read this

i was originally going to just post this and have some tags with my reasonings, but i realized that opens me up to too much bullshit from people who may think i'm being unnecessarily mean or whatever. so i'm going to explain exactly why the screenshots above are something i hold issue with.

firstly, and i just want to get this out of the way, this post is not intended to be a hit piece against the creator. i've seen how she reacts to any mild-mannered or slightly joking criticism, so i know this post is probably going to not land well. but it isn't my intention to make her mad or anything--she's writing a piece of content for the internet, which means she is just as open to criticism as any other poster. and what i intend to go into in this post is criticism. i'm allowed to do this, as that is the nature of the internet. people are allowed to critique whatever they please, and if you don't want critique then you shouldn't post. simple as!

i am also making no attempts to posit myself as better than the creator. i'm not doing this for clout or moral superiority or any of that dumb shit. i simply want to discuss something that's been bothering me for a bit, while simultaneously warning people who haven't read this yet (who may be sensitive to the issues above) to steer clear. if things like casual racism or transphobia aren't properly tagged, then readers who are affected by such things run a risk reading this! same goes with people who are triggered by lewd content involving minors. i wanna make sure people are getting a more critical scope of this work than what has been hoisted up by others.

okay, now that i've gotten that out of the way, i'm going to get into my points.

firstly, the subtle and not-so-subtle racism throughout this fic, especially in relation to serizawa. i'm white, so there is only so much i can speak on without trampling over the words of other fans of color, but some of this feels so blatant it's odd it hasn't been noted earlier. it's important to note before i go into it that serizawa is specifically written as half-black half-japanese for this fic, in case the screenshots don't make it abundantly clear. but there are just too many moments of casual racism in this fic. i'm not talking about the plot point of serizawa being bullied as a kid for being mixed; i'm not mixed, so i can't speak on the accuracy there but it is well-known that black people face a lot of racism in japan. i'm talking about how it seems everyone else has these racist moments that aren't acknowledged by serizawa or the narration as being bad.

reigen hypothesizing over serizawa's exact ethnic background is just strange. yes he's a fairly observant guy (he has to be, with his job), but there is no canonical evidence to suggest he would immediately jump to theorizing whether serizawa is american or not. and the way it's posed in that first quote--"he has darker skin and the kind of hair texture that would likely indicate African ancestry"--is not great. that's an extremely inappropriate way to bring up someone's race. i don't think most people would stare at someone and be like "hmmm well your nose shape and hair texture would suggest you're of this race". it's racial essentialization that is only slightly covered up by the excuse of "oh he tweets in english". there are some other smaller moments of questionable wording, like calling serizawa's afro "sloppy" when it isnt (which btw there's another issue with the creator only referring to an afro as a "fro". it's a hairstyle; you're allowed to use the actual name of it). even if reigen cuts his hair in canon, he never states it's because serizawa's afro looks sloppy. (also there's something to be said about the casual racism baked into making your employee cut his natural hairstyle for a job, as that is a very real issue many black people face when wearing their natural hair or even protective styles in the workplace.)

i'm especially bothered by toichiro's very casual racist remarks. toichiro in this fic is a general bother of mine (most of which can be boiled down to "he would not fucking say that"), but the way she chooses to characterize him in relation to serizawa feels gross. calling a black man a slave should be a very obvious red flag, but also saying serizawa (again, as a black man) has a "brutal masculine appeal" is also extremely stereotypical and racist. and really there is just no need for it; toichiro's actions in canon prove how shitty of a guy he is without the need for him to be racist (along with other things i'll get to in a bit). as my girlfriend put it: he doesn't need to be a member of the fucking kkk to show he's a bad guy.

there's also, again, the very casual racist remark of calling serizawa a "dog". i don't care if that isn't the intent; when you are writing a character of color you need to be aware of your wording, even in insults (unless she intended to make tsuchiya racist, which i don't think she did).

secondly, the eugenics/child pregnancy bit. it is surreal to even have to write this, but i seriously do not understand the purpose of either of these bits in the story. they are so minor yet so jarring you can't help but wonder why they're there. once again, i do not think you need to have toichiro doing esper eugenics just to prove he is an evil guy. he has nuance, and by making him casually reference child pregnancy (like that isn't an INSANE thing to say) reduces that nuance to nothing. that's the only reason i could see why that bit was included: to make toichiro look worse. but, even still, the author is running the risk of potentially triggering victims of csa or people who don't want to see that by not properly tagging the mention of it (or, at the very least, warning readers in the intro notes). the only other explanation for it would maybe be shock factor??? but that's a pretty shitty thing to use for shock factor, if i'm honest. also the fact that the esper eugenics was referenced again in a more recent chapter just has me very disturbed and confused. there isn't a canonical explanation for why we see less espers who are women than espers who are men, but that doesn't mean we need to jump to fucking Eugenics. it's weird!

thirdly (and this is probably one of my biggest problems and the main reason i wanted to make this post), the weirdly lewd/sexual language shou uses constantly, along with referring to reigen as a pedo or a creep at several points. frankly, i think it's pretty fucking gross for someone in their near-40's to be writing a 12-year-old talking so casually about sex like that's normal. which, i'm sorry, but it's not. yes, teens know about sex and like to joke about lewd shit. but a 12-year-old is not about to make references to a grown man's virginity. 12-year-olds draw dicks on their desk bc they think it's funny. 12-year-olds say the word "buttfuck" because it has the words "butt" and "fuck" in it, and those are the two funniest words on earth to a kid that age. i literally do not understand the purpose of having shou be so lewd all the time. for one, it doesn't make sense for his character. shou is shown time and time again to be extremely mature for his age, but that maturity extends to shit like assembling a counter-terrorism unit and extending a hand to his father to allow him to try again. and even then he's still just as naive as any other kid his age! the omake where he's telling his guys to go to the "far right corner" based on ritsu’s advice proves that he still has plenty of blindspots that are indicative of his age. leaning into this raunchy, lewd version of shou is just weird. and, again, i think it is made a bit weirder given the author's age!!! not ageshaming or whatever--i'm 23 and i write fanfic, clearly i cannot judge there--but it is just extremely inappropriate in my opinion. also having shou be more versed in sextalk than serizawa is odd too and speaks to a larger issue of serizawa's infantilzation throughout this fic, but that's something i can get into in another post if people want an explanation.

also, the way she constantly calls reigen a creep and even has him being accused of being a pedophile during the twitter cancellation is extremely inappropriate when, again, there is NO CANONICAL BASIS FOR THIS! everyone just calls him a fraud and a scammer during separation arc; there is never a reference to reigen being seen as a pedophile in that arc. and, yes, while there are versions of mob psycho where reigen is very clearly written as a creep (looking very specifically at the netflix adaptation), that doesn't mean it's good. honestly, the creep mentions all just feel like really poor jokes that do not land in the slightest.

finally, the transphobia (aka WHY IS SHIMAZAKI A CHASER). i literally do not know what else to say other than: why? why is this a thing? why is he a chaser? what is the purpose of this? is it a joke? i feel like it's supposed to be, but seeing as the author is cis i don't think that's a joke she should really be making. it not only comes out of left field, but it's just kind of a weird thing to ascribe to a character for no reason. not to mention, it's uncomfortable! trans women deal with enough creepy antics from cis men in real life--why must they be accosted by this guy too? it's just weird and uncomfortable.

i wanna round out this post by saying, once again, that i'm not trying to attack anyone with this post. but i do hope people come away from this with a new perspective on this work, and maybe think twice before recommending it uncritically to someone. to the author specifically, i hope you can read my post without rage or indignance blinding you. i might be a little blunt or rude in parts, but it's only because i'm passionate and i don't mince my words when it comes to things i'm passionate about. to the readers, understand i am not judging you for reading this fic without noticing these things. your own life experiences will give you certain blindspots and there's nothing wrong with that. i have plenty of blindspots of my own! it's what makes us human.

there is more i could say, but this post is long enough. i ask that if you come to me in my inbox or in dms about this that you treat me with respect, as i will do that for you. writing something like this took a lot out of me, as i'm usually not so open about my opinion on shit like this.

have a good day :-)

[1o1percentmilk]

[ID: A drawing/fake polaroid photo of Teru from the Mob Psycho fanfic A Picture's Worth, holding up a peace sign and grinning in a selfie shot. He is wearing a gray sweatshirt with an unidentified logo on it and a gray beanie to hide his bald head, and his eyes are baggy. Behind him, boxes can be seen around the room, as well as various cleaning supplies and crumpled tissues. The image has a yellow to muted purple palette. At the bottom, the polaroid is captioned, "It isn't pretty, but that's ok." // "??/09/'12". End ID.]

A PICTURE'S WORTH // @teruthecreator

[1/12]

[mulletstanleys]

yoshioka mamoru page

[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

[fullonfandomindulgence]

The Same People (5/5)

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5

Click for bigger images.

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5

Drive folder - AO3

In which, after everything that has happened, Tsubomi regards different people.

Version of this post with page-by-page IDs is here. Personal notes under the cut.

i love mob psycho, followed it since before the anime had even started. i remember debating w people whether dimple was being controlled by the broccoli back in what, 2017? it has had a direct positive effect on my mental health. i mean the last arc being all about self-acceptance..... man. and i love comics generally and want to make more. this is the biggest comic ive made so far so im real proud of it as like a tribute especially considering i tried to use ones busted inking style with all the wobbly ass fixed width brushes

and also as like trying to honor the specific characters. tsubomi is cool bc in so few panels/words you get that she can be both stridently herself without caring what anyone else thinks and also deeply unhappy because she has to perform so much to maintain her image. shes just complicated and weird and i thought that was a place i could tell a story from. is mob ooc in this comic? probably a little lmao but only a little! i was fucking fascinated by th question how did they go from Having a Bad Time in a Park to talking on the phone regularly? and this is my take!! im so glad i got to make mob have to call her home phone *again* before he can get her mobile. really i wanted tsubomi to be able to see that despite everything, through all the hours and social pressures and gaps in understanding, you won't always be alone.

anyway. this is too many words for a comic you could read in 2 minutes. i cant say much else because thats what the comic is for. i cant say enough how fucking cool it is that hundreds of people have read my comics and liked them, i cherish all the tags. its a wonderful feeling. i hope you enjoyed reading! peace.

[reigen-hurtcomfort-palooza]

Fic Prompt - Not the Younglings!

I have a soft spot for Reigen protecting any of the many kids that find themselves in danger. Shielding Tome from a spirit's claws, pushing Teru out of the way when he barrier shatters, making sure an unconscious Ritsu makes it out of danger's way. I love fics where Reigen sacrifices his wellbeing for one of his 'very much not his children but might as well be' kids.

[acermp100]

WAWA WEEK PART 4: WAWA RISING

28/3 – Animals/Food: KITTIES

This one is just silly. Based loosely on this.

Mob and Serizawa chill together during a Reigen sanctioned break. Kittens ensue.

General audience. More implied seri/rei. I think I added it to everyone of these I'm sorry.

2700~ words

----------------------

The sun still hung high in the air with a few puffy, white clouds keeping the air cool enough to be pleasant. This part of town would be busy in a few hours but right after lunch it sat quite empty. They walked past only a few people heading back to work. Bird song could be heard from the row of trees leading up to a small, communal park.

Serizawa had been here before, but only in passing. He found himself distracted by all the nature he had never noticed: butterflies and caterpillars as a squirrel of some sort gnawed at a nut on one of the tree branches.

“Alright crew!”

Reigen stopped walking, causing the others to halt as well. Serizawa went stiff as a board.

“We mistimed that last client.” And there went the hands. Serizawa watched them as they emphasized every word. “And having completed the prior service faster than expected, as well as finishing lunch early, we now have accrued and extra hour before our next appointment.”

All three had been together for the day, Reigen, Mob, and Serizawa, traveling from one home to another after someone got a brilliant scheme to charge even more for house calls. Personal Psychic Visits call today!

“Do we go back for more lunch?” Mob looked up at his boss waiting for an answer.

“Or maybe, um-“ Serizawa turned away as he played with his hands infront of him. “Get some- uh- office supplies?”

“Haha. Your answers are exactly why I have prepared this task for you.” Reigen brought a hand to his face before drawing it down in a long arc. “You two are going to take a break!”

Mob and Serizawa blinked back.

Reigen let out a sigh. “Look just- just go to that park over there and sit down for a while. Ok?”

“Oh.” Serizawa gave a bow. “Thank you, Reigen-san!”

He followed behind Mob through the little gate into a shaded patch flanked by large trees. Their leaves danced in the light breeze creating little rays of sun that shone onto the surface of the small fountain at the center. A few benches circled the meager, but peaceful area. With no one else around they sat down together and took a moment to enjoy that special kind of silence that only nature could provide.

“I’ve never done this before.” Serizawa spoke after a bit. “Just taking a break in the middle of everything I mean.” A concerned grin. “Especially not for Spirits and Such!”

Mob looked out through the park into the street that ran by before turning back. “I think Shishou just wanted us out of the way so he could go pitch salt lamps to that café owner.”

A nod from Serizawa. “Ah, he did bring them up during the meal.”

“And the owner seemed interested.” Mob replied.

Serizawa tried to see if he could spot Reigen from this distance. Through one of the café windows there appeared to be someone doing part of a gymnastics routine. Yeah. That was probably him.

A few birds flitted by, landing on a low hanging branch before hoping up and along to another, singing as they went. Taking time off felt right: a little break to gather one’s self and be in the moment. Serizawa watched Mob start to lightly kick his legs back and forth under him, before he too looked down at his own feet and followed along. When he was in school this would have been branded as a pointless waste of time. In Claw he would have been told to stop goofing off and focus. A butterfly landed on one of the flowers that bloomed around the fountain, lowering its wings before bringing them together.

“Hey, do you hear that?”

Sitting up with a jerk, Serizawa broke from his pseudo meditation. “Hear what??”

“Shhh.” Mob was leaning down, trying to see under the bench. “Not so loud.”

“Hear what?” Serizawa repeated in a barely audible whisper.

All he could manage to detect was the bird song above. But then, one of the calls sounded too different and much lower. Both of them looked up at the opposite bench as the weeds underneath began to shift and rustle.

“Mree!”

A small, white kitten wandered out from the grass. It had little spots of black fur on his face and legs with one front paw being nearly all dark making it appear as if it was wearing one large sock. This was the leg it was lifting up as it cried out, steadily making its way towards Serizawa and Mob.

“Awww!” Serizawa brought his hands up to his face. “It’s so tiny! Is it hurt??”

Mob slid off the bench and crouched down, holding out his fingers. “I think so.” In a higher pitched voice he cooed to the little kitten. “Come here! It’s ok, we’re nice.”

The kitten paused for a moment before trotting over with increased speed, going straight for a headbutt and rub against Mob’s leg. More high pitched mews rang out.

“I wonder if its mom is near.” Mob gently pet the tiny thing as it pawed at his hand. The hurt leg seemed fine now.

“We can check the bushes.” Serizawa joined him, sitting in the cool grass. “His little spots are so, cute like a tiny cow.”

The kitten tripped, rolling over before making sure to give Serizawa’s leg a good rub too. Another round of meows. But this time there were far more, all cascading over one another in a growing choir.

“Oh my-“

Serizawa gripped his chest. Two more kittens came out of the far bush. No, three. Five?

“There’s so many!” Mob found them tumbling over each other to get onto his lap as well as Serizawa’s.

Now eight in total kittens, some black and white like the first, others ginger or tabby, were circling, climbing, and mewing up a storm with their new found human friends. Serizawa hand’s began to shake as he struggled to give each one the attention they deserved.

“Look! This one has little white socks!” Mob held up a dark tabby with lighter paws.

Serizawa was grinning wide, a few tears in his eyes at the momentous and sudden explosion of preciousness. “And this little guy has a black nose! All white and just that spot on his face!”

“Ha ha. I’ve never seen so many before at once.” Mob too was laughing in full, laying back to allow the kitties to use him as a make shift cat tree.

“I used to see ginger kittens all the time when I walked back from school.” Serizawa was now holding one in each hand as they loudly purred, his fingers feeling the happy vibrations. “My mom and I had a joke that every cat in the area was ginger and came from some big orange cat Kami.”

“I hope they weren’t abandoned.” Mob’s voice trailed off while he gave quality chin scritches to the two now lying on his chest.

Serizawa frowned for a bit at the thought. Didn’t matter now because they were here. He watched one crouch, wiggling its butt before leaping to pounce on his shoe. Three others had decided his lap was now their bed. For a moment it was all mews and smiles until one of the ginger decided to climb up Serizawa’s back. The little claws pricked through his suit and he froze while the kitten managed to get all the way up to his shoulder. There it stood triumphant, rubbing against his cheek with its whole body with a rumbling purr.

“Uh- um.” Serizawa’s hands were shaking even worse now. “Shigeo?”

The levels of adorable had been too much and now some of the kittens were hovering a few inches off the ground along with some small stones and bits of grass.

“I’m s-sorry! I’m trying to keep control.” He was tense now, eyes closing.

Mob sat up. “It’s alright! They seem to like it. Look!”

Taking a deep breath, Serizawa opened one eye, then the other. A black and white kitten floated in front of his face pawing at its own tail, purring as it slowly rotated in the air. The ones in his lap were still snuggled together but had their heads up as they gained their bit of altitude. Two more in the air seemed to be trying to play fight but hovered a few inches too far away resulting in excited rolling and pawing.

“Th-they do!” Serizawa raised a hand and gently cupped one of the battling kittens. It plopped into his palm, belly up and paws curled. “They are so cute, how could someone just dump them in a park?”

“I don’t know.” Mob aided the other floating cats to the ground. The mews he got in return made him smile from ear to ear. “We can help them though.”

It was Serizawa’s turn to lie back, letting out a sigh as he marinated in fur and purrs. “How though?”

“They are probably hungry.”

“Oh! Wait.” Turning to his side, Serizawa pulled his brief case closer and started to rummage through the contents. “I have some jerky in here somewhere. Aha!”

He sat back up with a bag of shredded and dried beef. From just the smell, every kitten congregated around him, reaching up to swipe at the food. Serizawa laughed, his free hand trying to garner enough space in the grass for him to place the jerky. Eventually he gave up against the jumping, crowding kittens and simply dumped the entire bag amongst them.

The meowing stopped, replaced now with chewing amid ever continuing purrs with a few growls in between as they all defended their treats. One stepped back, shaking its self. Another had dropped its piece and was pawing at it.

“Oh.” Mob picked up one of the discarded bits. “I think this stuff is too hard for them.”

“Oh no. I don’t really have anything things else.” Serizawa went through his pack again. “What do they need? Milk?”

Picking one up, Mob stared at the little thing in his hands. Ginger with white front paws, it mewed before gnawing at his thumb.

“They are small but probably off milk, or at least close.” The others had given up eating and resumed their needy meows. “We need something soft, like canned tuna.”

Serizawa frowned down. Just then Reigen came across the corner with a bag of fries in one hand, his cell phone in another, and several of the fried potatoes sticking out from his lips while he chewed on a generous mouthful.

“What the-” His shock came out muffled by the food. Swallowing, he held both the fries and cell phone out at arm’s length. “I left you alone for 30 minutes!”

“S-sorry, Reigen-san.” Serizawa turned his head to avoid the angry stare of his boss. “We got a bit side tracked.”

“Shishou!” Mob looked up. “Can you buy some cat food? The soft kind in the cans!”

“I- wait-what?” Reigen wandered over still trying to piece together what exactly he was looking at.

The cat that had climbed onto Serizawa’s shoulder had now made it to the top of his head, making the man laugh. “Yes please! And maybe a box so we can carry them!”

The boss of Spirits and Such stood there over his two employees sitting in the grass covered in mewing kittens. One of the rascals ran over and butted up against his pants leg, looking up and letting out a tiny, happy trill.

“I’m not getting cat food!” He took a few steps back. The kitten pursued. “And we can’t keep them! What are we going to do, take them to the office?”

Mob gazed up with wide eyes and a kitten against his cheek as he held up one of the dark tabbies. “Shishou please? It’s just for the day until we can take them to the shelter.”

“They are all alone with no mother.” Serizawa joined in, giving his best sad face. “We have to do something.”

“But I- you see- we can’t just- and the office and- UGH!” Reigen ended his broken ramble and crossed his arms in front of him. “We have a client to meet up with in like 20 minutes!” Pointing at one kitten, he drew an arm down before bringing it up into an open palm, fingers tensing. “I told you to take a break not adopt half the strays in the area.”

The normally gruff and serious Serizawa spoke in a soft, begging pitch as he met his boss’s eyes. “Please, Reigen-san.”

A bit of red flushed over Reigen’s cheeks and he hid his face in a hand. Can’t say no to that.

“FINE!” He huffed for a moment before crossing his arms again and glaring daggers at what ever happened to be at is right side. It was a tree. “I’ll- call the client and say something came up.” Another grumble. “Then we can take them back to the office.” He looked back at his employees. “Will that make you happy?”

Serizawa and Mob both beamed while covered in kittens. “Yes! Thank you!”

A few moments later, Reigen returned with a cardboard box he had scavenged in the nearby alley, his mind racing. Serizawa took it and gave a bow, smiling at his boss.

“You’re a good man, Reigen-san.”

Reigen turned away, Serizawa failing to notice the blush and distant look in his eyes. After a careful kneel, he began to pick up the kittens one by one with Mob and place them into the box. The task proved difficult as the little guys kept jumping out again, but eventually they got every last one of them secured.

Mob held the box leaving Serizawa to get the rest of their things. Over his shoulder he could hear Reigen muttering on the phone amongst the kitten mews.

“Yes I’m sorry. There’s been a bit of an emergency with- with the client before you. Can we reschedule? Y-yes. I can give a discount. Alright. See you tomorrow.”

Serizawa watched his boss snap his phone closed and drop his shoulders, ending with a long sigh. For a moment their eyes met and Serizawa gave a sheepish grin back. Reigen straightened his back and managed a smile of his own. Just then a kitten ran between his legs and Reigen panicked, chasing after the little thing before tripping into a bench.

“Reigen-san!” Serizawa rushed over. “Are you alright?”

A mumble before Reigen picked himself up off the back of the bench, wiping dirt off his suit jacket. “Yeah. But I think I lost the kitten.”

“No worries, Shishou.”

Mob stood with the box and the now hovering escapee floated over to them. Reigen held out his hands and took the kitten. It mewed, going for the pink tie but flopping over and deciding to remain half curled up on its back.

“Maybe one of them can be the office mascot.” Serizawa suggested as Reigen pet at the tiny ginger kitty.

“That’s what Dimple is for.”

A chuckle from both of them. And yet Reigen’s gaze was fixed on the cat as it purred and made biscuits against his fingers. For a moment he remained lost in thought, relaxed and joyful, but soon snapped back to his expected levels of strained charisma.

“Alright! Let’s head back to the office and see if we can contact the local shelter.”

Serizawa let out a sigh. Maybe one day his boss would learn what taking a break is all about. Until then, perhaps a box of eight adorable, mewing kittens would help.

[fiendishartist2]

too alien to take you home– mp100

Once the dust settled over Seasoning City, and Toichiro Suzuki was finally taken away, Shou found himself with nowhere to go.

For a few hours, he wandered. He scaled rubble, looking for anything to occupy his mind with. Anything that could push away the static in his brain– that could stop the leftover shockwaves of adrenaline shooting through his restless limbs.

Eventually, he found himself perched on an upside-down park bench. Over and over, he spread his aura thin over the city, marking names and faces on a mental map. He counted them on his hands, making sure to take stock of every single Claw member first, then smaller, less familiar auras second.

There, on the outskirts of the city, in an apartment carefully crafted to be inconspicuous, were Fukuda, Higashio, and Ootsuki. Another familiar aura– Serizawa, in the lower-end suburban area. Minegishi and Hatori were together, picking apart what remained of the centre of the city. A few Scars were scattered around as well; Tsuchiya and that little girl Shou never got along with were near the train station, while Sakurai and Koyama were in a restaurant. Joseph and his father were long gone, but their auras left behind a trail of power in their wake.

He ran over them all in his head, dwelling on his father's violent red explosion in the centre of the city, where a giant broccoli now grew out of the ground. It hurt, deep and sharp like a hole in his gums where a tooth used to be– but he kept running his tongue over the bloody spot regardless. It loosened something in his chest, the constant reminder that Claw was over for good. His father left his mark on the city, but that mark was an outright confirmation that he wasn't coming back.

Then something else caught his attention; something cold, in deep indigoes and bubbly cyans. Glittering, like it wanted nothing more than to distract him. Next to it, two more auras sparkled, overpowering to anyone else, but just background noise to Shou compared to the alluring blue.

"Ritsu…?" Shou mumbled to the empty air. That's not his house, Shou thought, icy trepidation spider-webbing through his gut. Goosebumps spread across his grimy skin, and Shou was overcome with the sudden need to find his newfound best friend.

--------------------------------------------------

Shou landed roughly on the fire escape of an apartment. Through the haze of his brain, he remembered vague definitely-illegally-dug-up information he studied for weeks before his coup. This shitty little flat on the bad side of the city belonged to Reigen Arataka. He only really bothered to look into ways to get Ritsu's brother to flip out, which lead him to Spirits and Such and eventually, this apartment. Other than what he saw of him on the Culture Tower through the pain of being thrown around by his father, Shou didn’t know anything about Reigen.

He perched on the windowsill, willing his double vision to come back– if only to stop the sharp tunnel-vision of his gaze giving him a headache. Pain pounded behind his eyes in time with his racing heart.

He squinted through the window, trying to parse out what was what. And more importantly, where Ritsu was.

Soft, orange light filtered in from a side room no bigger than a closet, illuminating everything inside. The single room apartment was cramped, furniture packed together to give just enough space to walk between them. The couch and desk were unoccupied, but if Shou squinted, he could see three distinct lumps curled up on the bed. Ritsu's brother, flat on his back and dead to the world, was the most distinct, due to his whole face being visible above the blankets. Ritsu laid sprawled out next to him, clutching onto his brother with an iron-grip. Only his untameable, sea urchin hair poked out of the top of the blankets. Shou wheezed the closest thing to a laugh he could manage without aggravating his ribs. On the other end of the bed– someone Shou only recognised as the guy Shimizaki nearly killed– was starfished over both of them, barely covered in the wrinkled duvet he was wrapped in.

A lanky young man came into view and Shou zeroed in on him. He manoeuvred around the closely packed furniture, with a laundry basket balanced on his hip. Shou wrinkled his nose at the pretty ugly bear graphic on his sweatshirt.

He was padding around the apartment as quietly as possible, picking up clothing from the floor and placing it in his basket. It made Shou a little nauseous, the amount of blood on some of them.

Shou leaned in closer, nose nearly touching the window as he studied the man.

Absolutely no psychic power emanated off of him. Reigen didn't even have a visible aura, just the traces of someone who spent a lot of time with very powerful espers. But that just served to make Shou more confused.

Espers with as much power as Shou was convinced Reigen had couldn't suppress their auras to that degree. Shimazaki, Kageyama, even his own father– they could do nothing about the halo of pure psychic energy that surrounded them at all times.

But Shou was convinced he had to have some kind of psychic abilities. Otherwise, why would he have shown up at the Culture Tower and attempted to stop Ritsu's brother from fighting Shou's father? If he didn't have a way to defend himself, why did he try to go toe-to-toe with a man who could render him a stain on the floor, armed with only a small handgun? Kageyama could handle himself, even if he was losing to his father because he was too much of a saint to fight back. So why step in unless he's more powerful than the both of them?

Shou focused harder; there had to be something he missed. Some detail he had forgotten to look into that made this frankly weak looking guy make sense-

With a loud resounding thunk, Shou smacked his face on the window he was spying through.

He froze as a muffled squeak came from inside the apartment. The man he was essentially stalking had heard him and knew he was there.

Shou's instincts screamed at him to run. His rational brain wanted nothing more than to jump into the alleyway and hide from the man approaching the window who, for all he knew, could be double the esper his father was. But his body was so tired. For once in his life, Shou couldn't muster up enough energy to fight. Maybe it was the way his ribs ached with every breath, or how despite his open wounds all healing over with Kageyama's explosion of light, fresh blood still dribbled out of the corner of his mouth. And despite himself, maybe it was the relief in knowing that his father couldn't hurt anyone anymore and it didn't have to be through death. For all he talked of putting a stop to his father by any means necessary, Shou didn’t know if he could kill him. Even if that meant he lost.

Either way, Shou couldn't move from his spot slumped against the glass.

Reigen roved across his apartment slowly, picking up his TV remote and brandishing it like a weapon. Enough crazy shit had happened today and he would rather die than let anything else happen to the three boys crashing on his bed. Logically, he knew that if it was any of the nutjobs they ran into today, a remote and his own scrawny, tired body wouldn’t last in a fight. But he was ready to die on that tower for Mob, and that same protective adrenaline was still burning inside of him.

Stepping around the couch, Reigen set down the laundry basket under his arm. He wielded the remote in both of his shaking hands. The floors creaked as he prowled closer and he thanked his unbelievable luck that the kids were still fast asleep. Just as he raised the remote over his head, ready to strike, he got close enough to see through the window and-

And he sighed, nearly collapsing with relief. He was less relieved to see the little redhead boy from the Culture Tower slumped and unconscious on the windowsill, but anything was better than a Claw grunt coming to finish them off.

Reigen tossed the TV remote back onto the couch with the basket. He pushed open the window, holding out his arms as the boy nearly tumbled out.

“Woah-!” Reigen stared back at the boy’s wide, electric blue eyes. He braced himself on the window, gripping the frame with his knobby knuckles. Reigen tried to ease the tension in his trembling shoulders with an easygoing smile.

“Don’t you know spying on others is illegal, kid?” He said before he could stop himself. The boy wasn't deterred by his bluntness– in fact his expression hadn't changed at all. His piercing blue eyes shot holes into Reigen. Now that they were face to face in the light of his apartment, Reigen could clearly see the blood splattered all over his face. His stomach turned.

"Do you need help down?" Reigen subtly invited the boy in, trying for a gentle tone. He didn't move.

"Are you hurt?" He didn't even blink. Reigen swallowed the urge to groan, "You got brain damage or something, kid? C'mon in before I kick you out." He didn't mean to be so short, but it had been a long day and the weight of it all was making him a little high-strung. This kid's unwavering stare in place of any actual answer was grating on his nerves.

All of Shou hurt, a bone-deep soreness that couldn't be attributed to any visible injury. But, he couldn't admit that to anyone, especially not a potentially dangerous adult esper like Reigen. He shook his head and grit his teeth against the way the room spun.

Carefully, Shou lowered himself down from the windowsill, until his tattered sneakers hit the floor. He let his white-knuckle grip loosen, causing him to stumble back into the wall with a soft thump. A hiss escaped past his clenched teeth.

"M'fine," he slurred. He shoved his trembling hands deep into his pockets, "Jus' need a min- m'nute…"

"Uh-huh." Reigen scoffed, eyebrow raised. It made Shou want to punch him in his smart mouth.

Reigen sighed, "How about you sit down before you faint?"

Shou crossed his arms. The impact of his glare was hindered severely when he winced. Something twinged violently in his ribs.

"I said… I'm fine." His breath came out in bursts, exhaustion pulling at his wobbling knees, "Leave me alone. I don'-don't need your help…"

Shou leaned his head back to rest on the wall, closing his eyes. It soothed his nauseating headache and his vision stopped swimming for a moment.

"Well, at least I know you're well enough to sass me." Reigen's voice floated around in the blackness behind his eyelids. He walked away with soft footsteps. The distance between them eased a little tension in Shou's shoulders.

Shou cracked an eye open at the sound of a drawer opening. His eyes narrowed in on Reigen's hands on instinct, watching as he pulled something out of the tall dresser. He kneeled down to rummage in the bottom drawer, holding up clothing and checking the tags. This went on for a while; Reigen pulled out a shirt or pair of pants, checked the tag, glanced at Shou, then grimaced as he put it back. Eventually, Shou felt his eyelids grow heavier and he couldn't fight to keep them open anymore. Sounds fizzled out the longer he spent with his head ducked down and his eyes squeezed shut.

Something soft was shoved into his chest in the darkness and Shou gasped. His heart caught in his throat as he brought his aching arms up to block his face.

Except, no other attacks followed, and Shou was left reeling with the anticipation. He chanced a peek at what had startled him, finding a stack of clothes and a towel in Reigen's outstretched arm.

Reigen was giving him a weird look– eyebrows furrowed and eyes crinkled in a mock wince, mouth pulled into a deep frown. Shou's staring must have made him uncomfortable, because Reigen started to ramble.

He cleared his throat, "Uh- I got you a change of clothes. Y'know," Reigen's other hand started flopping around, landing on a thumb pointed over his shoulder, "So you can take a shower and stop tracking dirt all over my house." Sluggishly, Shou realised it must have been some kind of joke because Reigen was laughing, high-pitched and stilted. He scowled.

Shou's heart was still stuttering in his chest, adrenaline pumping with every short panicked breath he took. He pinned himself back to the wall, trying to get as far away from Reigen as he could without his knees giving out. His vision blinked out every few seconds.

None of this should be happening. Someone like Reigen shouldn't be helping him. It wasn't normal for an adult with as much supposed power as him to be here, speaking softly to Shou and trying to coax him into taking care of himself.

Maybe, Shou reasoned, he's trying to get my guard down. If I listen to him, he'll just double cross me. I mean, it wouldn't make any sense for him to be so nice to me. Shou didn't know why, but the thought comforted him a little. At least if he was tricked into thinking he was safe, he wouldn't be in uncharted territory anymore.

Reigen started sweating under Shou's glare. For a kid who looked like the wind could knock him over, Shou was incredibly intimidating.

"C'mon Suzuki, I'm not gonna bite." That broke Shou out of his one-sided staring contest. He ripped the stack of clothes out of Reigen's hands.

"It's Shou." He bit out, stomping across the apartment and shutting himself in the bathroom.

Once Shou had locked himself away in Reigen's dingy bathroom, he realised his mistake. He just trapped himself in a room with no exits, where he would be a sitting duck to anything Reigen was planning to do. If he was ambushed in here, that would be it.

With wheezing breaths, Shou encased the door with the strongest barrier he could muster. He braced himself on the counter, too occupied with the door to care about how it dug painfully into his back.

He waited there for a few minutes, carefully trained ears straining to make out any sounds outside of the bathroom. Once in a while, a floorboard would creak or blankets would shift and Shou's whole body would tense. It was agony, knowing something was coming and just waiting for it to happen.

Ten more minutes passed and Shou's barrier was starting to flicker away. His raised arms shook with exhaustion, but he couldn't let them drop. Not if Reigen was playing the waiting game, tiring him out before deciding to strike. Not if Reigen was going to barge in and reveal himself to be another Toichiro Suzuki.

Except– except, if he was just like Toichiro, why would he be here, watching over the Kageyamas and their blond friend? Shou's father hadn't ever shown that level of care, at least since Claw started getting big. Shouldn't he be on top of that weird broccoli tree, claiming the remains of Seasoning City for himself?

Irrationally, Shou wanted to believe in this idea; there was stability in someone he could hate, someone he could fight back against. Honestly, he didn't know what to do with being shown genuine kindness. It wasn't normal.

Again, his barrier wavered as his thoughts pooled around the fight with his father. Reigen had put his life on the line for Ritsu's brother, promising to protect him even when Toichiro was ready to kill them both. When he shut his eyes against the memory, all he could see behind his eyelids was Kageyama's subtly grateful expression. His trust that Reigen would take care of it. The way he relaxed for a moment, relieved at the sight of Reigen strolling up to a losing battle with the arrogance of someone who had the world in the palm of his hand.

This is so stupid.

Shou let his barrier fall as he slumped on the floor.

If Ritsu's brother trusts him, then that's going to have to be enough for me too.

It took a long time for the water to run clear, but eventually Shou had scrubbed all of the grime and blood (both dried and fresh) caked on his skin and hair. Now, under the lukewarm water spewing unevenly out of the dinky showerhead, Shou felt the full force of his exhaustion. He could have fallen asleep right there, leaning against the yellowing shower tiles. Instead, Shou got out and dried himself off, shivering against the stale, chilly air.

The clothes Reigen gave him definitely belonged to a kid, which surprised him. He didn't remember his guys telling him about Reigen having any children. The matching pyjama shirt and pants were adorned with cats, each with a speech bubble telling a horrible cat-themed pun. Their only saving grace was the fact that they were a peaceful blue, not unlike a certain best-friend's aura (which was quickly becoming Shou's favourite colour, incidentally). Shou wrinkled his nose at them, his cheeks growing warm with embarrassment at the thought of putting them on. If anyone caught him wearing these– god forbid if Ritsu saw these– he would die of mortification on the spot. He eyed the bloodied and ripped jacket he shucked off, but dismissed the thought of putting it back on. Reigen told him he was making a mess and Shou's stomach squirmed at the prospect of angering him.

Despite probably belonging to someone a few years younger than him, the pyjamas swallowed Shou's meagre frame. He floated a little to reach the small mirror hung up for someone much taller than him. As he poked and prodded at his ribs in his reflection, Shou realised just how prominently they stuck out. It was normal for Shou, but alongside the twinge in his stomach, he couldn't ignore it. He grimaced, trying to remember when his last meal was. Fukuda might have made him choke down a few spoonfuls of rice the day before he met up with Ritsu. He couldn't remember; Shou could barely keep the days straight in his head in this state.

At least his ribs weren't broken like he thought they were. They definitely cracked during the fight, probably when his father blasted him into a wall. Silently, he thanked Ritsu's brother, not for the first time that day. Before he healed everyone, Shou was sure he was going to die on that tower, with broken ribs and a few missing teeth to show for it.

He was paler than usual and his eyes were still a little unfocused. But, judging by how most of his dizziness had gone away and his head splitting headache was reduced to a low thrum, Shou didn't have a concussion. That stumped him, since Toichiro had fought him without mercy, incapacitating him to an extent that coming out of it without irreparable damage was shocking. Shou snorted; not like he hadn't tried.

--------------------------------------------------

Reigen paced around the apartment as quietly as possible. He couldn't stop, even when he kept bumping into the corner of his couch. Everytime he knocked his shins into something he froze, whipping around to make sure he didn't wake the kids. He was buzzing with nervous energy and continued his pacing anyways.

Reigen had been on his feet since they made the long trek to his apartment. The last few hours were spent cleaning up after the boys and watching them like a hawk, even after they had long since fallen asleep. It was irrational, but Reigen didn't want to shut his eyes for a second. The thought of leaving these kids vulnerable when he was supposed to be responsible for them again filled him with dread.

This was a different kind of restlessness now though; Shou was obviously tired and hurting and Reigen couldn't help but worry for him. He was even younger looking than Ritsu– shorter than Mob and with a frame so underweight, Reigen wondered if he was malnourished. Everytime he looked at the boy, Reigen's heart rate spiked thinking about what that meant for Toichiro. Yeah, beating up middle schoolers was awful, but a kid younger than that? Now that was deplorable. Seeing the small teen tattered and nearly falling asleep standing up left a sour taste in his mouth.

It took Shou so long to start his shower that Reigen wondered if he was even in the apartment anymore at all. Was he the one that could turn invisible? Reigen couldn't keep all these espers and their different powers straight. A few months ago he didn't even know espers other than Mob existed. He stopped his pacing, waiting for the water to start. After a few moments, the sound of his shower filled the silent apartment and he sighed with relief.

Eventually, Shou finished his hour-long shower. He finally creeped out of the bathroom and Reigen could see the full extent of his fatigue.

He limped across Reigen's cheap flooring, favouring one of his legs and walking stiffly, trying to move his hip as little as possible. An arm rested around his chest protectively; he was hunched over it and breathing shallowly, breath stuttering every few seconds as he rubbed circles into his ribs. His nose was crooked, like it had been broken and set wrong, and when he grimaced, Reigen spotted a few missing teeth. He really hoped they were baby teeth.

Reigen knew that if he looked, he wouldn't find any evidence of injury at all– Mob's powers took care of that. Where they failed however, was the details; broken bones set imperfectly or leftover pain where no cuts or bruises lie. He saw it in the kids already, when he looked them over for the source of their soreness. Teruki complained the whole way home about his chest, until Ritsu shut him up with his own grumblings about the twinge in his back. Mob was completely out of commission, barely able to keep his head up as they floated him to the apartment, but he too complained about various aches and pains in due time. But when he sat them all down after their showers, he couldn't find a single scratch on any of them.

The quiet rage that had been simmering beneath his skin since he met Toichiro on the Culture Tower was near impossible to set aside now. Reigen couldn't imagine the type of person you would have to be to see literal children as fair game to fight. That cold, merciless look in Toichiro's eyes– different, yet just as immature as the ones reflected in the 7th Division members'– set something dangerous aflame inside of Reigen. That same something that let him aim Sakurai's gun at another person without hesitation.

While Reigen seethed, Shou shuffled over to the couch. He tried to sit as far away from Reigen as possible, crossing his arms and eyeing him with blatant suspicion.

"Where does it hurt?" Reigen asked without preamble, "I've got painkillers, but I want to make sure nothing else is wrong before I give them to you. No concussion or anything, right? I don't actually know how to check for those…" He rambled, trying to fill the gap in conversation. Shou's heart pounded in his ears, and his mouth was wired shut. He didn't want to answer, but Reigen was getting more animated by the minute and each fast, sudden movement made Shou's want to scream.

"No." He stated, emotionless. Sweat gathered under his wet hair laying limp against his forehead.

"Oh, well, that's good then. Great. Let me just-" Reigen scrambled into a side room, emerging with a squat bottle of liquid medicine and a glass of water. He handed them to Shou, watching him expectantly.

The bottle of generic kid's painkillers was nearly full and obviously old. He could see a layer of dust on it and the label was yellowing with age. Shou tried very hard not to crinkle his nose at it.

"I know it's ah- not brand new or anything. But it's not expired! Don't worry, I checked." The smirk he sent Shou was not reassuring, which must be why he continued despite getting no acknowledgement, "Sorry, I just haven't had to buy medicine for kids in a little bit," he laughed, "Mob outgrew that stuff pretty soon, so I stopped stocking up on it."

"...How old do you think I am?"

Reigen paused. He wasn't sure what the right answer to this question was.

"Um… like ten? Eleven, maybe?" He said, tentatively.

This 'totally harmless' front Reigen was putting on was pretty convincing, because Shou contemplated throttling him for a moment before he caught himself.

He handed the bottle back to Reigen. It was probably– no, definitely– laced with something.

"No thanks." Shou's patience was growing thin. The urge to escape back out the window itched just under his skin.

Reigen blew out a long sigh, "Alright, guess we're doing this the hard way. No medicine." He ran a hand through his hair, "You hungry, then?"

He didn't wait for a response, already halfway to the side room (which Shou could now see was a tiny kitchen) that he got the medicine from. Shou sat rigidly on the edge of his seat, hands balled by his sides just in case. He was spring-loaded, ready for anything, like always.

The microwave beeped. Shou scolded himself for flinching at it.

Reigen was soon sitting in front of Shou on the coffee table. Once again, he handed Shou something he had long since learned to never accept.

Shou took the plate, staring down at the food Reigen reheated for him. The smell of barely seasoned rice and eggs, scrambled together haphazardly, attacked his senses. His hands trembled as he fought with himself to refuse it, just like the medicine.

He looked up at Reigen, venom in his voice betraying the shaky smirk on his face, "How do I know you didn't do anything to it?" He challenged. Reigen visibly paled.

"Wh- you think I'm trying to poison you?! What kind of person do you think I am?" He whisper-shouted.

Shou shrugged, "I don't know, you tell me." His stomach turned– whether from the nearly irresistable temptation of the food sitting in his lap or from the frustrated pinch of Reigen's face, he didn't know.

"Just eat, kid. You look like you're going to faint if you don't. I promise I'm not plotting to kill you– I can't believe I even have to say that." He said, exasperation clear in the way he buried his face in his hands. When that didn't convince Shou, Reigen moved to stand up. He might as well get some laundry done while the boy sulked.

Shou jumped back with a choked shriek. He threw up a bright orange barrier at the abrupt action, flinching away. Reigen sat down just as fast.

"Hey- hey! It's okay– look I'm sitting, don't worry just- kiddo, just calm down!" He babbled, hands up in a placating manner as he tried to reassure Shou. His teeth were chattering, but by the strain in his jaw, he was desperately trying to hide it. His eyes, wide as saucers, were trained on Reigen. The rest of his face was tense, trying to keep a mask of aloofness over his fear. It looked wrong on a face so young.

He kept rambling until Shou stopped tracking his hands with his eyes. The crackling barrier between them fizzled out soon after.

"Sh-shut up." Shou mumbled, voice shaking. He picked up his spoon and took a bite of the first full meal he's had all day.

"Woah- slow down! You'll make yourself sick!" Reigen exclaimed. Shou tuned him out, continuing to shovel mediocre rice and eggs into his mouth with reckless abandon. He barely took a breath between bites. Now that food was in front of him, the ravenous hunger tearing through him was making itself known.

Shou got up from the couch and mindlessly walked into the kitchen.

Reigen blinked, "Where are you going?" He asked dumbly. Shou could barely stand just moments ago, so why was he suddenly keen on stumbling around Reigen's apartment?

Shou rummaged through Reigen's barren fridge. He spotted the rest of the leftovers immediately, popping open the container and helping himself to its contents. He didn't even heat it up.

Alarms were going off in Shou's head; he was seriously pushing his luck acting like this. No matter how nice Reigen seemed to Ritsu's brother and how strangely accommodating he was being to Shou, there was no telling how much annoyance he would take before lashing out. But Shou couldn't help it– this newfound instability was like a rug pulled from under his feet and he needed something familiar to hang on to. And being a smartass was unfortunately very familiar to him.

"I'm getting more obviously." Shou grumbled in between bites.

"Please don't overeat. I am not cleaning up vomit tonight." Shou padded back into the main room, crashing on the couch and curling into the arm.

"Whatever, old man. I'm not g'nna barf…" He drifted off, finally giving into the tired itch behind his eyes.

He shook his head, suppressing a sigh. Slowly this time, Reigen stood again. He tip-toed around the apartment, searching for something to lay on top of Shou. Reluctantly, he nabbed one of the blankets he piled onto the boys. He hovered in front of Shou. Will he freak out if I tuck him in? He's kinda jumpy… Reigen thought. He didn't want to think of why the kid was so skittish– it was too late for that kind of rumination.

After a few awkward moments of shuffling, Shou started snoring and Reigen gave up. He threw the thin fleece blanket over the boy.

God, finally, they're all down. He scanned his apartment, chuckling softly to himself. How did I manage to become a temporary guardian to four kids? What the hell are their parents doing instead of watching their kids?

Reigen had asked after they found Mob if the boys all had somewhere to stay, which was met with a resounding (and reluctant, in some cases) no. Apparently, their houses had all been destroyed right before their attack on Claw. He decided to ask more about that later, unease settling in the back of his mind at Mob's faintly haunted expression. Teru skirted around the issue, but Mob chimed in absentmindedly that he lived alone and Reigen decided right then that they would all be staying at his place.

Suddenly, he realised that with the boys taking his bed and Shou passed out on his couch, there was nowhere for Reigen to sleep. Although, after the day's events, Reigen didn't even know if he wanted to. He settled into his squeaky desk chair, crossing his arms over his chest and reluctantly shutting his eyes.

[annyeoz]

did this last year for the fic "Trust Fall" (previously titled "Searching") on AO3 by callmevan,, its van's design in my style! Their art is really cute,, go check it out! (ﾉ*ФωФ)ﾉ @vanlikespaintingclouds

[undergoing-mitosis]

just found out that the wonder the myth the legend Phantomrose96 author of A Breach of Trust has written many bnha fics.

oh boy it's time to get angsty.

⚠️WARNING⚠️: if you're gonna take this rec and read their fics, please be aware they're probably not suited for everyone. there's a bit more information in the tags. stay safe guys <3

[bleeping-cartoon]

still think of this fic yeaaars later