#somehow it works better for reigen than the others

[cowardlybean]

listen these are just doodles but im actually obsessed with that one sequence of reigen where his face does this

(At the end of the recap OVA)

[sopfiista]

FOUND FAMILY

I literally love this show and am low key obsessed. Then I thought about writing something cute abt Mob. NOTHING SEXUAL CUZ THAT BOY IS LIKE THIRTEEN

Mob didn’t have those special family friendships. Sure, he had his actual family, but he yearned for an actual friendship that made you comfortable with.

He guessed Reigen was one… but he was more like a teacher, not a family member.

There was you, of course, but Mob never really thought you liked him. You hung out with him a lot, but you were mech more popular and charismatic than him. You probably didn’t even see him as a close friend.

Today was like any other day after school. You had your little after school classes and he had his body-fitness club. Like usual, you would wait for him after your class by the exit, texting on your phone or chatting with a few friends.

Today you were by yourself, which made Mob feel a lot better. He liked it when it was only you and him.

You seemed to notice him before he could call out to you, looking up and smiling.

You shoved your phone into your pocket and jogged up to him.

“Hey mob!” You said, giving him your toothy grin, like usual.

“Hi…” he said, giving you a tiny smile.

“How was class?” You asked, making conversation.

“It was okay… I’m just a bit tired…” he sighed, flattening his messed up hair a bit. You laughed behind your hand.

“That club does that to ya,” you said, shrugging, “can I tell you about my club?”

Mob nodded. He liked your voice, so he let you talk.

“Well, my book club started a new book, which is really exciting!” You said, beaming at him, “I don’t remember the book… but it’s about some wizard boy or whatever… it’s really good though!”

You went on about the book, also informing him about some drama going on between your two friends and some other things.

A warm blanket of comfort washed over him as he listen to you talk, making sure to stay slow so the walk would finished later.

“- and yeah,” you sighed, “and that Tanaka girl is still asking me to ask you about your brother,”

Mob hummed, nodding. He had put his hands into his pockets, fingers gripped around his phone. He was a bit jealous of what she had said…

“But I told her no. Like straight up! You told me to stop being so nice a be a bit straightforward… so I did!” You laughed, shaking her head, “so thank you for the advice. If she comes up to you, you say no, okay?”

Mob hummed, nodding.

“Yeah…” he said, knowing he would do the complete opposite. He hated being rude to people and making them sad.

“Tell me about your day,” you said, turning to him.

Mob looked over at you, a bit shocked. “Uhm… well…” he said, thinking, “nothing has happened recently… I took off work today, somehow, but that’s about it.”

You hummed.

“Yeah… your boss has always seemed a bit shady to me…” you mumbled, “but, if you’re happy, then that’s all that matters!”

Mob stayed silent, feeling his chest bloom in happiness. He had been told that by a few people, but not many. Usually it was Reigen, who would say it half-heartedly.

But yours was genuine.

Mob just looked at you, standing still. You had stopped, asking if he was okay. He was. He was very okay.

He had found someone who never judged him. Someone who would defend him without him there. Someone he could trust completely.

He had finally found his family.

[maybeamiles]

Okay so something happened in the Honkai Star Rail community that really bothered me and I'm trying to put into words what makes me so upset about it.

So Hoyoverse recently hired a new voice actor named Chris Niosi to voice one of their new characters. He is no longer voicing this character. The reason he is no longer voicing this character is because a bunch of people found out that in 2019 Niosi released a shitty internet apology for being abusive to people in his personal life in response to callout posts on Twitter and Tumblr. During this time he also violated an NDA about a role he played in Fire Emblem 3 Houses, and was replaced with Zach Aguilar. He did not face any criminal charges for this behavior, but it is a thing that happened. Naturally people are upset about this and kept asking for him to be fired, and some VA's stood up for him claiming he'd changed, and fans began to lash out against them too. Niosi ended up resigning, and Hoyoverse will hire a new voice actor.

So far, it seems this controversy has not affected his work. Since 2019 he's played Reigen Arataka in Season 3 of Mob Psycho 100 and was an NPC in Genshin Impact.

Now I have a few problems with the community reaction to all this:

Problem number 1: I spent way too much time in the Dream SMP fandom, and have heard way too much bullshit about people being abusers in their personal lives to be ok with any of this. Like part of the reason Dream SMP was so awful is that every other week there would be a new post along the lines of "Dream is the Worst! Here are 7 Heavily Censored Screenshots To Prove Why!" This stuff instantly activates my "I don't like this" senses, I have a very bad reaction to these things.

Problem Number 2: He's a fucking actor. Just because he now has a bit of fame in the community doesn't mean he's somehow more worthy of criticism than he was before. Hell, he still has work in the industry. Just go look up his IMDB. The only reason it matters more in Star Rail is because a lot of the Hoyoverse VA's make extra money off of being Hoyoverse VA's, like how Dan Heng's VA gets the other Star Rail VA's together to do music covers. Even then, he's WORKED WITH HOYOVERSE BEFORE. THE ONLY DIFFERENCE IS THAT HE'S NOW VOICING A PLAYABLE CHARACTER INSTEAD OF AN NPC.

Problem number 3: Personally, I don't see what online abuse allegations from 2019 have to do with his role as a Voice Actor. Would working at McDonald's or in a less flashy job stop him from hurting people? No! Now, if I was hiring him, I would be nervous about that NDA violation, or that the abuse allegations might flare up into a PR disaster (like they ACTUALLY DID). I might not hire him for a major role. I might take concerns about his mistreatment of his colleagues more seriously. He might not be a Good Face for my company. But, at the end of the day, he is still a Guy Doing a Job, parasociality be dammned, and not doing This Job will not make anything better for the people he hurt.

(Also your (and my) favorite game has like, one not-pale dude in it and is made by a huge dev team that probably has shitty people in it just because that's what happens when you get a large enough group of people together but like heyyyyy let's all jump onto boogeyman of the week now shall we?)

(now, concerns about parasociality I do respect. Hoyoverse VA's are VERY parasocial, and tend to make a bit of extra money from fans by doing cool Hoyoverse VA things. But most people are like ABUSER = BAD AND GROSS and... ugh onto the next slide).

Problem number 4: ABUSER = BAD AND GROSS is a stupid black-and-white mindset and I think everyone who has this mindset should grow the fuck up. People can and do get better, I know people who have gotten better, people who it would be really fucked up of me to stop speaking to because of things I wasn't even alive for, when I don't even know the people who were hurt. People who have already had enough guilt and now need the space to live again. Hell, I've hurt people. You can't divide people into "good" and "bad" and you have to make room for change because if you do not you will hurt someone badly and that mindset will either break you with guilt or turn you into one of the "bad" people without even realizing it. (i reblogged earlier a comic about this exact phenomenon go read it)

At the end of the day I do think it was a good thing Niosi resigned because jesus fucking christ this was a PR disaster, and I would have hated to see him do something like Elliot Ghindi and use the parasociality of Hoyoverse fans to hurt more people (which is just a possibility, not something Niosi has actually done), but I don't think the internet Hate Mob was a good thing. I think bringing up someone's irrelevant personal details into their work life is a universally bad thing and even though he's a semi-public figure, nobody's private life should be exposed like that. There are court systems for a Fucking Reason and I know that they are flawed but also I genuinely believe that this whole internet tradition of making "callout posts" and stuff is incredibly toxic and abusive and I don't want it to keep happening in the fandoms I'm in.

[marleysfinest]

i hope that i am not late for the lovefest and even if i am i have snacks and copious amounts of alcohol so PLEASEEEEEEE let me in!!! pelase please oewijaflsijdfasdjf

okay anyway i love that you're doing this to begin with, it speaks to how wonderful you are so let's kick things off with the woman of honor - you!

muva marley, you are one of a kind in the most spectacular of ways. your heart is enormous. i would trust you with my keys, my banking app password, my social security number, my life...anything. you have a heart of solid gold and we are all better because we get to benefit from being around you. seeing the way you love your family, your friends, all the compassion you give, it makes me want to be a better person and i'm sure i'm far from the only one. as beautiful on the inside as you are out. i love you! so much! thank you for being in my life <333

and now i have a few more people i'd like to mention, i apologize for the length of this ask in advance:

@wyvernslovecake - oh cas, your inner light shines so bright. you are hilarious and clever and just an all around outstanding human being and it's my privilege to get to call you a friend. we went from anonymously talking about papa reiner (long may he live....) and grimmjow to now having the friendship we do and i'm so grateful. thank you for the fun! thank you for the laughter!

@sailorspica - we were destined to cross paths and i know it because how else would i find a fellow pisces with the best taste in toxic old men and music both? nowhere but here. it's so fortunate that we met here where we can truly match each other's freak. and as for that houseboat? i think we should. i think we could be like mob and reigen but somehow even better.

@quiveringdeer - nat! you have been with me for the full two years i've been here and while we've both come and gone and had our struggles and triumphs and time off and here both, it's like coming home to get to talk to you when i do. i truly feel rejuvenated even if it's just a short little back and forth about life and whatever. you have the biggest heart and the best vibes and i hope you know that about yourself and believe it.

@bloompompom bloomy wooms where do i begin?!!!!! you are the most beautiful soul! your heart is so big! you are creative and hilarious and so down to earth. you're the person i know i could get coffee but also tell my tragic life story to and be met with empathy and wit and something to carry with me after the convo is over and we've parted ways. you are a star! spectacular! i love you!!!

@ssslime - my home state mate <333 every time i think of you i get this fond little warmth in my chest because you are so good. inside and out, just good to your bones. thank you for being the most honest, kind, and hilarious person out there.

@pavloves-dog - the human equivalent of sunshine to be sure. you are supportive. you are intelligent and so funny and so easy to talk to. you have so much wisdom and im proud of you and proud to know you!!! thank u for being my friend and for being yourself

@p00pdev1l - jazz!!!! you are the best!!! never has a presence been mourned more than when you left and when you returned it was like the gates of heaven opened and granted us an angel again. just a person we should all aspire to be more like because you're grounded and patient and good to everyone and just ugh. thank u!!!! for returning to us

@daryascurse - what if we...held hands and kissed...what then...LSDFLSJDFJSDF but also hiiiii <333 you are awesome. beautiful, bold, talented, gonna change the world and probably pretty effortlessly although your work ethic is also beyond admirable. like idk how i even stumbled upon the luck that gave me the opportunity to have you in my life but i won't complain.

@neiptune - oh v!!!! oh beloved! you have the biggest heart and you do so much just by being yourself. you have a healing presence and i know that's a lot of pressure to have as a person but you wear it well and you are just wonderful. thank you for being in my life <3

@pisspope - genuinely the most clever and creative person i've ever met. you are a riot and i love the way you see the world and other people and i admire it very much. you see everyone for exactly who they are, no projections or frills, and i love love love that. you are awesome.

and finally, my belovedest @blondeboyfriend <333 tbh i don't even think i'd still be part of this community if it weren't for finn. like sometimes in life you meet a person that like completely changes things for you and even if we don't talk every single day, finn is that person for me. i love you and i'm so grateful we exist at the same time and someday we will indeed enjoy our creamsicles together watching a sunset.

okay that's all for me they're playing me off! i love everyone! i love you guys soooo much!!!!

we got KENDY in here with the luv!!!!!!!!!!! I love u so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!

spread the love with muvva's feel good 500!

[jascurka]

2, 3, 13, and 18 (for Mob) for the MP100 ask game? :D

2: Who’s your favorite character out of the cast?

It used to be Toichiro for a long time (I like to give a villain a chance at being just some normal guy), but recently it's Mob (and Reigen somehow too because I can't just separate them).

3: Who’s your favorite esper kid?

Ritsu! He's trying so hard to better his powers and be a good brother to Shigeo, it's heartwarming.. I like that his actions are sometimes silly and petty despite his efforts to be mature and serious. I was very confused with his actions when I first watched the show, because of how nice and caring he was to Shigeo, only for him to reveal having insecurities about not having powers and not being able to stand up to his brother (in a possible fight?). And yet Mob was so happy for him, he didn't ever intend to hurt him or fight with him. He is like a feral kitten to me.....

13: Are there any specific MP 100 artists/writers you admire?

As for artists, I really like the work of Haaagea on twitter, the cutest mobfurry I ever seen! I'm not even a furry and they're not typical furries when it comes to artstyle, but very adorable! Other than that also RAM on twitter as well, this person has the most gorgeous colours in their art that I want to dissect and study under a microscope. Recommend the art very much! As for writers... there are some that I like but I'm a little embarassed to post their @'s on here and I'm not always familliar with more than 1 or 2 of their stories, even if they wrote some of my most beloved fics.

Definitely snowtears on ao3, because I accidentally read so many of their mp100 fics........ They are like a deity to me, kinda mysterious, I don't know who they are of if they have social media but the fics, the writing style is really lovely.

May I also mention Phantomrose96 for the whole ABoT fic that drives me insane with how it's written and how the plot keeps you biting your nails because of the tension.

18: What headcanons do you have for Mob?

Okay so I'm maybe not gonna be very creative because I adapted some headcanons from fics and fan art, and some from other people... >_<

Mob gets his ears pierced as convinced by Teru. He grows taller than Reigen but just a bit, 2cm maybe but Reigen can't take it, complaining constantly that his neck hurts from having to look up all the time, all dramatic. Mob goes to the gym, does gain some muscle while still looking pretty average, not really like a bodybuilder. Works a few shitty jobs (like in food delivery or package delivery) after finishing his studies and helps out at Spirits and Such when he misses Shishou. I think he might improve a bit with talkativeness although if he uses humour, he says it in a completely serious tone, only to "break character" a moment later.

Thank you for the asks! ^^

mp100 ask meme

[truly-morgan]

[Reigen cannot die]

Reigen Arataka | Mob Psycho 100 cw: suicide mention 21-12-2022

everyone's joy has prolly gone down a bit so let me throw the angsty idea I had earlier 😌:

Reigen who learns he cannot die unless it like, when he's an old man.

And he learns it from his own tentative 😌

Am pretty sure it wouldn't really work in the mp100 psychic system (I see it more as a bnha quirk honestly).

But just the idea of Reigen who one day tries to end himself and it doesn't work no matter what the fuck he tries, only to learn nothing can kill him other than old age, so he has no other choice but to live a long life and somehow hope for better days.

Can be pre-canon, can also be post-canon once Mob isn't by his side all the time, can be some weird alternative universe where they never meet would also explain how (when we forget anime logic) Reigen survive being thrown around like a rag doll by psychic folks without fucking dying I rarely want my fav to suffer endlessly, but the idea of Reigen who's basically forced to keep going even though he doesn't want to.

with pre-canon, maybe meeting lill' mob helps him find something that does make him want to keep going, which is a nice hurt/comfort story

post-canon makes for one sad as fuck story where Reigen spirals down really badly once everyone that was his new entourage moves further in life while he's still at s&s and feeling alone

Original

[whisperthelocalcrypticbastard]

This is my design for Reigens older sister: Tokino!

Headcanons and ideas of the like is underneath the cut because I cannot keep myself short.

Tokino means vermillion, a really beautiful colour similar to blood (will draw her in outfits in that colour), heron and in other words, you. She is two years older than him, which would make her 30.

She left their parents house as soon as she could. After graduating school, she got a scholarship at a really good university. Over the years the two of them had lost contact, because no letters or calls came through to Arataka because his mother was trying to motivate him to work harder since she was "ashamed of her brothers low accomplishments". His image of her turned really bad because of that. She had no idea of this and was left wondering why their mom said he didn't want to talk to her. She always assumed it was for leaving and making him stay behind with their parents.

After graduating from uni she became a pretty successful lawyer. Takes no bs and manages to get even the worst-behaving clients under control with a stare. Her dating life is just as unsuccessful as her little brothers. Though neither of the Reigens could ever be completely straight. Both fruits I say.

At work, she dresses in a suit and tie, but in her free time, I imagine her going all comfortable, black, red and purple-themed, maybe a little more alternative and punk than Arataka.

I imagine some time after the manga they would meet somehow again and realize their mother played them. The both of them are pretty similar, having basically raised each other most of the time. They both are pretty loud and extroverted and like to be around people. However, she is much more vindictive and spiteful. A more angry person in general, whereas Arataka is more depressed.

She is confident, and knows what she can and can't do. Just like her brother, she lies like a pro. She is much more stubborn than her brother, malicious at times, but puts just as much worth on morals. Love pulling pranks and the two of them used to have a tally to see who was better at them. Once they reunite I imagine they would start that again.

Okay, so that is my idea of Reigens sister! There will probably be coming some more stuff, but that's it for now ig

[ao3feed-esperboys]

Rainclouds Passing

Rainclouds Passing by pechrpeach

Reigen Arataka is a 14-year-old, second-year student at Salt Middle school, trudging along through his mundane and unextraordinary everyday life so that he can work part-time at a spiritual consultation office with a REAL psychic.

Mob is a 27-year-old former hikikomori, shut in, a nobody, really. He's the real psychic, although somehow that only makes him feel more ordinary.

Together, they make a pretty good team; fighting spirits, rival espers, and sore muscles. But with such a line of work being so dangerous, both have to consider whether or not one's safety is worth the thrill of adventure. Perhaps it is better to live a normal life. But then again, what is the point of living a mundane life?

AKA: Reigen weasels his way into the dangerous world of psychic powers, looking for a way to 'be somebody,' but ends up with more trouble than he knows how to handle: an exploration of the age swap fic idea and what it means for our dear, sweet baby boy Arataka.

Heavily inspired by @choogoo 's AU on tumblr ... among other things.

Words: 4522, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: モブサイコ100 | Mob Psycho 100

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: Gen

Characters: Reigen Arataka, Kageyama "Mob" Shigeo, Claw Security Guard

Relationships: Kageyama "Mob" Shigeo & Reigen Arataka

Additional Tags: Age Swap, Alternate Universe, Fluff, Slice of Life, Yoshioka Mamoru, that's the sg's name, Basically what the show would be like if the ages were swapped, no beta we die like men, Tags May Change

Read Here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/43849338

[writing-badger]

Twitter Polls Make For The Bloodiest Battlefields - Chapter 6

Does Anyone Play Pokemon's Video Game?

1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 (Previous Chapter) • 6 • 6.5

Pairing: Sakata Gintoki x Reigen Arataka

Summary: Anime Twitter was thrown into chaos. Thirty-two "DILFs" were thrown into a merciless battle to find out who truly encapsulated the title of Dad I'd Like to Fuck. Two competitors begin to wonder whether the battle is worth it and maybe, just maybe, they can overcome their differences to find a way out.

Genre: Enemies to Lovers

Word Count: 2,752

Warnings: None

Reigen might not look like it, but he is rather experienced with Pokémon. Of course, he would never admit this, but he used to have a collection of cards that would make even the most ardent Pokémon fan jealous. If anyone ever found out about his old hobby, he would simply brush it off as being a flight of fancy; something to fill his free time. 

 In reality, he used it to fill his time at school when barely anyone would talk to him. After all, puberty is always a rough time and Reigen, with his excessively sweaty nature, definitely struggled at times. So one of his parents suggested trying to get in with the latest trend. 

 As with most well-intentioned advice, this only pushed him further away from the other kids in his year; mostly because he earns a reputation of being just a little bit too good at the game. Some went as far as to claim that he was somehow cheating, but that was just a baseless accusation made by classmates who didn’t know any better. 

 It’s not his fault that they never took the time to understand the game, usually being distracted by rarity and not considering the skills behind that card. He didn’t really dabble in video games too much, finding that then NPCs could only do so much before becoming wholly predictable. It also lacked the spontaneity of a human opponent; something which he enjoys. 

 This puts him in a fairly good position, no matter who his opponent is.

 However, he has to admit that using children to fight, even if they are holograms, sets him a little bit on edge. While they don’t seem to feel pain, it is a little strange when they are based on real people. He also wonders if their real counterparts have any idea of what is happening to their other selves. Would Mob know if Reigen used him to beat up another kid after telling him that it should be only a last-ditch attempt?

 He is so wrapped up in the moral quandary of it all that he doesn’t even notice being teleported into the arena. It is only when the man standing opposite him clears his throat that he snaps out of it. The man has bloodshot eyes which stare coldly at Reigen, although it lacks the hostility of the shoeless, silver-haired samurai. The samurai probably thought he was being subtle with his pointed glares behind Reigen’s back, but the psychic noticed almost immediately. He knows who he needs to keep an eye out for, and that samurai carried an aura that was dangerous in this type of competition. 

 It’s the aura of a man willing to do anything to win easy money. 

 Reigen would happily bet his expansive card collection that not only does the samurai have a crippling pachinko addiction, but that he has a small handful of labour violations waiting to be revealed. 

 He just knows it. 

 “We should probably introduce ourselves,” the man opposite says, “formalities and all that.”

 Despite being the one to suggest this, he looks like he absolutely does not want to say more than is absolutely necessary. 

 “Sure, I’m Reigen Arataka; Greatest Psychic of the 21st Century,” he says, noticing that the man now looks extremely unimpressed, “and small business owner.” He tags this on to try and make himself sound a little bit more impressive, but it doesn’t work.

 “One of those types, huh?”

 The tone used makes this comment feel a lot more cutting than the usual jabs he gets from Ritsu; although the glare is a little less intense than that. 

“My name is Aizawa Shota, a… teacher.”

 For a moment, it looks as though Aizawa is debating something in his mind. It’s suspicious, but Reigen doesn’t push it since whatever he does will probably have very little influence on the fight. 

 Aizawa looks like a rather lethargic opponent, especially when compared to a couple of the more competitive contestants.   This should make it an easy win for Reigen and he feels more optimistic when Mob materialises. 

 The holo-Mob is wearing the usual school uniform and is looking characteristically unfazed by his new location. While Reigen would usually be a bit more concerned about his disciple, he knows that Mob is a capable ester and should easily be able to fight any opponent without too much difficulty. 

 At least, that’s what Reigen thought. As soon as Aizawa’s fighter appears, all confidence floods out of his body. 

 “Eri?”

 The girl looks younger than Mob did when they first met; her eyes are filled with confusion as she looks around. Reigen had been expecting another teenager, not a small child who looks completely defenceless. Aizawa, who had previously looked rather apathetic, now looks worried as Eri turns to look at him. 

 “Shishou, what’s happening?”

 For once, Reigen is stumped. How can he order Mob to beat up a small child? It would not only be morally reprehensible, but he has spent so long preaching that Mob shouldn’t use his abilities against others… this would completely betray the boy’s trust in him. 

“This pair of spirits are particularly powerful, so I thought this would be some good training for you,” he lies after a moment’s hesitation, tugging at his tie slightly to alleviate the tightness against his neck. 

 Mob 10%

 It appears that Mob isn’t the only one who heard what he said as Eri, on the other side, suddenly begins to tear up. 

 “Aizawa, did we die?”

 This is not good; if looks could kill, Reigen would be six-feet under right now. 

 “We are both fine, Eri,” Aizawa says, kneeling down so that his eyes are level with hers.  Unfortunately, Eri doesn’t seem to hear this as her cries quickly get louder and louder. 

 While it isn’t the most morally sound situation, this could give him an advantage over his opponent. If anything, taking them out quickly would mean that the poor girl wouldn’t have to fight. That makes him the good guy, right?

 Mob, meanwhile, looks a little uncomfortable as he watches the teacher trying to console the girl. 

 Mob 17%

 Reigen decides that it will be more fruitful to use his time to form a strategy and so he looks down at the options he has.  There are a couple of buttons, four allotted to moves, one offering the option to switch fighters, and items. 

 While he can’t think of any reason as to why he would use items, or who he could swap Mob with, he keeps note of them. You never know when things could go wrong. 

 What he wants to focus on is Mob’s move set. Three of the moves, at first seem fairly normal; Dynamic Punch, Cross Punch, Seismic Toss…

 But as Reigen thinks about it, he realises something is wrong. Something is very wrong.

 “Oi, Mob,” he says as the hologram’s attention shifts to him, “why are these so many fighting moves?”

 “The Body Improvement Club said that it would help with training.”

 He says this so bluntly that Reigen doesn’t question how the club would even know about this competition. His focus is on something else entirely. Not only have they taken up more of Mob’s after-school time, forcing Reigen to do a number of more dangerous jobs alone, but they have turned his Psychic-type into a Fighting-type. Fighting and Psychic go together about as well as fire and water. 

 “Mob, you should rely on your strengths a little more.”

 Mob 26%

 “You said that I shouldn’t use my powers to hurt others,” Mob says. 

 “I know, but being punched is going to hurt a lot more than using some low-level psychic attacks,” Reigen tries to reason. While this would be true for most people, in Mob’s case the opposite is probably true. No matter how hard he tries to build muscle, it isn’t going his way. 

 Mob 37%

 At least there seems to be one psychic move that has survived the great purge. Shattered Psyche. 

 Unlike the other buttons, this one is greyed out; almost like it needs to be activated somehow. Reigen wonders if it is like one of those new game mechanics that get swapped out every generation. 

 On the other side of the arena, Aizawa has managed to calm Eri down; although she still seems to struggle with understanding what’s happening. He needs to remind himself that she is just a hologram… a very real-looking hologram. 

 “I don’t want to fight them,” she says as a conflicted look crosses Aizawa’s face. If there had been the option to flee, he would have chosen it without a moment’s hesitation. Instead, his only option is to make her fight with the hope that she doesn’t get too hurt. 

 “I know, Eri, but you will get hurt if you don’t,” he responds, trying to reassure her a little more. 

 “Shishou, I really don’t think that they’re spirits,” Mob says while they wait for them to make a move. 

 “It’s all an act, Mob. They want you to lower your guard before trying to possess you.” 

 Mob 48%

 While Mob and Reigen reach an uneasy understanding, Aizawa has managed to calm Eri down enough for him to finally make a move. 

 “I’m going to press this button and it will help you,” he explains calmly, “will you be alright with that?”

 Eri nods, her long hair bouncing slightly as she does. 

 Without wasting another second, Aizawa presses a random button; probably hoping that it will do the trick. 

 Eri uses Sparkly Swirl. 

 An impressive pastel tornado begins to swirl around her, whipping up the air before it goes hurtling towards Mob. At the last second, he manages to dodge out of the way. His left arm, however, is less lucky as it is caught in the attack. 

 It is super effective.

 The uniform covering his arm is shredded and drops of blood spill to the floor. Outside of that, it doesn’t seem to have caused too much damage. 

 Still, there is a much bigger problem for Reigen to deal with. Eri just had to be a fairy type, leaving Mob at an even bigger disadvantage. The only thing that he can be thankful for is that Mob has a very large hp bar; almost double that of his opponent. 

 “See, Mob, they really are dangerous,” Reigen says, hoping that the teenager will believe him at least a little bit.

 “I guess, but it didn’t hurt at all,” Mob says as he looks down at his arm. 

 Mob 54%

 “That’s because you are such a strong esper, but it will start causing damage,” Reigen says, trying to convince Mob that fighting back is necessary. 

 Technically, he could just let Mob lose, meaning that he could get back to the store and try to make sure his rental car can be returned before he gets fined. However, he doesn’t like the idea of letting Aizawa win after calling him ‘one of thosetypes'. 

 He can always lose the second round, leaving his pride intact. 

 “However, strength is meaningless without the willingness to use it… sometimes,” he adds on, hoping that this will spur Mob into action. 

 Wanting to get a gauge on how weak Mob is in this state, he pushes a button for one of the moves. 

 Mob uses Cross Punch. 

 Mob walks up to Eri, towering over her like a fearsome opponent. Despite his intimidating posture, it is clear that he doesn’t want to hurt the hologram in front of him. 

 Mob 60%

 He raises one of his fists, drawing it back before it goes flying towards the girl. 

 As it connects with her upper arm, nothing happens. Eri barely even acknowledges that anything has happened as Mob makes his way back over to Reigen. 

 It’s not very effective. 

 Mob 64%

 The opponent’s hp drops a grand total of three points. Three measly points out of a hundred. No matter how much hp Mob has, it is meaningless if he can barely make a dent in the opponent. 

 “You know, Mob,” Reigen says, hoping to offer some advice to the hologram, “you can hit her a little bit harder.”

 Mob 73%

 Aizawa, meanwhile, has spent his time formulating a plan; something he couldn’t do when he was busy consoling Eri. 

 Eri, switch out!

 Almost immediately, the girl disappears which fills Reigen with relief. But this only lasts a moment as a teenager takes her place. 

 If Reigen had to guess, he would say the teen is roughly the same age as Mob. 

 Go Shinsō!

 While the switch means that Mob won’t be attacked this round, there is a higher risk of Shinsō being a lot stronger. 

 “Shishou, can I swap out?” Mob asks, but as Reigen checks over his options, he finds that there is no one else that views Reigen as a parental figure. 

 He isn’t surprised by this, but he does find it a little bit disappointing. 

 “I’m sorry Mob, you’re going to have to fight.”

 Mob 81%

 Reigen tries a different move, hoping that their opponent is a dark or steel type. After all he looks like a dark type, which would put Mob in an advantageous position. 

 Mob uses Seismic Toss. 

 Walking up to Shinsō, Mob wraps his arms around the other teen’s waist and attempts to perform something akin to a suplex. 

 Unfortunately, his opponent is way too heavy for Mob to lift. Instead, he struggles for half a minute before giving up. 

 It’s not very effective. 

 “Good try Mob!”

 Reigen, realising how much danger Mob is in, does his best to cheer the hologram. They are both stuck with the hand dealt to them. 

 Mob 89%

 Since it is clear that their opponent is not an ideal match-up, all he needs is for Shinsō to not be a Fairy, Flying, or Psychic type. 

 Without even saying a word, Aizawa presses a button, with the teenager acting without question. It seems that they have a very trusting relationship, something that Reigen kind of feels jealous about. Although he has to admit, that Mob is a good kid; even with his potentially destructive power. 

 Shinsō uses Instruct.

 A psychic move, of course, it would be. 

 “Hey, what’s your name?”

 The question is innocuous enough, but Reigen can’t help but have a bad feeling about it. 

 “Mob, don’t answer that.”

 “Mob, huh? You don’t want to fight, do you?”

 “I… uh…”

 “Mob,” Reigen warns, but it’s too late. 

 “Repeat the last move you made,” Shinsō commands. 

 Mob 91%

It’s super effective.

 With great effort, Mob slowly walks over to where Shinsō is. Much like last time, the move is pitifully weak and takes off a single hit point.

 Shinsō laughs at this, clearly revelling a little bit in the apparent power difference between the two. 

 Mob 93%

 Unsure of what else he can do, Reigen selects Dynamic Punch, hoping that it will do at least a small bit of damage, but knows full well that he is fighting a losing battle. 

 Mob uses Dynamic Punch.

 The punch, like all other attacks, is brushed off easily. At this point, Mob would be better off not moving at all. 

 It’s not very effective. 

 Mob 95%

 Again, Reigen can only watch helplessly as Shinsō uses yet another move. This time a Dark-type move, probably the only one in his move set. 

 Shinsō uses Taunt. 

 It is clear that the hologram of Mob is struggling, clasping his hands over his ears as Shinsō’s words seep underneath his skin; worming their way into his mind. 

 Mob 97%

 It’s super effective. Mob is unable to move. 

 If Reigen had been paying more attention, he would have found it strange that Taunt paralysed Mob. It was usually used to stop status moves, so it shouldn’t have blocked anything. 

 Yet he didn’t notice at all. His attention is instead focused on Mob. Since he can’t even make a move, Shinsō prepares another attack; his taunts still filling the hologram’s mind. 

 Shinsō uses Psychic Fangs. 

 As the attack hits its target, Reigen shuts his eyes; not wanting to see Mob getting hurt anymore. He knows that it’s cowardly, but it’s all he can think to do. 

 It’s super effective.

 “You should just give up,” Shinsō says, his eyes looking a lot like those of Aizawa. A slight grin sits on his face, but only for a moment. As the visuals of the attack begin to fade, an immense and unknowable pressure begins to fill the arena.

 Mob 99%

Next Chapter

Read on Ao3

[justphilia]

More Claw!Teru, its all I've been thinking about for hours (Nap)

HI I’M JUST GONNA WORD DUMP

(ooohhhh I have italics and bold this is funnnn oh MAN focus focus okay here we GO)

Alright so Teru went with Claw when they first showed up - well and good, I like this, of course he would! His parents don’t want him and Claw thinks he’s special, worthy of joining their cause, so Teru’s got just. a massive ego, huge, astronomical ego. 

Something I thought of: Teru as a Scar. Muraki’s a Scar, right? It serves to reason that Teru would be too, which means he definitely picked a fight with the Boss, and I’ll touch on that later for sure

Where’s his specific scar, though? Teru is strong, he’s smart, but he’s got too much pride for his own good. He probably picked a fight with all the 7th Division Scars and, even as a kid (9-10yrs old? Not sure tbh anyway) I’m willing to bet that he outwitted several of the less experienced Scars. That’ll get him sent right up to the top, or even if it didn’t go down that way -

(let’s say that Touichiro made the rounds to all the Divisions, he stops at the 7th and wants to see the new “recruits”. Teru’s told that he’s the Boss, but surely if this guy’s the boss, and he’s already beat up the other adults, he’d be able to take him on too, right? 

I’d like to think he put up a good fight.) 

- Teru’s got a Scar that runs the length of his scalp, from his hairline, up and over, back down to the base of his skull. In canon, his hair getting shaved was covered up by a wig, and the same happens here. Naturally, its the exact same wig as canon (taller, perhaps? Claw certainly wouldn’t care) although I’m a bit fuzzy on how he loses it. (Reigen, maybe? After the power transfer, that would make sense) 

Skipping way ahead here, closer to Mogami and World Domination. 

Reigen’s taken Teru in, and he’s (reluctantly) sticking around. Reigen forces him to enroll in school, or else he’d have to stay and work at S&S all day. Teru adamantly refuses, only on the grounds of ��the commoners don’t deserve my help, besides, they all stared at me the one time I stayed all day with you." 

But twist: Teru doesn’t live anywhere near Black Vinegar now (since he’s with Reigen) and ends up going to the same school as Shigeo. 

This works out, in a weird way, because Teru knows how strong Shigeo is. He fought him once and very nearly lost (cue big ramble abt how losing to Touichiro wouldn’t have humbled him in any way bc Claw literally runs on being a bunch of smug dorks and how it was losing to Reigen instead [Reigen had the full force of Shigeo’s 100%, and while not ???%, it certainly is quite a lot of power regardless] that kickstarted Teru’s humbling process) and the biggest question on his mind is the one that HQ’s little redhead lapdog brought up. 

Why didn’t Shigeo use his powers?

So Teru spends his time at school following Shigeo around, trying to understand. He’s decided to become his friend - if friend is even the word he can use.

He tutors the Awakening kids at Ritsu’s insistence (because for all of Ritsu’s own flaws, he recognizes when someone is stronger than him), because Ritsu was barely able to keep them safe on his own, and Teru intimately knows what Claw can do. Ritsu wants to make sure his friends can protect themselves, just in case. Teru uses it as an excuse to flex his powers a bit. 

Ritsu’s still bitter about the kidnapping, and it makes Teru feel a little guilty. He’s apologized, kinda, because Reigen’s been slowly knocking morals and ethics into his head and Teru does sorta feel bad for causing so many problems, but he’s still struggling with the empathy of it all. 

I want Teru to go with Reigen and Shigeo to confront Mogami. I don’t even know what that would entail, but he goes along because Reigen’s logic of "two psychics are better than one” has merit. Shit happens. The aftermath is that Teru is right there when Shigeo wakes up, and presses much harder than Reigen did to find out exactly what happened while Shigeo was stuck in Mogami-land.

Lots of vague plot bunnies later, Shigeo confides in Teru and somehow it finally clicks for Teru exactly why Shigeo is the way he is, and why Teru wasn’t really so different from Minori in the beginning (just in a different environment), and how badly he needs to change if he’s ever going to really become Shigeo’s friend. 

(Joke’s on Teru - Shigeo’s considered him a friend for awhile. Teru gets along well with Tome, and helps him workout, and with his homework, and agrees that Captain Musashi is cool [Teru is still a helpless gay, let him have crushes], and is helping his Shishou with work - of course he’s his friend, what else would he be?) 

WORLD DOMINATION TIME 

Teru’s at home (Reigen’s apartment) when Claw attacks. The biggest difference is that it’s a much bigger fight - instead of four, they sent a dozen, because they already knew (even moreso than before) what he’s capable of. 

I’m torn between Teru staying and fighting tooth-and-nail for this new life he’s created (because it’s so much better than Claw - he’s fed, has hobbies, he has real friends, a home, even a kinda-dad in Reigen) or the mess of Claw agents shows up, and Teru goes with them.

Teru knows how strong Touichiro is. He knows how strong the Ultimate 5 are. He fought them. So instead, we have a Teru who’s weighing his self-preservation (and fear of failure) against his anger towards these adults who thoroughly traumatized him. (I have ideas, but they’re scattered and would take awhile to make even remotely coherent) 

Long story short, at the end of it all, Teru kicks Shimazaki’s ass with minimal help, and it’s only when his pride catches up to him (because it does - that’s something Claw!Teru has a much harder time with) that he starts to lose the fight. He gets backup in the form of the 7th Division and Ritsu  (who’s lowkey begruding about it, but Teru’s protecting them, he can’t just not help) (OR instead Ritsu actually goes with Shou to confront his father because Teru’s got it under control - gimme that scenario, hit me with an instant 100% Shigeo because Ritsu got hurt again and this needs to stop now.) 

idk that’s all I got for now, thank u for listeninggggg time to go run errands and work on some hardcore angst that’s distracting me from all my other projects againnnn~~  ≿━━━━༺❀༻━━━━≾ Happy noises because look I can finally use a boarder.

(Side note: Apparently when you use the submit box, I can see your email, it won’t show when I post this but I just wanna drop a heads up)

Teru going back to Claw during World Dom would be a big OUCH if it happens, which gives me an idea; Teru going back to Claw so he can destroy it on the inside. He pretends he’s joining back but ends up betraying Claw.

So he’s told to keep watch at the front with Shimazaki right, and Ritsu’s there and Ritsu’s just: “TERU WE TRUSTED YOU.”

Plot twist, it’s okay, because right when Shima’s about punt my emo son, Teru immediately does his betrayal.

And when Shige comes over, for a moment, he thinks Teru’s back to being bad so he gets angsty until Teru looks up and he’s like; “You’re here!”

[stuck-in-jelly]

The Irony of Life (MP100|One-Shot| Fan-Fic Commission)

A short SeriRei one-shot that was commissioned

In which Reigen reflects on his 15 year old mindset and realizes just how wrong he was.

———————————————

When Reigen was 15 years old he accepted the fact that he was never going to have kids even if he wanted to. With a single glance to his parents, he doubted he would be any better than them and no child deserved a fate like that.  

Yet irony had a way of creeping into his life and taking away his choice, because by the time he was 30 he somehow amassed an army of children who all looked up to him and visited him often, none of which were related to him in any way.  

It had all started with one kid and just ended up snowballing into more and more children before he could even try to stop it. Half of the pictures he has on his clipboard in the office have turned into photos of him and the kids on outings; the time Teru and the Kageyama brothers joined them on their trip to the hot springs, his birthday party with all of them, Ritsu getting thanked by his first client, Rei doing a fortune telling, and so on and so forth.  

He hates to say it, but it’s starting to look like a mother’s scrapbook and he is neither a mother nor in possession of an actual scrapbook (though he has considered investing in one at this rate). And although Mob doesn’t visit the office often anymore, too busy focusing more on his studies and the Body Improvement Club, he accidentally ended up sending more kids his way to replace him.  

More specifically in the form of a bunch of rather loud girls that Tome dragged in hardly with his approval and his office had turned into their hangout spot (much to his dismay when he is trying to work).  

Even now, at the end of the work day, they lay sprawled all over the couch and chairs talking and laughing away as if he hadn't already turned off most of the lights and locked the windows in a subtle way to tell them to get up already.  

Most days Reigen was left alone like this– given that Serizawa typically heads off early for night school– however today was a lucky day and he didn’t have classes which is a godsend since Serizawa is much better with kids than Reigen.  

“Come on, girls. Pack up, we are closing soon.” Serizawa’s voice snapped the girls out of their conversation much faster than his ever would, it was a perfect mix of a stern yet gentle demand that sounded much more like a suggestion making it much more appealing to listen to.

With a ‘tsk’ Reigen looked over to chime in:  

“We are closed,” he sneered before snapping the blinds to the windows shut.  

Imminent whines traveled from the girls.  

“Come on, just a couple more minutes!” one of them pleaded dramatically. It was almost enough to make Reigen roll his eyes.  

“Do you want to be locked in the office?”

“Cool! Like a sleepover!”

“No, no sleepovers in my office.”

Tome leaps up, a tale tell sign she has an idea  

“What if you give me the keys?! I can lock up after we all decide to leave or we stay the night!”

“Absolutely not.” He doesn’t even need to think about that one

“What!? Why?! I'm super reliable?”

A smirk crept on Reigen’s face.  

“Ah yes, like that time you got lost in the cursed woods, or the time Dimple had to possessed you and punch your teacher, or that time you assaulted one of our clients, or when you-”  

“Fine, fine I get it!” the girls were giggling and Tome’s face had turned a bright shade of pink as she slumped in defeat.  

Before he could say much else Serizawa stepped in once again,  

“How about this: Tomorrow we have a case down at Cape Cop Avenue, if we head off now you can tag along for it.”

The girls cheered, accidently having adopted Tome’s curiosity for ghosts and other such creatures. With their minds satisfied somewhat with the idea of a new activity they began to gather their bags and the homework they hadn't even touched the entire time at the office.  

Usually Reigen would scold Serizawa for promising something like that, but the location was an apartment complex that Serizawa had scouted yesterday and as expected there weren’t actually any ghosts there. The scariest thing at the apartment complex was their plumbing system.  

Regardless, Serizawa would be sure to give them a show (thank god none of them were espers).

It wasn’t long until they all began piling out. Somehow it has become a habit for Reigen to walk the girls home and tonight was no exception, the only difference being that Serizawa decided to join them.  

The first destination was for Mika who lived only 3 blocks down from Reigen’s office, she gave an enthusiastic wave goodbye and promised to take a bunch of pictures tomorrow (even though Reigen tried explaining it would be hard to capture a ghost on camera).

Up next was their tall friend whose name Reigen hasn’t caught just yet. She seemed to stare a lot at them when they worked and doodle them but she was the politest of the bunch so Reigen didn’t mind her all that much.  

Then Tome, who groaned loudly as Keiko reminded her of the homework due tomorrow before sulking back into her house with a small wave. Misa lives just two houses down from Tome and jogged ahead since she forgot about the homework too.  

And then last but not least Keiko who without the company of her friends becomes rather bashful and shy only uttering small ‘thank you’s’ and ‘good night’s’ as she scurries into her house.  

With the girls all safely in their houses Reigen without meaning to let out a soft sigh as he stretched, finally allowing himself to relax away from the kids. Usually he’d keep on his facade for Serizawa but lately that illusion has been melting away and luckily, it’s been mutual.  

Serizawa has begun to relax too around him, being more confident and even being so bold as to tease him. They had also begun to work fluidly with each other, understanding what the other needed or wanted with simple quick glances and they practically danced around each other in their morning routines. Reigen even trusted him enough to give him copies of the keys to the office, it was nice to have someone to lean on when you needed it.  

Neither of them said a word but they both began walking in the same direction. Serizawa lived just a bit further from Reigen in a different and better apartment complex than his so it made sense they were sticking together.  

Nights like these were rare but appreciated, his whole life Reigen has always felt like he was supposed to be running just to catch up; but walking like this alongside someone you trust and care about is nice. It makes him feel like he can finally walk instead of run, like there is no rush.

And Serizawa is a good person and perfect company, initially Reigen assumed they didn’t have much in common but as time has moved on it turned out they do and they frequently found themselves talking each other's ear off. Mostly Reigen more than Serizawa but it’s a mutual exchange at least.  

Though right now they seem to appreciate the silence, the girls were a nice change to have in the office but they also tend to drain the two of their energy with how loud and energetic they get, not to mention the trouble and danger they seem to like to get into. The thought alone is already giving Reigen a headache.

“Reigen?” With the sound of his name, he snaps out of it quickly, looking up to Serizawa only letting out a small ‘hm’ of acknowledgement.  

Reigen catches the brief moment Serizawa was looking at him before staring forward instead.

“I know we’ve been busy lately but I was wondering if you would like to join me tomorrow for dinner at my place?”  

Now that was extra new, Reigen has never been over to Serizawa’s apartment. Something about it felt a bit too personal, maybe it's because he hasn’t been over to a friend's place since he was in middle school nor has he had guests over willingly at his own apartment.    

“What’s the occasion?”  

The question makes Serizawa visibly tense, although the man has become more confident in himself, he finds moments like these where he still falters in his choices.  

“Oh! Uh well I just um thought it would be nice to have some company over you know, I wanted to try out this new recipe and I thought it would be nice to have another taste tester and well I’m also trying to get used to having more people over at my place and I-”  

Before he could go on another list of excuses Reigen interrupts,  

“Sure, sounds nice. It’s been a while since I had a home cooked meal anyways.”

The response seemed to calm him down, his shoulders untensing and letting out a not so subtle sigh of relief.  

As casual as Reigen is trying to act though he could feel his heart hammering in his chest in excitement. Every time he’s tried to have a moment alone with Serizawa one of them has always been either busy or with other plans so it would be great to finally have time.  

But Reigen isn't an idiot, he knows exactly why he’s excited for this. He’s noticed how things between them have changed recently and perhaps it’s wishful thinking but he’s noticed from Serizawa too, when his gaze lingers, when he relaxes into soft touches, and the change of his mood from around his friends as opposed to him.

Along with this came a new tension, and not the kind where you want to murder each other or fuck, no it was something different. It was the kind of tension where both parties are trying to read each other and think they know what the other is thinking but they don’t want to make any unwarranted assumptions.  

Reigen’s always been great at reading people, and usually he wouldn’t doubt himself but this is different in many ways. Serizawa is not only a friend but an employee, and he’s being reintroduced to the world away from all the hardships he faced and the trauma he’s brought along with him. If he is right about this, he needs to be careful.

Serizawa is perfectly capable of making his own choices but he needs to go at his own pace and to push anything onto Serizawa wouldn’t be fair.      

There’s another thing Reigen had accepted when he was 15 years old, and it was that no one could ever love him for who he truly is. And that is a firm belief he’s kept, even now as Serizawa leans to be closer to him and he leans back.  

But then again irony loves his company. So maybe 15-year-old Reigen could be wrong about that too.

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

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If you want this posted on AO3 tell me and I’ll probably do it!! Thank you for reading

[nexttrickanvils]

FE3H Fic: Falling for You

Title: Falling For You

Characters: Claude Von Reigen, F!Byleth, Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd, Edelgard Von Hresvelg, Sylvain Jose Gautier, Mercedes Von Martritz, small cameos from a few FE: Fates characters

Ships: Claude x Byleth, background Sylvain x Mercedes

Notes: Modern!AU

---------

The first thing Claude thought was: “Did anyone get the number on the bus that just hit me?”

“Sir!? Sir!? Are you alright!?”

The second thing Claude thought was: “...Oh...”

He stared up at the bespectacled blue haired woman looking over him with concern on her face.

“Sir! Do you need me to call someone? Do you know where you are? What...”

Claude groaned as he finally sat up and gave the woman a carefree smile.

“I’m fine, I’m fine. No need to call somebody and if it’ll make you feel better, we’re at the Garreg Mach Public Library.”

She sighed in relief and smiled back.

“Good.”

The blue haired woman offered her hand to Claude and helped him up. She then turned to a group of young kids. Guess she must have been a teacher or something.

“Kana?”

One kid in particular, a young boy with messy silver hair stepped forward and stood next to his teacher.

“Now Kana, what do we say when we bump into someone?”

The boy looked up at Claude with big fat tears in his eyes.

“I’M SORRY MISTER! I DIDN’T MEAN TO! I GOT EXCITED AND...”

“Hey, hey no need to shout little guy, we’re at the library. And don’t worry, I forgive you. Just make sure you listen to your Teach okay?”

The boy let out a sniffle and an “Okay.”

He went back to his little group and took the hand of a red-haired girl a couple years older than him.

The teacher looked back at Claude, “Once again, I am so sorry for my student...”

“Come on, you don’t gotta apologize too. Believe me, if you want to hear some horror stories about hyper kids, just ask my mom about my childhood.”

She gave a small chuckle and Claude felt a slight heat in his cheeks.

“Nonetheless, they are my responsibility. So I shoulder some of the blame.”

“Don’t worry, I’m fine. You should get back to your job instead of worrying about me.”

She nodded and turned back to her group, “Alright everyone, now where we?”

Claude watched with a smile as the kids and their teacher walked off to the library’s kids section. 

He quickly returned to what he was doing before and yet as the day went on, he kept thinking about the blue haired woman.

She seemed nice, hells nicer than some of the teachers he grew up with. Those kids are lucky to have her.

Not to mention, if Claude had to be honest, she was kind of cute and that laugh…

Claude shook his head, what was he doing? It’s not like he was going to see her again.

...Though he wouldn’t mind that… maybe get to hear her laugh again…

…

“...I picked a bad time to realize I have a thing for girls in glasses didn’t I?”

===

Telling Dimitri and Edelgard about what happened was probably the dumbest thing Claude could have done.

Dimitri’s reaction wasn’t too bad, supportive and was even willing to help out if needed, but Edelgard… Claude can’t remember the last time his friend laughed this hard.

“...You done?”

Edelgard’s laughter started to slow down and she finally took a few breaths.

“M-my apologies, Claude it’s just…hahaha... it’s just funny to think that you, Claude “I don’t believe in hokey stuff like Moon Signs and Soulmates” Von Reigen of all people would fall in love at first sight.”

“Hey I did NOT “fall in love at first sight.” I’m just curious about her and want to see her again. Get to know her better you know?”

“That… sounds an awful lot like love at first sight.” Remarked Dimitri the Traitor

Claude glared at them both as he took a swig of his drink.

The blonde smiled and continued, “To be honest, it all does sound rather romantic.”

“Except for the part where you were knocked over by a toddler.” Added Edelgard

“I did not get knocked over by a toddler… I think the kid was in kindergarten.”

At that, Dimitri let out a laugh that he tried very hard to hide. Claude said nothing as he went back to his drink.

“All joking aside, what was her name? Perhaps you could look her up online...” asked Edelgard

At that, Claude nearly choked. 

Shit! He never got her name!

Claude smacked his head against the bar and even though he couldn’t see them, he could feel the disappointed expressions on Dimitri and Edelgard’s faces.

...Well okay maybe disappointed isn’t the right word but they are judging him.

===

At some point last night, his friends did actually give Claude some good advice.

Most of the local schools had photos of their staff on their websites and without knowing her name, this seemed like the best and “least likely to get the cops called on him” way to find her. 

So he grabbed his phone and a notepad and sat down at his favorite coffee shop. This shouldn’t take too long right?

...Too bad no one told him that there was a whole lot of elementary schools in Garreg Mach. Claude knew this place was a big city. He’s lived here for a good few years now and he swears he keeps finding new old places. 

But did this city really need this many elementary schools!?

“Not really how I pictured spending my afternoon” Claude muttered as he scratched out Saint Cethlean Elementary & Middle School off his list. At this rate, Mystery Teach will have retired by the time Claude found out where she worked.

After scratching out six or maybe seven more schools from the list, Claude took a glance around the coffee shop; the place was starting to get a little too crowded for his liking. Maybe he should head out and take a break. Maybe do some people watching near the old Monastery.

However just as he stood up, he spotted a familiar someone at the counter.

“Here you go Ma’am, have a nice day!” “Thank you, you too.”

No way… there was no way…

Except there was no mistaking that blue hair or her voice.

...Claude wasn’t exactly a religious man but he couldn’t help but mentally thank whatever god or goddess seemed to be listening to him.

He waited until she stepped out of line before taking a deep breath, putting on his most charming smile, and approaching her; being very careful not to startle her.

However before he could reach her, the crowd in the shop seemed to shift and Claude found himself stuck.

“Hey! ‘Scuse me! Tryna get through!”

Claude tried his best to get through the crowd but some people were just way too stubborn and pushy for their own. Before long, Claude found himself falling forward out of the crowd.

‘Okay I’m taking back the thanks to any god or goddess listening, cause they’re obviously jerks and are laughing at me.’

Claude stood back and tried to look for around for the woman. Soon he spotted her through the window, walking away and chatting with a short haired blonde woman. The blonde seemed familiar somehow to Claude but he couldn’t put his finger on it.

As for who she probably was, she was likely Teach’s co-worker or just a friend… or even a girlfriend.

It was that thought that made Claude realize: What the hells was he doing?

Is he really so desperate that a smile and some basic human decency is enough to make him act like an idiot tripping over himself?

He didn’t even know her name, for gods’ sake!

Claude sighed as he picked up the things he dropped and headed out of the coffee shop.

====

Claude had hoped to spend a nice quiet evening hanging out and drinking with Dimitri and Edelgard.

Unfortunately this was not to be because when he arrived at their usual spot, Edelgard looked like she was ready to strangle someone and Dimitri was in a friendly(?) headlock by a loud drunk with bright red hair. It took Claude a minute to recognize the guy as Sylvain, one of Dimitri’s friends.

He took a seat next to Edelgard and shot her a sympathetic look. “Long night?”

“It’s only been an hour.”

“So what brought Sylvain here?”

“Apparently he’s getting married to Mercedes.”

If Claude had a drink, this would be the point where he’d spit it all over the counter.

“Wait. Sylvain is getting married. OUR Sylvain?”

“Do we know any others?”

“...So...”

“Dimitri called Mercedes to come pick Sylvain up. She was just getting off work when he called so hopefully she’ll be here soon.”

Claude looked at the thrilled drunk redhead and could hear him gushing about his fiancee and how she’s one of the few people who could see the “real him.” 

Meanwhile poor Dimitri is just nodding along and adding the ocasional “I know” and “I’m very happy for you.”

“Never thought Sylvain of all people would get married.”

“Well I suppose this week has been one for miracles. Speaking of: how is your search for your true love going?”

Claude decided to ignore the “true love” comment and explained to Edelgard that he gave up.

“Give up? That doesn’t sound like you.”

“Yeah well, I didn’t realize how many schools I had to look up and I kind of had an epiphany that I was acting like a creepy idiot.”

“I see.”

After a few more minutes of trying to talk to his friends over Sylvain’s ramblings, Claude heard the sound of the bar door opening. He looked over and his eyes widened.

“Mercedes? I almost didn’t recognize you.” remarked Edelgard

The blonde giggled as she showed off her short hair.

“Do you like it? It was starting to become a bit of a hassle to take care of it and I thought it was time for a change.”

THAT’S WHY SHE SEEMED FAMILIAR, Claude just didn’t recognize her with the new haircut.

Upon hearing Mercede’s voice, Sylvain released his death grip on Dimitri and stumbled over to her.

“BABY!” he shouted as he fell into her arms

“Hello to you too dear.” Mercedes said with a smile

She then turned to the three, “I hope Sylvain didn’t give you three too much trouble.”

“N-not at all. He merely wanted to let us know about the engagement and celebrate. Congratulations by the way.” said Dimitri

“Let us know when you figure out a wedding date alright?” said Edelgard

Mercedes nodded.

“We will, thank you. I’ll be taking him home now. Good night everyone.”

As Mercedes started to walk towards the exit with Sylvain’s arm draped around her shoulders, Claude stood up.

“Hey wait Mercie!”

“Hm? Oh, Claude. What is it?”

“This… might be a weird question but… do you… happen to have a co-worker who’s a… woman with blue hair and glasses?”

===

“Okay so let me get the story straight. You were at the library, one of the kids that Mercie watches over knocked you flat on your ass and you fell in love with her co-worker when she checked on you?”

Claude glared at Sylvain, “Aside from the “falling in love part,” yeah you got it down.”

So it turned out that Mercedes was co-workers with Mystery Teach in an After-School Program. After Claude explained his situation, Mercedes offered to let Sylvain drive him to the school that she worked at to meet her co-worker, Byleth. 

Gods did it feel good to FINALLY have a name to work with.

“You know… since I’m picking up Mercedes, if both girls are up for it, we can do a double date right away.”

“Just shut up and drive.”

The two stayed quiet for the rest of the ride (though not for lack of trying on Sylvain’s part) until they finally arrived at the school.

Claude could hear the kids further down the hall, guess Mercedes and Byleth weren’t off the clock just yet. Thus he and Sylvain sat down on a nearby bench.

He chuckled and Sylvain looked at him curiously.

“Oh just… sitting out here kinda makes me think of my own school days. Like I’m waiting for the Principal to come out and lecture me for releasing a stink bomb in the gym.”

“Whoa, really?” Sylvain asked with a laugh

“In my defense, it wasn’t supposed to go off at that moment; the casing was just badly made.”

The two made small talk as they watched parents come in and out with their kids.

Claude always liked people watching but he’d never seen such… interesting characters.

Like the guy who looked like he stepped out of a comic book, his wife who looked like she could bench press DIMITRI, and their kid who looked like the dad’s sidekick.

Then there’s the father+daughter duo wearing toy fox ears and making, he’s assuming, fox noises as they went down the hall.

A few more minutes passed by when a little voice shouted out, “Hey Mister!”

Claude turned to the voice and saw that same silver haired boy who ran into him.

“Oh well look who it is. You doing alright kid? Listening to your Teach, I hope?”

The boy, Kana, he thinks Byleth called him, nods and smiles.

“Uh-huh. Are you here to see Ms. Byleth?”

“Heh, aren’t you a smart kid. Yup, just here say hi to her.”

“...Are you marrying Ms. Byleth?”

Claude’s eyes widened as he let out a choked noise and Sylvain let out a laugh.

“Kana!”

Approaching them all was a friendly looking guy with silver hair, a woman with red hair that Claude could only describe as “fluffy,” and a slightly older red haired girl.

“Hi mama!”

The little boy rushed into his mom’s arms and was lifted up. The woman sighed and faced Claude and Sylvain.

“I’m sorry, I hope he wasn’t bothering you.”

“N-nah, it’s… it’s fine.” Claude said, trying to hide the red on his face

The redheaded woman nodded and started to walk away with her family while the boy waved good-bye to Claude.

“Bye-bye Mister!”

As soon as that family was out the doors, Sylvain shot Claude a shit-eating grin.

“Smart kid right?”

Claude said nothing as he glared at him.

A couple more families came and went and Claude was starting to nervously tap his foot on the floor. The longer the two waited, the more chances Claude had to overthink.

Did Byleth even remember what happened at the library? Would she just stare at him blankly if he tried to explain who he was? Would she think he was some stalker?

Thankfully before Claude could further give himself a panic attack, two women stepped out from one of the rooms.

Mercedes… and Byleth.

Sylvain of course practically jumped off the bench and ran over to greet his fianceé while Byleth stood to the side and watched the two in amusement.

Well… now or never. Claude stood up, took a deep breath, put on his most charming smile, and approached her; being very careful not to startle her.

“Hey Teach.”

Byleth turned to him. At first she looked confused but a spark of recognition quickly lit her eyes.

“Oh, it’s you, the man from the library. Are you doing alright? No bumps? No dizziness or anything?”

“I told you before, I’m fine. You don’t need to call a doc or anything. The name’s Claude by the way.” he replied with a laugh as he offered his hand

“I’m Byleth and sorry about that. The double checking’s become a force of habit. My roommate can tell you plenty of stories about me slipping into what she calls “Teacher Talk” to her.” She said as she took his hand and shook it

“Heh well maybe if you got the time, we can sit down for a drink or some coffee and you can tell me all about it?”

Byleth gave him that same smile that he couldn’t stop thinking about.

“I’d love to.”

[nie7027]

For some reason i really wanted to write some reformed super5 headcanons so here i go

Edit: Part1    Part2    Part 3    Part 4   Part 5

I havent read the manga so I dont know exactly what happens to them therefore this probably wont follow canon

Minegishi being the one who faced the worst possible way to realize all his wrondoing assumes as his responsability to make sure the others, who didnt had to go through such drastic measures, take seriously their redemption

"What do you mean the boy just offered to be your friend??? I HAD TO FACE DEATH HIMSELF AND ALMOST DIE WHILE BEGGING FOR ONE CHANCE" says a perfectly not traumatized Minegishi after Seri tells them what happened up there

So he essentially becomes the mom friend, making a group chat to know what all of them are up to and pestering them to find a job you bunch of useless

How he manages to be both the mom friend and the asshole friend is anybody guess

hatori and shibata move in together to split bills, seri goes with Reigen so Minegishi ends up renting a tiny flat on his own

Minegishi (actually all of them) doesnt trust Reigen, and neither Mob(afterall he saw him talking with that terrifying spirit) but it looks like Seri is doing fine and he is too busy looking for a job

He ends up being a florist(i think this is canon) and Hatori works repairing computers because thats all they know to do

Minegishi still doesnt actually like like plants but he has come to appreciate them and they are part of him so he starts to learn about them

Hatori canonically knows nothing about IT so now that its his work he does the same and lears to program too (It turns out without his powers he sucks at it)

Cue some strange study session and chats talking about their experiences

Minegishi: Did you know that apple seeds contain cyanide, a very lethal sustance, so you could kill a man if you feed him too many apples?

Hatori: Did you know computers are super stupid? seriously for some reason it tells me there two kinds of 0 and it wont do what i want OH MANS GREATEST INVENT HOW COME YOU CANNOT RUN THIS SIMPLE PROGRAM

Hatori:

Minegishi: you forgot another ; didnt you?

Hatori:

Hatori: yeah..but it still tells me the are 2 zeroe's

Shibata jumps from work to work(construction worker, security guard, retail) getting frustrated each time. The only things constant in his life are the super5 and his weekly visits to the gym because even if he was passing out he remembers what ekubo said to him about appreciating real trained muscles over fake physics muscles and decides to train until he deserves those muscles

It turns everybody in the gym admires his muscles and the fact that shibata follows a healthy routine and never oveworks like those who exercise for the sake of having muscles(he could use his physics powers if he wanted to just show off) motivates them to do the same so they gym owners, exvited about this' go to him and beg him to work there as gym instructor. Shibata has to go thought lots of capacitation but he is finally doing something he believes in and helping other people.

They do mostly fine and are sastified with the way they are becoming better...of course there times when old habits cannot be forgotten

One time Hatori is asked to repair one of the computers of a mildly important company and he does it without realizing he used his powers. so when another computer brokes in the same way and the company, to save money, triesto repeat what he did, it doesnt work and they acusse hatori of somehow doing this on purporse so the company is forced to hire him everytime and threaten to sue. Shibata hearing this walks up to the company in his inflated form and force them to retract everything the said, apologize to Hatori, hire him to repair the other computer and then leave him alone

Hatoris way to say thanks is to hack the gyms system and change shibatas schedule so his days of fall on the same day there new episodes of his favorite shows. He does the same for Minegishi sometimes.

Even if a florist shop is a calmer enviroment there are times he really wants to estrangulate the customers with some vines. He of course doesnt do it but he cant be blamed when a customer trips on a random root that appeared out of nowhere. Seriously? This root is too sturdy to be from any pf the plants they have Minegishis coworkers complain

Once they see a clean shaved, suit wearing more confident standing Seri for the first time they stare dumbfoundedly(they might had even gaped) but they recover quickly and compliment him which makes Seri so happy which is a nice change because he was so nervous he couldnt even button his shirt and Reigen had to sit him down and help him. They go for a drink and catch up on their lives. This becomes soon a routine.

And it goes like this(with them working, adjusting to normal lives and going for drinks every once in awhile) for about a year until one afternoon minegishi comes back to his apartment from grocery shopping to a powerful aura that is making his plants nervously recoil and finds Shimazaki resting on his couch eating cereal out of the box and watching tv

"What the fuck are you doing here?"

"Watching tv"

"You are blind"

"And you are dumb. Wheres the milk? I couldnt find it"

I have a part 2 ready but i really need to do my homework now so this was a good point to cut it. ill edit it later to fix any mistakes when im on my computer

(The cyanide thing is more difficult than just feeding someone apples but i did that on purpose to show Minegishi is just as dumb as Hatori)

[truly-morgan]

Kinktober 2023 Day 1: L̷e̷a̷t̷h̷e̷r̷ ̷&̷ ̷L̷a̷t̷e̷ | [Macro/Micro] | ̷P̷e̷g̷g̷i̷n̷g̷

MobRei 1933 Mob Psycho 100

reigen gets shrunken down after a spirit curses him, so he calls Mob to pick him up. His disciple decides he should punish him a little bit before he brings back his shisho to his original size.

__________________________________

“I am so happy you came to pick me up, Mob,” Reigen said with a smile, holding on more tightly to the young man’s jacket collar as he went up the stairs.

After all, it had already been admittedly scary to be shrunken down like this, waiting while other spirits may still be around. He was already pretty defenceless against bad spirits, at the size of a doll it was even worse than that.

“I still don’t understand how shisho managed to get shrunken down like this” the young man commented, finally entering the office. Reigen couldn’t help but frown slightly when Mob seemed to lock the office door.

“I am not sure either, that’s why I am happy you did answer my call” Reigen replied. Especially since Serizawa had seemed busy, seeing how he hadn’t picked up any of his. His first reflex had been to call Mob, but he didn’t want to bother him while he was at college for something like this if maybe Serizawa could help him out.

Of course, he didn’t mention Serizawa not picking up, knowing Mob wouldn’t like knowing he had, once again, gotten himself in danger with little chance of being helped.

“You do know how you could make me grow back to my usual size, right?” Reigen asked as Mob sat down at his desk. He allowed the young man to pick him up from where he was sitting on his shoulder, putting him down on his desk. He watched as Mob shrug off his jacket, making him feel a little puzzled.

This shouldn’t take very long, there was no need to settle down like this.

He didn’t move when Mob’s hands lazily wrapped around him, his thumb rubbing little circles against his hip. “I think I know how to do it, although it might take a couple of tries to get to it” Mob admitted, as honest as ever. “Shisho trust me even if it doesn’t work at first?”.

“Of course” Reigen smiled, leaning back against his fingers that had moved to support his back more. “I trust you with my life” Reigen pointed out. This earned him a quiet hum from Mob, nodding at his words.

“But before that, I think I should punish Arataka a little bit,” Mob said, his hold around Reigen tightening a little bit. This had the older man suddenly feeling a little bit more nervous, especially with powers starting to undress him like this.

“W-wait Mob! Calm down, we can talk instead” he said, biting down on his lips when he felt a finger brush against his clothes cock. It felt quite different from when Mob would touch him normally, one fingertip enough to really cover him fully.

“I don’t think talking will be enough, seeing how my many warnings and demands have seemingly been ignored by shisho” Mob replied, looking a little satisfied once Reigen was fully stripped of his clothes. “I know you must have called Serizawa before me, what would you have done if I had been at my dorm instead of visiting home for the long weekend?”.

This had Reigen quietly squirming in the young man’s hand, not replying to him. He wasn’t sure what he would have done really. After all, Mob had been able to join him so quickly because he had been at his parent’s house. it could have taken hours if he had been in his dorms a couple city away.

“That’s what I thought” Mob commented with a hum, picking up Reigen once again by making him sit in the palm of his hand. “I figured a punishment might be better this time, maybe shisho will learn” he added. And somehow, Reigen felt like there was also a little part inside of the young man that really wanted to take advantage of him being so small to play with him.

He didn’t fight as Mob used his finger to open his legs wider, showing his already half-erected cock. He couldn’t help but blush at the feeling of being put on display so much. It was one thing to be naked in front of Mob, but it was another when he was the size of a doll. It felt so different.

Yet something in his gut quite liked it, especially the way Mob used his finger and power delicately to tease him. This had him squirming some more, holding onto Mob’s other fingers to make sure he wouldn’t fall (as if the young man would ever let that happen).

In no time Reigen feels like it’s all too much, as if his body had grown a little more sensitive with being shrunken down like this. Yet it seemed like Mob wasn’t done with him, stopping any use of his power or fingers when it was starting to feel like he’d go over the edge.

“Mooob” he whined despite himself, hip rutting up in an attempt to get some type of friction. Instead, he received a chuckle as Mob pulled him closer to his face.

He was then kissed on the chest, trailing down rather quickly to between his legs. It felt really strange to have Mob suck him off like this while he was this size. It felt really warm and wet, like nothing he had felt before really either.

He had to hold as best as he could onto Mob’s head and hair, hip trying to buck up against his lips and tongue. It wasn’t too long before he came in what must have been really small spurt for Mob, falling boneless into his hand.

Mob still didn’t let him go yet, lips gently leaving kisses over his body has Reigen slowly recovered from coming like this. This had to be one of the best orgasms Reigen has had in a while, although it wasn’t too hard to beat jacking off by himself.

“Will Shisho be careful from now one?” Mob asked him, coming back onto the first reason that was used to start all this. This had Reigen laugh breathlessly a little bit, nodding at his question.

He then tried sitting up a little bit when Mob brought him back down onto his clothes. “what about you?” Reigen asked, knowing Mob had to also be hard right now.

“Well, maybe you can make it up to me after I get you back to your regular size” Mob suggested. He would have really liked to try some other thing while Reigen was even more defenceless against him like this. But he was a bit scared to hurt the man and he didn’t quite have the energy anymore to be that careful.

Plus, by making him grow back to his usual size, maybe he’ll be able to make the opposite happen. Maybe they can do something similar again in the future… 

[turning-the-kaleidoscope]

10 with whoever youd like ;w; i only ask that serizawa be in there somewhere

OKAY I KNOW THIS TOOK ME FOREVER TO GET AROUND TO BUT YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MY FACE LIT UP WHEN I SAW THIS BECAUSE I IMMEDIATELY KNEW EXACTLY WHAT I WAS GOING TO WRITE.

HERE WE GO–

Edit: YOU CAN LISTEN TO IT NOW TOO OH MY GOODNESS

PHOENIX I’M STILL SCREAMING OVER THIS A A A A A A A your reading voice is so freaking gOOD JDKLSDF A A A A A,,,

im just gonna,,, listen to this like 10 more times,,, dont mind m e ,,,,

Reigen lived with the belief that everyone held an equal measurement of potential, psychic powers be damned. He believed that psychics were not above humanity; that they were not some “better form” of human, and rather, humans with only somewhat different capabilities. In fact, Reigen seemed to envy runners more than he envied psychics. 

They come from entirely different worlds, Serizawa and Reigen. Serizawa doesn’t believe he could ever truly understand him.

Except it’s Reigen’s belief—the belief that all people are equal, that no one is more special than anyone else, that everyone is unique in their own way but in no way more important—that leads him to a perilous downfall. 

And, in hindsight, Serizawa should have known. 

Because Reigen sees everyone the same, but one. He sees everyone as having worth, as having importance, as being special, with one exception. 

Serizawa is not used to exorcising spirits. In fact, Reigen probably has more experience than him. But with Shigeo so swamped with entrance exams right around the corner, it had to be Serizawa. Reigen told him he’d be fine. He’d even gone so far as to jokingly ask “What’s the worst that could happen?” 

He has an answer now. An answer and clarity he wishes he didn’t have.

The spirits aren’t very strong, but there are a lot of them. Enough to have Serizawa overwhelmed within the moment they stepped down into the canyon. Spirits with varying strengths and weaknesses, with varying skillsets and tricks up their metaphorical sleeves. 

Reigen has literal salt up his sleeves, which doesn’t do much of anything at all. But it does distract some of them while Serizawa takes them out, two by two, unable to exorcise more than that at a time. And a part of that is his fault. Or, rather, his nature. Because he wants to be careful. Because he isn’t used to this at all. Because he wants to make sure the spirits are thoroughly taken care of and can’t hurt anyone again. 

There are too many spirits. Too many spirits and not enough exorcists to deal with them. 

“Katsuya, there’s–!”

It was bound to happen. But Serizawa still couldn’t have predicted it actually would. 

He’s just exorcised spirit number who’s-keeping-count, and is turning to look over his shoulder towards the shout of his name, but he’s bodyslammed before he can see anything.

His shoulder collides with the dirt and the air is knocked from his lungs. His throat closes in on him, but so do the spirits, and he forces himself into gear and swings an arm, exorcising the two nearest ones. 

“Arataka,” he gasps, struggling to get his feet underneath him, “why did you–”

That was the worst case scenario. 

That was the worst that could happen. 

Because while Reigen was just as human as the rest of them, he was no psychic. 

The rest of it happens in a blur, for a time. Not nearly for long enough, but for a time. Serizawa didn’t mean to, but his aura took the reins of the situation and tore through every spirit like a knife through butter. 

And it somehow overrides his panic and knows what to do, too, because he presses hands over the gaping wound in Reigen’s side and his aura, trembling and scared, winds tendrils around it and seals it. Temporarily seals it, but seals it nonetheless. 

The outburst upsets the sides of the canyon. He barely gets his barrier around them in time before it comes crumbling down, burying them beneath rocks and dirt and dust until no trace can be found. 

And now they’re huddled together, occupying as little space as they can beneath the dome of the barrier. Serizawa has an arm wound tight around Reigen’s shoulders and lets him lean into his side and rest his head on his shoulder, because he’d been struggling to hold it up on his own. The front of his shirt is bloodied, with a giant tear in the side of it where the spirit caught him. If the spirit had been aiming for him, he’d probably be dead. 

“I wish I could take you to a hospital,” Serizawa says quietly, a pit in his gut. “I don’t know how much blood you lost.” 

“Prob’ly shouldn’t mess with it,” Reigen slurs, eyes barely open. His head is a dead weight against Serizawa’s shoulder, and his hands lay loosely threaded in his lap. “I dunno how… precarious it is up there. Don’t wanna risk… bringing down the rest…”

“What else do you suggest we do, then? We aren’t going to have oxygen forever, you don’t have service on your phone–” 

“Someone’ll find us,” Reigen answers shortly, and something tells Serizawa that the promise is more than desperate delirium. Even if he is struggling to keep his eyes open. “Someone’ll find us, I know it…” 

Serizawa bites his lip, but Reigen doesn’t have the strength for an argument and he doesn’t have the heart to push one. 

So they sit, and Reigen breathes. He isn’t very awake, but he’s awake enough to know falling asleep is the last thing he should do. Just before Serizawa shakes him, Reigen has snapped himself awake all on his own, usually with a barely-audible reminder to himself not to fall asleep. 

Time passes, and with each painstaking second, the gnawing hole in Serizawa’s stomach grows and continues growing. Reigen’s skin is a shade it shouldn’t be, a pasty color like old white paint. His breaths are measured, but never steady, nor even. He’s never looked more exhausted. Or drained. 

The arm around him doesn’t feel like enough, and with minimal hesitation, Serizawa brings his opposite hand to settle over both of Reigen’s. His fingers are cold, and that’s not a good sign.

“… Are your hands really warm or did I just lose a lot of blood.” 

Serizawa’s chest is tight. “You lost a lot of blood.”

“Ahhn, makes sense.” 

Serizawa nods, but as Reigen’s head becomes more and more of a weight on his shoulder, his mind wanders elsewhere. Relives the previous hour once, then twice, before he squeezes his eyes shut in a sorry attempt to block it from his mind. 

It doesn’t work. 

He inhales, then swallows, then draws Reigen just a little closer. “You didn’t have to do that.” 

Reigen doesn’t ask what he means. “Mmn, yeah,” he slurs, nodding weakly. “That is true.” 

He doesn’t seem to get it. Serizawa struggles onward. “You should’ve just let it happen,” he says, voice somewhat sharper than he would have liked it to be. “The spirit wouldn’t have been able to do much of anything, definitely not something like—like this.” 

“I knew that,” Reigen says, and his voice is sharp, too, out of nowhere, “but my body reacted on the off-chance that I’d be wrong. I didn’t really… have the chance to… think about it. Y’know. Before it happened.” 

And Serizawa should have known, because that’s just how he is. He thinks things through, he can talk himself around just about anything, but when it comes to other people, he often acts before he thinks. Usually he gets away with it. Usually his impromptu plans work to his advantage. 

But not always. 

Serizawa decides to fight him on it later and instead asks, “How’s the pain?” 

“Not as bad as it should be,” Reigen says. A pause. “… That… might not be a good thing.” 

“It might be my aura,” Serizawa muses aloud. “I’ve never been good at healing wounds completely, but I’ve learned enough. You still need a hospital as soon as we’re out of here, though.” 

“Mm, yeah.” Reigen cracks a weak smile, then smiles and leans into him again. “M’not sure home remedies are gonna be nearly enough this time.” 

“Yeah, I don’t think so either.” 

“But I’ll be fine.” Reigen shuts his eyes, not to sleep, but to rest. “Thanks for the… aura, stuff. 

Serizawa manages a feeble but genuine smile in return. “Don’t mention it,” he says, and lets himself rest his cheek on the top of his head. “It’s the least I could do. Thank you.” 

“Mm, for what?” 

So much, really. So much Reigen doesn’t know. So much that it’d be hard to pin it down with words of any sort, of any magnitude. So much. Everything. 

But that can be saved for later, too. When he has time to express it. For now, he shakes his head and murmurs, “Y’know, stuff,” and somehow, Reigen understands. 

It’s Shigeo who finds them not too long after, calling their names and finally lifting the fallen rocks and debris with barely a flick of his wrist. He’s clearly distressed, and Serizawa only realizes now that it’d been the outburst of his aura that led him here, but he can explain that later too, now that he knows “later” will indeed come. 

For now, they bring Reigen to the hospital.

[kushamisaru]

ReigenxReader that I promised the people but I suck at titles so I am advertising that fact here instead

“Hellooooo? Anybody there?”

Once again, your voice had to snap Reigen back to attention. He jumped a little, but, used to being startled, recovered quickly.

“S-sorry! I was just thinking about something.”

“The same something you’ve been thinking about for nearly the entirety of this date? Or a new something?”

“The same one, haha...” he trailed off nervously

“You know, you could tell me about it. It might make for interesting conversation.”

Your tone was teasing, but he could see that you were concerned. And that made him feel more guilty than it should have. Still...

“Don’t worry about it! You have my full attention now. What were you saying?”

You scrunched your face. “Okay, well...”

Relief washed over Reigen as you continued talking. He’d have to be more careful. This wasn’t like him. He had his nervous fumbles with clients, sure, but he was always able to bounce back quickly, and he rarely messed up this often. But that was why he was here wasn’t it? That was how it’d started.

He hadn’t thought much of you when you’d first shown up in his office. It seemed standard stuff; your back had been killing you and you blamed it on a curse some “witch” had placed on you. He asked a few basic questions, how old was your mattress, did you do a lot of lifting, etc, and decided on the best “course” and “treatment” for you.

When you paid for it, you lingered a little, like you wanted to say something but were too nervous. He asked you about it, and you mumbled some nonsense before leaving.

It had been strange, but not unprecedented.

But then you came in a few more times, for the same problem, and you seemed different. You were telling the truth about the back issues, he could feel the knots everytime, but you seemed... more relaxed about it. Almost as if it was a joke he should have been in on but wasn’t. Still, since there was still a problem and you were still paying him, he continued to help you. 

And then the day that lead you both here happened.

“Listen...” you started after paying for your latest session, nervous like you had been the first time you came in, “I know it’s like. Bad form or whatever to ask someone this while they’re on the clock, but... are you doing anything this weekend?”

He blinked at you a couple times in disbelief, and you began to panic.

“Y-you don’t have to if you don’t want to! I don’t want you to feel pressured or anything because I am a client right now, it’s just I wouldn’t know where else to find you and I didn’t wanna -”

“I do work weekends. But I close early, so maybe afterwards?”

The words spilled out of his mouth without any input from his head. But before he had a chance to really think about it you beamed at him.

“O-okay! Um, hmmm...” your face changed from excited to thoughtful, as you looked him up and down. “I know a place that’s kind of low key and also not super expensive where we could grab dinner.”

In hindsight, he’d realized you were probably judging his income based on his clothing, which made your teasing comment of “Oh wow, when you said ‘after work’ I didn’t think you’d meant ‘right after work’!” sting a little more. Once you’d gotten your yes, it seemed like any lingering nervousness you had was gone. Yet here he was, still very nervous.

Well, nervous wasn’t the right word. Suspicious was more like it. The year he ran his business on his own, Reigen had learned the art of reading people, and in the years since he’d nearly perfected it. But you kept throwing him somehow. Everything about you seemed earnest; the way you lit up when you saw him, how intently you listened when he DID talk, your laugh when he told a bad joke, as far as he could tell, everything else checked out. So why wasn’t he able to shake the feeling something was off?

He was determined to find out.

"So," he began the next time there was a lull in the conversation, "Have any other... spirit problems in the past few days?"

You smiled and let out a small giggle. "You know, I can't say I have! Weird, huh?"

There was that tone again, the one that made him feel like he was missing something. But he continued to play it cool, returning your smile. "You wouldn't be seeing other psychics behind my back, would you?"

"Nope, just you. Guess that makes you special."

He felt his face burn a little, but if you were lying, he couldn't tell.

"W-well, I'm glad to hear you're doing better!" he coughed.

He was certain you messing with him somehow. But how? What was your game? He racked other explanations in his head until...

"...to go?" you asked.

"Huh?"

"Dude, again? I asked if you were ready to go."

Damn it. He'd been caught off guard again.

"Oh, sure!"

"I know you said your car was in the shop, so I can give you a ride if you want."

He probably shouldn't have lied about that, but he had been arrogant enough to assume he could figure you out in a single date.

"Y-yeah, that'd be nice."

He grew more quiet on the ride home, only opening up to give you directions. Eventually you gave up trying to talk about other things, and aside from the music on your radio, the ride was silent.

"Nice place," you said sarcastically (but not cruelly) when you arrived.

"Yep," he agreed in a similar tone.

"Listen, I know it's probably none of my business, but you seemed really distracted tonight. Is something going on with you?"

For some reason, that question rubbed him the wrong way.

"Is something going on with you?" he shot back.

"Huh?"

Your genuine confusion annoyed him even more. "What is your deal?! You're not working for any competition, or possesed, or anything else as far as I can tell. So what was this about?"

"...I'm sorry, I just wanna make sure I understand. Are you asking me why I wanted to go out with you?"

"If that's what you're sticking with."

At last, you seemed annoyed. "Okay, one, I don't know what you mean by 'sticking with', because that is what it was, at least to me. Two, I asked you out because I like you."

"...That's it?"

"That's usually all it takes. Is that hard for you to believe or something?"

And then it hit him what was bugging him. You were just so... honest. Not a thing to hide, not even an attempt. How could you live like that? To a man who made a living basically lying to people, it was infuriating. It was one thing to be like his "student", who more often than not just didn't know when to lie, but to know and to choose not to, at least most of the time... He envied you, your freedom, your confidence, no one could live like that. That was why he was certain you were hiding something.

"Okay, " you started when he was unresponsive for the umpteenth time that night, "Clearly you've got some stuff cooking upstairs, but it's not something I'm interested in eating. So why don't you just-"

"Wait!"

You gave him an irritated look, but also your attention.

"I like you too! And I know I've said this a million times, but I am really, genuinely sorry about tonight. You hit the nail on the head, it was hard for me to buy that you were really into me. Not because I don't think I'm incredibly handsome or charming -because I definitely am- but..."

This was already more than most people knew about him. Being so open made him feel a foot tall. But you looked at him with expectant eyes and he figured he might as continue.

"I just... I'm not used to people being so openly caring towards me. I've had people hit on me, and I have Mob, but that's different."

You were silent for what felt like forever to him, so when you spoke you had his full attention for the first time that night.

"I get it."

"You do?"

"I used to be the same way. It was hard for me to accept others loved me. So I learned to love myself first. You know how I did that?"

"How?"

"I faked it. I pretended love myself, and then one day, I really did."

Ah, so this was how you handled it. When you're the only one being honest, it's suffocating, similar to the way it felt when you were the only one caught in a lie. But when you're honest, and the other person answers that with honesty of their own, it's liberating. Intimate, even. And that was really the basis of any relationship, wasn't it?

He wanted more of that feeling.

"H-hey, speaking of 'fake', you know I'm not really... you know..."

You blinked in confusion a couple times before recogniziton lit your face. "Oh, a psychic? Duh. But I mean, it's not like there's such a thing as a 'real' psychic, right?"

"..."

"... Wait, really?!"

"I may not have powers myself, but Mob and I have run into plenty of very real spirits."

"That's so cool! Oh man, so how do you deal with them? Are they always evil or are some misunderstood? What do they look like? Like people? Monsters? Ooh, have you ever seen a ghost dog? No wait, don't answer that one. That means a dog died, and that's sad."

"More sad than a person dying?"

"Infinitely more."

You both laughed a little at that.

"For real though, I gotta make a list of questions for our next date."

Reigen perked up. "So there'll be a next date?"

"Well, I still like you, despite the rough start, so if you want..."

"Yeah!" he said just a liiittle too enthusiastically, then added after an embarrassed cough, "I mean, yeah. That sounds nice."

You giggled. "Okay. But this date has to end for the next one to begin so..."

With a swift movement, you shifted over and planted a brief kiss on Reigen's cheek.

"Would you kindly get the hell out of my car?" You finished, tone much warmer and affectionate than your words.

"Oh, y-yeah..."

The buckle seemed a little more difficult for reasons definitely not related to his slightly shaky hands and jumbled brain, but after he managed to get out and you exchanged farewells, he realized that was another feeling he didn't mind.

And he planned to make you feel that way next time.

____________________________________________

Alright lads, it's done it's done! I hate it and probably wouldn't share it if I hadn't opened my BIG MOUTH, but it's done!

This is arguably the least romantic romantic reader x fic I've ever done, but as much as I love Reigen, all canon evidence I've seen points to him being rough with love. And that's what was more important to me, trying to keep him in character. I think he deserved better than this to that end, but I did sprinkle in undeniable canon traits (his insecurity and self loathing under a fake confident exterior, the fact that he can drive but doesn't have a car, his distrust of other people, and other things) so hopefully that makes up for it?

I love this hot mess of a man, and if you love him too, I hope you enjoyed this!