#reigen was so nervous about being wrong again

[joethesparkle]

the thrilling sequel, dedicated to everyone who wanted to see Reigen adopt Teru!

#my art #mob psycho 100 #mp100 #reigen arataka #hanazawa teruki #mob hinted teru was in need of a dad #reigen was so nervous about being wrong again #i imagine teru's parents just send him enough money to get by but they effectively abandoned him #like even though theyre alive and technically provide support they would have no qualms giving up custody #Get That Boy A Dad 2023

[reigenhusband]

Psychic Wedding Time!

Art by @/cowboyologist

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Um…Reigen?" 

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

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

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

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

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

The blonde twitched.

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

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

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

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

Maybe he really was scared. 

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

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

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

Was he really going to cut it as a husband? 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Reigen looked at the velveted floor. "Then…"  

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

what Reigen could only say was genuine assurance. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mitty POV

Teal eyes darted around the room carefully. 

"Hey...Dimple? You there?"

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

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

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

A swift flash of green dodged his reach. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Silence.

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

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

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

"Yeah, yeah just listen, alright?!"

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

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

"Good at what, exactly?" 

"Being married." 

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

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

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

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

"Realize things?"

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

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

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

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

"You planning on making things hard?" 

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

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

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

"Right."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

But he came through when it mattered. 

"Hey Dimple?" 

"Yeah? What is it?" 

"Thanks." 

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

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

He stood and dusted himself off. 

"Welp. Here goes everything."

#i only have access to mobile so the format for everything is so ugly but HIIII ITS MARRIAGE TIME #i wanna write a fic of the actual wedding or what it entails later. #thanks for letting me be cringe #to any non selfship blogs that might be seeing this i am so sorry #I'll show the rings i had made later!!! #wedding mentions

[ryujin-zanba]

True Identity

inspired by one of many chats with @dnarielle bc we like to rub salt splash in the wounds 😅

Rating: Teen & Up Words: 1365 Tags: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Loneliness, Crying, Established Friendship, Gender Neutral Reader Pairings: Reader x Reigen Summary: Reigen is reaping the repercussions of being revealed as a fraud, but even when it seems like everyone has abandoned him there’s one last person who sticks around~

Not a single happy birthday message on his page.

 He’d expected it, but he hadn’t been prepared for how much it would hurt his feelings to actually experience it. 

 Reigen has never been one to struggle at connecting with others. He’s used to being liked. After all, charisma is the cornerstone of being a successful conman. But that’s all come crumbling down since his little ‘performance’.

 He’s about to close the tab, deciding that staring blankly at the screen isn’t going to yield any last minute well wishes, but as he’s browsing the list of people online the little green dot catches his eye under a name he hasn’t heard in years. Your name.  

 Though not an intimate friend, you’ve always been a constant in his life; tied by the friendship of your families and the comfort you found in one another at gatherings where you could escape from nagging aunts and screaming kids and share a drink in private.

 It’s been a couple of years since you last saw each other — since you last had to endure the scrutiny of acquaintances with high expectations — but you’d always been on his side when he was probed for the promise of a greater career.

 The memory that springs to mind now isn’t of how you’d protect him from his great grandmother or how you’d laugh at his corny jokes though. It’s of you being unfathomably kind to him in your childhood when some older kids had beaten him up and left him sniffling in the dirt.

 Expecting you to remember that, or to hold the same kindness in your heart all these years later is probably far too much... but Reigen has never felt so alone before, and that warm, cherished memory is enough to have him typing out a message before he even realises it. 

 If, like everyone else in the world, you’ve seen his embarrassing exposure on TV, then he expects that light will disappear in an instant.

 You probably just didn’t even realise you were still friends on here, he thinks. 

 It’s a minute or two, and he’s losing hope already, but then, rather than a block, he gets a chat bubble as you begin to type. 

 He’d kept his message simple. If by some slim chance you aren’t aware of what’s happened to him, he’ll take every opportunity not to bring it up.

 ‘Hey, happy birthday!’ is the reply.

 It’s something. Enough to bring a smile to his face anyway. 

 ‘Thanks’.

 He stares at the response before pressing send, sure that even in this pitiful state he could do better.

 He’s about to add to it, deliberating over if he should mention that it isn’t a very happy birthday at all, but then the chat bubble pops up again, so he scrubs the message entirely and waits eagerly for your next line.

 ‘How are you celebrating?’

 Jumping at the opportunity to admit to some level of need, he starts to type back.

 ‘I’m not really. It’s been a lonely one. Haha.’

 There’s no chat bubble for a while then. Your replies had been fairly quick, and each second passing only fills Reigen with dread that he said the wrong thing and chased away the last person he could reach out to. 

 Then he starts getting a call.

 “Shit!” he hisses, scrambling to click the answer button while making himself look presentable, only to realise he’s not actually visible.

 “Hey,” you say warmly.

 “H-hey!” he replies, nervousness evident in his voice.

 “That’s better,” you chuckle, “I much prefer being able to hear you.”

 “Yeah?”

 “Yeah, it’s been too long!”

 “Hah, I guess it has,” Reigen huffs a weak laugh.

 “So how’s it going? You’re not having a good birthday?” you sympathise. 

 “Uh... no, not— not really, no...”

 “No one to celebrate with?” you assume, sounding disappointed on his behalf.

 The reminder that he really doesn’t have anyone in the world to even just go for a drink with right now hits him hard, and a lump rises in his throat.

 “No... I’m... I’m all alone,” he admits, his voice breaking, heavy with hurt that he can’t hide anymore. 

 “Oh, sweetheart, no-no-no, it’s okay,” you tut, “it’s okay, you’re not alone, I... I mean I can come over if you want?”

 “Oh, god,” he tries to laugh at himself, “no I— I wouldn’t want to put you out like that.”

 “It’s okay, I don’t mind at all. It’d be nice to see you. I’ll even bring some drinks,” you bargain, insistent on making sure the poor man isn’t left like this on his birthday.

 “... Would you?” Reigen sniffles after a brief pause, genuinely taken aback by the offer. 

 “Of course! What’s your address?”

 “Um... you’re really gunna’ come all this way— are you sure y—?”

 “I’m already getting in the car, Reigen. Just gimme’ a clue where to find you,” you say with a smile in your voice.

 “Okay, okay, just gimme’ a minute to tidy up,” he implores, laughing through the tears.

 ~

 He does his best to make the place look mildly presentable, but he knows you’re not the type to care either way.

 You’d given him an extra few minutes though by stopping off to grab drinks, and he’s already looking out for you by the time you pull up to the complex.

 His heart is in his mouth; watching you getting out of the car and walking swiftly to the steps leading up to his apartment. He wipes the sweat off his hands and takes a deep breath, too nervous and too excited all at once to even consider waiting a moment before answering the door when he hears you outside.

 “H-hi,” he huffs, wearing a watery smile as he opens up before your knuckles even graze the wood. “I wasn’t uh— I mean I was waiting, sorry, I hope that’s not creepy, I just uh... geez...”

 “It’s okay,” you laugh, reassuring him that he’s still charming enough to pull off that kind of desperation. 

 “I can’t believe you’re actually... you actually came all this way,” he murmurs, eyes getting dewy as he attempts to lift his humble gaze to glance at you. But he is humbled, and his gratitude is overwhelming. He starts to cry. 

 “I’m sorry... I really... I really can’t tell you how much it means to not be alone right now,” he hiccups. 

 “Honey, you’re not alone,” you soothe as you wrap your arms around his neck.

 He starts to sob openly, no idea how much he needed to be held until he’s actually in someone’s arms, but you keep on hugging him as you shuffle inside and lightly kick the door shut behind you. 

 “Thank you,” he manages to say; voice high and strained as he burrows into the join of your neck and shoulder.

 “Of course,” you hush, cradling the back of his head tenderly. “Call anytime. Anytime you need someone. Anytime you feel like this.”

 He nods and sniffles, slowly regaining his composure, but he feels worlds better after letting all that out. More so for being able to do it in the arms of someone he trusts. 

 After wiping away his tears, Reigen extends a slightly more official invite for you to come in beyond the entryway, and you break into the drinks as soon as you’re sat down.

 In an attempt to be hospitable he tries to make something of a snack buffet, but the more you drink the less any of that matters. Just to be in each other’s company and to laugh is enough, and you keep at it until the early hours.

 Reigen insists on taking the couch and letting you have his bed when it becomes apparent that you’re staying the night, but you refuse to sleep at all unless you can have him in your arms.

 He doesn’t argue nearly as much as he thinks he should, and he’s glad.

 Despite how badly his day had started, this ended up being a better birthday than most, and maybe things still won’t have gone back to normal in the morning, but just for right now, everything feels okay again… and it’s all thanks to you.

#mp100 #mob psycho 100 #reigen arataka #reigen arataka x reader #gender neutral reader #mp100 fanfic #mob psycho 100 fanfic #reader insert #my wriiting #hurt/comfort

[gemmawritessometimes]

@princeasimdiya12 requested a Serirei Tangled au and I aimed to deliver. Thank you so much for the inspiration! I hope you like it!!

--

Reigen had started to regret freeing this guy from the tower the second that they had started their trek to the Capital.

First of all, there had been the strange group that attacked them. By strange, he meant a suspicious man who seemed able to control plants, and a pompous blind dude who seemed to know exactly where Serizawa was at all times that made keeping his promise to get him to the Capital (in one piece) ridiculously hard. What was their deal?

Well, at least it had been funny when he got to punch the smug one in his face and scare him off. Still, it hadn’t been an over-all fun experience.

Second of all, Serizawa also had an odd habit of just running away to hide in small places and murmur when he was overwhelmed.  It made it very hard to keep track of him and his manic-anxious energy. Reigen would spend upwards of hours just looking for him, his heart nearly beating out of his chest till he found him again.

Serizawa would murmur and clench his hands, whispering that his Master would be so disappointed in him. The more Reigen heard about him, the less he liked this ‘Master’ of his. Reigen wasn’t a nice guy, and because of that, he could tell right off the bat that neither was Touichirou.

This was all on top of the weird, freaky glowing Serizawa’s whole body had done to help them escape their last confrontation, mind you. A glow that signaled an incredible power within the man that sent their pursuers flying.

Reigen had realized he was in way over his head with this psychic stuff, but he had been over his head before, so when Serizawa asked “Are you afraid of me, now?” with a look, as if as if Reigen’s answer would decide the fate of his entire world, there was only one thing to do.

He gave him a gentle pat on the shoulder and shook his head. Because he wasn’t afraid. How could he be afraid of a guy who hid in a burrow like a bunny, and smiled at falling raindrops hitting his head like they were something precious?

He decided that it was worth it, however, when they got to the capital. Surprisingly enough, it was not because of any reward that he had been promised. No, it was at sundown, after a particularly fun day of exploring. Serizawa had been nervous, of course, but he hadn’t hid or spent the whole time shivering behind Reigen like a scared dog. His long, fluffy hair had been put up by a few children who had thought he was funny, and the purple flowers that lay in it glimmered in the light of the setting sun as he turned to Reigen, full of that nervous energy he always seemed to have.

“I did it. I spoke with people. In an open place! And I didn’t explode, or hurt anybody or anything!” the pure, unadulterated happiness in Serizawa’s voice had Reigen’s heart twisting in knots, something he was growing accustomed to, the more time he spent with Serizawa. “Maybe..maybe Master was wrong. Maybe I’m not too clumsy and stupid to control my powers.”

And again, he looked to Reigen like he had all the answers in his hands. Like his words could make or break his spirit.

The twisted, ugly part of himself (the one that had lied to Serizawa through their first meeting, and had talked many a person out of their coins) told him that this was his chance. That instead of being dependent on his Master, Serizawa could be dependent on him. They wouldn’t go to the castle, and him and Reigen could sneak off somewhere and spend their days together. It would be so easy.

Instead, Reigen gave him a pat on the shoulder, just as he had before, and smiled.

“He should be proud of you, coming this far all by yourself and making friends. I know I am. You’re more than what he said, just like the world is way more than just that tower of yours.”

When Serizawa smiled at him, any regrets he had about taking him out of that damned tower were blown away in an instant.

He was where he was meant to be.

#mob psycho 100 #serirei #serizawa katsuya #reigen arataka #drabble #Tangled au

[therainroguefanfiction]

🔥 ℝise Ⱥbove I̾t ◈ Chapter 031 [Finals Begin!]

📑 Table of Contents | ◂Backward

Word Count: 2,786

⊱ ────── {⋅. 🔥 .⋅} ────── ⊰

〈“Some legends are told, some turn to dust or to gold. But you will remember me, remember me for centuries. And just one mistake is all it will take, we’ll go down in history.” Fall Out Boy, “Centuries”〉

⊱ ────── {⋅. 🔥 .⋅} ────── ⊰

“Do you see him, kid?” I asked, holding his ankles in my hands.

Riku was sitting on my shoulders so he could look over the crowd. He crossed his arms, resting them on the top of my head. “Nope. There’s Mt. Lady, but my brother isn’t anywhere around. Where is that idiot?”

I hummed, approaching the blonde-haired hero. “Let’s gather some clues.”

“Like Scooby-Doo!” I could hear the smile in his voice and chuckled.

She noticed us approaching and lifted her chin, hand on her hip. “Did you finally come to apologize?”

“Not even on your life,” I deadpanned. “Oi, Riku.”

“Right! Have you see a teenage boy that’s really desperate for your attention?”

If I wasn’t holding his ankles to keep him from falling, I would have facepalmed.

She sweatdropped. “There’s a lot of those, you’re gonna have to be more specific.”

“Umm, well, he’s eighteen-years-old, never had a girlfriend that isn’t an anime character, got rejected from two different colleges, he’s a huge pervert with a large stack of dirty magazines under his bed and his favorite color on a girl is pink! Does that help?”

My eye twitched. Really starting to remember why I don’t fuck with little kids… I cleared my throat. “Maybe start with his name…”

“Yuki Reigen.”

“Okay. Now, what does he look like?”

He hummed thoughtfully. “He’s kinda short for his age and he dyes his hair blonde, but he’s really bad at it so it’s super streaky. He wears blue contacts but his eyes are actually brown like mine! His skin is kinda oily, especially his nose, even though he uses this weird smelling cream. He thinks it works but it doesn’t at all!”

Mt. Lady tilted her head, her finger on her chin. Her face suddenly lit up with recognition. “Oh yeah! He was so desperate for my number, he said he’d do anything for it, it was honestly pathetic. I was just about to tell him he could have it after being my slave for two years, but then he suddenly panicked and ran off.”

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” I asked.

“Yeah, you’re a creepy old hag!” Riku added. “My brother will never be a slave to someone as ugly as you!”

“What did you just call me, you brat?!”

“Mt. Lady!” Woodsman came speed-walking up, putting his wooden arm between us before she could advance. “You’re supposed to be patrolling!”

Riku started to shake, his fingers curling around my short hair as he sniffled. “S-She’s so s-scary! She threatened to h-hit me!” His crying alerted the other people around us, who stopped to see what was going on. Hearing his words made a few of them glare at her, clutching their children closer.

The color drained from her face and she hastily tried to explain the situation. “W-What? No, I -”

Woodsman put his hands on his hips, glaring at her. “You made this child cry, now say you’re sorry!”

“But I didn’t -”

Riku started to cry louder.

“O-Okay! I’m sorry, just stop crying!”

His cries died down to soft sniffles. I swear if he gets snot in my fucking hair I’mma rage.

Woodsman turned to us with a sigh. “I’m really sorry about her, she has no filter. You really should be getting back, the finals will be starting soon.”

“I can’t.” I motioned toward the kid shoving his face onto my head. “He can’t find his brother and I’m trying to help find him.”

“Oh, I see. Here, let me take over.” He held his hands out and I bent down so he could gently grab Riku under the arms, lifting him up and over my head before bringing him into his arms. “Don’t worry, I promise I’ll find his brother.”

I nodded, ruffling Riku’s hair. “Don’t leave that idiot brother of yours again, okay? And no more jumping from the stands.”

He nodded, wiping at his wet eyes with the back of his hand. “Thank you, big sis.”

Woodsman nodded his head at me before walking away, Riku leaning over his shoulder. His sad expression morphed to a smug grin, all traces of his tears gone.

I exchanged a look with Mt. Lady and I knew we were thinking the same thing – children are fucking demons.

⊱ ────── {⋅. 🔥 .⋅} ────── ⊰

“Thank you, Cementoss! Hey, sports fans, are you ready?! After all the action you’ve already witnessed, it’s time for the real battle to begin! Can you feel the excitement?! Our competitors are on their own now! Sometimes heroes have only themselves to rely on! Heart, skill, strength, wisdom, courage – they’ll have to use all of these things to rise to the top!”

A bead of sweat rolled down my cheek as I took a deep breath. Why the fuck do I have to go first? Man, there’s gonna be so many fuckers watching me. Just the thought makes me want to die. Maybe I’ll just forfeit…

Strong hands landed on my shoulders. “You’re pretty tense, kid. Nervous?”

I turned around to face Snipe and Toshi. “I’m always tense, it’s a way of life.”

“Don’t worry, young Jen, you’ll do great.” Toshi gave me a thumbs up and a grin. “You fought against young Reggian a bit in the cavalry battle so you know a bit about his quirk already.”

“Somethin’ to do with air, I think?” I scratched my cheek.

“Just don’t kill ’em and you’ll be just fine,” Snipe put his arm around my shoulder, pulling me into a half hug. “We’ll be rootin’ for ya, kid.”

“Thanks, guys.” I grinned.

“Well, well, audience, let’s cut to the good stuff and not delay these finals any longer! Welcome our first fighters – with a potty mouth and an attitude to match, it’s Jen Winchester from the hero course!”

I stepped through the doorway, hands shoved into my pockets. My eyes squinted as the sudden bright light invading my vision. The crowd was screaming, but I did my best not to pay them any mind as I approached the arena.

“Versus! His sanity is seriously up for debate, it’s Regina Reggian from general studies!”

“Hey, I’m lucid sometimes, twatwaffle!”

“What did he just call me?!”

“A twatwaffle.”

“Don’t ever say that again, Eraser…”

I rolled my eyes before glancing across to the other doorway where Regina was exiting from, looking smug. Man, this guy really has a face I just wanna punch. With a fucking metal chair.

“The rules are simple – immobilize your opponent or force them out of the ring! You can also win by getting the other person to cry uncle! Bring on the injuries because we’ve got our very own Recovery Girl waiting on standby! So put your morals aside and don’t be afraid to play dirty, but of course, no life-threatening crap, folks, it’s not allowed! Real heroes use their powers to throw villains in jail, not kill them!”

“I’ll stop anyone that tries to get too rough,” Cementoss said calmly. He was sitting beside the ring, directly centered with it in a chair he had made with his quirk.

I scratched my cheek. Call me old-fashioned but should they really be encouraging teenagers to beat the ever-living shit out of each other? Sounds fucking suspect.

Regina grinned at me. “I’m gonna force you to give up, nerd!”

“Not even in your dreams, kid.” I grinned back. “Be careful, you don’t wanna get burnt.”

“Ready?!”

“You’re a magician’s red burnin’ chicken looking ass.”

“What the fuck does that even mean? Your taste sound like ass. I’m gonna fucking annihilate you like Kunimitsu Tezuka did to the dinosaurs.”

“Nani the fuck?”

“BEGIN!”

We both took our stances. He held his hands out like he were gripping a sword and the air around him started to solidify, forcing the hilt of a sword. The blade started to form… is that a fucking cactus? “Hey! This is my cactus and his name is Pablo!”

I sweatdropped. What is with this guy? “Oi -” I suddenly gagged as something solidified in my mouth. It tasted like if you took Kirishima’s dirty gym socks, wiped your ass with it, and then pureed it with rotten onions. My stomach turned as I spit it out, coughing violently as I tried to ignore the taste on my tongue. Is that… a mother fucking sock?!

“Winchester just spit up a sock! What is this sorcery we’re seeing, folks?!”

“Take this!” Taking advantage of the distracted he had created, he moved in close, swinging the sword above his head. My hand shot up, connecting with the translucent spikes of the cactus. They broke the skin, small drops of blood flowing from the holes.

“Reggian has successfully launched the first attack! How will Winchester respond?!”

“Am I a fucking joke to you?”

“No, you’re a nerd.”

“Hmph, can’t argue with that one, but you’re gonna have to die now, thanks!” I squeezed my hand, increasing the temperature of my skin until the cactus exploded. My hand was throbbing.

“PABLO, NO!!!”

I punched him in the stomach, sending him stumbling backward, clutching his stomach and coughing.

“You’ll pay… for killing Pablo… you thot!” He held his hand up and the air started to solidify. “Improvised special move, Pablo Jr!!” He threw the small, potted cactus at me and I grunted, smacking it away. As soon as my hand touched it, it exploded.

“It’s hard to see but if you look closely you can see a bunch of translucent spikes now stuck in Winchester’s body from that last attack!”

“Son of a bitch,” I grunted. He lifted his hands again and I dashed forward. I won’t even give him the chance to – smack. I fell face-first on the ground, the cold cement seeping through my clothes.

Silence fell over the stadium before a roar of laughter erupted.

“Oh my god!”

“Did you see her face?!”

“I’m so glad I came, this is hilarious!”

“What a classic move!!”

“I’m wheezing, someone help!”

“Ahahahaha! Class 1-A isn’t looking so cool now, is it?!”

“Shut up, Monoma!”

“No one can get past my second improvised special move – Banana Peel Field!!” Regina laughed loudly.

“I can’t believe it! In all my years, this is the first time I’ve ever seen anyone slip on a banana peel during the sports festival! This is great!!”

I slowly lifted my head, my teeth clenched in annoyance. I fucking slipped on a mother fucking banana peel made of goddamn air. This fucking brat is toying with me and it’s pissing me off. I pulled myself to my feet, my blood boiling as flames engulfed my hands. I thrust them out to the side and lines of fire shot out in all directions, swirling around the arena.

I clenched my fists, grinning when he took a step back. “I’m not gonna give you the chance to give up, but don’t worry bro, I will give you the chance to die!” I slammed both fists against the ground, the concrete splitting as fire snaked through it directly toward him.

“Ah, shit -”

The flames shot up from the ground, hitting him in the gut and lifting him off his feet. I teleported behind him, pulling my leg back before slamming my shin against his back and into the cement. He coughed, doing a somersault to avoid my boot. He breathed heavily, lifting his hands again, but I didn’t give him the chance, teleporting behind him again. Pain shot through my skull and I knew I needed to end it soon.

The flames raged on my arm as I cocked my arm, bringing my fist against his face. He flew backward and I stomped my foot, sending a wave of flame to propel him farther. It smacked into him like a spout of water, forcing his body out of bounds and pinning it against the wall. His eyes rolled back in his head as he lost consciousness, the flames dying out. The air spikes in my body disappeared.

“Reggian is out of bounds!” Midnight raised her hand, the metal cuff clanking from the movement. “Winchester advances to the next round!”

“Woah, that chick is kinda scary, don’t you think?”

“She told him to die!”

“That’s not a very heroic thing to say…”

“Reggian did really well!”

“He’s hilarious! Imagine having him as a sidekick.”

“Right? There’d never be a dull moment!”

“His power is pretty unique, too. If you think about it, the uses for his quirk are pretty limitless.”

“Right? Fire’s a pretty basic quirk, no creativity there.”

My eyes narrowed at my hand, watching the blood drip to the cement.

“Go see Recovery Girl.” Midnight ordered.

“Yeah, whateva.”

“And with that explosive display, we have the first victor of the finals! Class 1-A’s Jen Winchester! Ah yeah~ that was a pretty amusing first fight, kids! Both of you fought bravely, let’s show them some love!!”

I won the fucking match, but I feel like a fucking loser. I shoved my hands into my pockets as I approached the dark hallway. I wanna go home.

“Hey, big sis!”

I glanced up at Riku’s voice. He was leaning over the railing again, waving his hand like crazy. A taller boy stood behind him, gripping the back of his shirt to keep him in place. That must be his older brother. Good, I’m glad the Woodsman was able to find him.

“You were so cool out there! Your power is uber strong!” he grinned brightly, closing his eyes. “I wanna be just like you when I grow up!”

My heart skipped a beat as warmth flooded me, my lips twitching up as I released a breath I hadn’t realized I had been holding. Thanks, kid… I needed that.

⊱ ────── {⋅. 🔥 .⋅} ────── ⊰

“Gimme some sugar~” Gran pressed her lips to my cheek and patted my bandaged hand. “There, all better, deary.”

“Thanks, Gran.”

“Why the glum face? You won, after all.”

I sighed, falling back onto the bed and staring up at the ceiling. “I don’t know. I mean, I know I won the fight, but he won over the crowd. They totally hated me.”

She hummed. “There will always be times when people prefer one quirk over another. Don’t let it get you down, deary. You’ll always be number one in my heart.”

I smiled, turning onto my side and propping my cheek up against my palm. “Can I ask you somethin’?”

“Of course you may.”

“What does it mean… to be a hero?”

She sent me a surprised look before humming, her hand on her chin. “Well, everyone views it quite differently. At its very core, a hero is someone that wants to help others, but everyone has their own reasons, their own desires, to become a hero.”

“But I don��t,” I frowned, picking at the white sheet beneath me. “I don’t have that drive. I’ve thought about it a bunch of times, but I can’t think of a reason to fight. Besides… if people find out who my mother is, won’t that make them hate me, anyway? Bakugo told me not to tell anyone. He was dead serious about it. She was an A-Class villain turned pro hero. No one trusted her…”

Gran set her small hand over mine, her voice warm. “That may be true, but you are not your mother, deary. You’re your own person and if they view you differently, well, that’s their loss. No matter what happens in the future, you will always have a place here at U.A.”

My fingers wrapped around her hand. “Do you think… I’ll find a reason to be a hero?”

“I do, but you must remember that you grew up in a world where heroes are nothing more than fiction. It makes sense that you have no desire to be a hero because you grew up believing that such a dream simply wasn’t possible. I believe that, with time, you’ll find your reason to keep fighting. You just have to have some patience. These things can’t be rushed.”

I chuckled. “Patience has never been my strong suit. When I was a kid, the loading screen for my new game was taking too long so I kicked the TV.”

She laughed, patting my hand. “Yes, well, you are still young, deary.”

I glanced at Regina, who was unconscious on the bed across the room. “He gonna be okay?”

“He’ll be just fine. I’ve healed his wounds, now he just needs to recover his stamina. No need to worry.”

“Che, as if I’d worry about that idiot.” I rolled over onto my back, folding my hands behind my head. “Can I rest here for a bit?”

“Of course, deary.”

“Thanks, Gran.”

She pressed a kiss to my cheek before returning to her work, leaving me to mull over her words.

⊱ ────── {⋅. 🔥 .⋅} ────── ⊰

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[turning-the-kaleidoscope]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It isn’t a client. 

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

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

Serizawa blinks.

“Arataka, what…”   

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

It catches up with him. 

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

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

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

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

“Mugged?” 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“I don’t feel up to it right now.” 

“Then I’ll take you.” 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[My original tags:

because they’re worth sharing]

#mob psycho 100 #mp100 #cloud writes #prompt fill #fanfic #tHANKS FOR THE PROMPT SJKDLDSF #im not as happy with this as i wanted to be though sjkldjfkdfkf sorry #HOPE YOU LIKED IT ANYWAY #like god i might actually rewrite this at some point bc heccccckkkk #how do make the words go well #i dont k n ow

[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!

#reigen arataka #arataka reigen #reigen x reader #i'm so embarrassed to post this ughdgfggff #just shoot me take me out back and shoot me i wanna die ahhhhhhhhh

[honey-oak]

Liquid Courage

Note: This is a little self-indulgent fic I whipped up today. I am so thirsty for Reigen content. The reader works up courage to finally confess her feelings to Reigen.

Reigen Arataka x Reader

It was a Friday night similar to many others, you were seated at your favorite bar next to the man that you had hired a while back to help you with your haunted apartment, that eventually over the course of the past few months had become one of your closest friends.

“...Hey Reigen, I know I’ve said it many times before..” You said nursing your drink, giving a quick glance at the already tipsy man next to you, “but thank you so much, for helping me”

Reigen shifted uncomfortably on the bar stool for a moment seeming slightly conflicted. He loosened his tie, avoiding your gaze as he replied, “Look, you really have nothing to thank me for.. You were there, it was Mob who really helped you. I was more or less just there.” He downed the rest of his drink before firmly setting it back on the bar, looking a bit defeated.

“That’s not entirely true. If it weren’t for you, Kageyama would have never been there to help me in the first place.. Also, that’s not the only thing I’m thanking you for,” You glanced over at the confused expression on his face “You’ve been there for me ever since that day, even checking in on me several times afterwards to make sure I’m okay. I highly doubt that’s part of your standard protocol. You’ve been a good friend to me, Reigen”

Friend. Friend. That  word stung as soon as it left your tongue, truthfully, you knew that you wanted to be something much more than a friend to Reigen. However, he always seemed completely clueless of any sort of attempt at flirting or hints you dropped his way. The man next to you was uncharacteristically quiet, you noticed his cheeks were suddenly stained a darker shade of pink. Whether that was from the alcohol or from your words of praise, he wasn’t about to divulge.  Your gaze lingered on him for awhile longer, taking in how handsome he looked even when he was tipsy and his tie was disheveled….possibly you were staring a little too intently at the fact that at some point he unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt.  You felt your face heat up with embarrassment when you saw Reigen had finally found the courage to look in your direction again with a warm, sincere smile on his face.

“Thank you”, he said softly.

You grabbed your glass, gulping down the remains of your drink, slamming it down on the bar. You thought to yourself Fuck it. I’m telling him today. After you felt a bit of the liquid courage hit your brain, you turned on your stool to face him directly, swearing to yourself you weren’t going to back out like you had a hundred times before. Your hands nervously gripped the hem of your skirt as you fidgeted trying to force the words you so desperately wanted to say out of your mouth.

“Y/N, w-what’s wrong?” Reigen questioned looking rather concerned for your nervous appearance.

You inhaled sharply preparing for what could come next, “I… I like you, Reigen”

“I like you too. You’re also a good friend” He smiled back at you while ruffling the back of his hair. Once again, he had missed the signal you sent to him. You felt your stomach drop with disappointment as you starting to turn yourself back to the bar..

“ That’s not how I meant it..” You said softly, avoiding eye contact. At this point, you felt like your face was going to burst into flames. You knew that you could potentially ruin your friendship with Reigen by confessing, but the cowardly part of you knew you could chalk it up to being drunk.

“Huh?” Cocking his head to the side Reigen looked back at you, a small blush starting to form on his cheeks as well.

You thought to yourself that it was now or never. Feeling even more emboldened, you reached forward, grabbing the pink fabric of his tie, pulling him forward towards you for a rather abrupt kiss. After a second of initial shock, Reigen’s hands found their way to your waist.

As you pulled away from the kiss you continued your confession, making sure that he knew your feelings this time without any room for misinterpretation, “I meant ‘I like you’ as in.. I-I love you, Reigen Arataka”

In an instant, Reigen’s arms were wrapped around your waist, pulling you off the stool against his chest, covering your mouth with a deeper kiss of his own. Your arms wrapped around his shoulders, letting your fingers finally run through his soft hair. Suddenly realizing you both were still, in fact, in public you started to pull away a bit.

A very flushed Reigen smiled down at you, gently cupping your chin “Me too.”

#Reigen x Reader #Reigen Arataka x Reader #X reader #self indulgent writing #I love reigen so much #Reigen Fluff #fluff #reigen arataka #my writing #gail writes

[kamvkoma]

15 for serirei 🚬☂

this is late af!!!! i took liberties w the actual quote btw, but the basic sentiment is still there 

15. “Why can you read me like no one else?”

Reigen is smoking when Serizawa comes into the office. It’s Serizawa’s first clue that something is different about today—Reigen hasn’t been smoking much at all lately, even when Tome and Mob aren’t around. He only does it now when he has something in particular on his mind.

That doesn’t always mean that he’ll tell Serizawa what it is, though. He knows better than to pry, so he just greets Reigen as usual with a polite “Good morning.”

“Ah, good morning, Serizawa.” Reigen looks almost surprised to see him, which would certainly be strange, since he knows Serizawa comes in for his shift at this time. But no, maybe surprised isn’t the right word—he’s sheepish, as he taps his cigarette against the ashtray, like he knows he’s doing something out of the ordinary.

Serizawa just smiles amiably and settles down at his desk to do some paperwork. Reigen’s attention shifts back to his laptop without any more words spoken, which is another clue that something is different. Normally, he’s much more talkative, even first thing in the morning.

Not that Serizawa minds either way. He likes talking to Reigen, even when he’s mostly listening, but he also likes the moments of comfortable silence that settle between them intermittently as they go about their work.

Today, that silence only lasts for another few minutes before Reigen breaks it, stubbing out his cigarette with a sigh as he says, “Serizawa, I want to talk to you about something.”

Even though Serizawa knew this might be coming, he can’t help but feel nervous at those words. Is it him? Has he done something wrong? Did Reigen find out that he—

“What is it, Reigen-san?” He cuts himself off before his mind takes him down that particular road.

Reigen doesn’t respond immediately. His fingers tap nervously on the desk; Serizawa doesn’t think he’s even aware of the action. “It’s been bothering me lately,” Reigen admits. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you, so...now’s as good a time as any, I guess.”

He sounds so uncharacteristically frank. Serizawa sits up straighter in his chair, attentive.

The fingers stop tapping. Reigen looks at him, his gaze more intense than Serizawa is used to. “I’m not an esper,” he says. “I don’t have any psychic powers at all. I’m sorry that I misled you, and I hope this doesn’t make you think of me differently…”

He trails off, uncertain. Serizawa just blinks for a moment, feeling a bit pleasantly surprised, but mostly relieved. “Oh,” he says. “Is that it? I was worried something was wrong.”

Reigen gapes at him. “What do you mean, is that it?”

“Well.” Serizawa scratches his neck, flashing Reigen an almost sheepish smile. “I sort of already knew that.”

“You…” Reigen pauses, then leans back in his chair, appraising him. “You knew.”

Serizawa just nods.

“How did you know?” Reigen nearly yells, gesticulating wildly. Serizawa feels a strange sense of comfort in witnessing him once again acting as eccentric as he normally does. Before he can answer, Reigen settles his hand on his chin, looking contemplative, and continues, “Oh, is it because I don’t have an aura? I think Dimple said something about that before…”

“Not exactly,” Serizawa admits. “I noticed you didn’t have one, but thought maybe you had some trick to hide it...I really did believe you at first, but over time, I just realized it wasn’t true.”

Reigen looks even more confused at that. “Then what gave it away?” He sounds like it’s painful for him to even ask.

Serizawa thinks about it. “I guess...when you were talking to clients about it, I could tell you weren’t really telling the truth. When you’re lying or not being completely honest, you have a certain expression on your face, and you sort of do this thing with your hands…”

He trails off before he can describe more in detail what Reigen’s habits are, because he’s suddenly realizing that he might just sound like a total creep. He can feel his face turning red, and he averts his gaze, coughing nervously.

It doesn’t help that Reigen just stares at him without responding for several moments. He’s never looked at Serizawa like that before—surprised and contemplative, like he can’t tell what to make of Serizawa in this moment.

“Huh,” Reigen says at last. “Well, that made this whole conversation easier, then. As long as you don’t have any hard feelings about me not telling you.”

Serizawa waves him off. “It’s alright, Reigen-san. I really don’t mind.”

And he doesn’t. The conversation ends there, and they both go back to their work for the day.

That is supposedly the end of it, except Reigen doesn’t stop appearing distracted and contemplative throughout the entire work day. He barely talks to Serizawa the entire time, and is even much less enthusiastic around their clients.

Serizawa doesn’t know what to do about this, but he knows he wants to do something. So when they close up for the day, he tells Reigen he would like to walk home with him, if that’s alright.

Reigen seems surprised by this, since they don’t normally walk home together. This is because Serizawa doesn’t live in the same direction even remotely, but Reigen doesn’t really need to know that.

As they walk out, Reigen takes out another cigarette and lights it in what appears to be a mostly subconscious act. They continue silently, and he looks to be about as lost-in-thought as he had been all day.

Serizawa really doesn’t mind companionable silence with Reigen—but at this point, it’s wholly unnatural, edging on awkward.

“Do you want to talk about earlier?” Serizawa decides to ask, because he can’t think of anything other than that exchange that would be making Reigen act strange.

“Huh?” Reigen is trying for indifferent curiosity, but sounds nervous.

“I can tell something’s on your mind,” Serizawa explains. “I guess it’s what we talked about earlier? I promise you I really don’t mind.”

There’s a few beats of silence. Then Reigen laughs, softly. It’s not a kind of laugh Serizawa has heard from him before; there’s a quiet, wry amusement in it. “It’s not that I think you mind. It’s just…”

Serizawa waits, anxiously.

“No one else can read me like you can.” Reigen looks at him, probably for the first time since they started walking together. Serizawa feels his face heating up, both from Reigen’s words and his gaze being turned on him.

“Usually it’s easy for me to...hide behind my words, so that people don’t know how I really am, or how I really feel. But you can see through all that, huh?” Reigen continues. “Why is that?”

Serizawa thinks about that. He doesn’t think he’s any good at reading people in general. If he’s good at reading Reigen, then it’s just him specifically. Probably because he spends so much time watching him, deciphering him, how he’s feeling and what he’s saying, what matches up and what doesn’t.

His face heats up more as he thinks about that. He knows why he spends as much time watching Reigen as he does. After so long working together, he can no longer deny that he’s developed....certain types of feelings. But he doesn’t know if he wants Reigen to know this.

Despite Reigen’s words, Serizawa finds it difficult to tell how Reigen is feeling right now. There’s a kind, open expression on his face, the sort that Serizawa only sees when he’s being sincere. But his hands are moving with a sort of nervous energy, and his voice is strained ever so slightly, betraying that he may not feel entirely happy about this development.

He probably doesn’t really like how Serizawa knows so much about him. He might not like hearing why Serizawa has taken the time to learn so much about him, either.

“Don’t tell me you have some telepathy powers or something.” Clearly Serizawa is taking way too long to answer, and Reigen has taken upon himself to fill in the silence. He sounds even more strained now, despite his attempt at a flippant tone. “Because you shouldn’t use them on people like that. Privacy needs to be respected, even by telepaths! No, especially by telepaths. My uncle always used to say to me, with great power—”

“It’s nothing like that,” Serizawa hastily cuts in, before a rambling Reigen can attempt to plagiarize from any popular superhero comic book series. “I just, um…”

He started speaking before he could even think about what it was he wanted to say. Reigen is watching him expectantly, and suddenly Serizawa really can’t find it in himself to lie to him.

Reigen has done so much for him, and sure, he may have pretended to be something he’s not, but he’s never done anything to Serizawa’s detriment; he’s only ever helped him be a better person. And Serizawa doesn’t feel indebted to him in the way he did to the President; he just thinks, maybe, he owes Reigen the truth.

“Well, I guess I notice a lot of things about you, because…” This is a lot harder to say than he thought. He scratches the back of his neck, glancing away and down at the sidewalk. He can feel his face heating up again, and as damning as that is, he’s powerless to stop it.

“Ah.” He looks up and sees that Reigen’s face has turned pink as well. “I think I understand.”

“You do?” He isn’t sure if he should feel relief or mortification that he didn’t even have to say it.

“You’re not the only one who can read people, you know.” Reigen wags a finger at him in an almost-admonishing fashion, but he still looks fairly embarrassed, himself.

It’s not a wholly negative reaction—something like abject horror or disgust would be much worse—and this makes Serizawa the slightest bit more confident. “Well. What do you think about that, then?”

Reigen’s face colors even more. It’s cute, but Serizawa probably shouldn’t mention that right now.

At this point, they’ve stopped walking and are standing outside of Reigen’s apartment building.

“God, I’m really out of practice with being straightforward like this.” Reigen says this in nearly a mumble, his gaze averted as he stubs out his cigarette on the ground. “I, um…I feel the same way.”

Even though he can tell saying so makes Reigen uncomfortable, Serizawa can’t help the overwhelming swell of happiness and relief at hearing those words. He also appreciates that even though it’s hard for Reigen to say, he made the effort to tell him the truth anyway.

And for someone so terrible at being straightforward, he’s clearly braver with saying his feelings out loud than Serizawa is.

Serizawa grins, suddenly filled with fondness and admiration for the wonderful, bizarre man in front of him. Reigen still looks nervous, like he might start rambling again, so he responds with a sincere “I’m glad,” and kisses Reigen on the cheek.

The simple, chaste act makes his heart race, and effectively stuns Reigen into silence.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Reigen-san,” Serizawa says before turning away. He has a long way to go now to get back to his own apartment.

Reigen mumbles out a goodbye in return, and when Serizawa looks over his shoulder, he’s still standing there, touching his fingers to his reddened cheek.

Serizawa can’t keep the smile off his face the whole way home.

#shishkips

[seanconneraille]

On the Properties of Stealth Seduction and Self-Combustion

Summary: 

Some people are stealthy, some are oblivious, some people blink and some have a crush.

or 5 times Shou doesn’t know Mob has a crush on him and one time he does.

Shoumob for @beanpots​ ♥ [ao3]

~

1 – The takoyaki

There’s an extra takoyaki on his plate.

One minute he’s cleaning his last piece of food, absently looking at the others’ shenanigans, the next he’s looking down and seeing the takoyaki just being…there. On his plate.

Shou looks around quickly, searching for a clue, but in a room full of espers, non-espers, sneaky girls and skillful masters, it’s hard to see anything amiss.

He eats the takoyaki.

2 – The Cola

A fresh cola greets him when he wakes up from a nap on the couch in Reigen’s office. Ready to be opened, it’s silently waiting on the table, a drop of condensation running on its side.

Reigen looks at him from behind his newspaper, face blank, then goes back to his reading.

Shou feels weirdly threatened.

3 – The pencil

They’re at the Kageyamas doing homework –correction-, Ritsu is doing homework, Mob is trying to do homework and Shou…Shou is drawing, because he’s procrastinating homework. He’s very good at it –procrastinating and drawing-, and he would even be better at it if his pencil hadn’t just broken in three parts right in his hand. How the hell did this happen? Shou doesn’t know.

-Here.

Shou raises his head to Mob extending his arm, brand new pencil in hand. It has little colored dots on it.

-It’s red and blue.

-Yes?

Mob blinks, looking confused. Ritsu doesn’t even glance once away from his homework.

-Ok. Thanks.

Shou grabs the pencil.

4 – The flowers

-It’s nice here.

-Hm.

-Like, I’m not usually a big fan of this nature loving thing you and your brother seem to have, but if every time you drag me somewhere green it turns out to be this pretty, I could really start getting used to it.

Shou is trying to concentrate, he is, but the quiet conversation between Teru and Mob does nothing to shake him from his food coma, so he just embraces it and follows Ritsu’s lead, laying down on the extra-soft blanket, ready to take a dive into Nap Land.

They’re out in the forest, the Kageyama brothers, Teru and him, having an esper meet-up slash hiking trip slash picnic. The two brothers apparently enjoyed spending time in the wild and decided to enroll Teru and Shou for a stroll.

After walking for a bit they had found a nice secluded clearing and had decided to take their lunch there. And now that they’re finished with the food part of the outing they’re enjoying a nice relaxing time in the sunny spring weather.

-Hm. There are so many flowers here, continues Mob’s soothing voice. It’s beautiful.

Shou doesn’t hear Teru’s answer but suddenly Mob’s pointing finger enters his line of sight and he absently follows its direction.

-These…These are my favorites, Mob says. I love their color.

Shou blinks, looking at the poppies slowly swaying in the breeze, and lets Mob’s voice lull him to sleep.

5 – The movie

Going to the movies with Mob was not how he thought his afternoon would go but Shou can’t say he regrets it.

When Teru texted to cancel because one of his buddies from the esper training group was in a tricky situation –Shou was so curious about it-, and told him he sent Mob instead because he had already bought his ticket, Shou was a little bit…lukewarm about it?

It’s not that he doesn’t like Mob, no, he likes him just fine; it’s just that lately he doesn’t really know how to act around him. Shigeo has always had that soft aura that somehow permanently surrounds him, but facing it recently made Shou feel rough around the edges, like he’s going to upset Mob every time he opens his mouth and say the wrong thing. And Shou knows first-hand that Mob is strong but he would really like not to hurt him again. So he’d relied on the others to play buffer but now the idea of being alone with him without a security net unsettles him a little.

Mob makes Shou nervous and he doesn’t know why.

***

-It was really fun when he threw his brother at the bad guys!

Turns out Shou worried for nothing because Mob really likes action movies too. And he’s really enthusiastic about it? And they’re actually talking? And having a nice time? Who would have thought?

-Yeah!! You wanna try that with your brother?

-Oh no! I would never!

Mob looks almost scandalized by the question.

-That’s what I thought. Would he?

Mob shakes his head.

-No, Ritsu wouldn’t do that. He would probably try to attack first. He’s courageous!

-I can see that. What about Teru? Would you throw him?

-No! Of course not. I would never throw anyone.

-Yeah, I bet Teru would throw himself for you though. And when I think about it I can’t see anybody in our team who’d want to throw you at someone.

Maybe the girls…Yeah. Definitely the girls.

-You would.

Shou would?

-What? Me? Pff! No! I-…Maybe?

He would.

-Ok. Yeah. Right. I would probably do it. But! Just because you’re strong and I know you wouldn’t be hurt!

Mob chuckles.

-I wouldn’t mind you know.

Shou throws him a side-glance. Mob isn’t looking at him.

-Really?

-Hm.

Mob keeps staring straight ahead.

-You’re really too nice.

Mob just shrugs.

+1 – The jacket

They’re walking by the river, still talking about movies, when the spirit takes them by surprise and throws Mob in the water.

He gets out almost immediately and calmly floats back to solid ground. The spirit isn’t really strong so Mob gets rid of it in no time, but the late afternoon is pretty chill and he starts shaking, soaked from head to toe.

Shou rushes to him.

-Are you ok?

He frets around him trying to see if Mob is hurt.

-Mh. I’m just wet and my phone is probably dead.

-Oh. Well. I can’t do anything about your phone but…Don’t move.

Shou blows a big gust of wind, drying Mob in the process…Then promptly dies laughing.

-What? What is going on?

-Oh my god!!!!!

Shou wheezes, takes a look at Mob and collapses again.

-I-…Sorry I- I can’t!!!!

Mob pats his own face but doesn’t seem to find anything different so he patiently waits for Shou to find his breath again.

-Sorry!!! Sorry! It’s just…

Shou wipes at the tears in his eyes. His cheeks hurt.

-Your hair!! It’s all super puffed up!!

Mob groans and hides behind his hands.

-Don’t worry! You’re still cute! Shou adds with a big smile.

Wow where did that come from???

Shou frowns at himself and Mob makes an indescribable noise, crouching down suddenly, still hiding.

Oops, this is awkward.

Shou scratches the back of his head.

-I mean…yeah. He coughs. So, you do have eyebrows.

-What?

That was efficient.

Mob pulls out from his hiding mode, surprised, and raises his head to send a confused look at Shou.

-Of course I have eyebrows.

-Well they’re always hiding behind your hair, I was wondering!

It’s such a stupid conversation but at least Mob has relaxed again. He gets up.

-Hm. Well. They’re here. On my face. And thank you. For the wind. It was really impressive.

-Thanks. I was bored one day, so I like, tested my powers you know? And I found out I could do that. You want me to teach you some time?

-Hm. It could be fun.

-Nice.

They start walking again but Shou catches Mob repressing a shiver.

-You’re still cold.

-No.

-Don’t lie.

-I am still a little bit cold but it’s nothing to worry about.

Shou shakes his head, shrugs his jacket off, and drapes it around Mob’s shoulders.

-Here.

-Oh.

Shigeo blushes hard and can’t seem to be able to look him in the eye. When he finally does, Shou sends him a big smug smile that makes him blush even harder and avoid his eyes again.

Shou tilts his head.

Uh? What?

Mob grabs the jacket and tightens it around him, looking like a happy little bird getting comfortable in the warmth of his nest.

Oh…

Oh shit!!!!

Does he…

DOES HE LIKE ME????????

Shou’s memory quickly rewinds back in time and, looking at a few chosen moments with a different point of view, it just clicks.

HE DOES!!!!!!!!

HE LIKES ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

-Thank you.

Shigeo glances at him quickly, face still red, and offers him a soft smile. Shou feels his cheeks turn red too.

Oh…

OH!!!!!!!!

OH SHIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I LIKE HIM TOO????????????

-Well. Hm. No problem. Anytime.

Shou is such an idiot.

-Do you feel better?

-Yes, thank you.

-Good.

-Mh.

Well it’s nice that Shou has finally seen the light but if his brain could come back online it would be really freaking amazing.

-Hey, your hand looks cold.

-You don’t have a jacket to put around it.

-Well then, I should just hold it so it doesn’t get sick.

Thanks brain.

Mob looks like he’s self-combusting.

Shou’s smile is a million watts.

Everything’s good.

FIN

#shoumob #suzuki shou #kageyama shigeo #mp100 #fanfiction #sean writes stuff

[feroluce]

TatST - Ch 1: Secrets

For Day 1: Secrets of Ritshou Summer Week by @shouritshou! Please enjoy the first chapter of Together at the Same Time!

Warnings: Major character death, violence, injuries, blood, concussions

Shou is acting weird. Like, weird even for Shou.

Ritsu wakes up to the smell of meat cooking in his nose. 

He fumbles for his phone, something that's become the first part of his daily routine since he convinced his parents to get it for him last year. A quiet chime plays as it unlocks, Ritsu sleepily rubbing at his eyes until his ceiling looks less blurred. He can already see out his glass door that it's going to storm later...maybe he'll just stay in bed for a while longer. He can still smell breakfast cooking and it's making his stomach growl, but he doesn't want to leave his warm bed yet. Ritsu pulls the blankets up to his ears as he rolls onto his stomach and tries to ignore the little pang in his heart when there are no new messages from Shou. Because really, it shouldn't be that much of a let down. He's probably not even awake yet. Shou tends to stay up late and sleep in late, doubly so on weekends. So it's completely normal to not have a new message and he shouldn't be so disappointed. Ritsu's phone signals a new text message and he snatches it up to check his notifications in record time. Dammit. Damn Shou and his handsome face and his cute freckles and the new pang in Ritsu's heart that is the exact opposite of disappointment but just as unwelcome and painful. Shou: We're going somewhere today! I'll come pick you up! Shou: And don't skip bfast it's bad for you The first one isn't unusual. Shou is restless and he is always finding something to do. The second text, though, is...oddly specific. Ritsu widens out his psychic senses just to make sure Shou isn't hiding somewhere with his invisibility (which also isn't unusual). He can't Feel Shou sneaking around anywhere, although that doesn't always mean anything. His ability to hide his presence rivals Shigeo's and supposedly Reigen's.

Reinvigorated with the promise of an adventure, Ritsu rolls himself out of bed and drags his feet across the carpet. He wonders if he should bother to bring an umbrella or not. It might just be in the way.

Shou: Don't bring your umbrella btw you'll just lose it

Shou: And wear shoes without laces

Ritsu sticks his head into Shigeo's room on his way by, just to make sure Momozou hadn't come by to visit without him knowing. There's only one futon on the floor, though, with one head of black hair poking out. Telepathy and invisibility make for a horrifying stealth combo.

Me: Why are you being so specific.

Shou: Just a feeling

Shou: Don't worry about it

Ritsu is torn between not worrying about it and knowing better until he walks in on Shou in the middle of picking his outside door’s lock.

“Ricchan! Lemme in, we're going somewhere today and we need to get going!” Shou looks up at him from where he's kneeling and his stupid grin is so bright that Ritsu wonders for a moment if the storm clouds cleared up. And he considers it, he really does…

“Why should I?” But sometimes Ritsu feels like being difficult.

“C'mon, I came all the way out here! Don't be a dick.”

“Impossible. I'm always a dick.”

Shou snorts at him. The sound doesn't carry through the glass, but Ritsu knows the face he makes when he does it. “Yeah, well, y’are whatcha eat, I guess.”

Ritsu pulls the curtain shut.

The indignant “Awww, c’mon, it was funny,” is muffled by the thick fabric. Ritsu had just recently reset that lock, he reasons he has at least a couple minutes before Shou gets it figured out. He's just barely finished stepping into his shoes, though, when the door slides open and Shou breezes in, bringing in the smell of rain. He's getting too good at that.

"So where exactly are we going?" Ritsu always asks when Shou just shows up to whisk him away like this, but he had stopped caring about an actual answer over a year ago. Shou can make even mundane, boring things exciting. He could say they were just going to the corner store and it would still be fun. So it doesn't matter what the answer is, because Ritsu will follow along regardless.

"Places." Ritsu side steps to make room for the eventual circuit that Shou will make through his room. Even though they see each other almost every day now, Shou always walks by his bookshelf to look at the framed pictures sitting there. Or maybe he just scans the book spines, trying to figure out which one might be Ritsu's journal. "I found some pretty cool abandoned stuff past Mud Boat Mountain. Like they just half bulldozed some tourist places and then left them!" Shou stops in front of Ritsu's desk, leaning back against it with his hands stuffed in his jacket pockets. He doesn't pace, doesn’t play with any of the pens on Ritsu's desk, doesn’t even look at the shelves.

The sudden break in routine is more than enough to remind Ritsu of the strange text messages from that morning. 

Shou is acting weird. Like, weird even for Shou.

And he only realizes it more and more as Shou babbles about whatever he's found out in the mountain ranges. There's something off about his rhythm, about the way the words roll off his tongue. And Ritsu isn't sure of exactly what it is, but he can pick out that it's wrong. It maybe wouldn't be wrong coming from anyone else, but it's wrong for Shou and at least to Ritsu, Shou isn't just anyone else, he's Shou.

And Shou does eventually move, but it's only to steal a jacket out of the closet. The one that's changed hands so many times between the two of them that Ritsu can't even remember who it belonged to first.

Something like unease settles into Ritsu's gut, twisting up his insides.

It only gets worse from there. When they both leave the house, Shou keeps finishing Ritsu's sentences or answering questions before he's even done asking them. And this isn't unheard of, Shou can read Ritsu like an open book after so much time, but it's never been to this extent. Part of it makes Ritsu nervous simply because it's something new with no obvious explanation, but the other part worries that this means Ritsu is just that obvious. How much as Shou figured out about him recently? Does he know about Ritsu's Secret and that's why he's acting strange? Does Shou know that he likes him? "Yo, Earth to Ritsu!" Right. The convenience store. Snacks for on the way. It's not until they're back on the route to Mud Boat that Ritsu realizes he hadn't grabbed the salt water taffy he always brings home with him. He really is preoccupied. "Hey...Shou, hold on, I forgot Nii-san's candy." "Eh? Isn't he gone for the weekend, anyway?" Ritsu has just opened his mouth to answer that no, where did Shou even get that idea, when his phone trills in his pocket. Shige: I'll be gone when you get home. Shishou needed help and Serizawa is still out of town. Be back Monday. Ritsu's blood chills, bits of it clogging up his brain and trapping his thoughts in a clotted-off loop. Something is wrong. Something is really, really, wrong.

"Shou... Shou, how did you-?" "Peach ring?" When he looks up from his phone, Shou is suddenly a lot closer, holding a piece of candy up to his face. His eyes have gone from warm to overbearing, something that burns so hot and bright the flame has gone blue. Ritsu knows when he's being told not to ask. He opens his mouth again only to bite the peach ring out of Shou's fingers. ○●●○●●○ Now that he knows Shou is keeping Secrets, too, Ritsu goes on high alert, his feeling of everything being off-kilter only multiplied from before. "And so then- Then I told this guy that if he didn't speak- If he didn't start talking, I was really gonna light a fire under him-" "Shou, oh my god." It's a little hard to concentrate on that, though, when Shou is holding his hand because touching makes it easier to keep them both invisible. This didn't used to rile him up nearly as much as it does now. His only comfort is the fact that Shou can't see him, either. When the bus finally pulls up to the last stop at the base of the mountain, they both drop down to the ground without breaking hold, Shou kicking against the window and cackling when the people inside startle. Ritsu wonders if Reigen is going to get a call on Monday about evil spirits riding on top of public transport and messing with the passengers. The bus pulls away and Shou drops the invisibility and Ritsu drops their hands and turns before Shou can notice if his face is as unbearably red as it feels.

"...C'mon, it's not too much farther now." Ritsu is pretty sure he's just imagining the disappointed tone in his voice. Shou guides him up the mountain side, occasionally grabbing his sleeve to stop him from taking specific paths because trust me, Ritsu, you'll just give yourself a concussion like a dumbass. Ritsu bites his tongue and doesn't argue against it. When they float up the last bit of cliffside, they're greeted by a few run down old buildings, sides caved in and toppled by time and creeping vines. Their walls spill out like entrails, littering the ground with wood and glittering broken glass. "Pretty cool, eh?" Ritsu has to admit, it is pretty cool. They both walk forwards and it takes Ritsu a moment to place why the act itself is so weird. He's grown familiar with the sight of Shou's back, he could redraw the freckles on the nape of his neck almost as well as he could the ones on his face. Because Shou is always leading and Ritsu is always content to follow wherever Shou might lead him. But now Shou is all but glued to his side, shorter legs working to keep pace. He's keeping him close, keeping an eye on him, and Ritsu doesn't know what to think about that. And the longer they go on exploring their new discovery, the more antsy Shou seems to get. He's always energetic, always doing something, but it's never with this uncharacteristically nervous or paranoid feel to it. Shou keeps checking the time on his phone, he turns towards any sound that he can't immediately see the source of. His nerves are fraying like old rope. "Ritsu." He startles, because Shou hadn't said anything in a while and his jumpiness is starting to rub off on him. "Be quiet a sec. Don't move." They both go perfectly still until Shou's head whips towards the ceiling. Ritsu's eyes follow and then he can hear it, too, creaking along the old rubble. Footsteps. "Ok..." Shou's voice drops to a whisper. "Ritsu, put up a barrier. Thick as you can. On my mark. Three..." Ritsu tenses up, aura manifesting around them both in refractile bluepurplepink. "Two..." Shou drops his stance, reaching out and grabbing Ritsu to pull him closer until his concentration nearly stutters. "One!!" Ritsu's barrier balloons around them and too many things happen all at once for him to keep track of them all. Something drops in from the ceiling and something else swings in from the window and- Shou suddenly has Ritsu behind him backed in a corner and the desk near them flies open and stuff comes pouring out the drawers- And the entire desk goes hurtling across the room and someone screams and glass shatters and wood splinters- Something collides with his barrier and it pops like a bubble and then- And then Shou is being ripped screaming out of his hands- And suddenly there's a fist in his face and it isn't Shou’s because Ritsu knows what Shou’s fists look like, especially when they're right in his face, and this one isn't Shou's- Ritsu is dragged out and away through a hole in the wall and halfway through the woods all at once before he can get his bearings, but he lashes out as soon as he does. Practiced weak spots, eyes, nose, throat, solar plexus, hands wreathed with aura and one fist shoved up under the ribs before both hammer down onto the back of the person's bowed head. Ritsu sends them flying, maybe into a tree, maybe over a fucking cliff, he doesn't care, it doesn't matter as long as they're not in the way because he needs to get back to Shou. He races back to the old building and Shou is standing close to where they'd been before, visible through a massive hole blown in the wall of the second floor, Ritsu isn't even sure it was there before, but oh thank god he's still standing and he's alright. Shou pulls the hood of their jacket up one-handed right before he sways backwards and plummets. It's such a short fall that Ritsu only barely manages to grab him with telekinesis right before he crashes into all the debris below and that in itself scares him even more, because Shou doesn't even try to catch himself, he just falls and he's completely limp as he dangles in the air. Ritsu eases him down as gently as he can, but he can feel his heartbeat in his ears and it's making his control shaky. It isn't until he has him laying flat on the ground that Shou's eyes peer open again. "Shou! What happened, did you get hit? Are you bleeding? Where does it hurt? Is your head alright?" And Shou just blinks up at him like he's trying to recalibrate, turquoise irises rolling like compass needles until they realign with their true north and settle on Ritsu's face. "Ritsu...you did it. I knew you'd pull through on your end." When he smiles, his teeth are stained pink. "They have a bad habit of...of underestimating you." Shou's arm comes up and pats his cheek, but it's only the left one. His right stays crooked on the ground. Ritsu's eyes catch on the red starting to pool under his back, under his head, and the sight tangles in the spokes of his brain until the wheels grind. "Don't." Shou's hand, the only good one left, grabs Ritsu's wrist before he can reach the zipper to get a look at where the jacket is soaked to his skin. "Ritsu, just...just trust me. Don't." He doesn't stop Ritsu from calling an ambulance at least, even though he's starting to fear there's no point in it. Shou's teeth are starting to chatter and Ritsu's heart and lungs are starting to spasm and he's bleeding out all over the ground and- "Listen to me. L-Listen. Ritsu." Shou stops to grit his teeth and spit blood. "Ricchan. It's all...everything's gonna be ok. I can do this. I'll do...I'll get i-it right next time. I was so close this time. Ricchan, it's gonna be ok." "...You knew." Shou had been acting weird all day long. Like he already knew everything that would happen. "Shou, you asshole, you were keeping Secrets, you knew, and you still- You still...!" "Which is why...I know that everything's gonna...gonna be ok." Ritsu finally makes himself look Shou in the eye. He still looks dazed, his pupils mismatched in size. Concussion. "C'mere. My head is...it hurts. I...pillow." Ritsu manages to get Shou's head on his lap, desperately trying to ignore the sticky wetness seeping into his jeans. He figures it's the least he can do. "Ricchan. Tell me-e-e...tell me a, uh, a story." "You seriously want...?" "Mm. Tell me...haha, tell me about the time...about when Kamuro and, and Tokugawa tried to...catch Momozou ditching." "I...Shou, you already know that story. You were there for some of it." "I know... It's, uh...a good memory. I love...like the way you, you tell it." Shou settles in while Ritsu recites something from back in middle school, Kamuro and Tokugawa deciding tardiness was their new target and Momozou was the worst in Salt Mid. "So Shinji is still hanging halfway out the window and... Shou. Sh-Shou, stay awake." "Mm." He doesn't open his eyes again. "Keep...going. Still listening..." Ritsu closes his eyes, too, because that way he can almost pretend this is just another night where one of them had a nightmare and went crawling into the other's bed and he doesn't have to watch his vision swim. "And...and Hikaru is trying to, to pull them both back in, but Momozou is so d-damn big and heavy that...th-that..." Ritsu squeezes his eyes shut tighter. He's not sure he wants to see.

"Shou...?" Nothing answers him but his own hiccuping breaths. "Shou, c'mon, you shouldn't...you're not supposed to sleep with a concussion. You can't..." He can't do this to him is what he wants to say, but he already knows it's pointless because there's no one there to hear it, because Shou is a fucking liar and he had said that everything was gonna be ok and Ritsu didn't even get to tell him his own Secret and nothing about this is even remotely ok. One hand clenches in the sleeve of their shared jacket and the other clamps over his eyes until it makes kaleidoscope patterns on the inside of his eyelids. He and Shou weren't supposed to be separated, they did everything together, they were a pair, he doesn’t want to imagine having to look forward and not seeing Shou's back like always because Ritsu is the only one he trusts to watch his back. They weren't ever supposed to be apart. Something bright burns beyond his eyelids and it's the only reason Ritsu peeks out between his fingers. Orange, yellow, and pink, an aura he knows almost as well as his own, but now in the shape of a person. Two wide white eyes slowly open across its face, meeting his gaze head on. Shou's ghost is sitting in front of him, staring at him. Ritsu watches, partly mesmerized and partly horrified, as he cups his hands together and something builds there, crackling with energy. Shou's eyes crinkle up like they do when he smiles and suddenly everything starts to pull. Nothing looks like it's moving, but Ritsu can feel it, like he's being sucked in, like his very soul is being forced out of him through a straw. Everything is compressed, crushed, crumbled down to crumbs as it's drawn into the tiny black hole held carefully in Shou's cupped hands. He can feel the world condensing into a single point, the preparation for a new universe because the best thing about this one was dead and gone. And Ritsu swears, just at the last possible second before the big bang, that he feels Shou's heart jolt beneath his fingertips.

#my fics #together at the same time #tatst #shouritshou2018 #day 1 secrets #mp100 #ritshou #kageyama ritsu #suzuki shou #Guess who just got MURDERED #Ah unbetad and barely edited just like the good ol days dkajd #People have actually said that they're looking forward to this?? #So I hope it lives up to the hype! #I finished this at work last night and spent the rest of the shift jittering until I could post #*shows up eight and a half hours late with Starbucks* Sup #Me: I'm just gonna write a few short chapters #Also me 3184 words later: WTF #This is officially the longest single chapter I've ever written #The only longer stuff I have are multichapter fics #Dammit me #There will be a continuation this shitshow ain't over yet #Next chapter should be for day three - Confrontation/Heat!

[mustdang-100]

Shifting Perspectives

Mob Psycho 100 Fanfiction

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

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

Read on AO3 Ch.1|Ch.2 Tumblr Ch.1 - below|Ch.2

Chapter 1 Reigen swung his legs down from where they’d been propped up on his desk and stared, flabbergasted, at Serizawa. "What do you mean, you ‘thought it was cute!?’ That spirit had three rows of teeth! And I would know, I got the best look at them!"   Serizawa came out of his reverie with a start, nearly dropping his mug, instantly apologetic.  "It, it was just so small… I was just wishing I’d come up with another way to stop it, but I didn’t have time for anything but an exorcism when it went straight for your face!” Serizawa sputtered.   Reigen continued to stare at him, now merely projecting indignation to hide his growing amusement.    “It was fluffy! And, and pink!" Serizawa flushed. "I like pink."  Reigen couldn’t hold back; he burst into laughter, putting his own mug down before he could slosh tea all over his desk. Serizawa flushed a deeper shade of red, ducking his head a little, but Reigen still saw his small, sheepish grin.    “You’ve been spending too much time with Matsuo lately, to start thinking of them as cute,” Reigen said, wiping at his eyes as his laughter finally died down. 

It was almost six p.m., approaching closing time at the Spirits & Such office, and Reigen was procrastinating on completing some insurance forms to chat with Serizawa over tea. A leisurely teatime had become something of an end-of-the-day ritual for them over the past few weeks, ever since Serizawa’s break from classes meant he was able to stay at the office until closing. Reigen found the ritual comforting – and had been chagrined to realize just how much he enjoyed having the company. If he was honest with himself, he was secretly resenting the day when night classes started back and he would lose this time to Serizawa’s other interests and school friends.  Less selfishly, though, he’d been pleased that the extra time Serizawa spent at the office meant Reigen could watch even more of his ongoing transformation from the timid and insecure man he’d started as to the quiet, confident professional he was becoming. Reigen had recently even been encouraging him to deal directly with the customers – though never without his being there, of course. Reigen considered himself quite necessary to this business, particularly when a client’s problems weren’t actually spiritual in nature. And whenever something got complicated in an actual exorcism, he was there to smooth it over. He and Serizawa had fallen into a pattern, one that resembled less that of an employer and employee and more that of a partnership: the businessman who got the jobs and the esper who completed them.   It was… nice. Reigen thought he might even be able to call Serizawa a friend – but he’d been wrong before. And he didn’t want to jinx it. You had to take jinxes seriously in his profession.  “Reigen? What are you looking at?”  Reigen focused his eyes to find that’s he’d been staring straight into Serizawa’s puzzled face for the past however many minutes. He blinked.  “Oh, sorry! I was thinking about something else.”  He realized belatedly that the other man was packing up in preparation to leave. Serizawa’s emptied mug sat on his own desk, the surface streaked with a pattern of yellow-orange lines from the light of the setting sun filtering through the blinds.   “Right, ‘bout that time, isn’t it.” Reigen drained the rest of his own lukewarm cup and stood to stretch, joints popping. He asked, casually, “You doing anything interesting tonight?”  Serizawa snapped his bag closed. “Oh, I’m getting drinks with Minegishi and Koyama and them – the usual bunch.”  Reigen felt the sinking feeling in his gut that tended to rear its ugly head every time Serizawa mentioned hanging out with his friends, either from school or, increasingly lately, some of the other former Claw members.   It was stupid. Reigen was glad Serizawa was building healthy relationships and integrating himself back into society. He really was; in fact, he was incredibly proud of the progress Serizawa had made after being so shut off for most of this life, and then horrifically misled, and even, Reigen suspected, emotionally abused. But there was still a small, terrible part of him that whispered, nastily, that Serizawa was now actually fitting into society better than he himself did, and just what did that say about the sad state of his own life?  He was being petty, and jealous, and awful. He knew it. Which, really, had to be a sign that he was improving – he’d learned his lesson about trying to manipulate people into spending time with him with his mistakes with Mob, and now recognized the inclination when it appeared. He fought it by being twice as encouraging.   “Sounds like fun! You’ve really been spending a lot of time with them lately, huh? Probably good for you all, like… a Claw recovery group or something-”   “Actually, I was, uh, going to ask you, if you’d like to join us?”  “Oh!”  Reigen paused to school his expression into one of only minor interest, even as excitement bubbled up in his chest. “Ah, well, I do have some plans for this evening, of course, but really it’s nothing important, I can probably rearrange… uhh, although-”   Reigen remembered something slightly awkward.   “Do you think it’s been enough time that they’ve gotten over the… misunderstanding about my psychic abilities..?”  Serizawa’s face broke into a grin that he quickly tried to hide with his hand.  “Yes, don’t worry it’s all fine. Once they got over their anger at being tricked, they decided that tricking them so thoroughly was a talent by itself, not to mention all the things you’ve therefore managed to accomplish without psychic powers. They chalked it all up to your extraordinary leadership abilities and by the end of it were just twice as impressed. And,” Serizawa added, blushing again for no reason that Reigen could see, “I think they’d be happy to see you again.”   Reigen stood a little straighter.   “Well, that’s, that’s good. Very good. I mean, I am rather impressive… ok then. So, yes. Drinks. Happy to join you! Just gotta, finish up some paperwork and stuff, and, yeah I’ll, I’ll meet you there.”  Serizawa beamed.  Reigen blinked, caught completely off-guard. That was a rare expression from his nervous employee, and it was… like the sun coming out. He almost – almost – told Serizawa that the smile looked good on him, or something similarly unforgivably cheesy, before shoving the reckless inclination aside. But that grin begged for a response, and he couldn’t help but give a half smile in reply.   Once Serizawa had left, Reigen scrambled to finish up the paperwork – it really did have to be sent before tomorrow, damn it all. Once it was sloppily signed, scanned, and faxed, he stepped into the bathroom.   Reigen eyed himself critically in the bathroom mirror.   Drinks. With a coworker. Or, employee – whatever. With a friend? A friend, and his friends. The suit he had on was probably okay for that, right? Or should he change? He had a spare suit stashed in his desk – but then he’d just be changing one very similar suit for another, that was stupid. He had another tie somewhere though, a darker one, more suited for a night out… No, no, then Serizawa would know that he’d bothered to overthink this enough to change what he was wearing, and-  He took a breath.  Which is exactly what you’re doing, overthinking. This is just some casual, after-work drinks, with a coworker who might be a friend, and some other acquaintances. Er, most of whom had tried to harm either himself or one of the teenagers in his care on at least one occasion, and that detail somehow managed to be at the bottom of his pile of worries-   Stop.  Deeper breath. One last look in the mirror to check his hair, which looked the same as it always did, and he turned to march out the door.    Just be… casual. Breezy. Yeah, breezy. Smooth.   He tripped on the rug on his way out the door.   ***  Serizawa tapped his fingers anxiously against his glass, glancing at his watch before taking an automatic sip of his water.  “So ya finally asked ‘im?” Koyama slapped Serizawa on the back in congratulations as he slumped into an empty seat at their usual table, tucked into the back of the dive bar. Serizawa let out a small noise, both in protest and in reaction to the rather forceful hit; Koyama tended to forget his strength in his enthusiasm, and he fancied himself a matchmaker. Serizawa felt his cheeks grow warm for what must have been the dozenth time that day.  “Just… just to join us for drinks! You know, like, like friends! Not, um, not like that. I told you, I still don’t know if he’s interested that way!”  Koyama grinned hugely anyway, raising his eyebrows suggestively, before taking a long pull from his beer bottle.  It was true – Serizawa found it incredibly difficult to tell what Reigen really felt about anyone. No, that was a lie; to anyone who spent any amount of time around him, Reigen was obvious about who he genuinely liked, and who he was just pretending to be nice to. Serizawa was just still uncertain about whether Reigen felt anything more towards him than simple friendship.   At first he’d blamed himself for this, thinking it was his own lack of social skills that clouded his ability to determine how other people felt. But the more he’d interacted with other people, the more he’d come to suspect that that was just the way Reigen was; someone who talked a lot, but usually about nothing deeper than surface-level, especially his feelings concerning other people. No, you had to watch Reigen’s actions to know for sure how he felt.   And Serizawa had been watching. He watched the way Reigen acted towards clients, and the teenagers he cared for, and he knew for a fact that it was different than how Reigen acted around him. And not to mention those moments he couldn’t quite describe, when perfect camaraderie that led to a tension in the air that seemed very… “more than just friends”-esque.   Asking him to join the group for drinks was his first active step towards confirming just how Reigen felt about him; how did Reigen react to him, compared to other friends his own age, outside of work hours…  Serizawa shook himself back to the present.   “Stop teasing him, Koyama,” Sakurai was saying from the other side of their usual table in the back of the dimly-lit bar, adjusting his glasses while peering down into his gin & tonic. “He’s nervous enough as it is. He’ll ask Reigen when he’s ready, or not.”  “I’m just sayin’!” Koyama spoke louder to be heard over the pop song that began blaring overhead, “He’s really beating around the bush here! Just ask ‘im out, he’ll say yes or no, and you can move on!”   “Not everyone is as blunt as you, you ass,” Tsuchiya chimed in, tapping her emptied bottle against Koyama’s head good-naturedly as she stood up to grab another beer from the bar.  Minegishi was the only one who did not offer his opinion, slowly stirring his mostly-full drink with a straw, eyes flicking from person to person as they contributed to the conversation. Probably because he had expressed his opinions on the matter to Serizawa before.   One of the longest friendships that Serizawa had ever experienced, and the only member of the former Super Five he’d really stayed in touch with, Minegishi was also the most critical of Serizawa’s pursuing anything more than friendship with Reigen. Only a week before, Minegishi’s snide comments had finally driven Serizawa to ask him why he felt so negative about him turning his and Reigen’s relationship into something more.  “To be completely honest, I… am concerned about the sincerity of your feelings towards Reigen.”  “W…what!? What do you mean?” “I know you believe they are genuine, but…”  A pause.  “Reigen hired you to work for his business just as you were cut loose into a world that frightened you, floundering for a new purpose. I worry that you’ve formed an attachment to him due to his helping you through a time when you were vulnerable, and you are misinterpreting your gratitude towards him as something deeper, more meaningful. That could produce an uneven balance of power in a romantic relationship, which is unhealthy, and could lead to you resenting him later.”   Minegishi knew Serizawa about as well as anyone did. But despite mellowing since leaving the clutches of Claw, he could still be incredibly pessimistic. Serizawa knew Minegishi was wrong about him and Reigen, but had stumbled over his words, unable to express just how well they worked together, how he was sure there was something more there. Eventually, they’d had to agree to disagree. But Serizawa knew that if he and Reigen started dating Minegishi would be watching them, looking out for any warning signs.   He supposed, sighing heavily, that he should be grateful to have friends who cared so much.   “So,” Tsuchiya asked as she slid back into her seat, fresh bottle in hand, “…when is he gonna get here?”  Serizawa checked his watch again. It had now been over an hour since he’d arrived.  “I’m sure he’ll be here any minute now.”  ***  Reigen was running late.  When the almost-unintelligible voice came over the train speakers yet again, announcing their second delay of the night, he cursed loudly. The woman sitting next to him with a young child in her lap turned to look at him disapprovingly, covering her child’s ears.  Oh, don't be so overdramatic. No way kids that young understand words like-    The toddler turned her pigtailed head to look over at Reigen, smiling cherubically, and opened her mouth.   “Fuck!” She gleefully bounced up and down, repeating the word.   The mother glared at him with murder in her eyes.   Reigen decided it might be best if he just walked the rest of the way to the bar. He was pretty confident that he knew the way, and at this point it’d probably be no slower than waiting for the train – not to mention the lowered risk of homicide.  ***  Reigen was lost.   He examined the map on his phone again, following the path through virtual streets with one finger. When he thought he had it memorized he tucked the phone back into his pocket and strode confidently down the street. He was determined to follow the map from memory; he didn’t want to look like one of those people who had to follow their phones every step of their route.  Despite the cooling evening air, he’d begun to sweat at his brisk pace. Of course. The sweat really wasn’t that unusual for him though; Serizawa probably wouldn't even notice. Maybe the other espers wouldn’t either…   Who all had Serizawa said would be there? He couldn’t remember. Some from the former Seventh Branch, for sure – he found he was actually somewhat eager to see them again. He’d been weirdly proud of them when they’d shown up out of nowhere to band together and fight against the organization they’d once been a part of. I mean, Claw had gone after them first, but he liked to think he’d been a good influence on their decision to rejoin non-esper society-   A car he hadn’t heard coming up behind him pulled up next to the curb.  Reigen stepped back in surprise, all thoughts of espers jolted from his mind. The driver window rolled down to reveal a dark-haired woman, smiling at him just a little sheepishly.  “Excuse me, sir? We’re looking for the closest train station to drop my husband off, any chance you could point us in the right direction?”  Reigen liked to be helpful, but halted his automatic response, taking a another hesitant step back from the car and the woman inside it.  Something seemed… off.   The sedan was a relatively new model, but not too pricy, and dark in color; the textbook definition of ‘inconspicuous.’ Except that the vibe the blandly-smiling woman gave off was just a bit wrong; her eyes were too intense for her mild expression.   Reigen’s mirror-perfect reflection in the windows heightened his nervousness. They were tinted darker than was legal, as demonstrated by the complete lack of light penetrating through the windows from the closest streetlamp. A light source which, now that he bothered to notice, was a little further away than he was really comfortable with…  He glanced up to see that they were in a gap between streetlight coverage – the bulb in the light that was helpfully right overhead was almost burnt out, emitting only a dim orangey-yellow light that traveled no further than top of the streetlight pole.  Reigen almost laughed as his heart rate sped up, responding to a rush of adrenaline.  You’ve got to be kidding me… Okay. Either you’ve been watching way too many terrible crime shows and are completely overthinking this, or these are literally the lamest bad guys ever.   He heard someone coming up behind him, and whirled to face them. Mid-turn, every muscle in his body erupted into excruciating pain.  Reigen hit the ground, spasming; the impact of skin and joints on asphalt barely registered amidst the full-body agony. He could barely think, his brain forming nothing coherent but for an endless string of please stop please stop stop stop hurts hurts HURTS.   Was he even breathing?   The pain went on, and on, and on, seconds becoming an eternity…  And then it stopped as instantly as it had begun.  Reigen slumped limply against the ground at the sudden relief. His brain started working again. Someone – or multiple someones – were looming over him. And he was fairly certain he’d just been tasered.  Well, that’s a new one for the books. They say life should be full of new experiences.   The part of his brain not occupied with witty commentary was screaming at him to shut up.   You are in a terrible position, you are surrounded and you must get up, get up get up get up.   He tensed his muscles, preparing to spring up fighting, but never got the chance.  He felt a needle prick his neck.   In seconds, everything went dark.

#mob psycho 100 #mp100 #serirei #mp100 fanfiction #my fics #fanfiction #so i finally got over some of my writers block #and this is what came out #ta daaa #long post #shifting perspectives

[fireflysummers]

Mob Psycho 100 Fanfiction

I Could Even Learn How to Love (Like You)

Teru realizes that, despite his best attempts, he still isn’t a great person.

That doesn’t stop him from trying though.

(Dedicated to @uncannycookie​, @auro-cyanide​, @terubi​, @avoresmith for getting me Thinking About The Haystack Child Again)

(Doubly dedicated to @rustnut​ and @ofpaintedflowers​ for being my betas)

|| Chapter 1 || Chapter 2 ||

“So, what exactly did you need to see me for?” The late afternoon filters through the blinds, obscuring most of Reigen’s figure in a halo of light. Teru doesn’t answer, staring down at his hands, resting palms-up on his knees. The words he had planned out so meticulously are caught somewhere in his throat, strangled by a fear he can’t quite name.

He hears Reigen exhale loudly. “Is this about the fight you and Mob are having?”

“Fight?” Teru startles out of his own stupor, suddenly rigid. “We’re not fighting!”

“Could’ve fooled me,” Reigen says, adjusting the blinds and then crossing the distance between the windows and the couches. “And you definitely fooled Mob. My poor student has been stressing for three days now, trying to figure out what he did to upset you.”

“He didn’t do anything!” Teru insists, “He’s not the problem at all!”

“Then why’d you break off an activity unexpectedly? And you haven’t answered any of his texts?” Reigen plops down in the seat opposite Teru, and lounges casually against the cushion. “What else was Mob supposed to think?”

“I don’t know, I don’t know…” Teru can feel his façade slipping away, hands raking through his bleached, spiky hair. Then just as quickly he stills, letting his hands drop again, shoulders slumping forward, defeated. “I did it again, didn’t I?”

“Say again?”

Teru takes a deep breath of the incense-enriched air, gathering his thoughts and his nerve.

“I think there’s something wrong with me.”

“I’m not a doctor, kid,” Reigen replies, although he can’t entirely hide the note of concern in his voice.

“Not like that,” Teru clarifies, voice uncharacteristically soft. “I just…I don’t. Feel things. Not like a regular person should.”  The dam breaks, and the words he’s carefully rehearsed come tumbling out in a messy jumble. “I can tell when other people are happy or sad, but my first thought isn’t what I can do to help it’s always how I can use it to my advantage. I don’t care if I hurt people, if the ends justify the means. I can’t even remember the last time I cried.”

“And…I suddenly realized that maybe that’s not normal. And that, even though I promised myself that I’d change…I’m just the same as I ever was.”

His own condemnation hangs in the air like a death sentence. Teru can feel them, the weighty truth of them, and wants nothing more than to climb out of his own skin. To sink into oblivion until he’s anything but himself.

Because that was the simple truth.

All the words and bravado about change and becoming better. All the hypocritical gestures of kindness he didn’t feel.

He’d failed.

“I’m not that sort of doctor either,” Reigen supplies at last, and Teru is almost dumbstruck by the total lack of accusation in the man’s voice, “But this has something to do with Mob, doesn’t it?”

Teru doesn’t answer. He feels too hollow to even allow himself the usual flush.

“I mean, let’s be frank here, everything usually does around here. It’s hard not to.”

“I know. I wanted to be like him,” Teru says slowly, “No…I wanted what he had. To be surrounded by people that actually cared, that were actually there for you. He’s powerful enough to be kind. People don’t have to be afraid of him to love him. I…wanted that. I thought I respected him and looked up to him. But I think I just wanted…control.”

Teru curls in on himself, blatantly ignoring the fact that he’s bringing his tennis shoes onto Reigen’s couches, in favor of drawing his knees tightly to his chest. He drops his forehead onto them, for a moment focusing on breathing.

“Do you know what’s funny?” he says, and his voice cracks a little to betray just how not funny he finds this. “Even now, I can’t feel anything. I came to you today because I thought…maybe you could teach me how to be a good person.”

He hears Reigen get to his feet, and tries his best not to stiffen as the man sits down beside him. He makes no move to touch Teru, but doesn’t seem overly nervous by the motion either.

“Listen, Hanazawa,” he says at length, “I want to say right out that I’m probably the least qualified person on this planet to be giving you advice.” Teru starts to respond, but Reigen interrupts. “Trust me, kid, I’d know. I’m awful.”

“If you think that I was the one that taught Mob how to be a good person, then you’ve got it all backwards. I honestly believe that without me, Mob would’ve been fine. Maybe a little less sure of himself, maybe a little more paranoid, but somehow he’d have found his way. He needed me, but not as much as I needed him.” Reigen pauses, but Teru doesn’t look up from his huddle to see the man’s expression. “I’ve woken up every day for the past five years, wondering how I was lucky enough for Mob to walk into my life. Sure I’ve used him, because like I said before I’m an awful person, but for a long time my only nightmare has been that one day Mob would realize that…and he’d leave.”

“Even when I cared about Mob the most, I still only cared about myself—how he saw me, whether or not he’d reject me. It was all selfishness.”

“Did Kageyama-kun change you?” Teru asks, a little more tentatively than he intends.

“Mob didn’t. First rule is that if you’re trying to change somebody, it’ll never happen. Second rule is if you change for somebody else it’ll never stick.  Mob didn’t change me…he helped me change myself.” There’s an unmistakable note of pride in Reigen’s voice. Teru finally turns his head just a little, because he doesn’t want to miss the warm smile that he knows accompanies the words.

(He wonders what it would take to get anybody to smile that way about him.)

“Which is why I don’t think you’re hopeless, kid,” Reigen concludes, clapping Teru on the back, “You’re realizing your problem years ahead of when I realized mine. And more than that, you know that there’s something that needs to change. You just don’t know what.”

“That still doesn’t answer my question,” Teru replies, despite the flood of relief that hits him with Reigen’s reassurances. “I still don’t know how to be a good person.”

“Hell kid, I’m the world greatest psychic, not a miracle worker. If I knew that answer, I’d be a million dollars richer right now.” Reigen seems to sense Teru’s dissatisfaction with the answer, and continues. “My best advice is to fake it till you make it. Be kind, however you can be. Apologize for your failings without blaming others. Let other people in.”

“That sounds like it’s awful.”

“Oh it hurts like the devil. But now’s as good a time as any to start.”

Before Teru can question Reigen further, the door to the office chimes and Shigeo enters the room. Despite the sudden clamor of his thoughts, the one that rises to the surface is that Shigeo’s wearing a pink hoodie that Teru doesn’t think he’s seen before.

“Master, I’m sorry for being tardy, despite you saying this was an emergency,” Shigeo says, and if Teru wasn’t already feeling grateful to that salty bastard he would have flipped him off for this dirty trick. For a moment so focused on giving his address to Reigen that he completely overlooks Teru. Then his eyes settle on him, and Teru can feel his heart jumping into his throat.

“Hanazawa-kun!” There’s nervousness in his voice, as he struggles to collect his thoughts. “I didn’t expect to see you, but is everything all right? I don’t mean to interrupt, especially if you’ve come to speak with Master Reigen.”

“No, no Mob. We were just finishing up,” Reigen says, waving his hands animatedly about him, “Teru wasn’t feeling well and I needed you to see him home is all.”

“Of course!” Shigeo looks at him expectantly before Teru realizes that this is his cue to leave. He slips into his jacket in preparation of the spring chill, only to catch Reigen’s eye.

But now’s as good a time as any to start.

Ah. That’s right. He’d been so consumed with his own worries that he’d completely forgotten to consider how Shigeo felt.

“Kageyama-kun,” he says, as Shigeo turns to go out the door, “Just a moment.”

An awkward silence descends upon the office. Teru doesn’t need to turn around to know that Reigen is smirking at him behind his back. Shigeo, on the other hand, seems relatively nonplussed, albeit a little nervous.

He thinks you’re mad at him, Teru reminds himself.

“Kageyama-kun,” Teru begins again. “About Saturday…I mean, that is to say…I…” he swallows, wondering when he’d become so rusty at this. “I’m sorry. For ditching you last week. And for now answering your calls.”

“Oh. That’s all right.” Shigeo looks a little relieved, and it would be so easy to leave it at that. So easy to blame it on circumstances, or just leave the reasons unknown, but this had distressed his friend enough to talk to Reigen about it. If he didn’t explain further, Teru realizes, Shigeo would continue to assume the fault and continue to blame himself.

And he doesn’t deserve that.

Teru can give him this much.

“I was…I was being selfish,” Teru says softly, and wonders why speaking honestly hurts so much, “Somebody told me something that I didn’t want to hear. So I ran away from it. And I didn’t even stop to consider how that would affect you. I didn’t mean to cause you distress.”

With that, the tension around Shigeo’s eyes melts away, and is replaced with concern.

“Did they say something very hurtful?” Shigeo asks, brows knitted together.

“No. Just truthful. So I guess it was hurtful, but not in a mean way.” Teru endures Shigeo’s honest stare for a total of three seconds before adding, “Honestly. I deserved it.”

Shigeo deflates a little bit, and motions to the door, and open invitation to begin the trek home.

“I think you’re wonderful,” Shigeo says softly as they leave.

“Someday, maybe,” Teru agrees, “But I’ll try my best.”

#mob psycho 100 #mp100 #kageyama shigeo #hanazawa teruki #terumob #reigen arataka #my fanfiction

[taizi]

They say that the world was built for two

MP100 Valentines Week  Day 7; Flowers pairing: terumob

Story tag

X

To Reigen's credit, when he opens his front door late on a Tuesday night, to be met with a disheveled and mildly-hysterical teenage esper – whose brilliant idea of a polite greeting is “Please I need your help I am losing my mind” – he doesn’t so much as bat an eye.

“It was only a matter of time at this point,” he says blandly, and stands back to let Teruki inside.

And now they're sitting on the sofa and the armchair respectively; Teruki curls his fingers around his usual mug, breathing in the steam and the scent of sweet cocoa as it drifts up to him (and it’s amazing, he’s never had a usual anything at someone else’s home before). It's calming, more calming than a warm drink and familiar cup have any right to be, and after he's managed a few sips and a few deep breaths, Teruki no longer feels like he's on the verge of drowning. 

Reigen is waiting patiently for him to sort himself out, but surely that won’t last much longer. “I’m very sorry for showing up like this,” he begins with, hesitantly lifting his eyes. 

Reigen raises a brow and gestures with his own mug for Teruki to get on with it already. Okay. Fair enough. He’s danced around the subject long enough.

Carefully setting his hot chocolate on the coffee table, Teruki folds his hands together on top of carefully crossed knees, and says, as painstakingly as he had rehearsed a hundred times, “I have feelings for -- for your student. For Shigeo.”

The words take a weight off his chest as he parts with them.

It feels better than he thought it would. To say it out loud, where someone else can hear. 

And he’s braced for just about anything, but what he gets is actually -- nothing. No response, no spark of reaction. Not so much as a flicker of surprise. After a beat of mutual silence, Reigen says, “Did you only just realize? I took you as slightly more self-aware than that.”

Teruki can’t help the way his mouth drops open. “You already know?”

“My dear boy,” comes the perfect deadpan, “everyone already knows.”

The sound of keys in the door stalls whatever Teruki might have said -- if he could have said anything through the curious sensation of his brain melting -- and a tall, broad man steps into the entry way. He pauses to trade large loafers for large house slippers, and a plastic shopping bag crinkles as he ventures further inside. 

“Cigarettes and ice cream,” the man is saying as he joins them. “Guess there’s no accounting for taste.” 

“That was a joke,” Reigen remarks. He’s sitting just a bit taller. “Katsuya, what’s happened to you?”

"Too much time spent in poor company,” comes the reply, and at that point the man notices Teruki in the armchair and freezes midstep. Nerves overcome him, and as he shuffles his feet and bows under an anxiety that looks long-lived Teruki is abruptly taken in by the sight of an older, more world-weary Shigeo. “Oh. I- I didn’t know we had company, I’m -- “

Reigen cuts him off at that point with a short sweep of his hand. “Hanazawa Teruki, Serizawa Katsuya. He's an esper, like yourself, and my colleague.” 

And with that, introductions are apparently over. Reigen leans forward, fixing Teruki with a gaze that leans the focus of the room in his direction -- taking the weight of their combined attention off of Serizawa, and Teruki watches the large man wilt in relief. 

“So?”

“So,” Teruki parrots uselessly, grasping at that starting line. He takes Reigen’s lead and ignores Serizawa completely, as rude as that makes him feel. “I -- think I might have -- messed things up. With Shigeo. Earlier today.”

Reigen’s mouth twitches. He says, “Go on.”

“We were -- the four of us, Shigeo, Ritsu, Shou and I -- thought it would be fun to go somewhere where there wouldn’t be any civilians around, and -- “ He searches for the right word, hands flexing where they’re folded together. “Stretch our legs?”

It was Shou’s idea, that fiery little juggernaut of a human being. Teruki spent close to an hour sparring with him, long distance as well as close quarters. They ripped up half the field there at the edge of town, toppled trees, tore open the sky with sparks and fire, and it left Teruki feeling spent, muscles burning, like the end of a satisfying workout.

The brothers played referee, though Shigeo’s eyes kept wandering to follow a flock of startled birds or a bolting deer and Ritsu looked like he couldn’t truly be bothered. When Shou called over for their final score, Shigeo jolted guiltily, and said, “Um. You both did a very good job.”

Shou blinked, looking taken aback -- then he tossed his head back and laughed. There was no cruelty to it, and Ritsu was directing an amused smile at the ground rather than at his flustered sibling, so Teruki sat back in the burnt grass and breathed in pure content. 

Shou was like him, in small ways. For all that they certainly started on the wrong foot, Teruki found that the two of them had similar interests now; similar in that Shou spends half his time circling Ritsu like an enamored puppy, and Teruki is wrapped heart and soul around Shigeo’s little finger. 

“Good luck,” Teruki said, meaning it, when he noticed Shou’s gaze catch on Ritsu for the third time in as many minutes. Shou rubbed a hand through his hair, hitching up a crooked grin.

“Hah, pretty obvious, huh? Well, thanks. I’m gonna need it. I mean, we can’t all have it as easy as you.”

Teruki frowned. He wasn’t sure how to take that. “Come again?”

Shou widened pale blue eyes at him, grin stretching in amused disbelief. “Oh, wow. Ritsu told me, but I didn’t believe him.” He rose to his feet, dusting off his jeans, and then leaned down to clap Teruki on the shoulder. “I just meant you’re a lucky guy. That’s all.”

After that, he wandered over to the brothers, throwing himself bodily at Ritsu’s person and demanding a spar with him -- and how he always managed to escape Ritsu’s wrath unscathed was a wonder, Teruki decided privately. The fact that he seemed to delight in poking at the younger Kageyama’s temper in itself was a little mind-boggling, when anyone in their right mind would do anything to avoid exactly that. 

Ritsu let himself be talked into a duel, throwing his book down and coming up on his feet with a glower. Shou whooped in glee, and barely had time to dodge a violent curl of telekinesis that stripped the bark off a nearby tree. 

And Teruki found himself sitting with Shigeo, playing the spectators. Shigeo was a warm presence by his side, heavy-lidded eyes following the spar without difficulty, and Teruki watched the side of his face more than he did anything else. 

“Your hair’s getting long,” he remarked thoughtfully after some time. Shigeo blinked, and glanced at him through a fringe that fell just a few inches farther than it usually did. It curtained his eyes a bit, and that was certainly a shame.

So Teruki reached out, unthinking. As though his body was on autopilot. Cradled the side of Shigeo’s face in one hand, and pushed his bangs aside with the other. Fingers trailing across his forehead and combing through fine dark hair.

“There you are,” he said tenderly. 

And the world burst into bloom. 

“Everything,” he stresses in Reigen’s warm living room, staring into his cocoa where he set it down on the table as though it holds all the answers. “We had really done a number on the area, and all of the grass came shooting back up -- whole saplings, new green bark on the trees we had damaged, and wildflowers in every color. Within moments, Master Reigen. And they just kept growing, taller and brighter -- all these blossoms popping open, petals unfurling, it was incredible.”

And he’ll never forget the look in Shigeo’s eyes when he hit the ceiling on that internal counter and those warm, lovely feelings spilled out into his expression and the atmosphere. His full cheeks dusted pink, eyes crinkled from the force of his affectionate smile, one hand coming up to cover the fingers curled around his cheek. He’ll never forget it, never. 

He puts his face in his hands, thoroughly miserable.

"And you panicked,” Reigen supplies, totally without inflection. 

“I panicked,” Teruki reaffirms, muffled. “I -- teleported. Miles. By accident. I’ve never done anything like that before, I didn’t even know I could. It took me nearly two hours to get back to town. My phone and my wallet were both in my bag so I had to walk the whole way here, and I still feel a little sick from that massive jump.”

“You still feel sick?” And that’s the way he sounds when he’s trying not to sound concerned, that neutral air he had adopted that made this conversation even possible for Teruki to stomach disintegrating in favor of a furrowed brow and a frown -- but Teruki hasn’t even gotten to the worst part yet.

“So if Shigeo tried to call me, there’s no way I could have answered him. He showed me something amazing, and I just disappeared. And now he probably thinks I’m avoiding him on purpose. What he did was so -- and I -- and now he probably hates me.”

Serizawa sits next to Reigen on the sofa at that point, and Teruki notices fresh mugs of hot tea where lukewarm cocoa had been. He lifts his eyes and manages a pale smile, a thanks for the effort the shy man had made, and leans over to pick up the cup carefully. 

Reigen’s thanks is an absent touch to the back of Serizawa’s hand, a move he doesn’t need to look to make, and the tight, tense lines of Serizawa’s nervous shoulders relax. 

“Are we talking about the same kid?” Reigen says. “Because Mob doesn’t hate easily. One of his closest friends is an evil spirit. And I’m sure you remember how you met him.”

It’s not often that words fail him, but in this case Teruki can’t think of a thing to say. Of course he remembers. 

The day he met Shigeo feels like a memory from another life, years ago and far removed, because the person he was back then is practically another species. He looks down at his hands, unable to imagine touching Shigeo now with the intention of hurting him in even the smallest way. He can’t imagine doing anything to him that isn’t soft or sweet or kind, cupping his face and combing fingers through his hair, tilting their foreheads together on a stormy night, holding his hand on a long walk home, coming up with half a dozen ways to make him smile while he puzzles over his homework -- 

“He doesn’t hate me,” Teruki says quietly, digging nervous fingers into the knees of his grass-stained pants. “That was a stupid thing to say.”

“Glad you agree.” Reigen probably has better things to do with his evening than deal with Teruki, would be well within his rights to push him out the door, but instead he leans forward, resting his weight on his elbows where they’re propped up on his thighs and giving Teruki even more of his precious advice and undivided attention. “It all boils down to you, being afraid to take a chance. You don’t want to get this thing wrong, ‘cause it’s important to you. You don’t want to ruin it. I get that. But that’s everybody, kiddo. Everybody’s scared.” He lifts a brow, something not quite a smirk quirking his mouth up on one side. “The only difference between you and everybody is that you have it easy.”

“That’s what Shou said,” Teruki says, realization dawning. “Everyone -- everyone does know already, don’t they?”

“You’ve been fairly obvious with your affections, Teru. Anyone with a functional pair of eyes would have cottoned on sooner or later.”

Reigen snatches up his mug to take an impulsive gulp of tea that’s much too hot, but Serizawa’s hand drifts over before he has the chance to scald himself; covering the rim of the cup with the flats of his fingers and cooling the drink with a faint twist of energy.

And Reigen looks down at the mug for a few seconds, and then his eyes move slowly over to Serizawa, calculative without being cold. Like there’s a bright light going on upstairs. 

The moment stretches. Teruki and Serizawa both jump when Reigen abruptly claps his free hand on his knee with a loud exhalation, the weight of the conversation disintegrating into something that’s easier to breathe through. 

“So,” he says matter-of-factly, “now you have to decide if what you’re doing is dodging a bullet, or missing one of those once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to have something better than you deserve.” His ticks out a finger importantly, jabbing it in Teruki’s direction. “And I think you know which one this is.”

“Yes,” Teruki replies, sotto voce. “I think I do, too.” 

#mp100 valentines week #mp100 #mob psycho 100 #my writing #terumob #sorry this is whole days late :''')) #hopefully i'll have the last one up tomorrow but idk #i have so much school stuff after work #sorry sorry #the long way round #mp100 fic

[fluffystring-blog]

local conman harbors crush for co-worker-- what happens next will warm your heart

Pairing: SeriRei

Notes: It's 3 A.M. and I just powered through this fic from start to finish because the idea's been in my mind for over a month, but I couldn't figure out how to write it for the life of me. I apologize if the characterization if off at all. This is my first time writing for Serizawa and my first time writing something extra long with Reigen in it.

“Reigen-san, were you just… touching my hair?”

Serizawa’s body stiffened at the sudden sensation of fingers skimming through his hair, unfamiliar fingernails dragging gently across the length of his scalp as russet curls danced and flattened in unison to allow safe passage for the dexterous digits combing their way up and about the unkempt mass that was his head. Something within him seemed to snap to attention, and without thinking Serizawa whipped his head around to pinpoint the perpetrator behind these strange actions.

Except, when curious eyes followed the line of the stranger’s appendage upward and locked with a dull chestnut gaze, the hairs on his neck spiked (along with every other miniscule object in the room, though more so with gradual ease and less detection from the owner of said-objects than he previously anticipated). In spite of the way Reigen’s hand meticulously maneuvered through Serizawa’s hair, the man himself appeared unfocused, almost entranced by whatever silent reverie wove his every train of thought; if Serizawa didn’t know better, he’d assume Reigen had no idea what he was doing.

Nevertheless, Serizawa was quick to brush away the thought with a small shake of the head, swallowing hard before raising his voice amid the proverbial silence enrapturing his employer. “Uh, Reigen-san…? Is something wrong?”

Now, in all his time working alongside Reigen, Serizawa never knew the man to be jumpy, much less frantic and lost in his own little world, but here he was bearing witness to the very thing he never imagined he’d live to see-- Reigen completely vulnerable in his own environment, utterly dismantled and sweating profusely (a lot more than usual, Serizawa couldn’t help but note) as his eyes practically bugged straight out of their sockets and the hand placed on Serizawa’s head twitched and immediately snapped back to his side in rapid fire succession.

Loudly, Reigen cleared his throat, visibly fighting off the downpour of perspiration glimmering on his forehead and the slightest tinge of red dusting across his cheeks.

“Shit, don’t scare me like that! How long have you been sitting there anyways? What time is it? Why is everything so wet--?”

“Reigen-san, were you just… touching my hair?”

If Reigen had been ready to go off on a blind tangent, he’d surely shut himself up now. His mouth opened and closed faster than Serizawa could follow, his lips pulled tight in a forced smile, eyes flickering every which way as if to avoid looking in Serizawa’s general direction.

“Uh, yeah! I, uh, I was just… You see, there was a bug and-- well, you know, I hate bugs, I really do, and, uh, I was trying to…” He trailed off, leaving his jumble of words incomplete but not once daring to meet Serizawa’s probing gaze, lest he find himself even further in trouble than what he already was.

Already, the atmosphere was taut with tension, the nervous wringing of hands threading themselves together only solidifying the obvious discomfort that had befallen Reigen. The air was electric with it. Not even Serizawa’s aura could amount to the weight pressed around them, thick as ice and impossible to cut.

For what felt like an eternity, Reigen and Serizawa sat in silence. While it seemed like Reigen’s mind was leafing through every possible excuse to weasel himself out of this awkward predicament, Serizawa’s mind was scrounging around for ways to bring the topic back into light without driving his skittish employer away; it was plain to see that directly tackling the subject head on wouldn’t work.

So, Serizawa tried a more vague approach. “I trimmed it down myself this time. The hair, I mean; it’s not as good as what you could probably do with it, but I think I did a pretty decent job for a first try.”

To his relief, Reigen seemed to break free of his flustered shell, if only a little. “Oh, really? Huh. I didn’t even notice it grew back again… That’s, uh, wow. Good job; it looks great.”

Serizawa perked up, his hand subconsciously drawn to the top of his head as a smile spread across his visage. “Really?”

Reigen returned the smile before gesticulating wildly, flashing Serizawa a thumb’s up. “Yep! Couldn’t have done it better myself! Good on you, Serizawa. You’re really making your way into society.”

“Thank you,” Serizawa said.

Reigen nodded swiftly in response.

Without another word, Reigen turned his attention away, and Serizawa watched with newfound interest as Reigen cupped his chin and leaned back against the couch cushions, eyelids pressed shut as his nose scrunched up. A deep exhale deflated his chest. Serizawa patiently waited for Reigen to contribute more to their conversation, but received no further indication of the man’s desire to return to it.

Instead, Reigen shot forward and slammed his hands hard on the coffee table, rattling the tea placed upon its surface and startling Serizawa to a rigid stillness.

“Okay! Fine! You caught me! I was touching your hair, okay?!” Reigen exclaimed, his lips moving faster than they could keep up with as he thundered on without a moment’s pause, “But I didn’t know I was doing it until you said something! I wasn’t trying to be weird or anything, if that’s what you’re worried about, but I was doing it without thinking and after I sort of realized it myself I just… I kept going because you didn’t say anything and it didn’t look like you minded.... I mean, you obviously did mind it I guess, if you ended up mentioning it out loud-- b- but that’s beside the point!

“Listen, I’m probably making a bigger deal out of this than it really is, so just take all this with a grain of salt or whatever. I don’t care what you do with it. You can either forget it or keep it to yourself. All I’m doing is clearing things up so it doesn’t get awkward, okay?” Reigen jabbed an almost accusatory finger in Serizawa’s direction. “I’m not a weirdo or anything, alright? So, don’t go blabbing about it to anyone. The last thing I need is for someone to find out about this and think I’m some kind of pervert.”

“Y- yeah... Sure,” Serizawa replied, nodding.

Reigen sighed heavily. At last, his shoulder’s slumped and his expression loosened. “Okay.”

Taking back his place on the couch, Reigen ran a hand through his bangs before breathing out a more quiet sigh, leaning into his palm as his body hunched forward. “Sorry, sorry. I shouldn’t have freaked out like that. I’m sorry.

“It’s not a big deal, but I kinda blew up and dragged you along for the ride anyways, didn’t I? I’m sorry. I just-- I was thinking about how your hair felt the last time I cut it, and I wanted to see if it really felt the way I thought it did.”

“... And?”

Reigen looked up, flushing faintly. “Uh, well, it. It did, I guess. No surprise there. Pretty anti-climatic. Kind of a dumb thing to think about now that I hear myself saying it out loud.”

“No,” Serizawa said. “I mean, what did it feel like to you?”

Reigen was caught off guard, if the stiffness of his figure was anything to go by. He averted his gaze instantaneously and let out a strained laugh. “It felt like hair,,” he replied with forced nonchalance, pinwheeling a hand in the space between them as he went on, “Like I said, it wasn’t really worth the fuss; it felt like how I expected it would, and now we can put this whole thing behind us and pretend it never happened!”

Although Serizawa doubted the legitimacy of his employer’s claims, he decided it was probably best not to press any further on the matter. After all, Reigen was still his boss, albeit them being on rather familiar terms with each other and becoming more along the lines of casual friends than merely coworkers.

Rising to his feet, Serizawa gave Reigen a quick once over before offering a friendly smile and a stammered, “O- okay. Then I guess I should get going now.”

“Oh! Right, right,” Reigen replied, coming to stand alongside his co-worker with a placid grin. Awkwardly, he gave Serizawa a pat on the back. “Wouldn’t want you to be late for night school and all that. It’s time for me to start closing up anyways.”

“Reigen-san?”

“Eh?”

“If you need anything... feel free to call me. I have a free period for study hall that I normally use to get my homework done, but I’d be more than happy to talk to you if you’re not busy with anything.”

Surprise blossomed over Reigen’s face. “Oh. Uh, yeah. Sure. I’ll, uh, I’ll do that then. I guess. Thanks.”

The twinkle in Serizawa’s eyes brightened. “Okay then. Talk to you later.”

Shortly after Serizawa’s departure, Reigen found himself dragging his hands over his face, his back pressed into the door as his body slowly lowered itself to the floor. Sweat was beginning to bead across his skin and roll down in salty rivulets, though the fierce scarlet scorching his cheeks had become more bothersome than the sweat itself, easy to mask but impossible to hide.

With an unsteady breath, Reigen wove clammy fingers around his mouth and swallowed back the elated noise threatening to surface from the fluttering recesses of his chest, his mind racing as blood pumped through his ears.

Fucking Hell… How does he get his hair to feel like that? It’s like petting a dog!

No, there was more to it than that, so much more. Serizawa wanted to call him. He wanted to talk to him over the phone during his free period. He wanted to call him.

Shit. Reigen nearly banged his head against the door out of sheer excitement and frustration. Shitshitfuckingshit! What the Hell is he doing to me...?!

#mob psycho 100 #mp100 fanfiction #serirei #Capricious paca writings

[turning-the-kaleidoscope]

“Memories”

“... Reigen doesn’t know, does he?”

Silence falls. It runs its course.

“... No.” Shigeo’s breath shakes a little on the way out. “No, he doesn’t.”

(Read on AO3)

It’s… subtle. And that might be the thing that disjoints him the most about it.

Serizawa and Shigeo are manning the office today while Reigen meets with a client for consultation. Something about a “haunted house with a mysterious background.” Reigen threw it around so flippantly that it was clear he wasn’t concerned with anything coming out of it. He was more concerned with leaving the office unattended during one of their busiest days of the week.

Which is why Serizawa and Shigeo are here, Reigen is not, and the office is quiet. With an hour to go ‘till closing time, Serizawa needlessly straightens things on the desk, stacking papers, organizing pencil cups. Shigeo had fallen asleep on the couch about ten minutes ago; with entrance exams coming up, it’s clear he hasn’t been getting enough sleep, and Serizawa doesn’t mind closing up on his own. Besides, Reigen should be back soon.

Serizawa has busied himself with the rest of the office so thoroughly that it takes him a while to notice a slight something in the atmosphere. It isn’t a very substantial change. It isn’t even a worrying one. Like a slight draft, or a change of light as the sun dips deeper. He doesn’t think twice.

It isn’t until Serizawa is leaving the storage room and passing by the couch that he realizes just what the problem is.

Shigeo, curled on his side on the couch with his knees close to his chest, has tears running down his cheeks.

Serizawa’s heart is thrown for a loop. His mind comes to a screeching standstill before moving again, slowly, trying to click things into place. Shigeo is crying? In his sleep? He isn’t awake… should he wake him? Or should he just let him sleep and pretend he didn’t see anything?

The thought doesn’t last long. He can’t do that. Already, there’s something in his gut that knows what this is about, and even though he hopes he’s wrong, he can’t ignore that. It seems wrong to leave Shigeo on his own like this.

“... Hey. Kageyama.”

Serizawa reaches out, hesitates, then sets his hand on Shigeo’s shoulder and shakes him gently.

“Kageyama. Shigeo. Wake up.”

It doesn’t take more than that. Shigeo’s eyes snap open and he sits upright, shaking Serizawa’s hand off whether he means to or not. He blinks up at him with wide, still teary eyes, before recognition settles in and he brings his hands up to brush away his tears.

That split second of panic was enough. Serizawa knows that look. Second-handedly, through memories, but still. He knows that look.

“Sorry,” Shigeo says quietly, dropping his hands down into his lap. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep…”

That’s not the issue here, and they both know it. Serizawa draws a breath and tries gathering up what little social skills he’s gained since working here, which isn’t as much as he needs but maybe, just maybe, it’s enough. Shigeo sits still, and Serizawa lowers himself onto the couch beside him slowly.

“... Shigeo, was it…?”

Shigeo swallows. Nods. Neither of them speak, and the quiet stretches.

“... Reigen doesn’t know, does he?”

Silence falls. It runs its course.

“... No.” Shigeo’s breath shakes a little on the way out. “No, he doesn’t.”

“Have you—” Serizawa pauses, tries finding the words. “Have you ever—thought about telling him? I know it happened a long time ago, and I know you don’t want to think about it, but—if it’s still affecting you like this, Shigeo, then… you shouldn’t keep it to yourself like that.”

Shigeo falls quiet for a time, hands clenched tight in his lap. “... I know. You’re right. I just—” He hunches in on himself, shoulders curled. His hands are shaking now. “H-How am I supposed to tell him, Serizawa? It’s been so long. He doesn’t have to know.”

“Is that what you really think?”

Shigeo swallows, but says nothing. Serizawa pauses for a long, long while, struggling to come up with something worth saying, something that’ll help and not hinder.

“Listen, Shigeo.” Serizawa turns toward him, trying to meet his eyes. “Please.”

Shigeo glances at him and holds his gaze, but says nothing. Serizawa takes this as his opportunity to move on.

“Reigen, he… he cares about you so much. Probably a lot more than you realize. He brags about you all the time, you know? Like a proud dad or something. He could never be disappointed in you, especially not over something like this. You don’t have to be afraid to tell him anything.”

Shigeo swallows thickly, eyes shimmering, breaths leaving with a rasp. “I-I know that,” he manages, voice strangled and choked, “I know he won’t be disappointed, I-I know that, I just don’t want—” He gets stuck, draws in a shaky breath. “I don’t want him to—to blame himself. It wasn’t his fault, but if—i-if he knew what really happened, there, I… he’d… he wouldn’t forgive himself.”

“Don’t you think he’d feel worse if he just… found out someday?”

“He doesn’t have to find out.”

“Secrets don’t last forever, Shigeo. You can’t make them.”

Shigeo doesn’t say anything.

Serizawa hesitates, but. This is something he can do. Even if Shigeo doesn’t want to hear it, he can’t just leave the boy with all of this and pretend he didn’t see anything. There’s no kicking this under the rug.

“Shigeo, Reigen loves you. He’s so proud of you for everything you’ve done, the person you’ve worked to become. And I know you love him, too, and… I know it’s hard, and I know you’d rather pretend it never happened, but… you can’t keep it locked away like that. No matter how hard you try… all you’ll end up doing is hurting yourself. Even if you don’t tell him everything, I... I think you should tell him something.”

He knows he’s bad at this. He doesn’t know how to give advice, or if the advice he’s giving now is good, but Shigeo lowers his head with a tired, resigned sigh, and with the smallest of nods, he murmurs, “... Okay. O-Okay, I’ll… I-I’ll try.”

When Serizawa settles an arm around his shoulders (loosely, in case he wants to pull away), Shigeo leans into him, and they stay there until they hear the thud of footsteps and the rattle of keys by the office door.  

“R-Reigen, c-c... can I talk to you about something?”

“Of course you can, Mob, what’s up?”

Serizawa was this close to entering the office when he heard the voices, quiet but unmistakable in the silence. His hand freezes over the door handle and he retracts his steps, leaning against the wall with his heart in his throat.

That, that was close. Chances are if he’d walked in then, the conversation would’ve never happened.

He stays there, relieved that Shigeo is talking to him, but still nervous for the outcome. He knows everything he said yesterday held some truth to it, but he can’t help the anxiety. He has a bad habit of overthinking things and now is no exception.

With a wall in between them, Serizawa can’t hear the conversation; only muffled somethings of words that he couldn’t make out even if he did try. He doesn’t want to intrude; he has no right to; and he’s more than content to stay here for as long as he needs to. For as long as they talk.

An indeterminable amount of time passes before he hears something slightly different. Something like quick, heavy footsteps, then an abrupt silence that’d come out of nowhere. Serizawa’s hands, which he’d been subconsciously wringing together, go still. His heart skips a beat.

Carefully, slowly, to avoid being seen, he peaks around the corner and through the crack in the door.

He only sees a sliver of the office, but it’s enough. Reigen and Shigeo are both on their feet, arms wound around each other tightly. Reigen is still saying something, but his words are too quiet for Serizawa to make out from here. Whatever they are, Shigeo responds by hugging him tighter, and Reigen returns it.

Serizawa backs up again with a small smile to himself.

They’ll go on jobs soon, and Serizawa won’t mention the red in the corners of their eyes. He won’t ask what’s got a spring in Shigeo’s step. He won’t ask why Reigen sticks particularly close to his side. He doesn’t need to.

When it boils down to it, as long as Shigeo has someone to talk to, and as long as Reigen is there, they’ll be okay. That’s enough.

#mob psycho 100 #mp100 #cloud writes #fanfiction #drabble and a half #serizawa katsuya #reigen arataka #kageyama ''mob'' shigeo #mogami arc hints #season 2 spoilers #i just love them so much #they all deserve the world