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strawbrymilkshake · 5 years

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smoking is bad for you, you know

Dad!Reigen Week 2019 Day 3: Sports || Lessons

AO3 Description: Ritsu, eventually, learns to trust Reigen. (4.7k words)

Ritsu trusts his instincts.

It’s only been quite recently since he learned what instincts even are, but he knows himself and he knows he’s usually right. So, when Shigeo introduces him to his new master, Ritsu knows what to think about this man based on how he first feels.

“Hi, Ritsu,” Reigen smiles. He crouches down to be on eye level with him. “Shigeo didn’t tell me he had a brother.”

Ritsu doesn’t like Reigen.

“Ritsu’s in the grade below me,” Shigeo tells Reigen. “He’s ten and really cool.”

“Oh, awesome,” Reigen says. He turns to Ritsu. “Do you have psychic powers like your brother?”

“Ritsu doesn’t have psychic powers,” Shigeo says.

There’s something bristling within Ritsu when Shigeo says that, but he can’t tell what. He would have been happy to tell Reigen that himself.

“Oh, that’s a shame,” Reigen says.

Ritsu really doesn’t like Reigen.

“You’re a psychic?” Ritsu asks.

Reigen nods, the movement natural.

Ritsu looks away.

“Master’s the greatest psychic,” Shigeo tells Ritsu. “The greatest ever.”

“Of the twenty first century,” Reigen corrects, and stands up. “I’m the greatest psychic of the twenty first century.”

Ritsu really doesn’t like Reigen.

Nobody talks for a few seconds, and Ritsu is okay with that. Shigeo’s busy looking at Reigen in awe, and Ritsu is busy mentally cursing out the inherent injustice that comes with being alive.

Why should this guy get psychic powers, when Ritsu’s been trying his whole life, and gets none? What makes him so special? Is he an older brother too? Maybe younger siblings just don’t get them. And what makes him so great, anyway?

The more he questions Reigen the more he doesn’t like him. Ritsu doesn’t know what it is — Reigen’s too tall, Shigeo likes him too much, and he kind of smells a bit, too. It’s a little…familiar? But Ritsu can’t place it — and his face falls into a scowl as Reigen looks down at them. It’s his instincts, he reminds himself, he doesn’t need to have a reason. He just doesn’t like Reigen.

Still, no one has said anything since Reigen has proclaimed his greatness — there’s no way he’s actually the greatest psychic of the twenty first century, anyway, if anything, Ritsu thinks his brother should hold that title — and he doesn’t see the point in being here any longer if nothing else is going to happen. He doesn’t want Shigeo to think that he’s getting bored or anything, though, so he just glares up at Reigen instead, hoping to leave the strange man as soon as possible.

Reigen looks between the two of them.

“Has anyone ever told you guys that you look the same?”

Ritsu’s heard it before — from teachers, strangers, friends at school. It wasn’t even all that uncommon when people mistook him and his brother for twins. They both nod.

Reigen lets out a small laugh. “You two must get along well, huh?”

Ritsu nods.

Later, when they’re at home and Ritsu has all but forgotten about his meeting with Reigen, Shigeo tentatively asks him what he thinks of his master.

Ritsu looks at Shigeo. He can’t tell what he’s thinking, or what he wants Ritsu to say.

“I think he’s cool,” he lies.

—-—-—

Ritsu doesn’t see Shigeo all that much anymore.

He often walks to school alone, which, granted, is because of his own decision to join the student council, so that one’s on him. But even then, before he entered middle school, afternoons at home were a little quiet and dragging without his brother around, and they still pretty much are — the house is just him and his parents. It doesn’t feel empty, per se, but Shigeo’s absence from the house is far too noticeable.

Ritsu’s more than used to it by now. Now, afternoons where Shigeo comes straight home from school can leave the house a little crowded; Ritsu thinks of it as a chance to get closer to his brother from all the days they’ve missed. The few off days where, walking home, Ritsu and his brother take up twice as much space on the sidewalk, he thinks of as quality bonding time.

But still, for the trailing end of elementary school, and now as he begins planting his roots in middle school, Shigeo is becoming less and less of a constant in his life.

“I miss you,” he tells his brother, suddenly one day, not sure where it comes from. “I feel like I haven’t seen you in ages.”

“Oh,” is all that Shigeo dignifies it with at first. Then, a pause, a consideration, then: “Sorry, I didn’t notice.”

“It’s okay,” Ritsu finds himself saying.

“I’m always at Master’s,” Shigeo explains, even though they both already know it. “You don’t really like him, do you?”

Ritsu blinks for a second, not sure where this is coming from. Sure, he wouldn’t mind blaming Reigen for the slow drifting apart of him and his brother, but it’s a little weird to him that Shigeo is basically offering him that on a plate. He chooses his words carefully.

“I don’t think our personalities mesh well.”

Shigeo nods, satisfied.

And for all Ritsu knows, that could really be it. He never really dedicates much time to thinking about Reigen, or thinking about how much he doesn’t like Reigen — deciding from the get-go to avoid him was really enough. But Ritsu likes to think of himself as somewhat dignified and respectful. Incompatible personalities is a bit of a lame excuse to justify not getting along with somebody — he’s more mature than that.

Ritsu suspects it’s something to do with the fact that Reigen reeks of being inauthentic. Not necessarily in his personality — for all that Ritsu is concerned, Reigen is damn near an open book when it comes to that — but Ritsu has not once believed that this man is in possession of psychic powers. He can’t sense it, he doesn’t have any powers of his own, but he’s lived with Shigeo his whole life. He knows what espers are like. And besides that, Ritsu knows what it’s like to live a whole life without psychic powers, and he can see that in Reigen. He relies on his brother just a little too much.

Ritsu hasn’t discussed any of these thoughts with Shigeo, mostly because he has no idea how to bring it up. He knows, also, just how much Shigeo likes Reigen, how important a place he holds in his brother’s mind, and he knows better than to go about calling the man Shigeo trusts most untrustworthy. There’d be hell to pay.

As worried as he is about Shigeo’s reaction, though, somewhere in the back of his mind Ritsu wonders if it would be better to tell his brother upfront that Reigen doesn’t have psychic powers. It would be better than letting it play out and reaching a point that could have been avoided if Shigeo knew, right? Reigen can’t protect Shigeo if something goes wrong, and Reigen can’t protect himself if something goes seriously wrong, and that’s the last thing Ritsu wants, right?

He doesn’t want either of them to get hurt, right?

Right?

Right, yes, of course he doesn’t want either of them to get hurt — it’s not something to dwell on, how obvious it is. There’s no way in hell he’d want either of them to be anything other than healthy and sound in mind and body; as much as Ritsu would prefer to avoid Reigen, he’s still a decent person who doesn’t want to see him get hurt. And Shigeo is his brother. Of course Ritsu cares about him.

And despite that, Ritsu still hesitates to tell him. He doesn’t think too much about why.

The conversation between the two reaches a natural resting point, and they’re both comfortable in the silence. Faintly, from their dad’s room, the smell of cigarette smoke gently wafts between them.

Shigeo scrunches his nose up. They never really talk about their dad’s smoking habits — the most mention it gains is a quick, understanding look between the two brothers. So Ritsu isn’t sure what overtakes him now.

“I wish he’d quit.”

Shigeo nods in understanding. It’s something they both feel, but have refrained from saying out loud before. Ritsu is noticing that — most of their conversations go unsaid. He supposes it can’t be helped, with their opposing schedules and all.

“We should tell him to quit,” Ritsu suggests when Shigeo doesn’t continue the conversation. “He’ll listen to us, right?”

Shigeo considers it for a second. “It’s Dad," is all he says. Ritsu understands.

“Well, we can ask Mum and she can tell him to quit.” Shigeo still doesn’t look sure. “They have to start listening to us eventually, right? We’re not kids anymore; we should have a say in family matters.”

Shigeo cocks his head to one side. “You only just graduated elementary school.”

“Exactly. We’re growing up.”

Shigeo hesitates for a second. “Well…if you want to ask Mum then you do it. She won’t like it if I’m the one who asks her.”

Ritsu nods. “Fine. I’ll ask her.” He hesitates. “I’ll…do it later, though.”

“…Okay.”

—-—-—

Ritsu needs to learn to stand up to his brother. He ponders this frankly terrifying concept for not the first time in his life as he stands, arms crossed over his chest, at the front desk of the Spirits and Such Consultation Office. Shigeo’s been out sick with the flu all week. Reigen needs someone to do some actual work around here.

“Stop glaring at me like that,” Reigen tells him.

“I’m not glaring at you.” He wouldn’t be in this situation if he’d just told Shigeo how much he really, really does not like Reigen. And yet, here he is. Here they are.

Reigen exhales through his nose. “Is it gonna be like this the whole time?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Okay.” Reigen stands up from his seat and starts walking over to Ritsu’s side of the desk.

Before he can say anything, Ritsu speaks up. “I mean, come on. This isn’t going to be fun for either of us. We both know you would have much preferred it if my brother had gotten Hanazawa or someone to fill in.”

Reigen stops in his tracks. “When did I ever say that? Do you think I don’t like you?”

Ritsu doesn’t have much of an answer, aside from a non-committal shrug.

Reigen blinks for a second, as if shocked. “Well, I do. You’re a good kid.” He walks past Ritsu, grabbing something from a bookcase. “You’re a fine replacement for your brother.”

Ritsu’s heart drops, and he feels his jaw clench impossibly tight. He’s pretty sure he stops breathing for a few seconds, and his nails are digging into his skin. He stands, a statue in the office, and it’s only when he hears Reigen continue to mill about that the tension in his body drops. He takes a few breaths.

“Do you know what I think is funny?” he asks Reigen, turning to him.

Reigen’s got some kind of folder full of paperwork in his hands, and an expression like he’s not used to this much amount of talking. He doesn’t particularly look like he wants Ritsu to continue, either.

“If my brother thinks that you have psychic powers,” he continues anyway, “then he should have no reason to get me to fill in for him.”

Reigen is still looking at Ritsu unimpressed, but he hesitates slightly in his movements.

“Do you think he trusts you?”

Reigen doesn’t say anything, doesn’t move for some moments. It’s a stalemate of sorts.

Just when Ritsu is about to break into a really quite polite smile, Reigen drops the folder into his hands. Ritsu startles slightly, trying not to drop it.

“Of course Mob trusts me.”

Reigen doesn’t expand upon that any further before he walks back around to take his seat at the desk. Ritsu is busy looking at the paperwork that Reigen oh so kindly handed over, not even really taking it in as he flicks through the pages. He looks to Reigen for an explanation.

“You know the work Mob does here isn’t limited to his psychic powers, right?” He’s pulled out his laptop, giving it more focus than he is to Ritsu. “I give him work experience. He learns how to deal with customers. Hell, he may have even picked up a thing or two about how to successfully run a business.”

Did you teach him about self-aggrandising, too? Ritsu thinks.

“Get to work on sorting those. When you’re done, I’ll give you something else to do.”

Ritsu can’t help but think that Reigen just wants him to sit down and shut up. Gingerly, he takes a seat at the side desk of the office, watching Reigen do his ‘work’ from the side of his eye.

He doesn’t tell Reigen when he’s done with the menial task, instead opting to think on how he should go about organising his pay for today. He supposes putting up with Reigen won’t be all that bad if he gets some compensation. He sits there for a minute or two, not really bothering to hide the fact that he’s doing nothing, and before long he realises that the clicking of Reigen’s keyboard has quieted some time ago.

He waits for Reigen to speak up.

“So… Are you and your brother close?”

Ritsu sighs.

“Hey!” Reigen exclaims. “I’m trying to make conversation, here!”

Ritsu turns to look at him. He looks more frantic than anything. “Do you…” He trails off, trying to look past Reigen’s weirdness. “Do you really care?”

That sets him off. “I don’t know what makes you think that I don’t!” He throws his hands down on either side of his laptop. “Did I do something? Did I say something wrong that I don’t remember?”

“You’re asking me why I don’t…” Ritsu trails off again, for whatever reason unable to say out loud that he doesn’t like Reigen. “You really want to know?” He scoffs. “Well, for one, you’re not exactly the best influence on my brother.”

Reigen blinks, processing the information. “Oh, right,” he says. “This is about your brother.”

“Don’t talk to me about my brother.”

“…You brought him up, though…”

The conversation sort of stutters and skids to a halt. Ritsu knows that he’s not being the most tolerable person right now, and that Reigen doesn’t entirely deserve this out of nowhere — but if he wants an explanation, he’s going to get one.

“It’s not just about my brother,” Ritsu says. “You’re also just…really shady.”

Reigen doesn’t seem fazed. That seems to be enough evidence to Ritsu — if Reigen doesn’t bat an eye at being called shady, then he’s been called it enough times over the years by enough different people that it must hold some ground. And in all that time, did he never once work to combat it? Did he never put in effort to not give off the worst vibes he could when he meets someone? There must be something inherent to them, Ritsu reasons. Reigen is a fundamentally shady person, and he’s right not to trust him.

Slowly, Reigen’s expression shifts to expectant, and Ritsu realises he hasn’t offered much more than that one statement. The seconds tick by, and as Reigen and Ritsu stare silently at each other, he finds his brain scrambling for what next to say, frantic to build his impromptu case against Reigen.

Except, wait, shouldn’t he know what he doesn’t like about him? He’s been avoiding him all these years; he should know the reason behind it.

And then, a revelation; Ritsu works to keep the epiphany internal, to not show his mind on his face as he realises it. He avoids Reigen at every chance he can get, so much so that he hasn’t even put thought into what he doesn’t like about him — he knows there’s something, obviously, and the actual fact of not knowing the reason behind his avoidance isn’t really his most pressing issue right now — it’s the fact that he’s backed himself into a corner where he has to admit that.

“Nothing you do seems genuine,” he says quickly, hoping Reigen won’t pick up on the non-explanation.

Reigen still looks expectant.

Ritsu clicks his tongue. “I don’t know,” he hesitates, again, searching for what to say, “you clearly don’t have psychic powers. I don’t know how you did what you did at the Claw base, but… Well, if you do have psychic powers, then you’re using them wrong.”

Reigen leans back in his chair, crossing his arms.

Ritsu could get into some serious trouble for this, but he continues regardless. “You’re always so flippant about everything, like exorcising spirits is just some fun side-gig to you, and…” He doesn’t know why he’s still talking. He looks around the office. There are some tacky figures dotted about, questionable books on the shelves, the (frankly) shoddy paperwork in front of him, an ashtray across the room from him. It’s good enough for him. “This place is hardly a professional business, you smoke, your handwriting could be better…”

Ritsu blinks, suddenly aware of his words. It’s all kind of nonsense at this point. “Oh. I’m sorry.” Reigen still looks unaffected, both by the words and the apology. It’s just a matter of formality, anyway. “That was pretty rude of me to say, huh?” he continues regardless.

Reigen shrugs. “I asked for it.”

That isn’t necessarily the response that Ritsu wants, but he’s not sure anything Reigen could have said would have satisfied him.

Reigen throws his head back over his chair, apparently taking in what Ritsu said. After a moment or two has passed, he locks eyes with Ritsu again.

“I don’t smoke.”

“What?” Ritsu furrows his brow. “Yes, you do.”

Reigen shakes his head. “Nope.”

Faintly, from somewhere in the back of Ritsu’s head, a memory from a while ago — it would be about three years, now — wafts through his mind. “Yes, you do,” he repeats. “I remember — the first time I met you. Pretty much the only thing I actually remember from meeting you. You reeked of cigarettes.”

Reigen doesn’t respond for a second. Then, “That’s the only thing you remember from meeting me? It wasn’t that long ago, was it?”

“I try not to remember our meetings.”

“…Okay… It must have been a really bad first impression, then.”

“Something like that.”

“Well, anyway, I quit. A couple of years ago, I think.”

Ritsu points to the ashtray on the other side of the room. “What’s that, then?”

Reigen follows his gesture. “That’s for customers. Sometimes they smoke in here, I only smoke at home.”

Ritsu scoffs. “So, in other words, you didn’t quit. You do smoke.”

“Ah, well—” Reigen fumbles for a bit, and Ritsu is interested to see how he pulls himself out of this one. “I don’t smoke here. That’s what I meant when I said I quit.”

“…Uh-huh.”

“Look, I—!” He stutters. “I don’t smoke around Mob, that’s something, right? He asked me not to, so I don’t. I’ve hardly smoked since then, so it’s basically quitting.”

Ritsu’s positive that that’s not how it works, but his mind is a little preoccupied at the moment. “Wait, what? My brother asked you to quit?”

“Yeah, when he was younger. I mean, I get it, it must have been annoying to be around.” Ritsu bites back a remark about how it’s not the only annoying thing about him. “And besides, I’d been meaning to quit anyway. I guess that was just the push I needed.” Reigen looks at Ritsu. “What, is there something wrong with that?”

“What? Oh, no. It’s just…” Something overtakes him for a second — it’s not confusion exactly, but it’s something akin to it. “Well, our dad smokes.”

Reigen cocks his head to the side, not replying but waiting for Ritsu to continue.

And for some reason, he does. “Neither of us have really talked to him about it.”

Reigen nods. “Ah, yeah. Both of my parents smoked. Still do, actually. I just picked up the habit.” He leans forward, resting his arms on his desk. “Don’t smoke, Ritsu.”

“Yeah, I know not to smoke.” He sighs, picking back up on his train of thought. “I don’t know, I guess it’s kind of weird to me that my brother would actually speak up to you about it.”

“It is?”

The words are practically flowing out of him at this point, a steady waterfall of vented frustrations. “I mean, our dad’s smoked our whole lives; I thought he— I mean, I guess we just accepted it.”

Reigen leans back on his chair again, bringing his hands together behind his head. He takes a long, slow breath. “Mob’s been changing a lot recently, underneath all our noses.”

“Oh.” Ritsu looks down.

The room’s changed. He doesn’t feel closer or further away from Reigen, but the distance between them is different, somehow. Like one of them’s floated higher and the other’s drifted downwards, or they’ve each changed colours and the lighting of the scene’s all off. He feels further away from himself.

“What are we talking about?” he asks.

“Um, smoking?”

“No, I mean… Why am I saying this to you?”

“What do you mean?”

Now, what is the best method for telling someone ‘I don’t like talking to you and the fact that I’ve talked to you as much as I already have talked to you makes me like you even less’ without saying those exact words? Ritsu suffices with rolling his eyes.

“Reigen, you know what I mean. I…” He’s not sure what overcame him during the course of this conversation that convinced him it would be a good idea to open up to Reigen — like, seriously, Reigen? Reigen? Really? Opening up to him? — but whatever the reason, he’s there now. And he can’t exactly back out without awkwardly cutting the conversation off. “Look, I don’t talk about this stuff to anyone. I haven’t even talked to my brother about this. I shouldn’t be talking about this to you.”

“I think that means that you’re warming up to me, Ritsu. Have you finally learnt to trust me?”

Ritsu actually recoils at the thought. “Uh, no.” Reigen looks almost exasperated, leaning forward in his chair.

Ritsu looks away from him. None of this makes any sense. He doesn’t feel confused, but something close to it, he’s not uncomfortable, but it’s almost there. He should have told Shigeo that he didn’t want to come.

“Oh, wait,” he speaks up after a moment or two of silence, “I know what’s happening now.” He looks back at Reigen.

“You do?”

“Oh, my god,” he whispers under his breath. It all makes sense now. Why the room feels different, why he had a heel-turn change of heart, why he can’t make sense of his own thoughts — it’s all coming together. He brings his hands to his temples, protecting either side of his head. “Do you have telepathy!?”

“What? No!” Ritsu continues to cover his temples, convinced at this turn of situation. Reigen rolls his eyes. “I’m not telepathic, Ritsu. I have no idea what you’re thinking. I didn’t make you open up to me, that was something you decided on your own.” Ritsu still isn’t relenting. Reigen sighs. “You know that’s okay, right? It’s okay to talk to me differently than you’re used to. And that…you talked to me about this before your brother. Things like that happen sometimes.”

Ritsu slowly lowers his hands, crossing his arms. He takes a sharp inhale. “Okay, dude. I get it. You’re cool, or whatever, and…I’ll try not to avoid you anymore. I won’t insult you, either, okay? Let’s just work the rest of this day—”

“No, Ritsu, look,” Reigen cuts him off. He breathes deeply. “In all seriousness, I know you don’t like me. I know I’m not your favourite person in the world. And when it comes down to it, that’s perfectly fine; who you do and don’t like is entirely your business, and more often than not, it’s something that can’t really be helped.

"But you’re gonna learn this one day — or, hell, why not learn it right now? No time like the present, right? — it’s a fact of life that you might not like someone, but you still have to work to get along. And sometimes, it’s not even that bad. Sometimes, you realise you were wrong about them. That happens more than I’d like, actually.

“And sometimes, I know it’s humiliating, trust me, but people you don’t like will have opinions that make sense, or good points that will change you, and you pretty much just have to learn how to navigate people. And how you fit in between them.”

Ritsu hates to admit it, but Reigen’s actually making sense. Maybe it’s a little over-generalised, or a little far out of Ritsu’s scope of caring, but he doesn’t get the urge to completely tune out Reigen’s voice.

“And, also,” Reigen continues, and Ritsu knows that he’s slowly coming to grips with Reigen actually having meaningful advice, but he’s pushing it a little right now, “I know it’s not entirely my place, but you should learn to trust your brother more.”

“Excuse me?”

“All that stuff about me not being a good influence on him, or how you didn’t expect him to tell me to stop smoking — you know Mob’s his own person, right? If I was really such a bad guy, don’t you think he’d pick up on it?”

Ritsu feels like the air in his gut has been completely punched out of him. However slowly he was coming around on Reigen before, he’s now had the rug pulled out from underneath him, and the hard smack of the ground is stinging his conscious.

Reigen is completely right. How on earth did this happen?

Has he really not been trusting Shigeo? Since he got his psychic powers, Ritsu thought that any of the conflict between them had all but faded away, and they can now relate to each other through common goals, through similar ideals. How is it that Reigen can understand Shigeo better than his own brother can? Is Ritsu at fault for this?

It makes sense, though, Ritsu reasons; Reigen is older, he knows more about people and he spends enough time around Shigeo. Maybe Ritsu can take some cues from him.

Awakening his psychic powers always seemed like a reset button for Ritsu, like that point in his life was where everything turned on its head. He got the powers he always wanted, and now he never has to succumb to his brotherly envy again. But, maybe he’s simplifying it too much. There’s more to his relationship with his brother than their psychic powers, and there’s more to himself than whether or not he has powers — there always has been. That much should be obvious to him, so shouldn’t he grant the same point of view to his brother? Shigeo’s more than just the greatest psychic — he is not his powers. He’s his own person, and if Reigen is right about him changing so much so recently, then Ritsu’s really got nothing to worry about.

“Ugh,” Ritsu scoffs, the weight of his realisation finally taking hold on his shoulders. “You’re right.” He sits up straighter, looking around the room. It doesn’t feel any different to before, just the way that he fits into it has changed. He looks back to Reigen, and sighs. “So, how am I getting paid for this, anyway?”

Reigen thinks for a second. “What’s your favourite food?”

“Um…I like tofu. And boiled pork.”

Reigen nods, storing the information away. “Let’s see what we can get you after this, okay?”

“Wait, really?” Reigen would really be willing to buy food for him, even when he’s been adverse to him this whole time?

“Of course. Just make sure you don’t tank my business today, and we’ll get something afterwards.”

Ritsu blinks. Yeah, he definitely should learn to trust Shigeo more. His master is pretty alright.

“Thank you.”

#mp100 #mob psycho 100 #dadreigenweek2019 #ritsu kageyama #reigen arataka #smoking tw #cigarettes tw #my writing #this turned out WAY longer than i meant it to but. i mean what else did i expect from me #also idk if this is confusing or anything but just for clarity the timeline in this fic is:#10-11yr old kageyamas -> 13-14 pre series -> 13-14 post ritsu getting powers but pre end of series

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thekitsune · 5 years

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The Psychic and The Crystal Gems Chapter 1

So...the idea was too much for me to just think about. Here’s the first chapter of a new fic :) *note it’s also on my AO3

Armies of oddly colored women with...gems...sticking out of their body raced across a battlefield on a war torn Earth. Leading the smaller group was a tall woman with long pink hair with a shield held in front of her. There was something...strong emanating from her body which seemed to draw the attention to her. She began battling and...poofing(?) other gem women that she was fighting while her companions did the same. The scene continued until the larger army finally began to retreat as they realized that their numbers were falling way too quickly.

The smaller group celebrated their victory while the leader watched with an amused smile before pausing. Suddenly, she turned around and looked up at the sky. She narrowed her eyes as a suspicious glint seemed to manifest for a brief moment before it was replaced by a comforting smile.

Mob's Room

Shigeo, otherwise known as Mob, gasped as he shot up in his bed. Memories of the dream ran through his mind before he quickly shook them out. Looking down at his lap with a blank face, his body began to tremble slightly before he finally let out a large yawn while stretching his arms out.

"Finally awake Shigeo?" a voice asked him from the side. Mob glanced over and saw the green spirit known as Dimple floating in his room. Blinking for a few moments, he finally stood up and headed towards the bathroom while remaining silent which seemed to tic the spirit off.

"Oi! Shigeo! Why aren't you speaking to me?!" Dimple questioned the kid as he sped after him only for Mob to glance back at him. While Mob's face remained blank, it still made Dimple freeze as a bead of sweat appeared on his face. Obviously, Mob did not want to speak at the moment. Sighing, Dimple decided to go check on Mob's brother, Ritsu, to see if he wanted to talk. As soon as Dimple flew off, Mob let out another yawn and grabbed his toothbrush.

Looking in the mirror, he spread the toothpaste on his toothbrush before sticking it in his mouth and brushing. As he brushed, the dream played through his mind again. It was odd. Usually, Mob had dreams about drinking gallons of milk, going on exorcisms with Reigen, or finally confessing to his crush, Tsubomi. This dream was different though. Plus it seemed...foreboding in a way. Like it was going to affect him in a way, but it did not make any sense for Mob. He didn't know any gem women.

"...Oh...I forgot. Goda-taicho wanted the club to go for a run before school...I better hurry," Mob muttered as the memory of the dream vanished from his mind while he focused on quickly finishing his morning routine so he could meet up with the Body Improvement Club.

As he threw on his school uniform, he grabbed his bag and headed towards the front door of his family's house. Sitting down to put on his shoes, he heard Dimple speaking to Ritsu in his room, but he couldn't hear exactly what the two were speaking about so he decided to ignore it. Standing up, he told his parents bye before leaving the house and heading towards Salt Middle School.

As he walked down the sidewalk, he heard his phone ring causing him to pause for a moment before pulling it out of his pocket and looking at the number. Seeing the number, he immediately answered it.

"...Yes master?" Mob answered as he resumed his trek to school.

"Mob! We have a client who needs a quick exorcism. Do you mind meeting me at a local building in about five minutes? We should be able to finish before school starts." Reigen's voice sounded out through Mob's phone.

"I'm suppose to do a morning run with my club before school," Mob replied as he continued walking to school. He knew that he could probably ask Goda if he could miss today's exercise, but he wanted to exercise. He wanted muscles...

Reigen was quiet for a moment which caused Mob to picture him sitting in his office while thinking rather hard. He didn't like letting Reigen down, but exercising was important to him. It was going to help him gain Tsubomi's attention. He wanted to confess to her so much, but he knows that he probably doesn't have a chance right now. He knows how much she likes athletic guys.

"Oi, Mob. When does the run start?" Reigen suddenly asked over the phone. Mob glanced up as he began thinking. What time did Goda say again.

He continued walking silently while pondering over the time. After two minutes of silence, Reigen finally spoke again, "Mob, you still there?"

"...I think I'm late," Mob finally spoke as he noticed the time on his phone. Right after his answer, he could have sworn he heard something fall and hit the floor over the phone.

"If you already missed it, then can you come and help with the exorcism!!! If it makes you feel better, you can run to the location!" Reigen yelled through the phone call causing Mob to lightly gasp and wince from the volume. Thankfully Reigen seemed to hear this as he quickly said, "Sorry for yelling...so can you meet me, Mob?"

Mob looked down for a second before sighing and nodding. "...Okay master. Just please, no more calling me on short notice," Mob spoke which earned him a quick 'Ok!' and the location of the place that needed the exorcism.

Saying bye, Mob hung up his phone and sighed before deciding to try Reigen's suggestion as he began to jog towards the location. In just two minutes, he was already breathing hard and panting while his body trembled. Realizing that he should probably stop since no one was around to help him if he passed out, he slowed to a stop and walked the rest of the way. As he continued his walk, he passed by the alleyway that only a couple of days earlier, he fought Koyama in.

Feeling something in his stomach unsettle him, he stopped thinking about the event and remembered that Ritsu was now back home, safe and sound.

Looking at a nearby pole, he spotted another flyer for the Psycho Helmet Cult. Stopping for a second, he stared at the picture for a good long minute before continuing to walk. "I hope they find who they're looking for."

A building came into view, and immediately Mob could feel something...unnatural about it. An aura was surrounding it, but it was not the type of energy that spirits, evil or good, produced. And the energy was not from an esper either. It seemed odd like it was fighting against the world itself. Before he could ponder over it even more, he spotted Reigen waving him down. Looking back at the building, Mob finally decided to make his way over to Reigen.

"Hey-o Mob! This is the place. The client has already paid for the exorcism. Apparently, they were too terrified to actually come back here so...Anyway! Lets head on in so we can get this over with, and you can head on to school!" Reigen proclaimed as he spun on his heel and headed to the entrance. Mob looked back up at the building and felt a tremor travel through his body. He shook his head though and followed Reigen inside.

As they entered, the two looked back and forth at the lobby of the building. It looked like it was a hotel at some point. Walking around, Reigen bent down and picked up a name plate. Brushing the dust off, he realized that the name plate did not actually have a name on it. "Weird. So Mob, do you feel anything?" Reigen questioned his part-timer only to look at him in confusion as he realized that Mob was staring straight ahead while frozen in place.

Walking forward, he patted Mob's back while looking down at him in concern. "Are you okay? Do you feel something?" Reigen questioned Mob who didn't respond beyond barely nodding. Reigen looked down at him again before looking at the doorway that Mob was staring at.

Gently biting the inside of his cheek, he decided to go and check the room out. As he walked towards the room, Mob seemed to break out of the trance he was in and quickly moved after Reigen. This place was not safe. There was something very off about this place.

"A-ah, master wait...!" Mob quietly yelled as he entered the room and saw Reigen examining a wall. The moment he entered though, Mob's eyes widened as he realized that this was not the best thing to do. Reaching out, Mob activated his powers and pulled Reigen towards him which threw Reigen offguard.

"M-Mob! What are you-?!" Reigen was cut off as a bright light flashed from the spot he was just standing at. Mob felt his teeth begin to chatter as his nerves shot up to ten.

20%

"Wha-what the heck is that?! Mob! Lets move!" Reigen yelled in surprise before turning to run out with Mob only to notice that Mob wasn't moving. Actually, he couldn't move. "Mob!" Reigen shouted as he quickly turned to grab Mob only to find that something was keeping him from entering the room again. "Nani?!"

Mob looked around in shock as he felt sweat began to travel down his face. Looking forward again, he noticed that the bright light that had began to illuminate the room was blocking the view of something. Looking closer, Mob gasped as he realized that the thing in the light looking like some kind of...portal? At least, it resembled the portals that he has seen in the cartoons that he and Ritsu used to watch when they were younger.

"Shigeo Kageyama," a voice cut through the room that only Mob could hear. Eyes widening, he looked at the portal and could have sworn he saw someone in it. "I need your assistance. Well to be more accurate, my universe needs your assistance. There is a problem and only you can fix it. I hate having to do it like this, but I cannot take no as an answer. The lives of many depend on you."

Before Mob could react, he felt a force...sucking him towards the portal. Gasping, he turned around to Reigen and began to try and reach out to him for help.

"M-master!" Mob got out as his lips began to tremble in fear while he kept trying to reach Reigen who growled in anger and tried to break through the barrier keeping him out of the room.

40%

"Mob! Damn it! Let me in! You are not taking my student away from me! Mob use your powers and try to break free!" Reigen shouted out to Mob who quickly responded by activing his psychic powers as he tried to break free, but it was useless. Gasping, he looked back and realized how close he was to the portal.

Looking back at Reigen, he opened his mouth and quickly said, "Tell Ritsu, I'm so-" only to be cut off as he was engulfed and the portal closed behind him. Almost immediately, the aura of the building disappeared and the barrier preventing Reigen from entering crumbled away allowing him to run in.

"Mob! Mob! Please don't do this to me Mob!...Shigeo!" Reigen shouted in fear as he looked around frantically. Running to the wall, he began to check it for any tricks or switches that could be hiding Mob, but he unfortunately couldn't find any. Collapsing to his knees, he brought his hand to his face and stared at the ground in shock. "Wha...what do I do? What have I done? I-I lost Mob!"

Just hearing the sound of himself saying caused Reigen's head to drop in defeat. Sitting down, he kept his head down as he silently wept.

Elsewhere

Mob gasped for air as he opened his eyes and realized that he was underwater. Quickly swimming, he broke the surface and began to inhale as much water as he can. Looking around, he immediately noticed that he was nowhere near Seasoning City. Swimming towards the shore, he quickly climbed out and crawled forward on the sand before collapsing onto his back.

"Am I...really gone? Wha-what do I do now?" Mob questioned as he stared at the sky. Memories of his family, his friends, his master, began to flow through his mind before the memory of the dream that he had that morning resurfaced. "Did that dream have anything to do with this?" Mob wondered while he continued to stare forward.

After a good twenty minutes, Mob finally rose to his feet and shook the sand off his school uniform. Looking around, he noticed a sign that...was not written in kanji. Raising his eyebrow, he was shocked to realize that he could still read it though. "Did that voice do this?" Mob questioned before walking towards the sign so he could read the entire thing.

"Welcome...to Beach City?" Mob read a loud before hearing an explosion coming from further down the beach. Turning to the side, he saw three people fighting some kind of creature. Looking at it, he realized that it wasn't an evil spirit which surprised him, but he decided to ignore it and head into town. It seemed like they had it under control.

55%

#mob psycho 100 #steven universe #crossover fic #mob shigeo #mob #reigen #dimple #chapter 1 #and it begins!#I hope everyone likes this chapter

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frootysparkycakes · 6 years

Text

Beach Trip

For @agitatedgecko who gave this great prompt

Summary: The Esper Squad goes to the beach!

Ao3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15079412

Fic:

Sat in class, Mob's phone buzzed in his pocket. He hoped it wasn't Reigen calling for an emergency assist. Usually he didn't try to contact Mob when he was in school, but if he was then it was an emergency. With sweaty hands, he discreetly flipped the phone open so that the teacher wouldn't see.

Hanazawa:

Kageyama! [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]!!!!!

Mob blinked at the screen, sighing before typing back.

Kageyama:

I can't see emojis, Hanazawa.

Hanazawa:

Oh! Sorry, I didn't know that. That's right, flip phone, yes? Like Master Reigen's?

Kageyama:

That's right.

Hanazawa:

I'll have to talk to him about bringing you both up to date. The 21st centuries greatest psychic and his student really should have 21st century technology, don't you think?

Mob smiled at that, but it was wiped away quickly when his teacher coughed pointedly to get his attention. He swallowed nervously, making sure the phone was safely out of sight and giving it a few moments before checking his next message.

Hanazawa:

Anyway, the reason I was texting you was to see if you wanted to go to the beach with me tomorrow? I was thinking of inviting that red head your brother likes as well, he looks like he'd play a good game of volleyball [ ] [ ]!!

Hanazawa:

Those are ball emojis.

Sorry.

Hanazawa:

Oh, and you can invite Little Brother too *･゜ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･'(*ﾟ▽ﾟ*)'･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*

Kageyama:

It sounds like fun, I'll ask him.

Kageyama:

I have to go, I think my teacher is getting mad at me.

Hanazawa:

Don't get in trouble, Kageyama-kun! ;)

Mob did end up getting a scolding, but it ended up alright. He still kept his phone and now he had plans to go with his friends to the beach. He'd found Ritsu at lunch and asked him if he wanted to go, and they both agreed it sounded like a good time. Though, Mob wasn't sure why Ritsu seemed especially eager when he said who all was attending. Maybe his little brother just liked groups going to the beach? He didn't know.

After school, Ritsu and Mob bustled around the house to gather everything they needed, with Ritsu making sure they had essentials like water and sun screen and Mob in charge of towels and umbrellas.

"Do you think we'll need this?" Ritsu held up some pool noodles that the family had bought some years ago.

Mob shrugged. "Couldn't hurt, could it?"

By the time Teru and Shou arrived at their door, the brothers had packed everything together and gathered it by the door. Teru eyed the pile appraisingly. "Are we planning on moving to the beach?"

"You'll thank us later when you want what we brought." Ritsu said, pushing past with an armful of stuff and even more floating along behind him wrapped up in his aura.

"I don't think we'll be needing a barbecue pit, Little Brother!"

Ritsu only waved him off. As it turned out, they did use the barbecue pit, and most of the things that the Kageyama brothers had thought to bring. Both Shou and Teru had brought their own supplies, but as happens often, had forgotten some things. As Teru and Shou made use of the sunscreen, Ritsu watched on with smug satisfaction.

"Go ahead and say it, if you're so keen on making faces." Teru stuck his tongue out at Ritsu, making the boy grin wider.

He giggled, "Told you so." He only laughed harder when Teru sent a towel telekinetically flying into his face from the pile of supplies.

Mob smiled as his friend and brother bickered playfully. It was nice to have everyone out on such a nice day, and after a light meal, he got to practice his sand castle building skills. He started with a large pile of sand with a leaf sticking out the top for a main castle, simple and easy, but then expanded that structure with more and more intricate buildings as it flowered out.

"Hey Mob, think my castle could beat your castle?" Shou called from a few feet away.

Mob looked up and his eyes widened at the sight. Shou had really gone all out, each piece of his castle intricately made with a moat and little sand alligators "swimming" around a well guarded gate. It seemed that Shou had learned some sort of sand telekineses to get everything just right. What worried Mob, though, were the canons perched on the castle walls.

"You wouldn't dare." Mob held out a hand over his creation, as if just his noodly appendage would protect it.

Shou grinned wider, putting his finger to one of the canons and making a sound with his mouth like a lit fuse. "Your kingdom has been in power for too long, sir Kageyama! I am here to overthrow you and take your kingdom as my own!"

As if to punctuate the statement, the canon gave a little bang! and out popped a little sea shell that took out the flag at the top of Mob's center castle.

Sand erupted, showering Mob with the small grains as he closed his eyes to protect them. He opened them and looked between his castle, now with a chunk missing, and the cackling Shou. His mouth slowly quirked into a mischievous grin. "You realize this means war, don't you?"

And soon, there was sand flying and laughter ringing through the air as the two boys played in the sand. Ritsu smiled as he watched his best friend and brother duel it out harmlessly.

"It's nice they're getting along." Teru said, sitting next to Ritsu under the shade of an umbrella. "To be honest, I didn't think those two would. At least, not at first."

Ritsu was about to protest, say something about how that was ridiculous, but thinking back to Shou's first encounter with his brother and all that happened... They'd come a long way since then. "Yeah, it's nice."

Teru gave Ritsu a side look, sweat dripping down his brow. "Same with us as well, if I may say so."

Ritsu thought about that as well, nodding slowly. "Yeah. Us too."

Teru relaxed, just a fraction but Ritsu noticed. From what he knew, Teru didn't have many friends. He was always alone when he wasn't with them, and he always seemed giddy to spend time together even if all they were doing was chores.

Ritsu looked to his pile of supplies and pulled out a beach ball, "Want to play?"

Teru smiled, and it looked positively devious. "Absolutely."

They played a few rounds, the score a lot closer than either thought it would. The game started straight laced, but after a few rounds of that, the gloves came off and powers were introduced. At some point, Shou and Mob also joined in the game, since they had no more sand castle to defend. Mob went to Ritsu's side and Shou to Teru's, and both sides fought valiantly until all were exhausted and lying in the sand as the sun began to set.

"We should do this more often." Shou said, winded and delighted.

"Yeah... we didn't even really get in the water that much," Ritsu agreed.

"I could do without the sand in my... everywhere." Mob held his shirt away from his skin, a cascade of sand falling from the fabric from his and Shou's epic battle. "But yes, I agree."

"Perhaps next weekend? I have tests next week, but the weekend should be free. Master Reigen's office is usually closed on Sundays, maybe we could invite him along next time?"

"At least then we wouldn't have to carry everything, he could drive us." Ritsu grumbled, eyeing the pile of things he still had to take back home.

"Regrets in packing choices, Little Brother?" Teru teased, and there was laughter at his joke. Genuine laughter, not the cruel sort he was used to from the goons at Black Vinegar. It warmed his heart.

"I have a pool, actually." Shou pipes in, "If y'all want."

"Next time, then." Ritsu nodded, resolute. Plans set, they enjoyed the rest of the sunset by the beach.

#mp100 #mob psycho 100 #kageyama shigeo #kageyama ritsu #hanazawa teruki #suzuki shou #beach fic #friendship #frooty writes #my writing

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mustdang-100 · 6 years

Text

Shifting Perspectives - Ch. 7

Shou and Teru have a sleepover. Reigen gets some excercise.

Summary:

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

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

On AO3: <http://archiveofourown.org/works/11091201/chapters/31009659>

Tumblr: Ch.1|Ch.2|Ch.3|Ch.4|Ch.5|Ch.6|Ch.7 - below

Teru double-checked that Shou was indeed pointing at the nondescript office building directly in front of them before turning back to him in astonishment.

“That’s the government facility?”

“Yep. Tricky bastards, aren’t they?”

The building was one among dozens smack in the middle of Spice City’s main financial district, where the government had clearly chosen to hide their operation in plain sight. A bold move, but with all the upheaval Spice City had experienced in recent months, Teru supposed it made sense for the government to have a base somewhere local.

Teru crossed his arms, looking up at the shadowy form of the building. Despite a night sky clear of clouds, the sliver of crescent moon above provided very little light. There wasn’t a single sign, whether truthful or disguise, to indicate the purpose of the building to a random passersby. No window lights broke the uniform darkness stretching up above them, either, barring the chance for any useful movement indicators behind curtains or blinds. The building practically exuded unfriendliness and unwelcomeness.

This wasn’t really a surprise – Teru didn’t expect them to usher in trespassers for a cup of tea – but it didn’t make their objective any easier. He considered for a moment, ears pricking for any sounds beyond the rumbling and honking of cars, faded and distant at this late – or, perhaps, early – hour.

“Okay, we need a plan of action. How much do you know about this place? Have you been inside?” Teru tapped his chin. “Do you know how many espers they have? I’d imagine it’s more than just the one we saw in the video, especially if this is where they’re keeping your father. That means we’re going to have to-”

Teru turned to look at Shou. Or rather, the space formerly occupied by Shou, as Shou was no longer there.

“Yo, blondie. Follow me, we’re gonna attract attention if we stand around talking out here. Not exactly a normal place for two teenagers at four a.m.”

Teru followed the sound of Shou’s voice just in time to see his short figure disappear behind the corner. He followed Shou around the building, catching up just in time to see him stop before the front door of the building directly across the street from the rear side of the government facility. Shou dug a key card from his pocket and swiped it through a scanner; the door unlocked with a click that seemed too loud, echoing out on the dark street. Teru glanced nervously behind them, feeling suddenly as though they were being watched. He didn’t like having the shuttered government building at his back.

Shou, unhurried and unconcerned, trotted through the small, empty lobby and led him up to a vacant office space on the eighth floor. He ignored the ‘For Rent’ sign pasted at a slight angle to the door, and opened it easily with a second key from his pocket.

Teru cautiously inspected the wide, mostly-empty space inside, trying to shake off the uncomfortable feeling that their mission had suddenly slipped out of his control. However, he noted with interest the large windows conveniently overlooking the government facility below, which would make spying from this perch a simple matter.

“Hmm. How lucky for you, that this space just happened to be empty.”

Shou grinned. “Yes. Very lucky. Very lucky that the consultation business that was based here had a fit of ghostly interference right around the time I figured out where they were holding my pops.”

Teru couldn’t help but grin back. “Oh my. Must have been quite the serious haunting case to force them to move out. You know, I happen to part-time as an exorcist for an up and coming psychic corporation. Perhaps I could diagnose; what kind of spectral activity were they experiencing?"

“Oh, you know – important documents going missing, printers producing vaguely threatening messages directed to various employees, and the occasional ghastly wail coming from the bathroom. The usual kind of thing.” Shou opened a closet door, still smirking. “And for some reason, it always starts back up again as soon as anyone else tries to move in.”

Teru laughed.

The opened closet revealed a shelf stocked with a jumbled stash of nonperishable food. Shou ripped open a granola bar with his teeth and ate half of it in one bite before tugging a tangle of bedding and spare clothes from the lower shelf of the closet, dumping it on the ground. He spread a sleeping bag on the floor, then tossed a package of something freeze-dried on top of it to complete something like a meal, moving all the while with the careless confidence of routine. Teru was beginning to suspect Shou slept here very, very often.

Teru pulled a health bar of his own from his bag and leaned against the wall, tearing it open. “So, this is where you’ve been living?”

Shou paused in sorting through the pile of fabric to look up at him with narrowed eyes. “Only sometimes. I told you, I needed, I mean wanted, to know where my pops was being kept. Keep an eye on things.” Shou shrugged in a tight flex of shoulders, and turned to pull out a wrinkled t-shirt, sniffing it gingerly.

Teru frowned, mulling this as he chewed. “I still don’t see why you don’t just leave him to rot, he doesn’t deserve your continued interest – he’s not exactly the pinnacle of parental behavior. I.e., he kinda tried to kill us all- ohhhh, is that why?”

If Shou was keeping an eye on a potential threat… yes, that explanation made perfect sense to Teru.

“What? No… I mean kinda, but… Ugh .” Shou flopped back onto the sleeping bag. “Look. He was stupid, and horrible, and pretty much insane with power. I haven’t figured out what exactly drove him to the point of ‘I-am-so-powerful-I-must-therefore-be-the-best-in-the-world-and-thus-I-must-rule-it,’ because that’s so idiotic I couldn’t even begin to explain where that kind of thinking comes from – woah there, eat much? There’s some water in the closet, that’ll help with the coughing, breathe dude – but…”

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. Teru, still wheezing a little despite the water, occupied himself with very carefully examining the back of his own hand. His glittery purple nail polish had chipped on one finger. He mourned that he hadn’t packed that bottle so he could repair the damage, return the nail to its formerly pristine smoothness.

“I don’t know. It’s just, there was that fight with Ritsu’s brother, and some of the things he said after, and then he… he gave up , he, he let them lead him away. And he’s stayed . He doesn’t have to, I’m pretty sure he could break out if he wanted, he definitely could have at the beginning. But he’s staying locked up, like he deserves, like he owes to, to everyone, to society. He’s like… paying his dues, I guess. And it just… it makes me wonder, ya know? If he’s changing. If he’s reconsidering…”

Shou made an angry, frustrated noise, almost a growl. “But I don’t want to fall in the same trap I did before, when I confronted him! I was naïve enough to think he was still capable of change, before, when I didn’t know just how fucking insane, and how powerful, he was. But Mom says he didn’t used to be that way… And if he could change once, then maybe...”

Teru’s mind was roiling, burning with a need to explain… what exactly, he still couldn't formulate. So he chomped on his tongue and said nothing. The silence stretched.

Shou sat up straight in a sudden, swift movement. “Let’s just say, I’m curious, and leave it at that. Now would you leave it alone? I thought you wanted to get Reigen out, not pry into every little bit of my life. Next thing you’re gonna be asking me what my favorite color is.” He grinned, too brightly. “It’s red, by the way.”

Teru rolled his eyes, all too happy to end this conversation that had wandered into places he didn’t want to think about too closely. “Yeah, okay. So, what do you know about this place?”

“I’ve snuck inside once or twice. I made a drawing of the basic layout; or at least, the important parts. It’s around here somewhere, in the closet probably.” Shou stretched, then curled up in the sleeping bag. “I have some ideas, but let’s deal with it tomorrow. First, we sleep. I’m fucking exhausted.”

“Wait, what? But we’re so close!”

Shou snorted. “We are not , they've got all kinds of security in that place. We gotta think this through first.” He cracked an eye open, a pale blue slice staring Teru down. “We’re gonna do this smart, yeah? We know who has him, and where he probably is. No reason to rush it and fuck everything up now.”

Well. Teru could hardly argue with that without making himself seem irresponsible. And no one out-responsibled Teruki Hanazawa.

Shou grumbled when he realized that since Teru hadn’t intended to sleep until they found Reigen, he hadn’t packed anything to sleep on (“ That’s like, the most obvious thing. You’re slacking, oh Prepared One.” ). However, he did toss Teru what seemed to be the only pillow, and a giant blanket he must keep around for the winter months. Teru settled down to try and sleep for what remained of the night.

It wasn’t two minutes before Shou was snoring softly, a tuft of bright red hair the only thing visible from the nest he’d made of the sleeping bag. Teru gave up after half an hour of lying awake, staring at the ceiling. He pulled out his binoculars and examined the building below, but the dim light from the street lamps failed to reveal anything new from this angle. No sudden signs pointing conveniently to Reigen’s precise location, so that Teru could dash in, get Reigen safely back to Spirits & Such, and return everything to normal.

Shou turned over in his sleep and sighed. Teru glanced at him, a bit wistful. He uncrossed and re-crossed his legs, fighting the impulse to get up and pace. Instead, he forced his limbs to relax, hoping the twitchiness would fade on its own. He examined the empty office space again, first merely what he could see from that spot, and then jumping on the excuse of poking into the bathrooms and shadowy corners to get up and walk around. After a thorough examination, he sat back down on his blanket. He was immediately hit with the urge to check it all again.

He slumped, pressing a hand to his face. By focusing on the mission and with Shou there to talk to, he’d been able to ignore or excuse his growing unease all day. But now he’d lost those foci, and could no longer ignore the issue without lying to himself.

Damn it. Fucking Claw.

Teru sighed, and finally acknowledged the irrational fears reawakened by Reigen’s abduction, which were never as buried as he liked to pretend. These were the fears of a hunted child, that had spawned habits of constant vigilance, and instant violence, and a push to grow skilled enough so that he would never have to worry about being a victim again. He’d be a hero like in the movies, made powerful -but unscathed- by his past. Or, so he’d thought.

Regardless, Claw was gone now, doomed by its own avarice. The monster that had conquered or devoured every esper it encountered, gorging itself on power and yet never reaching satiation, had finally run up against one who refused to be consumed. Shigeo had ripped the head from the beast, and Claw had crumbled to ash, its members defeated or reforged. Claw’s demise had brought Teru a peace he hadn’t realized he’d craved, and if he hadn’t owed Shigeo the world before…

‘…that’s so idiotic I couldn’t even begin to explain where that kind of thinking came from…’

Teru flinched. Shou had, without realizing it, just told him that his childhood boogieman was born from precisely the same ideas that he had once espoused to anyone who would stand still long enough. And given that he would make them stand still and listen, if necessary, that was quite a lot of people.

I’m not like that anymore, he told himself crossly. That’s the old me. I’m a different person now.

He wished he was as good at convincing himself as he was with everyone else.

Watching the building now, Teru couldn’t help but long for the reassurance of Shigeo’s immeasurable pool of power at his side. But then again, returning Shigeo’s master before he’d even noticed he was gone was a gift too good to pass up. Teru reassured himself once again that they’d certainly, definitely done the right thing by not telling him Reigen was gone. There was no reason he should feel guilty about not telling him. And there was certainly no reason why he should feel guilty that he wasn’t rushing in right now, right this very second, to get Reigen out. No reason at all; it was completely illogical.

Teru pulled his blanket over to the wall so that he could lean back, but didn’t have to lay all the way down, trying to trick his brain into relaxing enough to sleep. He watched the sky lighten, streaked with orange and red and pink, not a cloud in sight. The sun rose in jumps each time he opened his eyes from the light doze that was all he could manage, and Teru fought the inclination to wake up Shou just for the riot of complaints he knew would keep his own thoughts at bay.

***

“Ah, you’re awake. Good.”

Reigen turned to the door, interrupted mid-pace by the return of Nagata and the silent shadows of the guards.

As if you haven’t been watching me this whole time, you prick, he thought with irritation and a twinge of claustrophobia. He hadn’t quite been able to ignore the steadily blinking light of the camera ever since he’d woken up, groggy from either not enough sleep or too much. Without a phone, he had no idea how long he’d slept. Or even how long he’d been there.

I should probably wear a watch, he mused. All fancy businessmen wear watches, why haven’t I thought of this before. And then the next time I get abducted, I’ll be prepared -”

“Ahem.”

Reigen blinked. Nagata was staring at him, looking slightly miffed that Reigen wasn’t hanging on his every word.

“I said, I’m curious why you didn’t bother changing?”

They both looked at the set of fatigues, still folded neatly on the desk where Reigen had found them upon waking up.

“Forgive me, but I would have assumed you’d want to change out of the clothes you’d been wearing for almost two days. I'm sorry if they’re not quite to your… exacting tastes,” a sideways glance at Reigen’s cheaply-made and slightly-too-large suit, “but I’m afraid the only other spare clothing we have are prisoners’ jumpsuits. I thought you might prefer this…?”

He sounded almost wounded that his ‘gift’ had been rejected. Reigen fought not to roll his eyes. Yet he was startled to hear he’d only been here for a couple of days – it felt much longer than that. He also wasn’t about to admit that not only had he been feeling too vulnerable to give up his last remaining possessions, but also that a change of clothes into something so distinct would interfere with his plans. Instead, he simply shrugged and mumbled something indistinct, not meeting Nagata’s eyes.

Nagata contemplated him a moment more, face blanker than Reigen would have liked.

“Are you ready to return to our earlier conversation?”

“Oh… um. Y-yes, yes.” Reigen swallowed loudly. He wiped sweaty palms on his pants. “Yes, I think I’m ready.”

Nagata smiled in condescending approval. He waved the esper guards out the door, as he had last time, then pulled the single chair out and gestured for Reigen to take a seat. Instead, Reigen hesitated, and began tentatively.

“Listen, I was wondering… it, um, it would be nice to be able to walk around for a bit… stretch my legs, as it were, it’s a bit cramped in here… perhaps, we could take a walk while we chat?”

A line dented between Nagata’s eyebrows in an immediate frown of displeasure. “How about we have our discussion here, first, and then you can take a walk for as long as you want, all on your own?”

Reigen turned his gaze slowly to the door, behind which he knew the guards were standing. He waited.

“Ah, well, yes, but the guards will maintain a distance, of course. They’d be just close enough to keep you in eyesight.”

“That’s… you and I both know that distance doesn’t make a difference with… them. Sir,” he hastily remembered to add.

“Then we’ll come up with another arrangement.” Nagata’s words were too clipped, the information he wanted tantalizingly just beyond his reach. He sat in the chair instead of waiting for Reigen to take it, to reinforce that he wasn’t leaving.

Reigen bit his lip, and looked at the ground. He rubbed the knuckles of one hand with the other, then tapped his fingers against his thighs. He shuffled his feet, glancing at the door again and edging away from it, just a little, as though nervous of the people behind it even with solid steel between them. He looked everywhere but at the agent, who sat intently before him, his building annoyance crackling through the air. Reigen held the silence for five seconds… ten…

“I… I’m sorry, I… I’m not sure… I think I need some more time to think it over, after all…”

Nagata’s eyes narrowed. Reigen fought to not hold his breath.

Nagata studied Reigen, and tapped his fingers on the desk. Abruptly he stood up from the chair, straightening his clothing of nonexistent wrinkles. “On second thought, walking and talking is good for the mind. Promotes clarity, and reflection. Let’s take a walk, just the two of us, hmm, Mr. Reigen? The guards can wait here until we come back.”

Reigen hesitated again before speaking. “Ah… yes. Okay. Um. Thank you.”

Nagata opened the door, firmly instructing the esper guards to remain there while he took the nervous, powerless, defenseless captive out for a walk around the facility. He didn’t even turn to look behind him as he began walking down the hall. Reigen followed docilely behind.

To Reigen’s surprise, Nagata didn’t immediately continue pressing him. He simply walked, with an occasional glance Reigen’s way, but slowly enough that Reigen could study their surroundings.

There wasn’t much to see, as he recalled from the hazy journey to his cell. Blank hallways, devoid of windows and décor; no billboards for memos or morale-boosting friendly office betting pools. For that matter, he only saw a couple of employees. Another black-clad woman whispered something to her older companion as Nagata and Reigen passed, who shook their graying head. A young bureaucrat or secretary with arms full of a stack of papers turned a corner, took one look at the two of them, and turned to scurry in the opposite direction. Reigen had to bite the inside of his cheek to hold back a casual “Huh, you always keep so few employees around in the middle of the day?”

For the middle of the day it was – as they turned another corner, he got his first glimpse of gleaming sunlight in what felt like weeks. Reigen stared around in surprise; they were on the second floor of the building, with a railing separating them from the open air above a large, eerily welcoming atrium. Brightly lit with natural light, a wall of windows formed the front of the building, through which a normal city road and accompanying sidewalks could be seen. The atrium looked more like the entrance floor of a large bank than a highly-secure government facility, although it was as empty as the rest of the building’s halls.

Reigen couldn’t help a raised brow at Nagata. “Didn’t realize the government was so welcoming to prying eyes and public opinions on your operations. Say, what’s the general consensus on abduction? ‘Cause I’d like to add my two cents.”

Nagata ignored him, watching someone in a finely-tailored suit walk swiftly past on the sidewalk outside. “The glass is bulletproof, and one-sided – we’re not as visible to them as it appears. Nor as vulnerable.” He looked up, directly across the space. “For example, there are shutters, should we need them.”

Reigen followed his gaze, eye-level on the opposite side of the wall from where they stood. Sure enough, there were rolls of thick metal waiting to close over the windows at a moment’s notice. The sight was a shock in contrast to the atrium’s first impression, and he gave the large space a second look with a more critical eye.

There were cameras everywhere, on the ceilings, on the walls; some with obvious red blinking lights, and probably some he couldn’t even see. There were also several odd blank metal panels set into the walls – weapons lockers, perhaps, though his imagination could spin something worse. The panels blended in just fine with the tastefully bland decor unless you knew to look for things that seemed just a bit… off.

This wasn’t merely a front; this whole place could be easily turned into a conveniently-located trap. Reigen felt cold just thinking about the possibilities.

Nagata was watching him again, leaning on one elbow resting on the bannister. He had apparently decided this was a good place to continue their ‘chat’. Reigen, his rapidly-adapting plan whirring in the back of his mind, certainly had no objections.

“So tell me, Mr. Reigen – given that you’re in the industry of being a psychic without actually being psychic, I’m curious. Was it worth it to hire an esper employee, or do you find all the additional violence in your life hasn’t made up for the validation it provides for your business?”

For one horror-stricken second Reigen thought that he, that Mob , had been found out, until he realized Nagata was referring to Serizawa. Still, he didn’t like what those words implied; he paused before saying, slowly, “I’m not sure what you mean by that.”

“Well, may I be frank?” Nagata continued without waiting for an assent. “You seem more… cautious around espers than I would have expected, for someone on record for spending so much time with one in your daily life. But their world is a dangerous and vicious one, and I can only assume that having to deal with the messes a psychically-gifted thug instigates has led to experiences that taught you that kind of caution.”

Reigen turned away before Nagata could see his expression. He himself didn’t want to know what his face looked like.

“It’s the kind of behavior I’d expect, from someone with his past.” Nagata must have taken his silence for agreement. “He and his friends are a bunch of former terrorists. Honestly I’m not sure how they got away scot-free the first time; Joseph was never very clear about it. Something about a pass from the Prime Minister. Though of course, he’s one of them as well, so who knows what really went down…”

He moved just a little closer, and lowered his voice. Out of Nagata’s line of sight, Reigen finally allowed his hands to curl into fists.

“Mr. Reigen, I know you must be concerned with the repercussions. But we can help you. We can make sure that, whoever it is, never knows it was you who told us. So tell me. Is it Serizawa Katsuya, or one of his friends? Multiple of them working together, perhaps? The way they tend to band together, it wouldn’t surprise me.”

And with that, Reigen officially couldn’t take it anymore.

“Mr. Nagata. I’m so sorry for the abject failure in your upbringing that caused you to become such a miserable person. Or maybe it’s just that your character is so flawed, there was never any hope for you.”

Nagata stared at him, blinking rapidly, trying to process the sudden shift in conversation and demeanor.

“But in case there’s hope for you yet, allow me to fill you in on some missed lessons.” Reigen stepped forward, closer to Nagata, who had the look of a deer in headlights as he hastily tried to figure out what had gone awry.

“Some people choose to be good, and some people choose to be bad. This is true of everyone, whether they have psychic powers or not. Therefore, there are psychic people who choose to be good, like my associates have done. Just some coincidentally-psychic people who, despite errors in their pasts, now want to live normal lives and contribute to society the best that they can.”

Reigen leaned a little closer.

“And following the same line of logic, there are, of course, non-psychic people who choose to be bad.”

Reigen smiled, a bright baring of teeth. Then he sunk his fist into Nagata’s face with the full force of his weight behind it.*

Nagata fell back against the balcony’s railing, hands going instinctively out to catch himself. Reigen kept moving, using the momentum from the punch to twist, sweeping a leg up for a follow-up kick. With all his focus on the movement, he barely gave notice to his weakly-protesting conscience before switching his aim to as high on Nagata’s chest as he could, high enough for just the right amount of leverage...

He drove his heel into the top of Nagata’s sternum. Nagata tipped over the balcony, and plunged out of sight.

Reigen didn’t wait to see the results; he’d just have to hope Nagata didn’t land badly enough for the fall to be fatal. He skidded to the staircase, leaping down stairs two or three at a time, and bolted for the front door. He flung himself at it, hoping desperately that it would open…

It did. But not quietly.

Reigen ran out the door, almost blinded by the brilliant sunlight, hysteria bubbling into a shriek of startled laughter to match the cacophony of dozens of screeching alarms. Alarms that did not quite mask the pounding echo of military boots, setting panic to nip at his heels. (*Punching Sleazy Bureaucrats Right in the Fucking Face, Reigen’s Secret Technique)

#mp100 #mob psycho 100 #mp100 fanfiction #serirei #shifting perspectives #didn't QUITE manage it by my birthday but i was close #my fics #ummmm sorry again about the cliffie?

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fireflysummers · 7 years

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Mob Psycho 100 Fanfiction

A Little Tragedy

Reigen Arataka is a well liked resident of the Falling Waters Care Facility.

But he's getting real sick of it, so the old con artist tries talking his shrink into letting him out early on good behavior.

This...really isn’t a happy story. I think a lot about how, the most heartbreaking moments sometimes are the little tragedies, that seem almost mundane in the face of epic battles and whatnot.

There was an unspoken consensus among the men and women working at the Falling Water Care Facility, that the resident of Room 1332 was everybody’s favorite. Everybody knew that favoritism was bad form for any facility, but it was hard not to like him.

Physically, he was nothing special—he was a man approaching his eighties, blessed with good genetics that allowed him to keep his gray-white hair in relative abundance. A couple of the other residents used the word ‘dapper’ to describe him, and it was true that he’d aged well despite signs of a lifelong smoking habit. Even in stature, he was nothing special. Standing, he measured at an average height, but even this was restricted and he spent most of his days in the various plush chairs around the facility.

Despite that, though, there was something about him that felt tall. Sitting or standing, he somehow always announced his presence simply by existing, drew the staff and residents to him like moths to a flame. It was nigh impossible to resist that pull, and in the generally oppressive atmosphere of care homes everywhere, it was a welcome relief to all.

“Mr. Reigen, community bingo is in an hour,” informs the employee who had come into change his sheets for that afternoon. It’s a nice room, modestly furnished and well kept, with a large window letting the light in on the half dozen plants lining the sill. There’s a television on in one corner, sound turned down so low that it’s more a white noise than anything.

“I’ll be there, my dear, count on it!” the elderly man replied, waving his hands to indicate that he was rushing to finish whatever business currently stalls him. “Perhaps I’ll finally be able to exorcise that spirit of ill fortune hanging around about the dining hall, keeping me from taking home a prize!”

The nurse gives him a fond smile, a pat on the shoulder, and exits the room without much fanfare. Reigen shakes his head, glasses sliding down his nose a little, then turns back to his guest.

“Anyways,” he says, “Where were we?”

“What was that about?” asks the man, sitting opposite him.

“Shouldn’t you know? You’re my shrink, after all.” Reigen shrugs. “Half the people in this place think that I’m an absolute basket case, spouting all these bizarre stories about ghosts and devils and such.”

“So there really is a spirit in the bingo hall?”

“Psh. Of course not. They humor me, I humor them, it’s an odd little arrangement we’ve come to. I haven’t dealt with a spirit in a long while, and I’m starting to get bored. Can’t wait to get back to work—I run a consultation office you know? Helping people with their supernatural troubles.”

“You’ve mentioned. Is your business going well?”

“Is it ever! You wouldn’t believe some of the whoppers I’ve melted down.” Reigen coughs, suddenly looking a bit ashamed. He unconsciously sinks lower into the pillows at his back, then fixes his gaze on the therapist with sudden seriousness. “You’re a doctor right? Patient confidentiality and all that. So I don’t mind telling you this—I’m not really psychic.”

“Oh?”

“Nah. Eighty percent of my clients aren’t haunted either. Not by ghosts anyways.” Reigen shrugs. “Different things. Like their pasts, or sometimes their presents. Most of the time there’s no easy fix, but I’d do my best to set them in the right direction, so that maybe they’ll be able to fix the problem themselves.”

“And what about the other twenty percent?”

“What?”

“The twenty percent that are actually haunted by ghost.” The shrink is watching him intently. “How do you help them if you’re not a psychic yourself?”

“I hired one,” Reigen says, as if it’s as simple as putting out a wanted ad. “Well. You couldn’t even really call it that. I only pay the kid 300 Yen an hour. On a good day. I’m a real shitstain, you know that?”

The shrink hums, but Reigen can’t tell if it’s in affirmation or not. He shrugs, because even if it is he’s been called worse. Multiple times. In just about every form of media under the sun.

“Anyways, this kid, Mob, showed up at my office one day. He’s the real deal man. It’s thanks to him that…” suddenly, Reigen’s words dry up. The shrink looks up at him sharply in worry, only to see the older man’s eyes misty with tears and a watery grin tugging at the corners of his lips. “Ha. It still feels like only yesterday when he showed up at my office unannounced. But ah…he’s grown up a lot since then. I’d like to think I had a hand in that, in pointing him in the right direction, but…”

“It sounds like you’re proud of him,” says his shrink, for the first time since their conversation started breaking his calm façade with a small, fond smile.

“Damned straight I am,” Reigen says with incredible conviction. “He’s the best thing that has ever happened to me. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to be worthy of that little miracle, the day he walked in, so the list I can do is be proud of my boy.”

Reigen pauses again, a sly light in his eyes. “So what you say doc? Am I officially un-crazy? Can I leave yet?”

“I’ll have to talk with your doctor about it,” the shrink replies, getting to his feet. He holds out a hand, which Reigen shakes firmly. “In the meanwhile, you have a bingo game to get to. And an evil spirit to exorcise.”

“You really should speed this along,” Reigen tells him, “I’ve got a business to run. I can’t afford to take this many sick days off. And these accommodations…I can’t afford something this fancy! I gotta get back to work!”

“I’m sure your pupil can handle it.”

“What, Mob? He’s like. Sixteen! He’s got better things to do than run his master’s business! Nah, I gotta get better and get back out there.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” the shrink replies, as he waves a farewell. “I’m sure that everything will turn out just fine.”

“That’s my line!” Reigen snaps.

There’s a blond man waiting in the hallway. He’s shorter than the two, a little on the heavy side, and has his hands stuffed into the pockets of his neon colored windbreaker. In a normal setting, his outfit would be outrageous, but in the muted colors of the care facility it’s almost migraine-inducing.

“How was he today?” he asks as his companion reaches him.

“Worse. He didn’t recognize me at all today. Thought I was his therapist, and that he was waiting to be released from a hospital.”

“A logical conclusion to come to, when you let that brother of yours pick your wardrobe for you.” Teru slings an arm over Shigeo’s shoulder, but it’s painfully obvious he’s trying to lighten the tone. Shigeo gives a telling sniff, curling into himself.

He’s never been terribly emotive, even when he no longer bottled up his emotions so dangerously. Teru suspects that if this were any other person, he would be dealing with a sobbing mess.

Instead, Shigeo straightens up and squares his shoulders. To anybody who didn’t know him, the action would have been enough. But Teru’s arm is still around Shigeo, and he can feel the stuttering breaths, the physical effort to choke back the sobs.

There will be a time and place for that. When they’re alone together, away from the nurses and doctors and attendants and residents, who could be endangered by Mob’s sorrow. There will be a time…but the sheer effort that it takes Shigeo to rise and walk makes Teru’s heart clench painfully.

“You know, you could just tell him who you are,” he says at length, softer this time. “I bet if you went back to that cute bowl cut he’d recognize you immediately.”

“Maybe,” Shigeo mumbles, as the two of them head for the exit. “I think it might make him feel worse though. To know that he’s forgotten.”

“Maybe…” Teru agrees, but wants to argue that the cunning old teacher would have died a thousand painful deaths than watch Mob fight this heartbreak. “On a side note, I exorcised the spirit that was hanging around the bingo hall. It wasn’t really causing too much trouble, just a little bringer of bad luck, but you can’t have those things hanging around a care facility. Someday I’ll figure out how Reigen-san does it.”

“Master Reigen once told me that…the world is full of little miracles,” Shigeo murmurs at length, “I think he read it in a fortune cookie once.”

“Mmhmm,” Teru says, simultaneously marveling how Reigen could make anything sound sincere, and trying to decipher why Shigeo was bringing this up now.

“But he also said, another time, that there’s got to be balance. Which means that if there are little miracles, there are little tragedies as well.”

They walk on in silence, not really paying close attention to where they’re going. It doesn’t matter, really, because this city that they’ve protected with blood and tears is theirs. There is nowhere they could go where they would be lost.

“You know…” Teru finally says at length, “There’s nothing little about being forgotten.”

Shigeo doesn’t reply. They’re far enough from the facility now, far enough from people, that there’s no reason to hold back anymore. And there’s nothing more for Teru to say. Instead he keeps his arm wrapped around his husband, and waits for the storm to pass.

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

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autisticteru · 7 years

Text

A Kick in the Teeth is Good for Some

Summary: All Ritsu wants is to move on and be happy with his life. But something keeps growing inside him. From his stomach to his chest to his throat and out his eyes and mouth, until it fully surrounds him making it impossible to ignore. He can cut it down, but it will just grow back. He needs to destroy it, to pull it up from the roots. And he thinks he finally knows how. But there’s only one person who can help with that. Unfortunately, that person is Teruki Hanazawa.

Read on AO3 HERE

Read from the beginning HERE

Individual chapters (All link to ao3 until i make tumblr posts for each of these individually since i havent yet lol)

Special shoutouts to @silvervictory for their amazing art and encouraging words!!

Chapter 12: The Desire to Hurt

“What do you mean an hour?!” Shou yelled into the phone in the back seat of the rental car. “I told you, we can pick you up!”

The yelling caused Reigen to grip all the more tightly onto the steering wheel. Although, really, there was no need to even hold it at all. As he looked out, he could see the whole city underneath them. And the sight alone made him turn green, so he looked back at the steering wheel, now greasy from the sweat of his palms.

“Is work really more important than this?!” And again, there was a tense silence as Reigen and Mob waited for a new reaction from Shou. But to both their surprises, Fukuda seemed to finally give a response that calmed him down.

“Fine! Just don’t be late.” Shou closed the phone, put both his hands over his forehead, and groaned as loud as he could. And simultaneously, Reigen and Mob both breathed a sigh of relief.

“So,” said Reigen, in the calmest voice he could muster, “What’s the story with Fukuda-san?”

“He’s meeting us at your office,” said Shou, mildly disgruntled.

“Ah, good! So we just pick them up and go back?”

“I guess.”

Shou leaned back and looked out the window. They were flying, but it still wasn’t fast enough. He leaned over to look at Mob, who seemed to be calm. He was maintaining his focus on keeping the car in the air, and his face was flat and emotionless. That same inexpressive face… it was starting to piss Shou off. Didn’t he care about his brother at all?!

“Hey,” Shou finally spoke, “Can’t you make this thing go faster?”

“Actually,” chimed Reigen, “The car is going at a perfect speed! No need to go any faster than this! Please, keep up the good work Mob!”

Shou could only see the side of his cheek, but it looked red and sweaty. Shou narrowed his eyes.

“Ah, okay Shishou.” That was all Mob had to say. Damn, he was real obedient to that fraud. Shou wanted to say something, but now wasn’t the time for arguing about the legitimacy of some random guy’s psychic powers.

Shou looked down at his phone to see the time 6:01am displayed on his phone. When they started flying the car it was…

5:57. It had been four minutes. And Shou wasn’t sure he if could handle another second in this car. Every second felt like a year. Shou dialed Ritsu’s number again. Then Teru’s. No answer for either.

So he tried again about five more times. And then a few more times after that. And by the tenth time, Shou was considering throwing his phone out the window. He gripped onto it, face and hands burning red hot and teeth grinding. Shou looked at the time.

6:06am.

“AUGH!” Shou threw his phone as hard as he could to the front windshield of the rental car, but it was stopped in midair by a purple aura and set down.

“What happened?!” said Reigen after he flinched from the yell.

“It was Suzuki,” answered Mob, calmly. God, Shou was getting tired of that composure. Couldn’t he at least try to act human?

“Suzuki,” continued Mob, “Are you okay?”

“Okay?! Wow, Kageyama!” said Shou with a sarcastic smile. “What in the world would ever make you think that I’m not okay?”

“Oh, okay. Sorry for asking.” Mob still wasn’t getting it, and still wasn’t changing his facial expression. Shou was turning redder and angrier by the second.

“Idiot! That was sarcasm! Of course I’m not okay!”

“Ah, sorry. What’s wrong?”

“Are you seriously asking me that?! You know damn well what’s wrong! Honestly what the hell is your problem? You don’t seem the least bit nervous about any of this!”

“I am worried, though,” said Mob, looking down at the floor, face still unreadable.

“Then act like it!”

“But Hanazawa-kun said that he and Ritsu were fine, so I believe him. They might be injured, but they’re strong. So let’s just focus on getting them for now.”

“Yes, and please don’t disturb the person keeping the car airborne!” Reigen chimed, but Shou ignored him.

“You know it’s more than just that! Ritsu lied to us! And ran away! And all we have to go off of is a vague call from Hanazawa saying that he’s in the middle of fucking nowhere and they need to be picked up and healed! And nobody is telling us anything at all! Like, where has he been going? Why was he at the Seventh Branch Headquarters? How did Hanazawa know to look there? How did he get hurt? Was he trying to… Was he trying…” Shou could not finish his last sentence. The lump in his throat would not let him. And his eyes were already starting to puff up.

“It’s okay,” said Mob. Shou looked up and tried to push down every feeling he had, but Mob was finally looking at him, with a comforting smile. “We’ll ask him about that once we meet them.”

“But…” Shou tried to start speaking again, but his emotions were getting in the way.

“He’s right,” said Reigen from the front seat, “There’s nothing we can do now but trust Hanazawa-kun’s words. So you should take this time to think about what you want to ask them.”

Shou sat still for a second and then let out a breath and sank further into his seat. He didn’t understand it. He couldn’t understand it.

“How are you acting so calm?” Shou asked, with his eyes narrowed specifically on Mob who paused at the question. He thought, looking down at the floor, and then out the window, and finally straight forward toward the front of the car as he spoke again.

“I want to fight with Ritsu.”

“Eh?” The answer caught Shou completely off guard. That was the last thing he expected to come out of Mob’s mouth.

“Not like a serious fight!” Mob tried to explain, “I just wish that we had more opportunities to fight like siblings. I want to get into an argument with Ritsu, over something pointless and stupid. And I want to not be afraid to speak my mind, and I want the same for him. I want to be mad at him, and I want him to be mad at me. We’ve never hated each other before, but I don’t think that’s right. We’re too distant. We’re too afraid of each other.” He paused for a brief moment, and stared at his reflection out the window. Shou’s expression softened from frustration to confusion.

“I think,” continued Mob, “the scariest part of living is that you always wind up hurting the people you love. I’ve realized that even if you don’t want to, even if you try to avoid it, you will always hurt the people you’re closest to. I think we’re both scared of that, but I don’t want to be scared anymore. It’s not right. I want to be honest!” Mob finally turned to look at shou with wide eyes.

“I think honesty hurts a lot, but we can’t fix problems we don’t talk about. Even if it means fighting, arguing, and disagreeing, it doesn’t matter. We’ll always make up in the end, because we’re brothers. We just need to trust each other more. So I’m going to trust Ritsu. And I’m not going to deny him pain anymore. He should be allowed to express it!”

Shou paused for a moment, taken aback by all the words that Mob had just said. He couldn’t quite wrap his head around everything, let alone respond to it.

“How long have you been thinking about this?” was the only thing that Shou was able to ask. With everything he was saying, it sounded like Mob had been thinking about this for much longer than just a night.

“A while,” Mob answered. It was a short answer, but it was enough.

“There’s a bright side to all of this, if you ask me,” said Reigen from the front, “Mob’s brother did something crazy because of his pent up emotions. If the issue was that he could never feel comfortable to express his emotions, then the time for that is over. Now that this has happened, we can’t ignore it. We have to talk about it now.” Reigen turned his head to look back at Mob and Shou in the back seat. His face was serious, yet casual, in a way that Shou didn’t know just how to describe.

“Sometimes,” he continued, “in order to improve ourselves, we have to make mistakes. We have to do something stupid. And that’s what your brother did, Mob. Now we just have to help him clean up the mess he made.”

“Right,” said Mob. Shou wasn’t sure what he thought about everything that the two of them were saying. But his anxiety turned into something else once they were both done speaking. It settled in his stomach, and it was nauseating. Shou grunted and covered his belly with his arms as he leaned over to the window, turning his back to Mob and watching the tiny buildings go by.

The building that was once used as the headquarters of the seventh branch of Claw was not a skyscraper, but it was tall enough to see the sun rise over the trees from the roof. Ritsu sat facing the sunrise, with his feet dangling over the ledge. He closed his eyes and let the sun’s rays warm him up as he waited for Teru to return from retrieving the backpack that Ritsu had brought with him. As he absorbed the heat he could feel his left arm acting up again, and he began to wonder if sunlight was really the best thing for a burn wound. But he didn’t have too much time to dwell on it, as he heard Teru approaching from behind through the hole in the ceiling.

“Ritsu, all that’s in here is food and water!” called out Teru, as he walked towards the spot Ritsu was sitting at. “You didn’t bring a First-Aid kit or anything?”

“You already looked through my bag?” said Ritsu as Teru plopped the backpack down just behind the ledge they were sitting at. Teru sat down on Ritsu’s right side and with a half empty water bottle in his left hand.

“I was thirsty, what can I say?” Teru said, uncapping the water bottle with psychic powers. Ritsu was about to comment on how using his powers for that was overkill, but then he remembered Teru’s dislocated shoulder. And technically, that was Ritsu’s fault. So he bit his tongue, as he had already pissed off and insulted Teru enough to last a lifetime in just one day. Teru finished gulping down the last few sips of the water bottle and exhaled with satisfaction.

“Really, though,” said Teru as he put the water bottle back in the bag with telekinesis, “what the hell were you thinking, not bringing any First-Aid before fighting someone in the middle of fucking nowhere?”

“I, uh,” said Ritsu, avoiding eye contact, “I didn’t plan that far ahead.”

Teru narrowed his eyes.

“Ritsu, I’m not here to help you kill yourself.”

“I wasn’t trying to!” Ritsu tried to defend himself, “I was just…”

Ritsu’s voice trailed off as he could not find the words to explain himself. Was he trying to die when he fought Teru? No. But he couldn’t see the future beyond that, nor did he care. Although, he was starting to feel guilty. After all, he had come pretty close to making Teru a murderer. Teru looked at Ritsu’s guilty expression and sighed.

“It’s fine,” he said, “We have plenty of time to talk.”

“I don’t think I’d be able to fully explain this if I had the rest of my life to talk.”

“Well, you got until our ride gets here or until the exhaustion finally kicks in for me. Whichever comes first.” Teru leaned back and opened his mouth, pointing to the gap in his tooth. “I can only keep the swelling down while I’m awake. Once I pass out, that’s it.”

Ritsu looked down below at his dangling feet, and then onto the mess he had made below them.

“I’m sorry,” said Ritsu.

“No, I am too. You were right. By the end, I really was using you as an outlet for stress. By the end I was practically just bullying you.”

“It’s fine.”

“No, it’s really not!” Teru snapped. “Honestly…”

Teru’s voice trailed off as he looked up to the sky and exhaled.

“I think I really hated you,” Teru finally admitted.

“Do you hate me now?”

“I don’t even know anymore.”

“Well, if it helps, I hated you too.”

“No fucking kidding. You didn’t hide that at all.”

“Well, if you ask me, you did a pretty poor job of hiding it too.”

Teru sighed.

“I guess I can’t really argue,” he said.

For a moment, there was silence. Teru was lost in thought as Ritsu tried to find the right thing to say. The right explanation. And as he thought, he vaguely remembered his dream. He remembered the collapsing world that Shou was blind to. Why didn’t he say anything? Why did he just let him keep going? Why did he let him fall? As Ritsu searched his heart, he could only find one answer.

“I wanted to prove him right.”

Teru looked up, as if pulling himself out of his thoughts. Ritsu continued.

“The potential in me is greater than the potential in my brother. That’s what he told me. I wanted to prove him right.”

“You mean Suzuki?” asked Teru. Ritsu was glad how quick he was to catch on.

“I just…” Ritsu struggled to find the right words. “I couldn’t stand talking to him! And it wasn’t his fault. Honestly, it was mine.”

Ritsu’s voice cracked in his last few words, but Teru was kind enough to stay silent as Ritsu took a moment to gather himself and continue.

“I was selfish. I wanted to see it. I wanted to see him beat his own father. I wanted him to do it by himself! But I knew… I knew from the start it was impossible. But I wanted to believe he was right. That he could do it. But really, I was just projecting.”

Ritsu clenched his right fist, as he released those words. They came out with such violence and pain, with every confession he could feel himself vomiting up blood. But he wasn’t ready to stop. The roots of that feeling ran deep. He needed to keep pulling, no matter how painful it was. Yet as he pulled it out it grabbed the walls of his throat and tried to dig its roots into his lungs and suffocate him. But Ritsu was over being controlled by shame. Now that he had realized it, he would deal with the pain as it came. Even if his eyes began to water, even if his voice came out in a croak, he would speak his truth.

“I couldn’t look at him,” he continued, “I was guilty. Because every time I looked at him I realized how different we actually were. He was fighting for a just cause, but what was I fighting for? My brother never did anything wrong. He never asked for psychic powers. He’s even told me that they’re more of a burden to him. And yet, even now…”

A few tears had already run down his face, but more would come if Ritsu continued with his sentence. And yet, if he didn’t say it here and now, he would probably never be free. And with that in mind, Ritsu had no choice to keep going.

“I’m still jealous of him!”

It was like ripping off a bandaid.

“Still, after all this time, I’m jealous!” Ritsu cried out, with tears flowing freely down his face. “And I’m scared of him! And I’m trying to make sure he doesn’t get stressed! And I don’t trust him! And it wasn’t his fault! He feels awful about it. He feels awful about it I’m sure. I wanted to be better. I wanted to be better and I tried so hard but I’m still like this! I’m awful! I’m an awful person! And I’m jealous of him for that reason too! He actually has a reason to be sad! He’s actually a good person! He doesn’t deserve any of it, but I do! I deserve everything I’ve gotten! It would be so much easier if they just hated me and got it over with. I have no reason to hate him, and yet here I am! I’m really the worst!”

Ritsu let out a few sobs, and lifted his right arm to wipe away his tears. But as he slid his arm over his eyes he heard Teru finally speak to his right.

“I tried to kill him.”

Ritsu lowered his arm and looked to his right with red, puffy eyes and tearstained cheeks.

“What?”

“You’re brother,” said Teru. “I tried to kill your brother.”

Teru closed his eyes again, and Ritsu could see the corners of his mouth twitch. His eyebrows furrowing. His nose scrunching up. Teru opened his mouth and took a deep inhale.

“I’m worse than you.”

Teru’s voice came out in a whisper, as though that were all he could manage. He turned his head away from Ritsu before speaking again.

“Sorry,” he croaked, “I don’t know why I’m getting emotional over this.” Teru brought up his left arm and wiped his eyes with it as he sniffed.

“It’s just,” he continued, “I’m sorry. It must have been hard for you. I can’t imagine how it would have been for me. How I would have survived if I were in your situation… God, I feel ill just thinking about it. I can still recall it so vividly. How it felt when I tried to… with my own hands I… his neck, I can still feel it. It was so warm compared to everything else… my hands were so cold. I was so scared… I thought for a second that I really…”

Teru’s breaths turned panicked and short, and with each word he turned his head further and further away from Ritsu’s direction. Out of instinct, Ritsu reached for Teru’s left hand which was placed firmly on the concrete of the building by his side and grabbed it with his left. His hand was warm. Almost too warm. His skin was red from his fingertips all the way up his arm, past his shoulder and up his neck and ears. But as Ritsu’s hand met his, Teru’s breathing slowed down just a bit. He turned around with a bright red eyes and a nose full of snot. Teru pulled away from Ritsu’s hand and blushed, wiping the snot from his face in embarrassment.

“S-Sorry,” he said.

“It’s fine,” said Ritsu, “I understand. It’s-”

“Ritsu,” Teru interrupted, with a deeper and slightly more confident voice, “What I’m trying to say is, if you’re a bad person, then that’s fine. But just know that no matter what you won’t be alone. I’ll be a bad person with you. We can be bad people together.”

Teru’s eyes, though still red and tearstained, looked deep into Ritsu’s own eyes with a sense of unwavering confidence.

“Ritsu,” he continued, “whatever you choose to do next, I’ll accept your choice. If you never want to see me again after this, I understand.”

Ritsu paused and looked down at Teru’s left hand, which was still on the concrete being used as a support for his own body, now leaning towards Ritsu.

“I think,” he said, “by the end of the training, I may have forgotten all about Suzuki. In fact, I’m starting to think that I was never doing this for him at all. I think I just wanted to get hurt. So I used you. I’m sorry about that Teru. I really, really am.”

“Honestly,” sait Teru, “I was enjoying the hell out of kicking your ass every day anyway, so I guess we’re even now.”

Ritsu looked onto the scene below his dangling feet.

“We really made a good mess of ourselves, didn’t we?” said Ritsu.

“We sure fucking did. It’s actually kind of impressive.”

“I think we’re the fuckups of the year.”

“Big time.”

A moment of silence passed as Teru and Ritsu sat in awe and disbelief at the giant mess the two of them made together. Until Teru finally decided to break the silence.

“So, what do you wanna do now?”

“God, I don’t even know. I mean, you said it yourself. I’ll never beat Suzuki.”

“Oh fuck that, I was wrong.”

“What?”

“I mean just look at me!” Teru gestured to his bruised face. “You fucking did this! And also-” Teru stood up and gestured his arm to the entire surrounding scene.

“You did all of this! You knew you weren’t strong enough to beat me, so you dug out the ground and cut down the trees and used the whole landscape to your advantage! Sure, you didn’t beat me but you landed quite a few damn hits! Honestly, I was training you wrong. You aren’t the type to copy moves by seeing them. You’re the type to find creative and new solutions to every problem. You made a mess, and it was impressive as hell!”

“You really think I can actually beat him?”

“Of course!l It’s not a matter of whether you can. It’s whether you want to or not.”

Ritsu thought for a second as Teru looked behind him and did a double take.

“Uh,” said Teru, “I think our ride is here.”

“What?” Ritsu turned around and saw it. “Oh my god.”

The car landed just below the building on the steadiest ground they could find and Shou and Mob immediately opened both doors on either side, flying up as though they were racing to see the two boys on top of the building. Shou was the first to land, but he was immediately taken aback by the unsightly mess that was Ritsu and Teru.

“Wh-What happened?”

Teru looked over at Ritsu, who was struggling to find the right words. But he was interrupted by Mob’s landing, and the painfully emotional eye contact that the two brothers held for a good five seconds. As Mob began walking forward, Ritsu felt the need to explain himself.

“It wasn’t Teru’s fault, Nii-san! It was all mine! I’m sorry for worrying you, I just-”

Ritsu was interrupted with a hug.

“It’s fine, Ritsu,” said Mob. “If it hurts you this much, you don’t have to take care of me. So please, just be honest with me from now on, okay?”

Ritsu thought he had already used up all his tears for one day, but the hug from his brother showed him he still had a few left.

“I’m sorry,” he choked.

“It’s fine,” Mob pulled away and looked over at Teru, who was just standing there awkwardly as everyone went to comfort Ritsu. “Hanazawa-kun, thank you for finding Ritsu. Let’s go home.”

#mob psycho 100 #hanazawa teruki #kageyama ritsu #teruritsu #riteru #shark speaks #shark writes #IT IS WAY TOO LATE FOR THIS SHIT BUT WHOM CARES

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silvensei · 7 years

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Next installment of @silvervictory‘s fun AU in fic form! Shout out to her for the AU, of course, but also for the doodles and talking me out of filling this dialogue with radical Nineties lingo~

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4

Words: 2k

By the time they got to the office, Ritsu was beginning to regret his decision to let the entity stay in control; having Mob in a coma would have been inconvenient, but it wouldn’t have been so god damn obnoxious.

Dimple had to nudge him into motion after his brother’s body had spat out a few more expletives and telekinetically hurled the offending chunk of concrete to the next town. When the form started walking down the sidewalk, it still did look like his brother. After a moment, though, Ritsu realized it was too stiff. Mob was composed and proper in his posture, yes, but this being kept its back straight, its knees locked, and its fingers splayed. Each step seemed deliberate, yet together they lacked rhythm.

Ritsu caught up easily, walking next to it, just out of arm’s reach. “Um…. You haven’t hurt my brother’s body already…have you?” he asked, hoping the naggings of worry weren’t obvious.

“Shut up,” it snapped. His brother’s mouth twisted into a scowl the teen hadn’t ever imagined seeing on Mob’s face. “I haven’t had to move on a physical plane in a while. Yeesh, give a god a break, why dontcha?”

Well now, Ritsu knew for a fact that wasn’t true. “But you’ve been on this ‘physical plane’ before. I’ve seen you take over Shigeo. Just a few months ago, too, at Black Vinegar.”

“Arguing with half the facts again already, kid? It’s not like I’d show up for a stroll through the park. Those were all a psychic show; no tedious movement involved.” It stopped, rolling its eyes and wrinkling its nose. “Right. Fuck it. That’s enough ‘human’ for now.”

The kaleidoscope of an aura folded out around his brother’s frame. Expecting the brightness of Mob’s blues, Ritsu shied away when it instead appeared as dark as charcoal. It didn’t capture the light to create the void from his nightmares, but it did pulse and roil with hidden energy. That’s not what his brother’s aura should look like.

It smirked at his discomfort. “Walking’s dumb. You just keep catching yourself before completely falling over. Too complicated.” It rested its chin in its hand as it crossed its legs, bobbing suspended in midair. “Why walk when you can fly?”

Ritsu sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Why walk,” he grumbled. “Because! Most people, I’ll have you know, can’t fly. It’s normal to walk.” He swept a hand at the ground between them. “For example, a sidewalk. So please, if you’re going to try to be human, just walk normally. We don’t have far to go.”

It raised his brother’s eyebrows beneath his hair. “Being human is acting normally?” it asked, incredulous. “Then, if using psychic powers isn’t normal….” It pointed at its face, aghast. “Are you saying your brother isn’t human? Oh, for shame!”

It turned and floated down the street, shaking its head as it left Ritsu sputtering for a response in its wake. “Wha— no! You know damn well what I meant! Don’t twist my words like that!” he shouted after it. “The hell is this guy’s problem, Dimple?”

Met with silence, he realized the ghost had saved his own (lack of) skin and slipped away while they were distracted. “Lucky bastard,” Ritsu hissed before he trudged after his pseudo-brother.

“See, Ritsu? You’re so slow, stuck to that ground of yours.” It uncrossed his brother’s legs, letting them sway a few inches above the concrete, hands nestled in its pockets. Mob’s schoolbag drifted lazily behind it. “You people must’ve known that, inventing airplanes and whatnot. Why don’t you get some kind of personal airplane? Some kind of normal, non-psychic way to fly?”

“It’s not that easy,” the teen said. He stared ahead, refusing to look at it.

“Ah yes, the folly of technology. Then what about bicycles, hm? Those are easy. Why not bike everywhere? Or even those dumb shoes with the wheels? Why condemn yourself to such a pitiful mode of physical displacement?”

Ritsu shot it a glare. It didn’t actually look as demeaning as he had pictured, but that smirk still meant it knew he was getting more annoyed by the second. “If I answer you, will you answer me?” he tested.

“Tch.”

He took that as a “no.” Worth a shot, at least. Maybe now it would give him some peace to sort out his increasing anxiety.

“Ritsu, walking’s too slow. Lemme float you there if you’re not gonna do it yourself.”

“No!” he snapped. When memory reminded him what happened last time he pissed off the entity, though, he paused and swallowed. “No, Animosity, I’m walking.”

Fortunately, the alleged all-powerful irate god merely sniggered and crossed its arms behind its head. The being that replaces his brother unannounced, that has haunted him for years, floating by his side like a ticking time bomb. If only he could run like Dimple had.

God, how he wished Dimple were here.

“Does he keep his hair like this because it floats so well with psychic energy?” it asked after a minute. His brother’s hair glided around its head, swimming through the air like it were water. It usually glimmered like water, too, when Mob used his normal aquamarine powers; now it appeared as sharp smog, dark grays flipping and turning around a cross-eyed fourteen-year-old body, blowing at its bangs.

Such a polluted image made him sick. Just ignore it, Ritsu, and it’ll entertain itself.

“Hands are weird, y’know? It’s like your arm was flattened with little arms stuck to the end. What kind of factory mutation was that, ya think?”

“Man, it’s a good thing this body’s so supernaturally charged, because it’s like a two in the natural energy department. Seriously, how the hell did I even walk that first two minutes? No wonder he’s such a bore: It’s too strenuous to emote.”

“Since human bodies naturally absorb energy through the intake of physical matter, do you think Shigeo’s body would be even more enhanced if it absorbs spirits? Like, I’d keep ‘em tangible long enough to digest, and then when I let go, would it turn into pure energy? Fuck energy drinks, then, just be an exorcist. Or would the spirit reform and possess me? Well, not me, of course, but like some other human body, like yours. Hey, wanna give it a try? I can go hunt down that green prick of a ghost for ya.”

Ritsu almost threw himself through Reigen’s door, he was already so tired of this shit.

Reigen almost threw himself through his door, he was so tired of this boredom.

He stifled another yawn. No one had come in today. Not a soul—not counting the spirit that stopped by once to nag him per usual. He could only keep himself entertain in his office for so long. And now to make it worse, Mob just happened to be late, on today of all days. He didn’t want to worry about it. Nope. He wasn’t worried. It was just that based on statistical evidence, Mob was a punctual kid, and so when he didn’t show up on time, it often meant something was wrong. It was only logical to be a little concerned about an uncommon occurrence such as this. But then again, his club probably ran long. Maybe he passed out again. It’s fine.

Though maybe he should call him just in case….

The sudden commotion outside made him jump in his chair before he quickly composed himself. Straightening his posture, he adjusted his laptop screen and watched as the door was slammed open. He quirked an eyebrow, ready to admonish Mob for the oddly reckless behavior, but he merely nodded when he saw Ritsu standing there. Jeez, what did he do to bother the kid this time? He only just got here.

“Take it,” he declared. “I can’t deal with this right now.”

“It?” asked a familiar voice. A black-haired head appeared behind the teen, which relieved Reigen’s worries in an instant—until he noticed the strange grin that accompanied his words. “That’s a bit insensitive, dontcha think?”

Even though Ritsu tried to keep his expression neutral, the con man could see it darken as he moved further into the room. “Not like you deserve anything more,” he heard him mutter.

Mob cocked a hip. Has that Hanazawa kid been rubbing off on him…? “We’ll see about that, cupcake,” he said. “True, gender and gendered pronouns are such a human thing, but ‘it’ sounds so rude. Might as well be a ‘he’ in a male body, eh?”

Reigen felt his face heat up. Was that what’s going on? Was he really supposed to have this talk with these middle schoolers? Now? Didn’t these children have an actual father to talk to? He took a breath and folded his hands before telling the younger brother, “I can understand your confusion, Ritsu. I wouldn’t have pegged Mob for the type either. But what’s important is that you’re still the same old siblings, and you should respect them for the person they want to be.”

Ritsu rubbed his eyes. He started to snap back, but he was interrupted by a laugh. A brash, loud laugh from the doorway, that Reigen had never dreamed would come from Mob’s mouth. “Oh, you’re so fucking clueless!” he shouted. Reigen couldn’t even react to the uncharacteristic language before the boy was suddenly in front of him. “That’s cute, Arataka.”

“Whoa—okay!” He jolted back so fast he almost fell out of his chair. “That’s, uh— my given name? Well, never knew you could teleport, Mob! No excuse for being late, now, is there?”

“Ah hah! Yeah, no, Mob can’t do that yet.”

He raised an eyebrow. This kid leaning on his desk with that smirk on his face…were his eyes red? “Mob…? Are you alright?”

“Yeah, Mob’s fine.”

“Eh, good?” When he was met with a grinning silence instead of an explanation, the man added, “Reigen is confused and feels like he’s missing something.”

“That’s not my brother,” said Ritsu. He stood in the middle of the room, arms crossed, eyes burning holes through the head between them. “This asshole took him over and refuses not to give cryptic answers.”

Mob sneered. “Don’t you ever wonder why this kid is such a stick in the mud?” he asked, pushing himself off the desk to put his hands on his hips. “He’s trying to keep me away. Emotions are powerful things, after all: Hate breeds more hate and ignites wars and death. Love can drive a man mad. So when you got a god on your side, it’s hard not to just give in to that power time and again.”

Ritsu’s eyes were hidden by his bangs, but Reigen could see his fists trembling. “That’s it. I’m going home. Reigen, you god damn fraud, you better care enough about my brother to make sure it gets home intact.”

With that, the door slammed shut, and the two of them were left alone.

“Callin’ me ‘it’ again,” Mob huffed. “Like I’m some thing. I’m better than a thing.”

Well, at the very least, his day wouldn’t be boring anymore.

#glad this is an alright ending place #so I don't stay up late again trying to add the next part #why is it I only feel like writing when I have other stuff to do #the world may never know #Mob Psycho 100 #MP100 fanfiction #fanfiction #my writing #not my art #remember when I thought this would be an art blog?#different kind of art #Animosity Among Men #silvervictory #all thanks to you dude #Animosity god AU #100% Animosity #all the Animosity

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