#THIS IS HOW I IMAGINED IF THEY TRIED TO HELP REIGEN WHEN SHIGEO IS NOT THERE THAT DAY

[nothingbizzare]

I think teru and ritsu would be silly friends jfyjfgfyfjy

[hellolulu]

When it comes to the mp100 ageswap AU, the most interesting thing (for me, at least) is figuring out how exactly a storyline for it would work - after all, Mob growing up without Reigen would be a totally different guy, right? Well. I have a scenario that I made up in my brain, and I'm going to do my best to explain it below!

[Edit: this ended up being sort of a prologue/backstory, so I suppose.. it's a fic now? I tried to split the sections like chapters/episodes after accidentally writing too much but oh boy this is not what I set out to do]

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

After hurting Ritsu accidentally as children, Mob becomes afraid of his own power, and anxious about using it. He also becomes awkward around others in general, as he cannot imagine being able to stop himself if he accidentally hits ??? and hurts them. Ritsu is upset and angry that Shigeo has decided not to use his powers anymore, and becomes a bit cold toward him for it, but they are friendly with each other for the most part. [This is pretty much unchanged]

During middle school, Shigeo decides to join the body improvement club in order to cast aside the need for most of his powers - if not all, by focusing on his physical body. As Musashi is a kind-hearted guy, the telepathy club is invited to use the room as a place to hang out, as they cannot exist as a club without a room. Mob, who struggles a lot with physical exercise, often ends up spending a fair amount of time around Tome and the others in the club. Although at first he's bitter and cold toward her for thinking psychic powers are a good/cool thing [bitter and cold in his own way, ie "you,, don't understand what you're talking about.. psychic powers are.. dangerous.." sort of energy], eventually her genuine enthusiasm breaks him down, and he agrees to help her search for espers, while himself not expressing that he is one.

At this point, Shigeo and Ritsu don't speak much, but they are amicable toward one another. Ritsu respects that Shigeo wants to improve as a person, but is also filled with anger that Shigeo refuses to use his natural abilities, and even more anger at himself for causing Shigeo to stop using them. Ritsu becomes a bit of a danger to himself and others, and finds himself tricked/persuaded by Onigawara and crew to assist them in an attack on a neighbouring school.

Ritsu (who was only really acting out, but is generally a good guy) freaks out when met with Hanazawa, an esper that wants to hurt others, and realises why exactly his older brother has been afraid to use his powers for so long. Viewing the destruction caused by the newcomer, he engages Hanazawa in a conversation, explaining that he should be more careful with his power, that people will get hurt, and asks that he stop. Hanazawa is extremely angered by this, believing himself to be the main character of the world, and attacks Ritsu. Through an extremely painful and stressful fight, Ritsu's powers are awakened, and elsewhere Shigeo is alerted to the feeling of two espers exerting a lot of power.

However, he would rather avoid joining the fight, and waits for the energy to die down, afraid he'd only make it worse by being a third esper in the fight. Then the house phone rings, so he picks up (as neither of his parents can come to the phone). On the other end is an already very unhinged Hanazawa, telling him that he'd beaten his younger brother in a fight, and had been asked to call him to get picked up. Ritsu's thinking was partially that Shigeo would be strong enough to protect him and take him home safely, and partially that it would help Shigeo come to terms with the fact he can't avoid his powers all his life. He wants his brother to accept his powers, after all.

The call ignites Shigeo's strong feelings of protection over his younger brother, and he immediately gets up to go to where he is and save him. By the time he reaches the school, he's already at a pretty negative point emotionally, quick to become dangerous. Hanazawa is very quickly beaten up, no exchanging of names or invitations of friendship, as Shigeo clearly sees him as an enemy from the get-go (for hurting Ritsu quite badly), and the feeling is mutual (because he lost and has to accept that he's weaker than someone). Shigeo saves Ritsu, takes him home, and passes out from exhaustion pretty quickly (physcial and mental).

--

When he returns to school the next day, his memories of the previous day are hazy, but he feels awful. Tome shows him a clip from the news of a school being destroyed, where she recognises him - and with an added remark of Inukawa remembering that Mob used to say he was a psychic, she asks if it was Shigeo's doing. Shigeo, who is upset by the events he can recall, and the ones he is being shown, becomes anguished - but the members of the telepathy group say that his actions were, in a way, heroic, and he quickly calms down, surprised to hear their positive response. Tome says he kind of overkilled it and shouldn't have destroyed a school, but that he stood up for his brother and protected him, which isn't that bad a thing to do. She then complains about him hiding his psychic powers from her, though she makes light of the situation and says he's probably got his reasons for hiding them, preventing Shigeo from becoming too upset by the scolding. She suggests that he has to become confident with his powers if he wants to be a real hero-type, and tells him to consider what he wants to do with them now that people know. Luckily as the footage captured isn't too clear, the unpopular Shigeo is not noticed, and the goody-two-shoes Ritsu is considered above suspicion. [Teru may or may not have been recognised by his school board, but I'm undecided. I lean toward him being recognised, but eh.]

Mezato is also interested by the news, and begins searching for the 3 people briefly shown in the news clip, who were hard to make out in the footage (Ritsu, Hanazawa, and Shigeo) but she is no amateur. She stumbles across Ritsu and questions him, but he's dark, angsty, and passive, newly awakened to psychic powers after being extremely injured, and a fair bit traumatised from the event. She pens him down as a possible instigator, and through a cryptic line like "my brother was right about having power being a bad thing," she goes to track Shigeo down, who encourages her to stop looking into it, as it's dangerous. She keeps her eye on both of them from this point on, as she has a faint idea that this could be the scoop of a lifetime.

As a result of the fight with Hanazawa, Ritsu starts practicing with his powers in secret. He's powerful, but new to his abilities, and afraid to bump into others like Hanazawa again without being able to use psychic power properly. Especially now that he knows he's weak compared to his older brother, who was vicious during the fight - even if it was in order to protect him. However, while practicing his powers, he is approached by Hanazawa himself, who tells him he can help him train, using the same justification that Shigeo is so overwhelmingly powerful that Ritsu needs to be able to defend himself "just in case something were to set him off again". They do not see eye-to-eye on this necessarily, but Ritsu sees the use in having a talented esper to help him train, and accepts the offer.

Meanwhile, Tome is trying to encourage Mob to be more confident with his powers, and to use them to help others, like a superhero. Although they usually hung out to search for telepaths in the past, she begins using this time to encourage him to help people in ways only he can, such as tripping purse snatchers, calming down lost children, and fixing broken things, all using his innate psychic abilities. Shigeo is learning slowly to use his powers in ways that make him feel good, and eventually, one of the telepathy club members suggests that he should try to exorcise a local ghost they heard about. Tome declares it a club excursion, and they all go to the abandoned building in which the ghost apparently resides.

Once there, they discover two other espers already on the case. Shigeo is surprised to see his brother there, along with the boy who had beaten him up a month or so ago. Ritsu explains that his powers had awoken, and he's been secretly training with Hanazawa, who seems to be intensely afraid of Shigeo. Shigeo asks if this is why Ritsu has barely been home the last few weeks, says their parents are worried, and that he should go home. Ritsu says he can't go home comfortably until he can control his power, "which you should understand, nii-san" and Shigeo is conflicted to learn that he has accidentally made Ritsu fearful of a power he's recently been making peace with.

Ritsu and Hanazawa go on ahead, and Shigeo isn't sure what he wants to do, wanting Ritsu to feel comfortable with his powers, (aka, let him try and exorcise the ghost, as he had intended to for training) but also wanting to send him home and keep him safe. He also feels apprehensive about Ritsu forging a friendship with someone he considers to be a bad person. Tome suggests they follow them, just in case, and Shigeo agrees with her judgement.

The spirit causing trouble turns out to be extremely dangerous, injuring both Ritsu and Hanazawa, as well as the telepathy club members. Shigeo steps in to protect them all from the spirit, and this also means protecting Hanazawa, who has become like a second brother to Ritsu over the last month. Hanazawa suddenly realises that Shigeo is a good person, but Ritsu becomes even more anguished due to his many conflicting feelings about psychic powers - how he couldn't do anything against the spirit, how Hanazawa suddenly seems in awe of his much stronger brother, and how Shigeo is able to destroy the spirit with ease, when neither of them could do anything special.

Hanazawa leaves with Ritsu, whose personality is becoming more twisted by the minute, confused at his feelings toward himself, and with feelings of fear and jealousy toward his brother, who suddenly seems comfortable using his psychic powers. This troubles him, when he had no idea Shigeo had also been 'training' his powers all this time [aka, he's getting it into his own head that Shigeo is intending to get stronger, rather than what we know; that he's trying to gain confidence].

--

Over the next while, he spends less and less time at home, only there to eat with the family - spending most of his time with Hanazawa, who stays by him, having become increasingly worried about his motivations. On the other side, Tome continues to help Shigeo to use his powers for noble causes, while he also continues activities with the body improvement club, which now includes Onigawara, who had witnessed Shigeo defeating Hanazawa and decided to learn more about him, only to enjoy the daily life of the club and become a member for real. [This is a weak plotline, subject to change, but I like Onigawara joining the club ok]

The telepathy club, other than Tome, no longer go with them on ghost visits due to the harrowing nature of the first. Even so, they keep ears to the ground to help them seek ghost rumours out, and are supportive of the good work they do for the locals. Shigeo is happily led by Tome's enthusiasm and strong sense of justice, and continues to help her search for other espers (especially telepaths) while exorcising ghosts and doing good deeds. He relies on her greatly for her personality, and doesn't feel a need to speak up too much - she views him as her equal and follows his judgement around spirits without making him feel uncomfortable.

During high school, despite being separated, Tome and Shigeo continue to work together on weekends. They are known locally as a pair of psychics, even though only one is an actual psychic - Tome is happy to be considered a psychic by association, however, and enjoys helping Shigeo in any way she can while on the job. This usually ends up in her speaking to the people they're helping; dealing with the social aspects that Shigeo finds uncomfortable, while Shigeo focuses his energy on the psychic work. She however does adopt moves such as Salt Splash after discovering that purified salt can weaken spirits, as a mechanism for self defence in dire situations.

At the same time (high school), Ritsu and Hanazawa have begun to pick up a following of espers who feel that their powers have made them alienated from society, and who want to be treated as normal people (the awakening lab crew), who they have begun to train, also. Ritsu has become more twisted by his need to prove his strength and worth against his brother, but is battling his own thoughts on this constantly - his brother would never hurt him, but what if? [Think: the anti-villain who believes they're an anti-hero and blurs the line as they fall deeper into their mess].

Hanazawa stays by Ritsu's side to remind him not to go off the deep end, and to continue helping him understand that Shigeo isn't his enemy [nobody here is a villain technically]. He tries to encourage Ritsu to speak to his brother about his feelings while he still can, but Ritsu (who is aware that his brother is now a local celebrity due to his powers) has become prey to his feelings of inadequacy. He believes he shouldn't speak to Shigeo until he's ready to fight him and defeat him, proving his worth as an esper, and a person. Hanazawa isn't sure that's for the best, but he continues to stay by Ritsu and support him, as he feels responsible for driving Ritsu to believe Shigeo was in any way dangerous when they first met.

-- timeskip to adulthood --

As adults, (around 24/25 [pssh, "adults"]) Tome opens Spirits and Such, alongside Mob, who has no other career path in mind, and is happy so long as Tome deals with people so he doesn't have to. Outside of his work with s&s, he is a bit of a recluse, shy around others, and still a little nervous about the powers he knows he's holding back, mostly staying in his apartment to avoid danger or conflict. Even so, he continues to regularly exercise, and helps the people around town when he can, while trying not to be noticed too much [this Shigeo is more socially anxious due to Tome taking on the bulk of social activity around him while they grew up].

Shou, who had heard of their work, and shares their strong sense of justice and desire to Do Good, comes one day to visit them. He notices very quickly that Shigeo is much more powerful than he lets on, and asks directly if he's content hiding so much of his power, a little disappointed in him. Shigeo (who has an easier time talking to spirits and fellow espers) explains that as a child, he'd hurt his brother, and has never truly recovered from the trauma, leaving an almost lifelong mental block on the bulk of his power. [This is something he feels he is able to speak about with other espers, and for comedic effect, Tome probably had no idea all this time and is shocked to find out something like that happened, when she thought the first time he used his powers to fight was during the fight with Hanazawa] Shou seems to understand his issue, and takes pity on him, explaining that he'll try to help Shigeo use and control the deeper powers he holds, giving him a business card for an esper research lab, and leaving.

Ritsu suddenly disappears after finishing university, and Shigeo (without hesitation) begins to use his free time to search for him, against Tome's better judgement. He has some leads, like Hanazawa becoming a celebrity psychic, though he's not sure how to go about meeting a celebrity, and Shou's mysterious esper research lab, though he isn't sure if Ritsu even knows about that. Sadly, he doesn't know how to go about following leads, when until now he's always followed Tome's judgements, so he's so far gotten absolutely nowhere.

This is about the time that LOL cult is being formed, and Reigen, a middle school boy, finds himself in the middle of a very dangerous situation. But luckily, S&S have been asked to check the shady organisation out by local reporter and friend of the business, Mezato, and Tome is sending in her best (and only) co-worker to get the job done.

--

Oh no I accidentally wrote a half-assed ageswap AU fanfiction? [REAL] This ended up being a whole prologue and being waaaay too big for me to tell the rest of the storyline in my head in just one post.......... 😳 So uh,,, let me know if you would want more of it 😳 (I even tried to make it brief!! This is not brief!!)

[arabaka]

Ngl the thought of Reigen carrying a baby around in one of those little carriers that straps the baby to your chest?? Makes me melt. You KNOW he’d be one of those dads that is absolutely holding a whole conversation with the baby that’s just babbling.

you just sparked so many ideas i--

(bonus: this godawful edit i drew/made but look i tried)

imagine you've come down with a cold, the worst you've ever experienced. you're in no shape to watch shigeo. rest. let me help you. reigen reassures you, smoothing a cooling patch on your forehead to help with your fever. you mutter something or other but your tossing and turning in bed doesn't make for a winning argument. reigen leaves you with a glass of water and your favorite cup of tea on the nightstand. you start to drift off, the distant sounds of your baby cooing and reigen packing the diaper bag lulling you to sleep.

"... so that's why i think the ghost of my ex-girlfriend is haunting me and... is he alright?" the he being baby shigeo who's currently hovering in the purple carrying pouch strapped to reigen's chest. who knew it could be so versatile?

reigen quirks a brow; it's become so natural for him to have shigeo at a stand-still, floating in his carrier but stays put thanks to all the pouch's buckles, that he almost doesn't follow the client's concern. "oh, him? don't worry, he does this. perfectly safe."

or or.

with serizawa and mob hanging around reigen so much, paranormal entities just seem to linger and subsequently, latch onto reigen's much more defenseless aura. they've never bothered him too much, only able to leave their traces in the forms of muscle aches and minor bouts of misfortune but lately, this issue seems to be gone altogether.

he's recalling this to you during your walk in the park, shigeo once again nice and snug in the front-facing pack, "i can't recall when the last time that happened was." you muse along with him, trying to narrow down what it could be. shigeo seems to want to be part of the conversation too, giggling and waving his stubby little hands around (no doubt a trait he's picked up from his father). the two of you play along, responding to shigeo's babbling with earnest replies, joking about how he's their lucky little protector.

little did they know that shigeo has been, unwittingly, sealing you two off from spirits with ulterior motives. in fact, there's one behind you all right now being thwarted and you all are none the wiser.

at this point i just wanna do a series of drabbles about this cute ass family

[bitchapalooza]

Idk mp100 headcanons I guess

Reigen is quarter American from his mother's side. More specifically, his grandfather was American. This fact changes nothing, if anything it inflated his ego in English class and he ended failing multiple tests before finally asking his grandfather for tutoring lessons.

Reigen still failed to learn to speak English. He can write it pretty decently.

Although he is naturally blond, Reigen does dye his hair because he's going prematurely grey and he has trouble accepting it lmao

Serizawa has voice volume control difficulties.

Shigeo uses an array of highlighters and colored pens for his school notes and uses cow themed tabs to bookmark the important pages. I think his dad got him the cow tabs at the start of the school year :) he likes milk a lot, be figured the cows would make his son happy.

Yes the cows made Shigeo happy.

Speaking of Mr. Kageyama; although they aren't close, I do think his dad TRIES to be close with Shigeo. Tries to understand his interests and his powers, too. He's tried taking him on regular fishing trips and help with homework when he was younger, but Shigeo would always use his powers to fish and he preferred doing homework alone.

Mr. and Mrs. Kageyama met Reigen about 2 weeks after Shigeo did and they were fine with Shigeo working for him. It seemed to make their son happy and more socialble even. They could never get him to play with other kids his age or connect with him on a more emotional level— but that all pretty much changed with Reigen as a sort of mentor for Shigeo. His parents noticed he started talking to other kids in his class more often when school was getting out and every so often, Shigeo would come to them to talk about whatever was bothering him. They aren't so close and involved because they respect Shigeo's boundaries. His mom tries to get answers from Ritsu from time to time to keep tabs on him, but otherwise, both his parents stay back and allow him all the space he needs. They're grateful for Reigen's involvement in his social development, because if not for him, Shigeo wouldnt be the way he is now. Its nice to see him smile more.

I think the Kageyamas and Reigen do talk tho. Maybe mainly over the phone. But I wouldn't exactly call the three friends. Just three people who happen to care about and take care of Shigeo.

However they have zero fucking clue of how much of a fraud Reigen is lmao

I think Ritsu would like coconut flavored candies. I dunno why.

Shigeo went undiagnosed with autism until pretty recently actually. It was actually Dimple mustering as much energy as possible to send the messages along to the Kageyamas because SHIT this child needed a little more help in school! He wasn't a bad student of course, he just struggled with certain aspects in school that Dimple actually knew there were accommodations available for as long as the kid had that doctors note.

So like just imagine Dimple leaving messages on the fogged bathroom mirror or written in ketchup on the kitchen counter. He wasn't subtle about it. He knew this kid for all of 3 months at this point, he wasn't about to watch him struggle for much longer.

When Shigeo did get the diagnosis, nothing changed besides the accommodations. He hardly ever remembers hes autistic.

Reigen has adhd. He's transmasc and gay.

Serizawa is autistic. He's cis and gay.

Dimple is an enemy of the state, specifically the localized area of the entire United Kingdom plus half of Belgium and Cancún, Mexico. /j

[truly-morgan]

[Soulmate AU, First words your soulmate says are printed on you]

MobRei | Mob Psycho 100 Soulmate AU 16-01-2023

[#reimob soulmate AU, first words]

Soulmate where somewhere on your body you have you're soulmate's first words to you. It can go from one single word to a full sentence. People who had the latter happen to them were usually seen as lucky, since most had only one or two.

Growing up, Reigen had always wondered what he should do with the words faintly written on his wrist. "Excuse me" was such a coming thing to say, he wished he had been part of those who have a couple more words. Even just one more would have helped.

When he was younger Reigen grew hopeful every time someone would say these words to him, yet nothing special or "magical" ever happened, nor did the person react to whatever he replied to them.

He knew the words were supposed to suddenly become more readable & take a new colour.

People said that even without looking at it, you just *knew* it was the right meeting. That the person saying those words was indeed your soulmate.

But the older Reigen got, the less he believed it and the less he believed in ever meeting his soulmate.

The older he got, the more he started to wonder if his soulmate died before they could even meet. Or else what? was he supposed to meet them when he was already in his 30's or 40's.

He did try dating, but it never really lasted and he didn't really know how exactly he should be looking for his soulmate anyway.

Then one day it happened.

He had heard the familiar "excuse me" that often came with people coming unannounced to his business. And as he automatically replied "Sure Thing, how may I help you?" to the person he felt it.

A tingling and really warm sensation washed over his wrists.

He quickly looked down at it, looking in disbelief as the faded words suddenly became a pretty shade of purple.

His head snapped back up quickly when he heard a soft gasp, the boy standing at his door holding onto his upper arm with a worried frown.

"This got to be a joke" Reigen mumbled to himself as he looked at the boy in disbelief, unsure if he was somehow having a really sick dream or not.

This couldn't possibly be it.

The kid then looked up at him, looking a little bit confused as to what was happening, still clutching the sleeve of his shirt.

Reigen had to take a deep breath to compose himself, if he was confused and unsure, he couldn't imagine how the kid felt.

"Hey there..." He started, only to pause because he didn't have a name.

"Shigeo Kageyama" the boy shyly replied.

"Hey there Shigeo, is your arm bothering you?" he asked as he got closer, crouching down to the kid's level. Shigeo then nodded, still not letting go of his shirt.

"Why don't you let me check to make sure everything is alright?" he suggested. He waited for the affirmation of the boy, who nodded once more with a quiet "okay" to reach out.

Barely had he started to pull up the sleeve did he start seeing text appear.

He took in a deep breath when he saw the same purple on Shigeo's pale skin, reading exactly what he had said earlier.

"Why is my soulmark purple," Shigeo asked, moving his arm to look at it better.

Reigen mouth then pinch into a thin line, trying to think about how he was supposed to break it to the kid. "Well you see... when you meet your soulmate you feel tingling and colour fills the mark" the man offered with an unsure smile, his hand rubbing his wrist.

"You see... mine also filled in" he offered, showing his wrist.

Reigen wasn't sure what reaction he had expected from shigeo, but he sure had not expected him to suddenly grab onto his hand to bring it closer as he looked at his wrist, eyes looking in awe at it and a strange childish excitement filled his face.

"Does this mean we are soulmates?" he asks, looking oddly happy about it despite Reigen being a lot older than him.

It actually worried Reigen for a moment, what if it had been someone with bad intentions towards kids?

He cleared his throat as he tried to pull his hand away, stopping doing so when Shigeo wouldn't really let go. "Yes it's mean we are" he replied, which seem to only make the kid even more happy.

He then quickly thought about what he was supposed to do with this situation.

He couldn't possibly just... let it go like this.

Shigeo's parents were bound to eventually notice the change in their son's mark and they hadn't just randomly met on the street, this was his office where Shigeo could easily point his parents back to.

"Here" he ended up saying, giving the boy one of his business cards, "In case your parents want to contact me... about all this" he vaguely gestured, pulling back his hand when the kid took his card instead, before carefully putting it in his backpack.

"Anyway," Reigen said as he stood up again, going back to make some tea and wanting to change the subject, "Why did you come here?"

"Well actually, I would need help with some psychic powers"

Reigen looked back at Shigeo, unsure what to reply to this at first. He then figured out that maybe the kid had quite the imagination.

"This should be easier to deal with than the soulmate part" Reigen then thought to himself, ready to listen to him anyway.

====

I have no clue where to go from here, the idea was pretty much just that xD I do wonder how the Kageyama parents would react to this tho 🤔 like "yes I went to see this psychic for help about my powers and then I felt my arm tingling and both our marks were pretty purples and after I told him about my powers and he said he could help me with that, oh! He also left me his business card for if you want to call him 😊"

Like, that would be concerning, but we *are* talking about shonen protag parents, who already had little to no objection over Mob working for some dude who call himself the greatest psychic of the 20th century. Plus it's not like he's trying to hide it either, he immediately gave his contact to mob so they could call him.

Original

[needsmoresleepwrites]

He was in his second year of university when he met Reigen (ReiMob, same age AU)

One Semester

Read on Ao3

Mob wouldn't really describe himself as insecure. Or at least not anymore.

He remembers his middle school years and how he'd always stutter and choke on his thoughts and words, especially anything regarding his childhood sweetheart Tsubomi. But there were many events in his short esper life that had helped him grow and before he knew it, he'd graduated high school and finally started university, and all of those insecurities had stayed in his past. Of course, that didn't mean he wasn't insecure sometimes even as an adult. Sometimes, when his new friends would invite him out, he'd stand in front of his bedroom mirror and ponder what to wear, unsure if he should put more effort into his looks. At other times, when, as Ekubo so kindly assured him he was being hit on he'd feel a flush on his face, confused as to why this could be true, and he'd once more trip over his words, but it was nothing compared to how he felt now

He was in his second year of university when he met Reigen

Normally, their classes wouldn't overlap since Reigen was a senior and in the business department, and Mob was still taking beginner classes as an undecided major, but they'd somehow picked the same elective course, and, Reigen with his affability, had pretty much charmed everyone. Especially Mob

So much that during their first month of classes together, Mob was sure he'd never been more embarrassed. His being an esper wasn't exactly a secret and he'd never particularly enjoyed showing off, especially after Tsubomi had lost interest in his powers, so he had kind of panicked when he'd lost a bit of control and made all the desks in the room float. Not even Ekubo's voice had been able to penetrate the haze he'd apparently been in. It was Reigen's exclamation that had brought him back to Earth, and with him, the desks as well, all of them falling with roaring thuds. Luckily nobody had been hurt, but Mob had been so sick, he'd missed the rest of his classes and even decided to skip the next day

He remembers Ritsu at his door trying to coax him out

Ekubo was the one who managed to get Mob back to class, that business kid, the one you like, he wants to see you

He really didn't want to, but he was also curious. His heart was racing, not just from the nervousness of seeing the guy he was currently crushing on (he remembers Ekubo's shocked face when Mob blushed during their introduction on their first day. He'd gone over to him and nearly screamed, Are you serious?! This one?!), but from the uncertainty of their conversation. What did Reigen want to tell him? Why did he want to see him? Was he mad? Upset? He was in business, Mob wasn't sure what career path, but perhaps he...Mob felt something get stuck in his throat...wanted to s-sue him? Damages? He vaguely remembers something similar happening when he was younger

Trying to figure out the reason was tougher than a test question with the "all or none of the above" option. Ekubo just picked his nose, claiming he didn't know either. He'd just heard the kid asking about Mob, but no he didn't seem upset

Mob had somehow sat through his classes, all of them, even as he felt a penetrating gaze at his back. After his classes, he'd walked to the quad and sat at a bench by the library entrance, waiting

"Mob!" he heard his name called out and when he looked up, there he was

Mob hadn't known Reigen for long, but the few times he'd seen him, Reigen was always wearing a suit. He'd never understood adults who wore them. They seemed constricting and stuffy, but the way Reigen looked in his suits somehow fit. The suits also made him look a bit older, more precise, and when he spoke, it seemed to give him more authority. People always listened to him, enraptured, not just by his voice but his body language, the flow of his hands, his confident stare

By then, perhaps because it was near the end of the day, the sun was nearly setting, Reigen had changed. He wasn't wearing a suit. Instead, he wore a white t-shirt and some grey sweatpants, a pair of sneakers on his feet. His hair was also slightly messy and Mob wasn't sure which Reigen he liked best, this one that looked softer and his rightful age, or the suited and more mature one

He barely registered Ekubo's, ugh, I'm heading home

"Hey," Reigen greeted him and Mob only nodded, then reminded himself that this was his chance to properly speak with him!

"H-Hi," he stuttered and felt his cheeks flush. Reigen only grinned

"I'm glad you came back to class. I thought maybe you'd drop the course. You seemed kind of...well, not okay that day when you left." There was an unspoken question in the air and Mob felt his body heat up remembering what happened. He swallowed the lump in his throat

"I'm o-okay," he assured, "I don't normally..." he made vague movements with his hands, "I was just d-distracted. It won't..." he took a deep breath to calm himself, "It won't happen again."

Reigen seemed to deflate a bit, "Wait, seriously? But that was so cool!"

Mob felt his heart skip a beat but he stayed firm, "I could have hurt someone."

Reigen frowned slightly, not upset, more so thoughtfully. He angled his hips for a moment, his hand on his chin, and then straightened out with a smile, "Hey, I know! Why don't you practice your powers with me!"

Mob could feel this was a bad idea, but the way Reigen's eyes sparkled with enthusiasm and knowing that they'd be interacting more if he said yes...

"O-okay," was his mumbled reply

----

After that, the two of them saw each other more frequently "to train" Mob's esper powers. He actually had stopped using his powers in middle school, preferring to hone his body and mind (or at least attempt to), which is probably why he struggled with some of the tasks Reigen gave him. Or perhaps it was because it was Reigen talking to him, smiling at him, touching his arm, throwing his arm around his shoulder, taking him out to eat, that had Mob at his limits. But if anything good came out of this, and Mob could list a few things, it was that Mob got used to Reigen. He still felt himself get nervous around the confident man, but at least he could speak without stuttering

The activities that Reigen came up with were usually childish and easy (like the time Reigen had Mob levitate some desks while he played loud music and sang along. He remembers Ekubo screaming about his ears and ok, Mob had to admit that Reigen couldn't hold a tune but he'd found it cute so while his ears did hurt for a bit, it was worth it. Or the time Reigen tried to tickle him while he concentrated on making water bubbles, except he wasn't ticklish. Mob would have counted this as a victory but then Ekubo went ahead and loudly exclaimed, careful, he's going to put his hands into your pants and Reigen's hands were a bit close to the edge of his pants and his concentration completely unbalanced and the water bubbles splashed them both. Ekubo couldn't stop laughing at how red Mob had gotten), so instead of training, Mob would often feel like they were just...hanging out

Ekubo would just roll his eyes, Shigeo, sometimes I wonder how you're twenty, you're so naive

He didn't really understand what Ekubo was trying to tell him but he knew these feelings for Reigen weren't "naive" or at least not always. He remembered the time Reigen, so perceptive, had noticed that Mob often "spaced out". Reigen had been slurping on some noodles, the broth getting all over his face and some, Mob noticed, sprinkling onto the table they sat at. "Not sure what's going on, but it's like, you're going to think I'm crazy, but it seems like you're listening to someone talk to you."

And Mob had confessed that that was exactly what he'd been doing. Reigen nearly choked from the excitement on his face, "Ghosts are real?! Can I talk to him?"

Ekubo hadn't liked the idea. For some reason, he'd never particularly liked Reigen and Mob had yet to figure out why, If he can't see me, he can't see me. Probably doesn't have even a spark of power. Mob had relayed the message and Reigen had just shrugged. He'd seemed nonchalant about the topic, but Mob, after spending so many evenings with him, had noticed the slight droop of his frame

After eating, the two decided to walk back to the dorms, but right before parting, Mob had taken Reigen's hand. Reigen had just looked at him curiously and Mob hoped and prayed his hands wouldn't suddenly start sweating too much, "I have an idea."

Mob pushed some of his own power into Reigen. He wasn't sure if it would work, but it was because of his own power that Ritsu's had manifested. Perhaps Ekubo was right and Reigen didn't have any abilities, but perhaps he did. Or perhaps he could temporarily share his own, just a tiny bit

Reigen's eyes grew wide as he felt Mob's esper powers flow into him and he couldn't help the grin and exclamation that escaped his lips, "He's a green blob! Can I touch him?"

Without waiting for a response or releasing Mob's hand, Reigen reached out towards Ekubo, who was Not Amused, "Hey! Hands off kid!" he floated behind Mob, "Shigeo, keep him away or I'll possess him!"

"Shigeo?" Reigen tilted his head, "He calls you by your first name?"

Mob felt his hand warm at the sound of his name coming from Reigen. He knew Reigen wasn't technically calling him but just hearing his name coming from his crush...he felt the butterflies again. Butterflies that quickly turned into a burning sensation as he imagined Reigen calling him Shigeo in a different context. He pulled his hand away and wiped them on his pants, having felt them start to sweat and become clammy. His face was red, he could feel it, but could also feel Ekubo's stare, Reigen's stare...it was too much and he excused himself. It was late, he had to go to bed, they had class the next morning

----

Sharing his power with Reigen was experimental. He hadn't ever done that before and he wasn't sure what the consequences would be. In the end, Reigen develops the ability to see Ekubo without Mob's help. There aren't any other spirits in the area so they can't really test out if perhaps Reigen can see or sense others. They decide that can be an experiment for another day. Instead, Reigen tries to befriend Ekubo, which doesn't exactly turn out well, but the two of them are civil. Mob is glad since Ekubo is his friend and Reigen, well, he likes Reigen

They become busier with school work as the semester starts coming to an end. All the teachers have surely conspired and Mob has too many final projects to go out with Reigen like they used to. This also means Reigen is busier since he's also taking his business core classes.

On the night of their last class, Reigen sends him a text, meet me at the quad

Mob checks the time, it's almost midnight, but he doesn't hesitate to put on a hoodie, slip on the closest pair of jeans, and head out. The moon is bright as he walks the block to the quad and a few people walk past him, taking a night stroll or heading home after a night of last-minute submissions. He doesn't pay much attention to them and when he finally reaches the quad, he sees a figure sitting on the ground, looking up at the sky. Reigen is wearing a sweatshirt and sweatpants. There's a curious design on the shirt that reminds Mob of Ekubo and he wonders if maybe Reigen bought it because of that. He smiles

"Reigen," he calls out, announcing his presence. Reigen leans back, tilting his head and smiles, patting the space beside him. Mob sits down, listens to the night creatures and the sound of the few cars passing by the school, the engines quiet and almost soothing. A few voices reach them but they are far enough away where the words don't register. It's a peaceful night

There is a sense of dread building in Mob's stomach. They only really started to hang out when they started taking this class, when Mob showed his powers, and while he now had Reigen's contact information, a part of him wondered if this was the end. Maybe Reigen wouldn't want to hang out with him anymore.

Mob wasn't usually this pessimistic but Ekubo had been kind enough to remind him that Reigen, if anything, was only interested in his powers, And you already showed him all you can do. He's probably gotten bored. For a moment, Mob wishes he had used his powers when he was younger, done what Ritsu and Ekubo had told him, but it's a thought that comes and goes. The use of his powers was something he has always been firm about and while these last few weeks have been fun and nothing has happened, Ritsu is the prime example that something can always go bad

After a while, Reigen finally speaks and Mob thinks that maybe there's sadness in his voice, "Today was the last day of classes, submissions too. Gah! I can't believe they didn't give us until the weekend, grades aren't even due until a few weeks from now."

"They do have to grade everything," he commented, not especially caring about the topic. If he had more time, there really wouldn't have been much of a difference

Reigen lets himself fall onto the ground, "I doubt they actually grade everything. There's too much!"

He's not expecting an answer and Mob doesn't really know what to say so they end up in silence again but only for a moment. Reigen turns to him, "Lay down next to me."

Mob feels himself grow warm under his sweater but does as Reigen says. They both lie on the grass and he knows and feels how close their hands are to touching. Ekubo had decided not to join them and he's glad for that. He's sure he would comment on how Mob is blushing, how loud his heart is beating, how his fingers twitch in anticipation, hoping there will be an excuse, anything, for them to close the distance (but of course, he can't really think of anything, the last time they held hands was because Reigen started running and didn't want to leave Mob behind, before that it was to check and see if Mob had started bleeding after falling, before that to forcefully hand him his payment for the ramen they had after classes, and before that-)

Reigen holds his hand. His hand is clammy and warm and soft, Is he nervous too? His heart is in his throat and ears and maybe even on his palm and he wonders if Reigen can feel it beating so quickly

"Hey Mob," he says softly, he's turned to look at Mob

Mob does the same, "Yes?" And he just stares at Mob for a moment and seems to nod to himself

"I, I don't usually eavesdrop you know," he started, "but I saw you with Ekubo the other day. I heard him saying...I heard him say I only hang out with you because of your powers." Mob feels Reigen squeeze his hand tighter, "So I decided not to see you this past week. I mean, I was also busy with school work and you were too but I was thinking too and I wanted to tell you something."

Mob can't look away and he nods, letting Reigen know he's listening, that he can continue.

Reigen takes a deep breath, "I like you!"

It's so sudden and loud that Mob freezes in place, his pulse skyrocketing, the confession echoing in his mind and he's confused as to how they went from talking about Ekubo and his powers, to suddenly being confessed to. Reigen looks down at their hands and just smiles, moves his fingers away and Mob doesn't want that. He feels like he can breathe again and he nervously grabs Reigen's retreating hand.

It's his turn now, "I-I like you!...too."

It's quiet for a moment and then Reigen laughs, his body relaxes, and he threads their fingers together, "I'm so glad! I'm so happy, can you feel it?" He's moved their hands onto his chest and Mob can feel how fast his heart is beating. Exactly like his

"Mine too," he confesses.

Reigen grins at him, leaves their hands on his chest but rearranges them so that it's more comfortable, "This is the best day," he all but whispers. Mob only catches it because he can't look away

"You know, the first time I saw you, I thought you were so cool," Reigen confesses, "Well, you're still cool but you're also really cute."

Mob feels like he's burning up again, "The time with the desks?"

Reigen turns to him, a bit of a blush on his face, and Mob is fascinated. Reigen doesn't really blush, not even when he gets nervous (not that he gets nervous often, he's very confident and knowledgeable), "Well, about that...actually, this is going to sound kind of weird but...that wasn't the first time I saw you..."

And now Mob is confused because he's pretty sure he would remember someone like Reigen

"You went to Salt Middle School, right?" he doesn't wait for Mob to answer but Mob nods, "Well, I have a friend who went there, and I went to see him. There was some event going on, I just remember a marathon, but he was faking being sick and kind of left me alone. I know, what kind of friend does that, right? Well, I was just walking around and I somehow ended up watching everyone run and then I saw you. Your knee was bleeding but you had this really determined look in your eyes, I think I heard someone say you eventually passed out but I really thought you were cool. That same friend mentioned you got into this university and I thought maybe we could be friends. Well, that was before I actually saw you."

He's grins at Mob, "After I saw you I knew I wanted to date you."

"D-Date?" Mob croaks out but then he pauses, that's the logical next step, right? If they both like each other then...

"Are we boyfriends now?" he asks quietly.

Reigen sits up and turns to Mob, "That's what I forgot! Yes! Do you want to be my boyfriend Shigeo Kageyama?"

Mob smiles. He sits up too, "Yes."

----

OMAKE (One year later)

Reigen finishes up the tidying and turns to Mob who is setting up the "counter" where he will mainly be taking payments. They don't have a lot in terms of starting capital so everything they've bought or scrounged up are the bare essentials. Reigen starts, "You know, you don't have to stop going to school. You could help part-time. I don't want your scary brother to think I stole you away or something."

Mob can't help but let out a small laugh at the almost accurate accusation, "It's okay, I talked to him about it, and my family too. I didn't really know what I wanted to continue studying so this works out." He'd finally finished up his electives, leaving him no wiggle room for classes. His counselor had scheduled a meeting with him and pretty much said that if he didn't have a career path in mind, it was best to just take a break. School was expensive and Mob's grades had never been great. He'd taken a break and in that time Reigen had finished his own degree

Ekubo comes in through the window, "Shigeo, you sure you want to be part of this shady business? Spirits and Such Consultations? Sounds like a con-gig to me."

Reigen claps loudly, "Not conning people! We're really going to help some people out. Mob can exorcise spirits and if there aren't any spirits involved, we just find a solution to what's bothering them. Here are some fliers." He hands a stack to Mob and then looks at Ekubo, "Well, I guess you can't pass these around. That's fine."

Ekubo sighs, "I wouldn't even if I had a body. Shigeo, we're going to get shut down."

"Not all businesses are successful the first time! We just have to be flexible, right Mob?"

Mob nods, and pulls Reigen into a back hug. He's sure everything will work out. Reigen is passionate and hardworking, and Mob is willing to match that dedication with his own love.

There's a knock on the door and they all scramble, even Ekubo.

"Our first customer!" "I can't believe someone actually came in here!" "I'll get some tea started!"

Reigen calls out that the door is unlocked and three kids come inside. They're all wearing the same uniform, a baseball one Reigen notes, and they look so different in personality it's almost jarring, but a customer is a customer. He gestures towards the "sitting area" and as they all settle down, he begins...

"Welcome to Spirits and Such Consultation, what can we do for you guys?"

One of them looks like he's already fallen asleep and the smallest looks over to the brown-haired kid and nudges his leg.

"Well, you see..."

---

A/N:

OMG it's been AGES since I last wrote in this fandom!!

I hope you guys enjoyed and that I wasn’t too rusty...!

Some notes + I like to play around with ages but this is the first time I've done a same age AU + GOD I hope they're not TOO ooc (but they probably are *cries*) + I originally had this other idea with ghosts but then this one won out

[cardsbizarreadventure]

I’ve seen a fad where people describe their original character’s personality with a few canon characters from different series.

What characters do you think you could combine to make Joelle?

☆꧁✬◦°˚°◦. ♠ ♣ ♥ ♦ .◦°˚°◦✬꧂☆ Thank you for the ask Mel! It actually took me a good amount of time to even decide upon who would be most fitting to build Joelle. Since she has some of my own self insert in her , but really which oc doesn't? It was kind of hard to decide xD But I think I've managed to collect the ones that are pretty relatable with my character. So here it goes!

Lucy - Elfen Lied If I have to be honest I've never would of thought upon how similar Joelle and Lucy stories are. I was never intending to have so many similarities with this specific characters until recently I stumbled upon a video that made me remember a bit more about the anime and how it played out. Lucy is a very interesting character , born with a 'sickness' ever since she was little kind of reminded me upon Joelle's origin as a pillar both past and present . Lucy has been bullied , barely knew any kind of friends and because of her 'sickness' everyone was after her because what she can cause with her powers , until she stumbled upon one that really liked her for who she was [Kind of gives me the possible Joseph or Rei vibes but without the romantic kind of intent that was implied in the story because Lucy did fall in love with her best friend.] She was brought into a lab to keep away from the outside world and experimented on , until she broke out and was given a chance for a second life regardless of what she had witnessed and did in her youth.

Ren Tao - Shaman King A few aspects that I can collect from Ren are the anger he has built for humanity that really matches with Joelle's story . Because when she ended up in the XPD facility where they did various of experiments on her and basically played her like a toy she began to pile up a lot of anger upon those people creating an image in her head that they were all the same . But after meeting with someone who opened her eyes to the world , she began to have another look upon things and wanted to try and move on and heal but also find a new purpose in life .

Edward Elric - Fullmetal Alchemist When ever I would look at Ed I could actually see a few aspects of Joelle as well , because of his own determination to fix what he has done in the past and return his brother back to his original body , reminds me of how Joelle wants to protect her new family and find a way to stop evil from prevailing . It also gives a pinch of hint upon how him and his brother were trying to bring back their mother , is a similarity upon how Joelle wanted to bring back her own mother but instead she ended up releasing a curse that later on haunts her , the same way Ed and Alphonse tried to bring their mother back and ended up creating a homunculus being. Sadly I haven't watched brotherhood and I really need to , but I'd assume I'd find even more similarities if I do so~. But I do however see a lot of pieces of Ed in Joelle!

Misaki Ayuzawa - Kaichou wa maid-sama This goes a bit on her emotional side to be honest. Misaki is a perfect representation of Joelle , a strong and very responsible individual and yearns for a piece of romance in her life that will assure her that they will stay with them for who they are . A perfect aspect of her Tsundere side because she is very conflicted and very confused when it comes to these sort of things. I absolutely adore her strong character and how she is able to handle so many responsibilities , reminds me upon her current position in the SpeedWagon foundation , a lot fear her because of how she would act and how her attitude just goes across the room, but a good amount also admire her when they get to know her personally and understand her better upon why she is the way she is , that she has a very gentle side to her.

Chise Hatori - Ancient Magus Bride Another little lost soul that was being sold to the world. Chise has always been one of my most favorite characters once I started the anime , the aspects of her that I see in Joelle are the growth she managed to accomplish with herself , she used to have a normal life a happy family , but eventually that turned around when 'dark beings' (which would hint the cults of Hearteater) began to make their way into their life and make it more dangerous to be around , and even the fact that her own 'blood and family' tried to kill her is the hint of her father that almost killed her. [But in the anime it was the mother that tried to.] She eventually ends up in good hands which help her see the world with different eyes and find who she really is and help her discover her own courage and determination that she wants to do better for herself and others around her .

Shigeo Kageyama - Mob Psycho Little little shy Mob~. He was one of my main inspirations if I have to be honest because a lot matched with the two of them. This comes around her more doubtful and shy side. Mob is a perfect representation of both Joelle's moods , when she is sweet and respectful to a menace and a deadly being if they come near their family. Her relationship with Reigen matches with the one me and my friend Mel have with Joelle and Yorie . Let's not forget about how crazy batshid he went when they took his brother away and he was willing to do everything in his powers to save him... but there was also the fire in his house.. now that is basically the next level of Chapter Death in a sense. But for real there are a lot of aspects behind Mob that I connect with Joelle and how her character is displayed~.

Yuuji Itadori - Jujutsu Kaisen Yuji is the aspect of Joelle that exists kind of rare but it's still there , it's her little goofy side , but the amount of love for her friends and family is also there . His determination and courage to protect his new friends is the same as Joelle trying to protect her own regardless of what kind of burden both of them carry that can cause the destruction of the world, even if the the two of them might appear weak to most they would always throw themselves in danger to protect their loved ones , but later one begin to grow in personality and strength . Maybe I can even connect a tad bit Sukuna and Chapter Death because both are the representation of the final stage when the 'scary' takes over and would basically erase your existence . Yuji and His friends remind me a whole lot of Joelle and her own little crew and how each of them help each other and will always be there no matter what. Basically the hero that wants to save everyone and doesn't really care what happens to them , as long as everyone is safe .

Manjiro Sano and Ken Ryuguji - Tokyo Revengers These two go in pair ~. I see a big portion of aspects of the two in Joelle and each of them kind of represent her 'goofy' and her very serious and respect side. Mikey is a bit more laid back and chill but at the same time very scary , a bit how Joelle is in a sense how she can be so calm on certain occasions until she finally snaps and beats the crap of anyone who doubted her and called her 'small and helpless.' This is the aspect I enjoy the most between the two because they underestimate their opponent and then get their ass handed to them , that's how the two kind of go xD. Draken would be maybe her grown up and mature side in a way and the one that keeps things in line when ever there is justice that needs to be served because no one is allowed to hurt their friends and family. Very loyal and determined and even jump down to apologize for their wrongs to try and correct themselves and possibly help their friends understand the situation a little better , unless there is no way out they always try and reason first before jumping into action.

Nezuko Kamado - Demon Slayer / Kimetsu no Yaiba [New Add] I almost forgot!! Honestly I can't forget to include my favorite little goofball . Another little demon that I can see a lot of personality traits and aspects in Joelle as well. Nezuko and Tanjiro are also a good representation of both Jericho and Joelle in a sense because of how strong their bond is beyond anything . I don't want to spoil anything in my current arcs because I want to keep it a surprise since I have a whole lot of things to decide on . Nezuko displays Joelle's very protective side and very caring one as well the side of value she feels towards her surroundings and regardless of being a little 'different' she still is the same person no matter what happens and will never lose her humanity even after being 'cursed'. And even be a little bit of a hint of her sensitive and cute side too regardless that she doesn't show it too often xD.

Saitama - One Punch Man And last but not least , I put him on the bottom because at the beginning when I was creating Joelle I would always think of Saitama and how she was going to play out of sort of a joke that is really powerful and kind of blunt in a sense . But now she has grown so much and has so much potential , story and personality behind her that you can't even imagine! Saitama was maybe my very first inspiration when I created her because for some odd reason I really like OP shid and I mean literally xD. I don't know why but I just do , but regardless of Joelle being kind of OP orientated , later on when I began to play out her story I started to balance her because I wanted her to seem a bit more real other than I just came here to kick your ass and you're dead now lmfao. She still has some funny little aspects of Saitama behind her that's for sure , but she is completely different now and I am super proud of what a long journey she has gone through and grown so much as a character ^ ^. Thank you so much for sending in dear!!I really enjoyed this ask <333!! - Cards

[evanescentdawn]

WOW this got much longer than expected, and basically a full-blown fic idea that I desperately want now

(might add more to this since it doesn’t hold all of my thoughts yet and I’m nowhere finished it)

the idea is: ritsu accidentally confesses to teru when he didn’t even want to confess. he doesn’t like teru at all. but of course, teru hears nothing of that. he completely misunderstands, and thinks that ritsu is in love with him.

things escalate.

they do end up falling in love, in the end, though. <3

ft. one-sided terumob and Other Ideas

this manhwa summary/plot hit me out of nowhere, like I just recalled and went, oh my god, this would be the perfect idea for riteru

imagining Ritsu that accidentally confesses to teru. it’s completely by accident, and because a series of events that too complicated to explain. the problem is that now teru is convinced that Ritsu likes him, and nothing that Ritsu says will see as anything but that

“oh, brother-kun. I never knew.” teru says, with a bright smile. “is that how you act with your crushes? where you just shy all the time.... I almost got the wrong time”

this is all going to fast for ritsu to swallow. too fast for to ritsu to deal with. he’s still stuck in the moment where his own mouth betrayed him. “no...” he manages to get out, but it’s all already to late.

every time that ritsu tries to object, teru is going to think that he’s been shy and embarassed which is horribly not true. he hates that teru thinks is, doesn’t want teru to ever think that. the idea of him in — in —

just thinking of it, repulses him.

he tries his everything to correct this misunderstanding. (he fails)

omg, I just remembered! I was thinking about my other wip, where teru does misunderstand about Ritsu asking him out on a date or smth and then, while I was thinking about I was like... what if it was a confession? and then I recalled that manhwa

anyways! oh my god this would definitely get to mob at one point. but first all, thinking about Teru’s thoughts regarding all of this

he’s like of course, little brother-kun likes me. I’m me. but unfortunately for him, teru is already in love with someone else. mob. well. I was thinking that teru doesn’t like ritsu back, but teru being in love with his mob instead also sounds fun

teru looking at him with a pitying look, teru agreeing to week-date and giving Ritsu some of his time to deal with all this. Ritsu being baffled at all. like who the hell...

and just dislikes teru more, because the ego and the audacity he has... just what. the fuck.

Ritsu has never said anything, teru is just running with this and Ritsu is aware of how he likes his brother, so he tries to use that to get out of this whole mess. “but what about—”

teru hasn’t realised that his love for mob was that obvious and goes, oh, and acts all more pitying towards ritsu and is like Ritsu is all heartbroken about his. and going this is all makes sense now. ritsu likes him, and that’s why he tried to intervene with his precious time with mob. it’s all very understandable now.

it’s not understandable.

ritsu does not like him

ritsu is not heartbroken

teru is missing all the points. he just hated teru presence there, and wanted to be the one to spend with his brother then. and he hated how disgustingly shameless teru was around shigeo.

but of course, ritsu doesn’t get time to explain. he doesn’t get time to do anything. he has to go home, wondering, how did fuck this happen, why teru. blames on the elder woman who was there and had to speak then, and interrupt him him at that time, and blames reigen because actually this was all his fault. he wouldn’t be there if it wasn’t for him. teru wouldn’t be there if it wasn’t for him. the elder woman wouldn’t be there if it wasn’t him. clearly, the fault of mis-timing and him tripping of his words all falls on reigen.

he goes home, dark-faced and clutching the handle of his school bag, with a more deep distaste of reigen

oblivious to all that was occurring, and because of his simple act of telling mob something, reigen feels a ice-cold shudder at the back of his neck.

(perhaps, he just got cursed)

ritsu goes home, exhausted by everything, and sees mob there. sitting and looking happy, and expectant when he sees mob.

after a moment, ritsu asks his usual question of, how did your day go?

mob excitedly tells him how he managed to do this thing in the body improvement club which would seem like a trival thing to any person. but ritsu knows about his brother and his struggles and how this is a improvement. also yeah, I did say that mob says it excitedly but felt like I need to express how it sounds monotone and like it’s anything but exciteding and you weren’t someone that knew him you wouldn’t see how obviously exciting he is

at least one of them had a good day. “that’s good. that’s an amazing achievement, brother.”

mob beams.

ritsu feels worse at the fact that he can’t put more enthusiasm at that and hates teru even more, and reigen, and this whole situation

he goes to sleep.

he has a undisturbed sleep to the degree that when he wakes the next time, he can ALMOST delude himself that nothing. absolutely nothing happened.

teru appearing that morning disturbs it. he had forgotten about teru uninvited morning drop-ins despite how he doesn’t live in the same school as them and his house isn’t close to them

(oh my god, this just reminded me of haru. and now I’m thinking about a mp100 khr au which AAAAA would be so good.)

teru is the same as every morning. he’s dressed and dazzling with his bright yellow aura, way to early in the morning, and up in shigeo’s presence as his brother tries to go about his morning routine of getting ready for school.

just got struck by the image of: mob, sleepy, and brushing his teeth in the bathroom while teru stands in there with him and talks about stuff and admires himself in the mirror. it would be so perfect

ritsu is annoyed by his whole existence. he busies himself with getting though, and spends him lowkey (highkey this is ritsu after all) in awful anticipation of whatever teru is going to say about the confession

no, no, no, Hold on wait. ritsu WOULDNT busing himself with getting ready. he would be doing anything but that. he wouldn’t be able to relax and get ready in the house, when teru is here and everything unknown. and especially when teru is here and he talks a lot.... and might say something to his brother...

yeah, no, ritsu is taking no chances. he’s up in teru’s presence and trying to take him from his brother, and just making sure that he doesn’t say something.

.........which of course oh my god horribly makes this misunderstanding even worse

(will teru even learn that it’s misunderstanding? is it more better for him to never know. so what if it was based on a lie? ritsu will fall for him anyways.)

before this, I was thinking that teru doesn’t say anything and ritsu is almost able to relax when he gets a call, and then, a date dropped on him. because of course, having the tense/anticipation built up while teru is the same as always and acting like he doesn’t know anything, until the moment that they are saying goodbye and mob is out of the frame —

doesn’t even GIVE time for ritsu to be aware of anything, or be prepared, when he turns to him after saying goodbye to mob, and with a smile, “

did I say a call before? well. not a call anymore. it’s said in person, with a wink, and a smile. “gonna collect you after school”

ritsu is left........ idk actually. how would he act after that?? how does ONE act after that??? after the

wait, oh my god. yes, teru would definitely also drop in the fact that ritsu focusing on him all that time, and how did he never knew.... telling ritsu how his actions helped to grow this misunderstandings

it would be PERFECT

jeez. this is getting really long and totally a full blown fic idea. do I stop here and do little time stamps? or do I continue.

im continuing.

ritsu wishing that teru doesn’t appear. ritsu technically having no school, shit I forgot. what club is in again? whatever that school thing is. yeah, that. having no meeting or anything to do there there, but ritsu trying to find something to do. only to delay the time.

but, undisturbed by ever, standing in all his dazzlingly glory, teru is waiting for him there while he’s in conversation with others

in contract, ritsu looks weary and time and wishing to be nowhere but here. and wishing that he didn’t take those extra duties, because it was tedious and trying and the fact that teru is here and is still waiting after that....

teru directs a bright smile to ritsu when he notices him, that ritsu has to slightly squint at,

oh my god. that just remembered me of that tumblr post that goes on about “zy was like the sun” descriptions and how they would be squinting or smth. and that’s definitely teru and Ritsu. oh my god, I need to write that scrne

anyways, back to the story. I don’t think that they would go on a date this time around. maybe, something had happen. I was thinking along the lines that teru wasn’t here because of ritsu, but because of mob and plans they had but that went to poof that morning because of reigen or smth. after all, ritsu is the one who likes teru and teru isnt.

actually. maybe that doesn’t happen this scene but I WOULD LOVE a moment where ritsu misunderstands and teru immediately corrects about that, like how he wasn’t here for him or that he wasn’t waiting for him or smth. and that his life/thoughts doesn’t resolve him (implying that Ritsu’s does resolve teru) and honestly, he should know, that this whole setup is because ritsu is the one with the feelings and teru is here and being a good person and indulging him out of pityness

ritsu seethes. none of that is right. and he hates teru’s condescending attitude. like the AUDACITY of this man. (he’s also very, very embarrassed about his mistake which I imagine would him make go the mile in never mistaking teru’s actions; which wouldn’t in favour for teru when he does fall for ritsu and his actions become more genuine in the nature that it’s for love but ritsu has that iron wall up)

so like, going back, where was I? yes, them walking home because there’s enough time for date. that works better for this situation. mmh, but I was thinking about whether teru would be waiting that long for him. or maybe, because he said so and so he did wait. or maybe, that teru has some other plan now and doesn’t have time for that date or smth

either way, ritsu is glad. ritsu is happy. ritsu is very relieved that

(oh no, another fic idea. from that meme(TM) where teru falls the downstairs, and reigen asks why ritsu is happy, because he never is in reigen’s presence and shou goes; teru fell the downstairs. and now I’m thinking about how the fuck did teru fall the downstairs. properly because of mob. definitely because of mob. and ritsu love for his brother and resolve that his brother is the best person grow because of this)

anyways back to what I was saying. ritsu is relived that he did that club activity thing.

what he isn’t happy about that teru is here, and still walking him home. doesn’t he have better stuff to...? and then, at time, teru asks him when he fell for him and

things click in place.

teru is here because he wants to get off more on the non-love that Ritsu has for love because he has that much of an ego

“I don’t.” ritsu says. which, of course, teru replies with amusement and saying that he doesn’t have to hide now. he knows. which makes ritsu go, urghhh in frustration and digust.

just looked at the time and I swear I started writing this somewhere in 9pm and now it’s 10pm. whoops.

anyways, teru asking ritsu questions about his love for him and ritsu saying, “no, I don’t love you” and

“no I don’t — what the hell? what [specific-thing-about-teru-that-teru-expects-ritsu-to-notice] no I haven’t. why would I??????”

and teru going, hmm, “guess your love isn’t that strong” and Ritsu bafflement,

and teru definitely asking him about what about he loves about him, and Ritsu going “nothing” and teru laughing, “you got humour” but ritsu is not joking

(now whether the teru knows ritsu actually doesn’t love him or he doesn’t is never addressed. I love it being ambiguous more)

they eventually reach ritsu’s home, and teru has a good satisfied ego-stroke from that conversation while ritsu just looks Tired

skipping over to fun date shenanigans! what types dates would they go on?

of course we gotta have cinema date!!! I have been thinking of ritsu having “likes human drama” in his character profile a lot and while I don’t remember what it said for teru, he does...like gossip right?? I’m actually unsure about that as we’ll BUT ANYWAYS teru loves to give his ideas on stuff

and anyways thinking about how ritsu expected to having the worst time, and it starts off as awful. like about how he doesn’t want to be here, and the movie that teru chooses doesn’t look good, and teru picked up the love seats for them

and anyways thinking about, how ritsu is not optimistic about anything and is not here to enjoy himself but as the movie starts....as the movie continues in.....

he gets INVOLVED. he finds that this is straight up his genre

and teru asking him how the movie was afterwards and talking about it, and immediately refuting whatever he says and offering an alternative that teru refutes and that one part in the convo where they

oh my god STRAWS. DRINKS STRAWS. Ritsu getting a specific drink that he likes and that teru side eying it, and going, huh, I haven’t that before, it good? and Ritsu nodding and teru just going for it and drinking it as well from the other side

...because it’s a couple drink or smth and Ritsu PAUSE

and teru acting like it’s totally a normal thing.

(oh my god, new idea: fake dating!!! them having to act like a couple to get into something because of something and getting all-couple things!!!!)

(this reminds me of my other fake dating idea that I want to write, which oh my god would fit with this one I just got)

(riteru fake dating is just So Good. So Perfect heart starry eyes)

gonna stop here, because stuff. so much ideas though!!! still buzzing!!! god, I love them so much and this is gonna be FANTASTIC

but ending off on, teru doing the arm around shoulder thing for ritsu like all the girls he had dated. oh my god, yes.

also...thinking about....mob and him learning through teru but ritsu doesn’t know yet and mob just Dropping on ritsu on time and Ritsu having a flashback through all the times that he had gotten back from date with teru and filling the blanks of

wait. would teru tell mob? would teru want mob to know this.

[deer-teach]

butteredpepsi replied to your post:You make the best cross over art... stg.. 

Please keep going/ tell us more ! I’m so invested wow

anxiety-incarnated replied to your post:You make the best cross over art... stg..

AAHH THIS IS CUTE! :D (Please keep telling us more!)

Thank you, I’m happy to be able to ramble about the twin au haha. I really like analyzing the differences between Saitama and Shigeo because they compliment each other so well. Such as how Shigeo tries to repress his emotions to keep his powers from going out of control, while Saitama‘s powers aren’t tied to his emotional state and he struggles to feel emotion. 

Aside from training to become the strongest hero, Saitama in OPM is reluctant to challenge himself and try new things (King even calls him out on this). And the glimpses we’ve seen of young Saitama show that he was already pretty apathetic as a kid and didn’t have much aspirations. So if Saitama is born with powers in the twin au then I don’t think he’d be motivated to change himself. Contrast this to Shigeo who wants to improve on his shortcomings by joining the body improvement club and becoming more confident in expressing himself to others. I think Saitama would admire his brother’s determination to achieve his goals and supports him in any way he can, but he’d also feel envious. Like Shigeo, he wants to find something that makes him feel passionate and gain a sense of fulfillment from it, but his laziness keeps him from doing so. Shigeo looks up to Saitama for his strength and confidence, but Saitama looks up to him just as much if not more.

Unlike his brother, Saitama has no spiritual powers and he can’t interact with spirits unless they manifest a physical form, so he doesn’t join Shigeo for work. Instead they part ways after Shigeo’s done with the body improvement club (Saitama waits for him while hanging out with the telepathy club). Saitama then goes grocery shopping and helps their mom prepare the meals. He’s shown cooking several times in OPM, so I’d like to think that Saitama enjoys cooking for his family. 

For this reason Ritsu spends more time with Saitama than Shigeo, and since Saitama has always been the one to pick him up and carry him around Ritsu feels closer to him. Ritsu is high key insecure about the fact that his older brothers have had powers since birth but he doesn’t have anything. He feels more comfortable talking to Saitama about his feelings though, which makes Shigeo sad that Ritsu doesn’t depend on him as much. Also, while Saitama and Shigeo are able to argue with each other as siblings do, Ritsu can’t help being nervous about arguing with either of them or making them upset due to his lack of powers. It takes him some time to realize that his older brothers would never use their powers to hurt him.

Saitama tries to provide emotional support for his brothers, but sometimes he doesn’t know how to comfort them so it’s a relief when Reigen, an experienced adult, can step in. Saitama knows that Reigen is a fraud and a con artist, but he acknowledges that Reigen has helped Shigeo gain self confidence and control his powers so he doesn’t really mind. Also he enjoys spending time with Reigen since he’s pretty amusing and he likes to make fun of Reigen good naturedly. (Meanwhile Ritsu makes no effort to hide his dislike of Reigen and is rather passive aggressive towards him lol)

This au kind of merges the world of OPM and mp100, so the twins deal with both monsters and spirits. Saitama and Shigeo have been taking out monsters since they were little kids, but because people usually run away when monsters appear no one has really seen them do it. They don’t bring any attention to it either, so initially only their family and Reigen know that they’re the reason why Seasoning City doesn’t have as many monster attacks as other places. The twins inspire the creation of the Hero Association when they’re older, and because Ritsu is aware of current events he gets them to join the HA early on. (Teru also joins the HA because it allows him to work with his friends and he likes being a hero. And I imagine that the trio’s interactions with Tatsumaki and Fubuki would be pretty funny)

[dragon-zena]

all your troubles in my hair

Fandom: Mob Psycho 100

Relationship: Serizawa Katsuya/Reigen Arataka

Characters: Serizawa Katsuya, Reigen Arataka, Kageyama “Mob” Shigeo, Kageyama Ritsu, Kageyama Siblings’ Parents, Dimple

Additional Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, reigen has horrible coping mechanisms: the fic, Spoilers for Chapter 100, OVA spoilers, Anxiety, Depression, Therapy

Summary: Neither of them are naïve enough to believe that love is meant to solve all of their internalized issues.

Read it on AO3!

Neither of them are naïve enough to believe that love is meant to solve all of their internalized issues.

They both have bad days; it's not something that really comes to a surprise to Katsuya, especially after months of being together.

Katsuya has days where he feels like he's been in a loop, a dream that he'll wake up from, still stuck in his childhood bedroom. Sometimes, he smells the trash, the dirty laundry. He sits up in bed, and there's nothing but white noise under his skin, roaring in his ears. Days where he wants to lock himself in the bathroom, hands shaking.

As time goes on, he has less and less of these days, but even still, sometimes he'll be riding the train with Arataka, towards an apartment that they share more often than not, and he'll look out of the window, admiring just how bright the moon is. And then he'll look at Arataka, leaning into his side with an old newspaper, and he'll watch those long eyelashes flutter as he skims each page, right to left, and there is a small flicker of fear within him—the thought that he might lose experiences like these, again, someday.

And while he's honest about his feelings, sometimes—ironically enough—he just wants to lock them up in a room and throw away the key. When the nights are harder to sleep through, nightmares chasing him into wakefulness, Katsuya almost feels frustrated, angry.

Arataka notices (he always notices), and Katsuya can't ever decide if he wants his boyfriend to ask about whether he wants to talk, or if he would rather be left alone. Whatever he chooses always feels like the wrong answer. He doesn't know if there is a right answer, not after days where he lies in bed feeling awful about a comment made with more snark than usual, or days where he can't make himself speak, at all, days where only the wrong things come out of his mouth. Arataka never takes it personally, but it fills Katsuya with inexplicable vitriol.

He's been working on all of it, having found a therapist that actually understands him after years of having to interact with therapists that he felt never gave a shit about him. He's started to categorize his days, coping by journaling his moods and triggers, what makes him feel this way. What makes him feel better, what feels safe for him. It helps.

Arataka doesn’t have a therapist, doesn’t think that he needs one. It’s something that used to bother Katsuya, the thought that maybe Arataka thought that only certain people needed a therapist—that maybe he thought he was too good for one. But the longer that he experiences loving him, the more he realizes that the man is doing his damnedest to just internalize his issues and move on as though they don't exist. Katsuya thinks that maybe Arataka feels as though if he ignores his problems, he’ll be more credible to the people that need his help. If he ignores his problems, he won’t take up space and resources from people that “deserve it” more than he does.

If he ignores his problems, he’ll still be useful to someone, his accomplishments won’t be stripped away by whatever makes him wake up in cold sweats, whatever makes his face twitch minutely out of its normal placid expression, gone so fast that a stranger might think that they imagined it.

Katsuya is no stranger.

He can see it whenever Arataka gets too caught up in his newspaper on the train home, the way that he tenses up when Katsuya stands to get off, expecting him to follow. The way that Arataka suddenly jumps at the movement, quickly snatching one of Katsuya’s sleeves with wide, faraway eyes. The way that he can’t seem to settle when he’s without something to read, nothing to keep his mind off of the rattling of the train, the screech of the vehicle coming to a stop, the train cabin being thrown into darkness as they pass through a tunnel or under a bridge. The way that he’s always the last person to board the train and the first person off. The way he refuses to fall asleep, even when Katsuya offers him his shoulder.

He sees it in the aftermath of Shigeo’s last explosion. The two of them had waited with Shigeo and Dimple until his parents came to get him. Ritsu had reached them first, of course, and was promptly pulled into a hug by his older brother. The two of them let themselves feel for a few minutes, and Dimple hadn’t been too keen on leaving the two of them alone for a while, settling himself on top of Shigeo’s head like a languid cat. He was looking a little worse for wear, himself, small and a paler green than what he was before he disappeared.

Once the Kageyama parents arrived, Arataka had pushed himself up from his haphazard crouch, using Katsuya as a crutch and biting the inside of his cheek to stifle any pained sounds he made. He smiled genuinely, eyes glassy, and conversed quietly and respectfully with Shigeo’s parents, holding their children so closely. Returned their gratitude for the opportunity to know Shigeo when they had thanked him for looking after their son. Dimple had given Katsuya a significant look over Shigeo’s head when Arataka’s voice cracked, and he had nodded, eyebrows knitting together. When Shigeo had pulled Arataka into a hug before leaving, the man looked prepared to cry, again, and when Katsuya had lifted his young friend into a bear hug, telling him that he was so glad that he was safe, that he had come to a conclusion that made him feel at peace with himself, Shigeo had nodded, clutching him tighter, but he, too, had subtly asked Katsuya to look over his shishou. And Katsuya had nodded again, ruffling his hair and watching as he walked away with his parents.

It left Katsuya and Arataka alone. Not that it mattered, because the moment that the Kageyama car disappeared, Arataka had collapsed to his knees, wheezing in pain. Eyes bleary, he managed a raspy “I can’t afford any hospital bills, right now” before passing out, eyes rolling back into his head. Katsuya only panicked a little, hurriedly bundling him up in his arms and beginning to make his way back from whence the two of them came. With Arataka unconscious, buried in Katsuya’s arms, he had been able to start digesting what happened once he had let the other man walk into Shigeo’s tornado. He thought about how dangerous (and brave, but mainly dangerous) the choice Arataka made was, how quickly he had lost sight of him in the cycle of dusty wind and debris. He thought about what Arataka had planned to leave behind.

The suit jacket. The dress shoes.

They never discuss it fully, not for lack of trying. It’s just, well.

Arataka throws himself into his work, deflecting “personal problems” when they’re working, invested strictly into his mask of professionalism, even when there are no clients. The first time Katsuya tried to push him into talking about his emotions, the man began to talk circles around him, so quickly and with so much anxious fervor that Katsuya ended up at a loss of words, mind swimming. It only occurred to him later that Arataka had told him practically nothing, and he tried not to get frustrated about it. Katsuya subtly asks him about getting help and acknowledging his feelings multiple times, but the only other time that he pressed Arataka led to an argument that lasted for at least a week before they apologized to each other, and by then, it seemed as though the man had developed at least five more different coping mechanisms, none of them even remotely helpful. His sleep schedule has become absolutely ridiculous, and sometimes Katsuya sees his hands twitch for the emergency cigarettes that he keeps in the bottom drawer of his desk. He never goes for it, but he lately seems stressed enough to cave more sooner than later.

Sometimes, Arataka just parks himself next to Katsuya, back straight. He’s not close enough to comfortably reach for, but he’s there.

Tonight is one of those nights. It's Friday, and Katsuya can count on his hands the number of hours of sleep that Arataka has gotten throughout the entire week. Not only that, but something must have been happening to make almost every client that entered Spirits & Such unnecessarily hostile. At some point earlier, his boyfriend had attempted to call Shigeo, ask him if he wanted to come with them for "ramen or something, it’s up to you, really, Mob," but Shigeo had already made other plans. Arataka said that he hadn’t minded, and he probably didn’t, committed to the concept of “not distorting” anyone else with his presence. Even still, his smile seemed a little tighter after hanging up, informing Katsuya that it would just be them, tonight.

Arataka sits stiffly on the other side of the couch, and Katsuya acts like he’s not watching him through his peripheral while working on his math homework. He doesn’t know when he’s going to use this. Remembering Arataka’s frequent complaints about math, he opens his mouth to tell this to him, hoping to make the silence a little less unbearable. But the sight before him makes him pause, words caught in his throat.

His boyfriend is crying silent tears, lips pursed, eyebrows furrowed, nose crinkled. He makes no move to wipe his face, and Katsuya doesn’t think that he notices that he’s been caught until he moves a little closer, making him jump, head swiveling to stare at Katsuya. They both grimace at each other, an understanding passing between them, despite Arataka’s clear embarrassment at being caught crying.

“Arataka,” Katsuya breathes out, scooting a little closer to his boyfriend and cupping his face into his hands, thumbs doing their best to wipe away tears that don’t appear to be stopping anytime soon. “What do you need?”

Arataka curls in on himself, averting his eyes away from Katsuya’s worried face. He sniffs as though trying to suck the tears and snot back up, and Katsuya tries not to wince, heart clenching.

Arms wrapped around himself, Arataka admits, voice quavering, “I think I need help.”

It’s quiet, small and brittle, but it’s there. Katsuya pulls his lover into his arms, presses his head gently into the junction of his shoulder and neck, kisses his temple sweetly. “I’ll help you,” he says. “We can help each other.”

Arataka says nothing, but he presses a little harder into Katsuya. It's not long before the man falls asleep, exhausted. Katsuya kisses the crown of his head, buries his nose into coarse brown strands.

Neither of them are naïve enough to believe that love will solve all of their internalized issues, but Katsuya watches Arataka sleep, and he thinks, warmth blooming in his chest, "Thank god we have each other." It doesn’t take long for him to follow Arataka’s lead.

[serenlyss]

Mob Psycho Fic Recs Part 2!

So I keep a running tag on my bookmarks in AO3 with my favorite mp100 fics on it, and now that I have a bunch more it’s time for part 2! Like last time I’ll be including my personal thoughts on them and why I think they’re so good. If you notice your fic on this list and want me to tag your tumblr, let me know!

Effusive Author: Yuu-chi Rating: T Archive Warnings: None Completion Status: Complete Tags: serirei, slice of life, character study, relationship study Summary: In the quiet corners of his mind, Reigen cannot help but be unbearably smug. He thinks of Sakurai’s disapproving expression, and the too-careful way he’d said goodbye to Serizawa at the door. He can just imagine how the other former Claw members are going to react when they find out. Serves you all right, Reigen thinks, fingers tangled in the knot of Serizawa’s tie. None of you seem to really understand him at all. My Notes:  Sakurai warns Reigen not to push Serizawa too hard or manipulate them, but Reigen knows that Serizawa isn’t as childish or dumb as they think he is. It’s very sweet and both Reigen and Serizawa are well-written and in character.

Through Hardships to the Stars Author: BeyondTheClouds777 Rating: T Archive Warnings: None Completion Status: In Progress Tags: no romance, brotherly affection, protective kageyama brothers, canon divergence, hurt/comfort, dad reigen, injury, healing, protective reigen Summary: Shigeo and Ritsu have been on the run for most of their lives, and Claw has never failed to be right behind them. For as long as they can remember, running is all they've ever known. It's all they've ever done. But then, they stumble into the life of Reigen Arataka, and maybe, just maybe, the time has finally come for them to stop running. My Notes: This fic is just... so good. Ritsu and Shigeo protecting each other from harm is simultaneously heartwarming and heartbreaking, and the writer is so good at creating both tension and moments of levity that let you rest for a bit. Reigen is fantastic in this fic so far despite only being in a few chapters so far, but he’s already proving to be one of the best parts of the fic.

Ostensible Author: CScarlet Rating: T Archive Warnings: Major Character Death Completion Status: Complete Tags: ritshou, character death (or is it?), blood, swearing, panic attacks, angst, psychic violence, corpses Summary: Shou is already searching for Ritsu’s hand with his own. He moves slowly, arm raising in a sluggish arc, like a newborn kitten, blind and unable to control its gait. His complete trust is written all over that poor motion, and Suzuki’s overly sure that Ritsu is going to take his hand. But the thing is, Ritsu can’t. My Notes: This fic threw me for such an emotional loop. It’s extremely well-written and ominous, with a very distinctive and mysterious feel to it. The whole thing is super atmospheric and has maybe one of the most jarring and impactful twists/realizations I’ve ever seen in fanfiction, and once I realized it it made me grin like a madwoman despite the dark atmosphere and content. One of my all-time favorite mp100 fics.

Milk Doesn’t Taste the Same Anymore, Does it? Author: Nyomio Rating: T Archive Warnings: None Completion Status: Complete Tags: fluff and angst, happy ending, post-mogami arc, fallout & recovery, transitioning back to normal, swearing Summary: Ritsu knows something is wrong. He feels it before he can even see it. Reigen knows something is wrong without even needing psychic powers. It's all in the body language. Teru doesn't know what's wrong, but he can feel it in the air and in the motions his friend makes. Dimple knew something would be wrong as soon as they left Mogami's hellish world - the question was just how bad it would be. None of them know how to solve it, but they sure as hell were going to find out. After all, if something was bothering Mob - their student, brother, best friend, partner - well, it was bothering them, too. They were going to help. After all, Mob had helped all of them just so much - and Mob was going to learn to accept help back. After all, what goes around comes around, and Mob was overdue for some help of his own. My Notes: This is a really sweet recovery fic focusing on Mob’s trauma post-mogami arc and how it affects him in the days and weeks afterward. It’s overall fairly light-hearted despite the subject matter and has a heavy focus on how much Mob’s friends/family care about him, which is always nice to read.

Permanency Author: Aerugonian Rating: T Archive Warnings: None Completion Status: In Progress Tags: serirei, canon divergence, dad reigen, reigen as teru’s dad, canon divergence, referenced child abuse/neglect, found family, swearing, slow burn Summary: Reigen never planned on having kids. His relationships have always been short and shallow, he doesn't really care for the idea of marriage (except for the tax breaks), and that's without even considering his lack of interest in women. Reigen can barely take care of himself half the time. The point is, he’d make a terrible parent. Letting Teruki stay on his spare futon after the kid’s apartment was destroyed during the Claw attack was an impulse decision. Reigen never had any illusions that he was a good guy, but he wasn’t such an asshole that he’d let a fourteen-year-old stay on the streets alone. They'd find Teru's parents any day now, and everything would go back to normal. Teru's lack of concern over their whereabouts was weird, but surely no parent in their right mind would ever leave their kid on his own without even a phone call to let him know they were alive. Right? My Notes: If you’re a fan of dad Reigen or Teru as Reigen’s adopted son/ward, this is the fic for you. It’s cute, tender, sweet and just a little heartbreaking, focusing on Teru’s estrangement from his parents and the way Reigen becomes privy to that information after the world domination arc. I really love the way Reigen is written in this fic as a guy who really isn’t cut out to be a father but finds himself unable to say no when Teru needs his help, I think it’s very in character and makes for a really fun and interesting dynamic between them.

Five Second Rule Author: SpiritusRex Rating: G Archive Warnings: Unspecified (no alarming content) Completion Status: Complete Tags: angst, family, time travel, bad decisions, hurt/comfort, brotherly bonds Summary: Ritsu discovers something new about his powers. And then he takes it too far. My Notes: Another fic that quickly shot to the top of my favorites list as early at the first chapter. Despite having short chapters and a relatively simple premise, every chapter has a lot of emotional weight and relevance, packing its own punch despite the low word count. Ritsu having time manipulation abilities wasn’t something I knew I needed until I came across this fic, but it’s such a cool and fun idea that I instantly fell in love with. The author’s writing has a very distinctive and engaging tone and makes great use of the short chapters to pack as much as they can into each installment and it lands pretty much every time. I was so impressed every chapter how they managed to work the time travel concept into so many parts of the story in so many unique ways, definitely a must-read for any fandom member!

tea leaf bandages Author: shcherbatskayas Rating: T Archive Warnings: None Completion Status: Complete Tags: no romances, ageswap au, post-mogami arc, mental health issues, panic attacks, PTSD, hurt/comfort Summary: Kageyama Shigeo knows that he isn't the most observant person in the world, but he knows when something is wrong with his students. And so he knows that ever since the Mogami job, Reigen just hasn't been right. (If only he knew exactly what was wrong.) My Notes: An ageswap AU ficlet where Reigen gets possessed and manipulated by Mogami instead of Mob. It focuses on the fallout and Shigeo attempting to comfort Reigen as a student without prying too deeply. It’s very sweet and sad but does have a happy ending.

Actions Speak Louder Than Words Author: Hino Rating: T Archive Warnings: None Completion Status: Complete Tags: post-mogami arc, mute mob, PTSD, dad reigen, sign language  Summary: Six Months trapped in that world didn't just go away the moment Mob opened his eyes. He tried to speak and found himself unable. But Reigen, he always knows how to talk to someone. My Notes: This fic is so nice. In the wake of the Mogami arc Mob becomes mute due to his PTSD from the events, so Reigen teaches him sign language to help him communicate better. It’s really sweet to see Reigen patiently teaching Mob (and Dimple trying his hardest to learn too, bless him), and Mob being just really excited to learn and have another way of communicated that doesn’t require him to speak. It’s well-written and heartwarming.

Leftovers Author: SpiritusRex Rating: G Archive Warnings: None Completion Status: In Progress Tags: time travel, 5+1, brotherly bonding Summary: Ritsu knows now how his power works.But he thinks that, with his brother's help, he can push it further than before, and maybe even do something meaningful with it. (Five times Ritsu and Shigeo use Ritsu's time travel to comfort someone, and one time it's used to comfort Ritsu himself) My Notes: The sequel to Five Second Rule, which is also on this list. It’s only a few chapters in atm but I’m super excited to see where it goes! There’s sure to be plenty of time travel hijinks in this one as well, plus Ritsu and Mob’s sibling relationship is very good.

When there’s nothing but the long way ‘round Author: taizi Rating: T Archive Warnings: None Completion Status: Complete Tags: terumob, slow burn, found family, dad reigen, lots of fluff, getting together Summary: If it were anyone else, his tone would have been teasing, and the thoughtful lift of his brow would have been playful, and the tilt to his mouth would have leaned closer to a warm smile. As it is, only bits and pieces make it through Kageyama’s careful repression, shining like irrepressible dawn through tiny cracks in a window shade, and Teruki blinks rapidly, something like sunspots dancing across his eyes. My Notes: An oldie but a goodie! It’s a series of loosely connected terumob shorts for the mp100 valentine’s day event back in 2017, and maybe the cutest terumob fic I’ve read so far. It’s ridiculously sweet and fluffy, told from Teru’s perspective, and it made me cry with how just soft and nice it was to read it. It’s a quick but really worthwhile read if you just want to feel good.

[brendwell]

Do Unto Others CH 6

AO3: LINK

Mob Psycho 100

Warnings: Violence

Word Count: 5451

Rating: T

A/N: guh 

but for real, ch 6 of the delinquent mob au. thanks to @subcorax for betaing ilu thank u for fixing my tenses so much

-

Basically, what happens when Mob doesn’t meet Reigen like they did in canon.

CH 6

Shigeo walked home feeling lighter. His body was jittery, not quite shaking but buzzing with something he couldn’t name. Change, the man said. Could he really? Could something as terrible as him change?

Shigeo looked up towards where he could just make out the sun between tall buildings. It was almost completely past the horizon now. The world would soon be cast in shades of greys, half-gloom and half-light.

Spirits were beginning to fill the empty spaces of the streets. The smallest of them came out chittering, enjoying the in-between time of the twilight where the barrier between worlds were thin enough that the weakest of them could wander freely.

Change. The word kept tumbling through his thoughts. Shigeo hands tightened around the straps of his backpack. But what if he couldn’t?

Overhead a huge shadow passed Shigeo, the light pattering of rain following close behind. Glancing straight up, Shigeo saw the underside of a huge spirit as it glided lazily through the sky towards the sun. It was almost serpentine in its movements but the rolling clouds that expanded from its sides made it look like a manta ray, leaving behind rain in its wake.

The previously clear weather quickly became a heavy downpour.

Shigeo turned away from the sky to the streets before him. The spirits remained unaffected, some even enjoying the chilling water. Across the street, a school girl slipped as she tried to run to shelter from the sudden rain.

Her friends stopped running and made their way back to her to help her up. He knee was red from a scrape, the water making the blood run in thin pink rivulets to stain her white socks.

Thunder crackled high above. The girl’s friends helped her up and practically carried her underneath a nearby awning.

Shigeo raised his face towards the sky again, the cold droplets of water running down his cheeks to drip off his jaw. His eyes were pinned on the great spirit that drifted through the city, oblivious or uncaring for those beneath it.

It twisted its body and thunder echoed through the sky.

-

Progress towards Mob’s Explosion: 68%

-

Shigeo decided to skip school entirely.

He got out of bed and dressed himself, creeping downstairs to the kitchen to eat breakfast. It was earlier than anyone in his family would get up, all of them preferring the later hours of the night to the early morning.

He ate his cereal quickly, but took care to enjoy his glass of milk. The morning light shone weakly through the window, grey as it filtered through the clouds. The house was silent, and it was almost peaceful as he sat there alone, but close enough to his family.

Carefully, Shigeo washed and dried the dishes he used, putting them away silently so no one would wake.

He went to the fridge and took out the after-school meal that his mother had started making for him. Shigeo skipping school meant he missed the school-provided lunches, and as he kept missing it, after-school snacks turned into meals.

She hated getting calls saying that he missed school and came home without an excuse. Shigeo wished he could do something, but here he was, forcing his family to live with the consequences of his actions.

He needed today though. One day without disapproving looks or whispers behind his back. A day without being avoided by classmates or seeked out by those who wanted to fight. One day without knowing that he had failed.

Shigeo shrugged on a warm jacket, packing his food into his backpack.

Quietly, he left the house, locking the front door shut with a soft click.  The only traces he left behind were the empty places where he was meant to be.

-

Shigeo took a route that had him passing by the police box.

He liked going this way since delinquents avoided the area thanks to the police, who could always be found inside the small building.

Shigeo stopped in his footsteps, twitching in surprise as he saw a younger police officer making his way to the police box. The man’s eyes were fixed to the ground but he must have sensed Shigeo’s gaze, because he looked up before Shigeo could even think about hiding.

It was far too early for a child not even in middle school to be outside and alone, Shigeo knew, The officer would have known so too.

The man’s eyes widened and he straightened up in surprise. He took a step towards Shigeo, opening his mouth to call out.

Shigeo used telekinesis to pull the officer’s uniform hat down sharply, the brim blocking his vision. The man sputtered a bit, trying to wrestle it back into place.

Shigeo turned away to a little back alley where a locked metal gate shuttered the way inside. With a little hop, he caught himself in midair and used his telekinesis to carry him over the tall gate. He landed with a light tap of his shoes on the other side, releasing his telekinetic hold over himself and the officer’s hat.

He waited silently as the officer jogged over to where he last saw Shigeo. The metal gate blocked any view of Shigeo, and he remained still as the man inspected the area.

“A grade-schooler wouldn’t have been able to climb the gate that quickly. . .” The officer came closer.

Shigeo remained motionless as the man’s footsteps became louder, coming to a stop right in front of him. The metal gate was the only thing separating them. Its handle wiggled minutely as the officer placed a hand on it. Shigeo watched as it began to turn.

It stopped halfway, the lock preventing it from turning any more.

“It’s still locked.” The officer made a confused noise and stepped away from the gate. “Did I imagine it?”

Shigeo stayed where he was, listening as the officer left. Footsteps became softer before the faint noise of a door opening and closing reached his ears. The officer was inside the police box now.

Carefully, Shigeo made his way to the street, creeping by the police box. He kept out of sight of any windows, not making a sound. It was slow-going, but he didn’t want to get caught.

A window facing the street was cracked open, and voices could be heard. It sounded like another officer was right by the window.

“-really thought I saw something, you know?” Someone said. It was the officer from earlier.

“Kids aren’t ever out this early unless something’s wrong,” a rough-sounding voice answered back. He sounded older than the officer Shigeo saw before.

“That’s why I went to investigate, sir.”

There was a short laugh. “I’m not saying you did anything bad. You did the right thing, in fact.”

The younger officer let out a surprised noise. “T-Thank you, sir!” He said, sounding pleased. “It’s just. . . . It was very strange. He was there and gone, without a trace.”

“Almost like a spirit, right?” The other voice said, wariness easy to pick up on.

Shigeo flinched a little, realising he had paused from making his way past the police box. He considered himself for a moment, before crouching down and settling underneath the window.

“Sir?”

“There’s been a rumour going around about a spirit or monster in Salt. It’s been spreading within the delinquent population of the city. Says it takes the form of a young boy with helmet hair or something.” The man sighed, and there was a quiet creak of something shifting. “A lot of young men that got sent to the hospitals are all swearing it was a monster.”

Shigeo sunk down from his crouch to sit on the concrete. He was suddenly feeling more tired. He leaned his back against the wall of the police box, staring blankly in front of him as the young officer inside questioned the older one.

“A-a monster, sir? Do-do you think I saw it?”

“Well, you’re not hurt are you?” The man asked gruffly, there’s a pause before he continues. “Apparently you have to ask if it’s the monster first.”

“So it isn’t violent until then?” The younger officer asked nervously. “Do you believe in the rumour, sir?”

Shigeo turned his head to eye the window he sat underneath, holding his breath as he waited for the answer.

“A lot of the higher-ups think it’s a hoax to cover up for the escalating violence between delinquent gangs. They’re probably going to start investigating it soon,” the other said. “But I find myself wondering how they would have all come up with that.”

There was a considering hum from inside.

“If there really was a monster though,” the younger officer continued. “Why would it look like a kid? Was it the spirit of one before it turned into monster, or was it just always one?”

Shigeo let out a shuddering breath. His head fell forward, shadowing his eyes with his bangs to block his vision of the world in front of him. Slowly he forced his way up back into a crouch so he could continue making his way to his safe place.

His limbs were leadened with a weight that he’d come to associate with exhaustion. Shigeo’s thoughts were racing but he couldn’t get a single word to stick. He made his way from the police box feeling heavy but hollowed out.

“I don’t know a lot about spirits, but that sounds damn sad.” The older man’s voice followed after Shigeo as he left.

-

Progress towards Mob’s Explosion: 75%

-

The next day Shigeo went to school. The day away from everything had been good for him. It didn’t exactly center him, or lead him to any epiphanies, but it let him rest. He was, perhaps, a little more settled. Like he could try to bring himself back into existence as a person, rather than something going through the motions.

Today was also a good day. He hadn’t run into anyone who had wanted to fight him. The teachers hadn’t made any comments about him, allowing him to keep to himself. The students allowed him to keep to himself too, avoiding him but keeping their whispering out of his earshot.

At recess, Shigeo decided not to try his luck and hid behind the old sports equipment shed. There was a line of bushes around it that hid him as he sat down.

The day was sunny, and the air only a little brisk. It was a good day to be outside, and many of the students in Shigeo’s school were taking advantage of the good weather. A group of them were playing soccer, while smaller groups played on the playground equipment or chatted with each other.

Shigeo tried to focus on his history textbook, having wanted to read ahead, but he found his gaze drifting to the group playing soccer. They laughed and shouted to each other as they played. Shigeo couldn’t remember the last time he had ever played with other kids like that.

A cry of pain cut through his wonderings. Two boys had run into each other and fell into a heap on the ground. The rest of the players gathered round, helping the boys sit up.

“Hiro-kun, you’re bleeding!” A girl exclaimed, hovering anxiously over the wound. Nervous mutterings spread through the gathered students.

The boy - Hiro-kun? - laughed. “Don’t worry, I’ll go to the nurse. I trip a lot but she always knows how to help me!”

“I’ll go with you,” another boy said, helping Hiro-kun up. “Isane-san was super nice when I was sick!”

“You just want to come with me to see the nurse,” Hiro-kun teased as he started making his way back to the school building. Most of the soccer players had already returned to their game, but the few that stayed near giggled as the other boy started yelling.

“Always knows how to help, huh. . .” Shigeo muttered to himself. He turned back to his history textbook and focused as much as he could. The words stuck to his thoughts though, and an urge began to form.

-

After school, Shigeo went to the nurse’s office. It was the first time he had ever gone there. Shigeo had never gotten hurt before, he had never played roughly and he didn’t play any sports. With his psychic barrier, the chances of him getting hurt were very, very small.

“Excuse me?” Shigeo asked as he eased open the door to the infirmary.

“Yes! Come in,” a woman called out inside. Shigeo entered the room, closing the door politely behind him. The woman smiled welcomingly at him from where she was seated at a desk, her dark eyes crinkling slightly.

“Hello! I don’t think I’ve ever met you before,” she said as she got up from her desk chair, tucking some hair that escaped her hair bun behind her ear. She reached over to the space next to her desk, bringing out a chair from where it was hidden beside a cabinet almost as tall as Shigeo.

She placed the chair in front of her before taking a seat again. “Here, take a seat. Is there anything I can do for you?”

Shigeo hesitantly climbed into the chair. He bounced a little on its cushion and found his feet unable to touch the floor. The height of the chair brought him closer to her eye level, and once he was settled the nurse fiddled with her chair to lower it down slightly. She stopped once she was able to meet meet his gaze evenly.

Shigeo found himself unable to speak, a tight feeling suddenly wrapping around his throat. Instead he lowered his head to hide his eyes with his bangs.

There was a beat of silence before she shifted a little. “It’s alright if you’re scared, you know?” she said, her voice firm but gentle.

Shigeo remembered his mother’s disapproving frown and his father’s laughter. Even if you were scared, they had said.

It’s alright to be scared.

No one had ever said that to Shigeo before.

“Let’s start like this: My name is Isane Kotoko.” Isane said easily. “I’m the school nurse.”

Slowly, Shigeo looked up to meet her eyes. “I’m Kageyama Shigeo.”

She smiled. “It’s good to meet you, Kageyama-kun. Now, it’s fine if you answer by nodding or shaking your head, alright?”

Shigeo eyed her cautiously, but she made no move to do or say anything else. She waited patiently for his answer, an encouraging smile on her face.

He nodded.

“Are you hurt anywhere?” She asked, her smile slipped away but her earnestness remained.

Shigeo shook his head.

“Do you have any wounds that you want me to help fix?” He shook his head again.

“Are you feeling sick?” Shigeo considered her for a moment, not sure how to answer it. The vice around his throat has loosened, but it was still there. His stomach churned, but that wasn’t from being sick.

“Do you have a cough or sore throat? Dizziness? A headache? Stomach ache? Are you feeling any pain or anything that doesn’t feel right?” He shook his head to all of them.

Isane hummed contemplatively. “That’s okay,” she assured him when his hands began to fidget with the cuffs of his sleeves. “Can you tell me if you’re feeling tired?”

“Yes.” Shigeo found himself saying before he could process it. He clenched his teeth together, his heart picking up speed as his hands curled around the fabric of his pants.

There was a little pause as Isane allowed him time to breathe. “Have you been unable to sleep recently?”

Shigeo nodded.

“Do you know if there’s anything that might stop you from sleeping?”

Shigeo inhaled slowly, filling his lungs with as much air as they would hold before exhaling slowly. He unclenched his jaw, working away the stiffness. Isane remained quiet, waiting for him.

“I’ve been thinking a lot,” Shigeo said, not able to find the words to describe how his thoughts and memories had been darting around in his head most nights, like they were all competing for the forefront of his mind. All the thoughts in his head making noises until there was a dull cacophony, spiralling in and out of focus as he stared unseeingly at the corners of his room because closing his eyes made it worse.

“And what have you been thinking about?” Isane asked steadily.

“I want to learn how to help people,” Shigeo answered. He lifted his head to meet her eyes, remembering all of the frowns and turned backs, the red on concrete and Ritsu crying. “I want to be good.”

Isane’s dark eyes widened, eyebrows rising up and mouth falling open before she regained herself. Her hands twitched, one coming up to touch fingertips to her jaw

“I-” She paused to cough, turning her face away politely. She turned back to him, flattening her hands against her thighs. “And is there anyway I can help you with that?”

Shigeo bowed his head to her. “Please teach me first aid.”

There’s a pause filled with nothing but their breathing.

“Please, raise your head. There’s no need for bowing,” Isane said.

Shigeo straightened up. His heart was beating fast in his chest, and his hands tightened where they held the fabric of his pants. Birds called outside as children walked home, some going to the nearby park to play some more.

“Kageyama-kun, you don’t need to help others to be ‘good’.” Isane looked at him with furrowed eyebrows, lips pressed into a faint line. “You seem like a very good boy already. Is there a reason why you think you need to help others to be good?”

“I want to be kinder. To others.” Do something kind, the man had told him.

Isane leaned forward a little, the afternoon light highlighting the resolute glint in her eyes. “Kageyama-kun, sometimes to be kind, you must be kind to yourself first.”

Shigeo blinked at her with wide eyes, taken aback. “Myself?”

“Yes,” Isane nodded. “I can tell that there’s something that you blame yourself for, Kageyama-kun.”

Shigeo looked away, a lump in his throat forming. The knuckles of his fists creaked as they tightened around his pants, distantly he thinks that there will be wrinkles later.

“How can you tell,” Shigeo said, his voice soft. His shoulders curled into themselves, like if he made himself small enough, he could escape whatever was happening. He could, he thought. He could leave. Something stopped him though, a part of him sensing that something important was happening.

“When you said you wanted to help people– to be good.” Isane replied. “When you said it, your eyes were dark.”

“But my eyes are always dark,” Shigeo protested, head jerking up to look at her in confusion. His eyes were a common dark brown, often seeming black in the right light. “My brother and you both have the same eyes as me.”

Isane smiled. “I suppose we do. But it felt familiar to me. I used to be a paramedic, before I came here. It might not be the same, but blaming yourself for something. . . .” The corners of her eyes tightened, turning her smile just a little strained before lightening. “It’s familiar.”

“But it is my fault,” Shigeo said, feeling lost. He glanced down at his hands, still twisted around his pants legs. He untangled them before tucking them underneath his thighs.

Isane let out a small, wary sigh. “Or maybe it isn’t. I won’t force you to tell me about it before you’re ready, Kageyama-kun, but I think that maybe you should think about forgiving yourself for whatever you’re blaming yourself for.”

Shigeo remained silent, swinging his feet lightly.

“. . . You seem a little stuck right now, and it’s okay to take your time.” Isane continued. “Sometimes, to change you need to figure out how to move beyond where you’re stuck. Come see me again after three days, and think about what I said, okay? If you’re ready to start forgiving yourself, then I’ll teach you.”

Shigeo nodded, thinking about the whole exchange. Moving on sounded strange. Moving on was something people said about things they said needed to be left behind. Forgiving himself sounded worse, because there was nothing to forgive. Shigeo’s actions had hurt so many, but he had never hurt himself.

Had he hurt himself?

A thought struck him. “Moving on. . .” Shigeo started, faltering when he looked up to meet her earnest gaze. He straightened up, taking a breath. “Moving on. Does it mean leaving things behind?”

Isane smiled. It was small, but crinkled the corners of her eyes to show the beginnings of smile lines. “That’s something you will need to figure out for yourself.”

-

Progress towards Mob’s Explosion: 66%

-

Shigeo spent the next day in a daze, mulling over the words constantly.

There was no school, and he would usually spend such days hidden inside his room, quietly reading books or stumbling through his homework when he could find the energy. He felt too restless to stay there though, hearing his family moving around the house beyond his closed bedroom door. His room was too quiet and the rest of the house too loud.

He left to find peace in his safe place, bringing along his backpack to hold his books. Maybe he would read today.

“Hey!” someone shouted from behind him.

His hands spasmed around the the straps of his backpack, dread numbing his other senses. Shigeo’s eyelids fluttered closed, inhaling around the feeling of frozen stiffness. He knew that this was a possibility, but the last few days had been so good.

“Are you the monster?”

Shigeo opened his eyes, turning to them and letting his bangs hiding his face.

There were only three of them this time. Shigeo had long since stopped picking up features to tell any delinquent apart. They were always bigger, angrier, surrounding him with fists and expectant eyes. They always asked the same thing.

Sometimes, Shigeo’s mind didn’t get stuck on each encounter if he allowed it to blend with all the rest. The same thing, the same results. Shigeo stayed the same.

“I am.” Shigeo said, allowing his powers to escape from his hold. The air whipped around him as psychic energy aimlessly grabbed into it without direction. The ends of his hair began to float, lifting his bangs away from his narrowed eyes.

When they charged, he flicked his hand. Psychic energy blasted towards them with the motion.

One, two, three, each one doubled over as the blows struck their sternums. One dropped to his knees, coughing hard. The other two staggered, hunched over, unable to catch their breath.

Shigeo flattened his shaking hand, holding it level with the ground before pressing down.

The one on his knees collapsed as Shigeo’s telekinesis began to crush his chest into the concrete. He let out a strangled noise.

The other two fell hard, flattening into the concrete as Shigeo did the same to them. Their coughing turned into desperate gasping.

The three struggled, their legs twitching as they tried to get up. Shigeo’s grip on them was stronger though.

Just a little more, and they’d be forced to give up. Just a little longer, and they’d be unconscious.

Something small shot out at him, aimed towards his face. Shigeo flinched, arms shooting up to block his face-

A small clatter came from his feet.

Shigeo gasped, his heart feeling like it was being squeezed inside his chest. He lowered his arms, one hand pressing against his chest where it beat in a frenzy. Whatever attacked him didn’t make it through his barrier, and the barrier was still up with most of his energy unthinkingly working to strengthen it.

His head felt fuzzy from the fright. He ground his teeth together, forcing himself to inhale through his nose. He was breathing too fast, he’d seen a delinquent breathe like this until he passed out. Shigeo couldn’t afford to pass out.

His breath began to even out and he looked around himself.

The ones who had tried to fight him were all lying limp where he had knocked them down. Unconscious and all breathing. The one who had been kneeling before Shigeo had flattened him had one arm outstretched.

Looking down at the edges of his barrier, he saw a small rock laying where it had fallen.

Shigeo’s hand moved from his heart to his eyes, pressing them closed again.

He had gotten scared by such a little thing. With all his powers, he had gotten scared by something that couldn’t even touch him.

He was terrible.

He breathed in deeply through his nose, trying to think of anything else but the scene before him.

It’s okay to be scared, Shigeo recalled suddenly. He didn’t think it was meant for this.

He let down the barrier, giving the little rock one last look before leaving.

It’s okay to be scared, he thought as he walked, hands automatically coming up to clutch the straps of his backpack.

Do monsters get scared?

He wondered.

-

Progress towards Mob’s Explosion: 76%

-

Shigeo sat next to Ritsu, moving slowly because Ritsu was always watching him these days. He ate his dinner silently, taking care with his spoon so it didn’t bend.

Shigeo kept his eyes to his plate as his parents spoke to themselves and to Ritsu. He let the talking float over his head, too busy keeping his powers from ruining the dinner.

“–Shigeo, are you listening?” His mother’s voice called out loudly, startling him.

“Eh?” Shigeo looked up, jerking his eyes away from his spoon. His mother tutted at him as his father hummed. Beside him, Ritsu flinched.

His spoon had bent almost in half.

“Sorry.” Shigeo said, moving to fix it. There was a sigh from the other side of the table, and Shigeo’s shoulders hunched into themselves.

“Nii-san–”  Ritsu said, halting abruptly when Shigeo looked to him.

Ritsu put his own spoon down, holding out a hand to Shigeo. “L-let me try something.”

Shigeo eyes flicked from Ritsu’s outstretched hand to his bent spoon and back to Ritsu’s face. Ritsu’s eyes never met his.

Gingerly, Shigeo gave him the spoon.

Under Shigeo’s gaze, Ritsu wrapped a napkin around the bowl of the spoon. Taking a firm grip by the handle by where Shigeo had warped it, Ritsu began untwisting it.

He watched as the spoon unbent, feeling lighter than he had for a very long time. Ritsu wasn’t avoiding him, for once. Ritsu had even wanted to help Shigeo. There was a fluttering in his chest, and his shoulders began uncurling.

“There.” Ritsu breathed out once the spoon reached its original state. He unwrapped the napkin from it and turned it over in his hand, inspecting it with an unreadable expression.

He placed it on the table between himself and Shigeo, quickly taking back his hand.

“. . . Thank you, Ritsu.” Shigeo gently took back the spoon, inspecting it himself. There was a tight little bend in the handle, something that human hands couldn’t smooth out by themselves. The little bump pressed awkwardly against his fingers. But the spoon was useable again, so Shigeo left it as it was.

“Ah, see? Ritsu is such a good son!” Their father laughed heartily. “Shige, you’ve got to try being more like him! He does well in school, and his teachers always have good things to say. Try to be a better role model for him, why don’t you?”

Their mother nodded in agreement. “He never skips school, Shige. He even helped you fix your mess!” She gestured to the spoon Shigeo held.

“Yeah. . .” Shigeo said, glancing to Ritsu with a small smile on his face. “Ritsu’s really cool.”

Ritsu’s lips twitched into something like a smile before he took another bite of his food, his dark eyes not meeting anyone else’s.

-

After dinner, Shigeo laid in his futon, staring at the ceiling. He could hear the murmur of Ritsu saying goodnight to their parents behind his closed door.

Footsteps trode through the hallway outside as Ritsu made his way downstairs again, getting a glass of water before bed like he did every night. The footsteps paused the tiniest bit outside of Shigeo’s room, barely more than a stutter in their rhythm.

He turned over towards his bookshelf, eyes finding one book tucked in beside some manga he barely remembers having read. How to Read Social Cues, it announced. He sat up and reached over for the book, flipping it to the very end. He opened the booksleeve, fingers sliding out the business card hidden there.

He turned it over in his hands, reading the words again. Have questions? We can find your answers.

He tucked the card back inside, placing the book back where it belonged.

He laid back down, turning over to face his back to the bookshelf and dragging his thick blankets over himself. He shut his eyes, the click of the light switch sounding as he shut off the lights too.

Isane had said that moving on means changing. The detective had said that he could always continue to try.

Ritsu had continued to try for him.

Shigeo wanted to try.

-

Progress towards Mob’s Explosion: 65%

-

It was the last day Shigeo was given to think.

Shigeo sat on a tall office building. It was abandoned and the locks broken. It was easy to get up to the roof, although he had to force open the door.

With a sigh he leaned back to watch the sunset. The air was the slightest bit chilly, but Shigeo’s jacket protects him from the winds. It was so peaceful up here, the sounds of traffic and people distant from where he sat.

Before him, the sun was large and tinged orange behind the few clouds in the sky. It bathed the city in golden lights, and the clouds carried its glow in rusty gold highlights. As the sun made it’s journey past the horizon, the shadows lengthened and began to darken. The twilight spirits were beginning to wake up, but for now Shigeo had the rare ability to see the entirety of the sunset horizon.

Forgive himself. Shigeo still thought it sounded strange. How was it connected to moving on? Shigeo knew what he wanted to move on from. But those things, so much of it was his fault. Moving on sounded like running away.

The sun dipped further into the horizon, a few spirits rising into the disappearing light.

Isane had said that he was stuck, and Shigeo could feel it.

Be kind to others, be kind to yourself. Forgive yourself. Move on. Be good.

It’s okay to be scared, Shigeo thought as he remembered how Ritsu flinched from him but reached out a hand a second later.

Move on.

He brought his knees to his chest, resting his chin on them while his arms wrapped around himself.

Maybe that didn’t mean leaving things behind. All of what Shigeo had done, they weren’t things that could be forgotten so easily. Everything he did had consequences, and he was seeing it everyday.

The sun set as it did everyday, but Shigeo knew it would come back again. A new day, every day, where the sun came back without fail to the things it left behind. Each day, those things changed, and sometimes those changes lasted for a very long time.

There were a lot of things Shigeo wanted to leave behind, but a lot of those things were the reasons why he wanted to change. If he wanted to move on, he couldn’t just forget about them. But maybe moving on meant he could return to them, and things would be different. Maybe Shigeo would be different.

Maybe that’s what forgiving yourself was.

The horizon began filling with spirits, floating and drifting in the air like they were watching the sunset too. Soon, Shigeo wouldn’t be able to have his clear view of the disappearing sun, but that was okay.

There was always the next day.

-

Progress towards Mob’s Explosion: 57%

-

Shigeo met with Isane again, jittery but determined.

He sat down in the chair again, meeting her gaze evenly.

“So?” Isane prodded, tilting her head consideringly. “Have you thought about it?”

Shigeo took a moment to breath, steadying himself. “I want to change,” he said, his eyes flicking down to where his hands pressed flat against his thighs before looking back up. “I’m stuck right now, but I want to move on from it. Learning from you– I think it would help me. I think I could learn to forgive myself.”

Isane smiled widely, her dark eyes brightening her face more than the afternoon light did. “Good answer.”

Slowly, Shigeo smiled back.

-

Progress towards Mob’s Explosion: 50%

-

CH 6 END

[thekitsune]

Psychic Hearts Chapter 1

Okay, everyone. Do not worry, I am not going to stop updating The Psychic and the Crystal Gems. I just wanted to write the first chapter of my MP100/KH crossover while it’s on my mind. Also note, Mob’s keyblade...I’m taking design suggestions if anyone has any.

Mob was not sure how it started. The first time it happened, he was on the way back to his house after an exorcism with Reigen. It was back in his seventh year of middle school. From what he could remember, a group of black, bug-like creatures had rose from the ground and surrounded him. He remembered that he had thought they were just evil spirits so he attempted to exorcise them. Imagine his surprise when nothing happened, and he was sent flying backwards from a sudden strike by one of the creatures.

The pain from the sudden strike had spread throughout his arm. When he saw another creature attempt to attack him, he had quickly used his telekinesis to stop it in its tracks. Sadly, this had left him open to an attack from behind which resulted in Mob getting cut deeply. He released his grip on the first creature as he tried to remain standing, but he could feel his vision get hazy while he felt his energy begin to surge. The moment another creature shot forward at him, Mob created a barrier to block the attack and then sent it flying and smashing into a pole with a quick flick of his wrist.

He then dodged another strike by covering his body with his psychic energy and moving out of the way at high speeds. The only down side was that he felt nauseous afterwards. When he moved to make another barrier to block another attack, he was surprised as one of the creatures rose from below and attempted to scratch him. He was barely able to move his head out of the way and push the creature away. He had felt his body begin to get heavy as he realized that he was running out of stamina. It was definitely nothing like exorcising evil spirits.

When he spotted the creatures move in his direction to strike again, he was surprised when a hooded figure appeared out of a dark portal and struck them down with a quick swipe from a...large key? He still was not sure exactly what caused the person to appear at that moment, but he was happy they did. If they hadn't, then he never would have became their friend.

The person had quickly disposed the creatures before turning around to check on Mob who had just stared back at them with a shocked look...or as shocked as he could get his face to look. The person had pulled their hood down to reveal a black haired girl around his age. She had quickly checked his injuries before pulling a small bottle out of a pocket on her cloak. Offering it to him, Mob just looked at it before bringing it to his lips to drink. It was kind of tasteless, but he did feel his stamina return to him while the pain from the injuries begin to fade.

After making sure that he was okay, the girl was about to leave before Mob's timid voice spoke out to her and asked her what her name was. She was surprised and seemed to be uncertain about giving her name away, but she had finally came around and introduced herself to Mob. Xion. It was interesting name.

He had asked her if she was going to come back anytime soon. She had to think for a moment before finally giving him an answer. He was surprised at how bad he felt when he found out that she wasn't certain. In the end though, he told her that if she ever did come back that he would like to see her. This seemed to surprise the girl, but she agreed with a bright smile before vanishing into another portal of darkness.

A week later, Mob was surprised to run into her by the river that he walks by on his way to school. She greeted him, and Mob found himself developing a friendship with Xion. Someone with interesting powers and some kind of connection to those creatures that he had never ran into again (thankfully).

Months had passed, Mob had entered the eighth grade and Xion visited him once every week. It was nice. Then her visits became less frequent and when she did visit, she seemed concerned or uncertain about something. It worried Mob. It didn't help that his own life had began to change as well. While positive aspects entered his life (The Body Improvement Club, his friendship with Teruki and the Telepathy Club, the fact that he and Ritsu had finally grown closer as brothers), there were various negative aspects to: the increase use of his psychic powers, the eruptions of his emotions, Ritsu getting kidnapped and Mob being forced to break one of his principles to save Ritsu, Reigen almost dying had Mob not transferred his powers over to aid him.

Life was getting harder for Mob and if he had to be honest, he really missed his mysterious friend. Their conversations always helped brighten his mood. However...he had a feeling that something bad was about to happen to her.

Present Day ???

Mob opened his eyes and found himself standing on some kind of platform. The platform was made of very beautiful materials. The design though was...interesting...He saw...himself in a laying position with his eyes closed. The circle that he intersected on the platform was filled with the same color as his psychic energy. Surrounding them were several different smaller circles. Each circle had a different person that Mob considered close to him.

The first and closest one to Mob on the platform was Ritsu, the second closest circle to Mob had Reigen, the third circle had Teru, the fourth had Dimple, and the fifth was filled with the faces of the Body Improvement Club members. There was a 100% underneath Mob's position on the platform with dark colors emanating from it and closing in on Mob's position. It might have just been Mob's imagination, but he was almost certain that he saw the 100% change to ???% on it. At the upper right portion of the platform, was a circle with Xion in it although she was slightly facing away from him, but she was looking back with a small smile.

While he liked the overall design of the platform, he still did not understand where he was...and why it looked like this. The fact that the platform seemed to be floating in an endless void...unnerved him slightly.

As he looked around, he was surprised to see three pedestals pop up from the platform's surface. Slowly, a sword, staff, and shield appeared, one above each pedestal. Mob blinked in confusion before slowly walking up to the shield.

"The power to protect your friends. The power of the guardian...is this the power you seek?" a voice asked which caught Mob offguard at first, but he quickly shook the confusion away and lifted the shield off the pedestal. Already deciding that this was the power he wanted. Neither of the other two powers would be able to compare to this one.

Looking at the shield, he saw a weird symbol on the front. He was about to look closer at it, but the shield disappeared in a flash of light. Before he could think longer about it, he heard the voice tell him to give something up. Looking over at the staff and sword, he walked over to the sword first and lifted it.

"The power of destruction. The power of the warrior...is this the-" Mob instantly picked the sword to give up. He didn't want a destructive power, and he did not want to be a warrior. As the sword vanished like the shield did, the pedestals sunk back into the platform as three small dark puddles appeared on the platform's surface. Looking over at them, Mob's senses alerted him about an incoming threat. The warning turned out to be valid as three of those black creatures that had attacked him months ago popped out.

The shield reappeared in Mob's hand which caught his attention. Grimacing at how heavy the shield was, he took a hold of the handle with both hands and smacked one of the creatures to the side as it leapt at him. Seeing another one moving towards him, Mob stretched his arm out and caught it with his telekinesis and tossed it off the platform. Looking at the last one, he looked down at his shield for a moment before he lifted it into the air with his telekinesis and sent it sailing at full speed towards the last creature.

As soon as it poofed away, Mob saw small steps illuminate in the darkness as another platform came into view. Looking at it, he began to walk towards it only to gasp as he felt a sharp pain in his left temple. As soon as he felt it, he could see everything around him begin to fade away while a large dark creature started to form above him.

Before it could do anything though, Mob's power erupted from his body as he began to fall backwards onto the platform. The next thing the creature knew, it was being torn to pieces as Mob stood there emotionlessly with his hair flowing around. Without saying a word, the entire void began to disappear and a pushing force hit Mob's body. This seemed to snap Mob back to his senses as he felt himself soar off the platform. It was weird though. He could have sworn that he saw another version of himself standing on the platform.

Mob's House

Mob shot up in his bed and let out a small gasp as he began to look around. Before he could gain his bearings, Dimple and Ritsu came barging into his room.

"Shigeo! Do you feel that?! Something's heading this way! And it is very dangerous...and it feels...dark...We need to do something!" Dimple shouted as he began looking around the room with a terrified look on his face.

"Nii-san, I...I don't know what this feeling is, but it feels awful. What are we going to do?" Ritsu asked Mob who looked back at his younger brother silently. After hearing them mention something dark, he closed his eyes and began concentrating on finding whatever was causing this insidious aura. It took only a couple of seconds, but it was there. Pure darkness. A cold, chilling feeling crept up his back as images of those creatures flashed through his mind.

As he continued feeling it, a flash of Xion passed through his mind. His eyes shot open and before anyone could react, Mob excused himself and rushed out of his house. Ritsu and Dimple looked at each other in concern before chasing after him.

Mob looked back and forth to see if he could find his friend. He wouldn't have seen her image in his mind if she wasn't here. And if she's here...then more of those creatures are here as well. He had to make sure she was okay before checking on the others.

Sadly, it seemed fate did not want him to go any further as five of the creatures shot up from the ground and stared him down. Mob looked back at them quietly before bringing his right hand up and in a repeat of what he did to Koyama, the creatures were sent flying and smashing into various poles, the sidewalk, buildings, etc before they all finally vanished. As soon as they were gone, Mob continued running. Anytime a creature would appear, he would used his telekinesis to destroy them.

The sky grew darker as he continued to run and the feeling he got grew even worse. Grabbing a pole, he almost collapsed from exhaustion, but he did his best to shake it off and continued on his way. Thankfully, he was able to glimpse Xion's cloak as he turned a corner. Unfortunately, she was sent flying by one of the creatures directly into Mob causing them to fall onto the ground and roll across the ground.

"M-Mob? What are...the Heartless!" Xion shouted as she quickly remembered what was happening. Jumping to her feet, she blocked a strike from another...Heartless(?) and pushed it away. Rolling out of the way of another attack, Xion turned and cut the Heartless down.

Seeing more advancing in Xion's direction, Mob quickly began to activate his powers only to stop as a light appeared in his hands. The light seemed to catch the Heartless's attention as they stopped attacking Xion. Thankfully, this allowed Xion to move in and quickly cut them down. Wiping her forehead, she sighed in relief before turning to see what they were distracted by...which resulted in her jaw dropping.

"M-Mob...you can wield a keyblade?" Xion questioned her friend as she moved towards him. A keyblade? So that's what they are called... Mob glanced down at the weapon in his hand. It definitely had a key-like form, but the design was vastly different from Xion's own keyblade...wait Xion.

Looking up at her, Mob gently grabbed her shoulders and looked her in the eyes. "Are you okay, Xion-san?" Mob asked her which seemed to surprise her. She looked away for a moment before looking back at him with a small smile.

"I'll be fine Mob. Don't worry. Things have been a little hectic for me recently, but everything will turn out for the better soon...We probably will not see each other for awhile though. I'm sorry Mob," Xion apologized as she looked away from Mob.

Mob stared back at her as he let her words sink in. She didn't seem okay, but she said that she was...and they will not see each other for awhile...Is something going to happen? Looking up, he was about to question her only to let out a small gasp as she embraced him in a tight hug.

Blushing lightly, Mob stood there as she hugged him. He wasn't sure what to do, and he was too stunned to respond. Before he had a chance to hug her back or say something, she released him and gave him a small smile.

"I'll miss you Mob..." Xion whispered before being enveloped in a portal of darkness. Mob was about to reach out to her, but the portal vanished. Almost immediately afterwards, an earthquake shook Seasoning City. Looking up, Mob's eyes widened slightly as he saw a large black orb.

99%

Mob felt his power about to explode from within as the orb grew closer, but before he could react; he felt that sharp pain in his temple strike him again. Collapsing to his knees, Mob found himself losing consciousness.

As his eyes closed, he could have sworn that he heard Xion's voice in his head again.

"I'm sorry Mob. I'm happy we got the chance to be friends, but I have to go now. You wouldn't understand it, but I have to help someone that I'm connected to. I'm glad I got to see you one last time before meeting with Roxas. You don't have to worry though. You will not remember me, but I will always be with you in your heart like you were always with me inside my own. Good-bye Shigeo."

He didn't know what it was, but a part of him attached itself to what she said at the end. He couldn't forget her...he wouldn't forget her! His inner power erupted in his mind as it began to detect memories of Xion being erased from his mind. As the power engulfed the memories, it began to mend the broken pieces and keep them in tact.

As Mob floated through darkness, he had one thought floating around.

"I'll find you Xion, Ritsu, Master, Dimple...everyone I'll save you."

[truly-morgan]

[Mob cheating on his spouse with Ekubo (nsfw-ish)]

EkuMob | Mob Psycho 100 16-11-2022

bruh now I want to actually write something like this Shigeo trying to be quiet as Ekubo presses him against the wall, whispering in his ear to be quiet because his spouse is still in the living room

first I had Reigen getting cucked (which is also 👌)

But then I thought: Shigeo finding someone his age and somewhat forcing himself to marry her to please his parents, meanwhile he and Ekubo have been dancing around each other for years and did more than what friends should do

Like, he meets this girl in college and they end up in a relationship after she confesses to him. Everything goes well, Mob tries his best to be a good boyfriend, she seems alright with his power (although she doesn't know to which scary extent they can go)

Everything is fine, everything is perfect, his parent and Ritsu seem to really like her once they meet her after visiting him and she comes along to meet them. He sometimes feels odd about it all, but everyone around him seems about for him and her and he assumes it is the way to go.

Then Ekubo pops out of nowhere, bored at the s&c office without Mob around. Even better, his favourite meatsack has moved to that city for a new job.

Everything is fine at first, he presents Ekubo to his girlfriend, saying he's a friend.

Then he slowly falls back into some habits when he's with Ekubo, a familiar feeling settling him, putting him more at ease.

Then his ears spent at college fly by, still with his girlfriend, Ekubo tagging along, sometimes going back to seasoning city to help his shisho.

They eventually get engaged, after people ask Mob about when he'll propose, assuming it's the thing to do.

He's happy, truly, she's really a nice lady who also gets along with his family and friends.

But something in him can't fully settle with that.

Then things with Ekubo also keep going into more dangerous territories, on the border of being inappropriate for friends.

Until one day they cross the line and make out after going out drinking with Reigen and Serizawa after a case. Everything just feels so right.

Ekubo wouldn't have broken up a happy couple, but if Shige-chan is ready to give himself willingly, who is he to not accept it when he wants him? He never claimed to be a good man after all.

Shigeo does feel guilty later, once he sobers up a bit, but at the same time, he just really liked it and doesn't want to really stop. It feels like this is something he's always been looking for.

And then they slowly slip farther and farther down this road.

stolen kisses here and there, growing into making-out sessions that come more frequently.

making out session that turns to gripping and grinding against each other.

Grinding that slowly turns to hand directly on skin, pleasuring each other.

until they eventually start having sex. The first time Shigeo feels overwhelmed, he's never done anything like this before, never actually having done much with his spouse actually.

but he loves the way Ekubo touches him, holds him, makes him feel things he never felt before.

And what was going to be a one-time "mistake" becomes something they repeated.

And to get back to the og prompt.

I can imagine Shigeo and his fiance having Reigen and Ekubo over for dinner, everything going very well as they chat.

Then Ekubo accidentally (👀) spills his drink all over him and Mob suggests cleaning it right now so it doesn't stain and that he can lend him a shirt so he doesn't have to wear his dirty shirt either.

And while they are away Ekubo starts getting handsy, Mib barely pushing him away, until they start having a quick fuck against the door of Mob's bedroom, having to keep quiet.

I could imagine his power getting slightly out of hand despite how good he got at controlling them, most things staying perfectly in place.

When they finally get out, saying they took so long because Ekubo was being picky, his fiance is blissfully unaware of what happened.

But Reigen does give a stern look to Ekubo, probably having an idea of what happened in the room. Maybe Mob wasn't as quiet as he thought he was and Reigen who was the closest to the room heard something, maybe his power leaked enough to affect things close to the door not enough to be that noticeable, but enough for Reigen to notice, used to how esper can be

Reigen who probably feels unsure what to think of this situation. Because on one hand, he can't imagine Mob cheating on his fiance, but on the other hand he can't see Ekubo actually forcing mob to do anything either, it would have to be consensual.

Original

[feroluce]

TatST - Ch 1: Secrets

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Shou: And wear shoes without laces

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

Me: Why are you being so specific.

Shou: Just a feeling

Shou: Don't worry about it

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

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

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

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

“Impossible. I'm always a dick.”

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

Ritsu pulls the curtain shut.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[eyedelater]

???% hypothesis

what if ???% is the product of the inferiority complex that mob developed after tsubomi rejected his display of psychic powers?

specifically, this incident we learn about in chapter 4:

mob hasn’t always been the type to avoid showing off his psychic powers. he used to use them just because he could, like how inukawa cited various tricks mob had shown him in elementary school. but tsubomi taught mob that some people won’t be impressed by such things, that he can’t use psychic powers to get everything he wants. in fact, because of how highly he valued her opinion, he seems to have learned that his psychic powers are worthless and maybe even repulsive. after tsubomi’s rejection, mob began to feel that using psychic powers in front of people would make him undesirable.

(note that “mob not using his psychic powers in front of people” is not the same as “mob subconsciously repressing his emotions in general.” he’s been doing the latter his whole life just to keep his psychic power under control. this post addresses the former. do keep in mind, though, that psychic powers in the mp100 universe arise directly from emotion.)

the “tsubomi rejects mob’s dog levitation” event seems to have occurred before ???%’s first appearance, which is what led to mob’s first interaction with reigen. that is to say, tsubomi changed mob’s attitude before reigen did. reigen gave mob a context in which he could safely use his powers to help people, but he didn’t solve all of mob’s problems (or really even most of them).

so the hypothesis is: this tsubomi-inspired change in attitude led mob to impose new restrictions on himself, and as a result, a spiritual entity began to develop inside of him, kept hidden in the deepest depths of his “vessel,” without mob himself realizing it. not so much a part of himself that split off, but rather, a mass of suppressed feelings that eventually gained some degree of autonomy, pushed away far enough to become fully isolated from his “self,” but too strong to be erased completely. an entity based on the same idea that once corrupted hanazawa teruki: [“my psychic powers make me extraordinary, and it is my right to use them as i please.”] that would be the base essence of ???%, its true nature. it is a feeling that, i think, would naturally arise in any child with such powers. but mob strongly repressed that sentiment, refusing it (based on what he learned from that experience with tsubomi) and likewise bottling up the self-resentment, the “why shouldn’t i?” feeling that came with that refusal. he probably did this without really thinking about his own feelings, since he was already accustomed to pushing emotions down rather than expressing them.

mob repressed his natural desire to use his powers because his interaction with tsubomi made him believe that doing so would make him undesirable. yet he still naturally has strong psychic powers. does that in itself make him undesirable? will he be undesirable no matter what he does, just because of the psychic power he was born with? is he doomed to either hide his true potential forever or live a life of rejection? such questions probably arose in him and led to strong feelings of self-doubt, self-hatred, resentment, and indignance, which he bottled up and tried to ignore, helping to fuel ???%’s growth. only during occasional brief lapses in emotional self-control do we get a sense of how much mob has internalized these negative ideas about his self-worth. (e.g. “yeah, i’m the worst.”)

???% is only able to manifest under certain circumstances. i imagine mob keeps ???% thoroughly (and subconsciously) shackled at all times. but that internal barrier can be broken when mob is traumatically knocked out (regular sleep doesn’t count because there’s no jolt to disrupt his internal security system) AND/OR when mob gets so freaked out he loses control of himself completely (which is what almost happened when he found the fake corpses of his whole family after the marathon.) ???% was able to manifest in mogami world because mob’s internal security system got... eaten.

TLDR/conclusion: the idea is that ???% is a separate entity of a psychic/spiritual nature that mob accidentally and unwittingly created within his own soul by compressing and trying to ignore negative feelings arising from tsubomi’s rejection of his psychic powers. it is, and has been, locked away as mob strongly resists the urge to run wild using his powers, BUT the metaphorical locks that bind ???% are not invincible. they can be broken by as much force as it takes to knock mob out.

AND, the point i wrote this post in order to make: the connection to tsubomi is why ???% is currently heading toward tsubomi. its goal is not the same as mob’s goal to ask her out. instead, it wants her to acknowledge that mob’s psychic power is something extraordinary after all, because that is the very feeling it is made of. 

though i suppose both mob and ???% are essentially seeking her approval.

--

notes: 

i don’t think of ???% in terms of dissociative identity disorder at all, because i feel like the canon system of emotion-based psychic powers makes for a better explanation as to why ???% has this much autonomy and separation from kageyama shigeo’s true ego. but if you have DID and want to project that onto him, don’t let me stop you...

if my theory is correct, mob is not at fault for this, and neither is tsubomi. it’s nothing but a tragedy. WHICH IS WHY IT HURTS SO MUCH!!!

i don’t know what ???% will do when it reaches tsubomi... but i do know one thing: it won’t keep going. it is making a beeline toward tsubomi. it might be impossible for anyone to stop it on the way, but it will stop on its own once it gets there.

i think ???% has autonomy that is separate from mob, but its sense of self is incomplete and based on mob’s self, because mob is what it has access to and where its origins lie. that’s why ???% uses boku pronouns. however, i don’t think ???% has enough breadth of mind to be considered an entirely new character; it isn’t an entire extra human’s worth of “self.” i think it’s more of a tumor, a shadow of a being, capable of expressing only the emotions that comprise it, pressing itself into a blank template of a “soul” but only filling the mold halfway. or something convoluted like that, y’know. anyway that’s why i refer to ???% with “it” pronouns

the grip mob has on his unconscious psychic restraint of ???% is, in my mind, similar to the conditions required in One Piece for sugar’s devil fruit’s effect to remain in place. that’s why regular sleeping is fine, and if you scared mob so hard that he screamed and passed out, that would probably give ???% a chance to get behind the wheel

still haven’t sorted out how ???%’s goals align with mob’s personal safety as a goal. like, given the way the mogami debacle ended, you’d think that maybe ???% does have mob’s best interests in mind, since it seems to have delivered his soul safely back into his body in ch67.3. but recent events show us quite clearly that it does not care about what mob wants or what mob thinks is best. maybe it knows that it can’t exist without mob, and their goals happen to rarely overlap on the point of self-preservation...

i said “TLDR” but i was being facetious. don’t bother interacting with my posts if you TLDR them

i reserve the right to have my ass proven wrong. by ONE-sensei.