mp100 wip | ~ 5000 words | Teru POV | terumob + Reigen & Teru | set in a fight with unknown espers, Teru struggles with mortaltiy, while Mob struggles to save him
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"You have to let me go!"
He could see them charging the blast out of the corner of his eye and knew they couldn't last like this.
If Shigeo didn't focus on shielding himself, he would simply be shot out of the sky.
"Let me go or you're gonna die!" he screamed urgently at the boy suspended unnaturally among the clouds. Shigeo only stared, those ever intense eyes trained on him, teeth bared. His refusal unspoken but still palpable, just like the electricity in the air. They were trying to kill him.
It was a miracle on its own that the power blocking move had not worked on Shigeo entirely. But of course, miracles were Mob's average. But there was no way he would survive this, still holding onto Teruki. Miracle or not.
Mob wasn't holding him up with his powers. Teru may not have psychic energy at the moment— the move had it’s intended effect on him— so he couldn't sense Shigeo's energy like he always could. Even from great distances he could always feel him humming with power, it was unsettling to lack that feeling, especially so close. But still, he could tell the boy was only holding him by the iron grip on his wrist.
The tell-tale feeling of your body being held up by tiny cushions of power wasn't there. Instead, the whole of his weight was suspended by his arm. And his shoulder hurt, hurt, hurt. But only in the back of his mind was he aware of that. He could see Mob physically straining, and feel his grip tighten every time his sweat-slicked hand started to slip.
Teru couldn't overpower him in a psychic opposition. Especially not right now. But Mob wasn't holding him up with his powers.
For a moment it was like the world narrowed to only them and in a moment of clarity, knowing exactly what he had to do, Teru reached up with his free arm and grasped onto Mob's hand on his wrist.
Methodically, he started to pry those starch fingers away from his skin. He could feel himself slipping. He couldn't look away from Shigeo, even as the boy above him looked almost furious, eyes brimming with rage. Wait, no, maybe that was fear. Teru wasn't quite sure, even as he fell and Mob started to shrink from his view, oh, so quickly.
Still, falling like this, he felt an odd sense of calm. Either he would regain some of his powers before he hit the ground or he wouldn't. Still, either way, Shigeo would live.
What he didn't expect was to stop after few seconds of falling, coming to a painful halt.
It felt like he'd been dropped on the pavement but he was alive and he didn't think he'd broken anything. Yet he couldn't move, having been grabbed out of the air with someone's psychic powers as an iron fist. He was rising again and when Shigeo came into view he was shaking as he still had his hand reaching down in Teru's direction.
The moment of calm, probably very poor clarity, and maybe extremely bad judgement, was long broken, but it was then that all hell broke loose.
He stops falling suddenly once more. And once more, its not the ground that catches him. This time he can feel that familiar power. The unique aura that Mob has is holding him up. This time, its careful and unpanicked and he knows this is because Mob is at his full power.
A blast cuts through the air like a knife, deafening him as he sees Shigeo flung away like he's nothing more than an errant fly. The other boy goes careening through the clouds until Teru can't see him anymore. And he screams. Screams something. Has no idea what, barely even can hear himself to his muted ears as he screams for Shigeo. They were both falling now.
He's lifted again until he's level with the other boy and blinding star bursts of light explode around the espers attacking them, immense untamable energy hums through the air. And Teru feels his pulse beating staccato through the red handprint on his wrist, along with the thrumming in his ears. The flashes of power are dazzling but he finds his eyes going back to Shigeo and sees the boy suspended limply in the air. Eyes open slightlessly, wide and glowing as energy whipped around him and cast him in shadow. He's unconscious.
Teruki can only stare as their assailants are destroyed and cast back down to earth. He has no doubt, however, that Mob managed to leave them alive as he always did with humans, even while unconscious. Espers were never easy to kill, either.
They drift back to the ground with ease and once Teru is steady on his feet his picks his way past rubble over to Shigeo where he stays hovered just above the ground. His eyes are unsettlingly empty; Teru still doesn't look away, just watches and waits for him to wake up, clutching onto his inflamed shoulder all the while.
It's ironic. Right now when Mob is waking up from his unconscious explosion, he drifts back down to earth instead of getting up. He reaches out to steady him as he settles. He remembers how he lead the floating Kageyama back to his apartment by his hand, like a balloon on a string.
Then Teru is sitting down next to his shoulder, carefully balancing on his good arm and keeping his other still. His shoulder pounds a pulse beat as he feels the wrongness there. It must be dislocated. He reaches his hand back to it instinctively once he's settled and stares out at the destruction from their fight all around them. It's quiet, peaceful.
He glanced down to find Shigeo's eyes open staring mournfully up at the sky.
"Welcome back, Kageyama-kun," he says, trying for a smile.
"What did I do?" He asks blankly, eyes focused on nothing. "I can't remember."
"You saved me," is all Teru says, its simple. It's the truth.
For reasons he can't quite fathom, Kageyama’s eyes are welling up with tears now. There's nothing he can say and Teruki wishes the cinematic parallels to their first fight would just stop.
Shigeo starts to shift away from him, curling up on himself, lying on his side. And Teru knows nothing he can do to help. He hesitates for a moment as the boy sobs into his hands, then he falls forward, sort of half lying on him in his best attempt at a hug as he keeps his useless arm at his side while clutching at Shigeo's T-shirt with the other. He buries his nose in his shoulder and tries to muster a sadness to match Mob's but can only find fury that he can't do anything to fix it. And exhaustion. He squeezes his eyes shut and presses his forehead against him like he might could bore his head into him and seep the sadness out of him like a sponge. They were alive, that had to count for something.
"We're ok!" He reminds him desperately. He clenches his teeth as Shigeo’s sobs continue on with shuddering breaths shaking his shoulder beneath Teru's head.
Then the boy is shifting and his shirt, still held fast in Teru's fist, is twisting around his abdomen. Arms are wrapping around Teru's head and shoulder as Mob presses his tear soaked face into his hair and cries.
He stays folded on himself and in Shigeo's grasp, hand held tight onto his shirt, needing something solid.
"We're ok," he repeats.
---
In the end it’s Shigeo's master that gets him to the hospital.
Ritsu is the one who finds them, trained in on his brother like a bloodhound. So, they're found not too long after falling from the sky. And Reigen is in tow, sprinting frantically after the esper boy zipping around with telekinesis.
The swelling of his shoulder probably was easy to spot, but the twist of pain on his face likely even easier. They go to Mob first, which Teru understands entirely. Ritsu quickly hugs his brother before staring on about questions of 'who did this' and 'where are they Nii-san'. while Reigen hands him a a handkerchief for his tears, asking if he's hurt. And checking him over for injuries even after the shake of his head. Teru sits with his knees curled up and injured arm held close and careful by his body. He watches as Reigen brushes Mob's hair back to check for head injuries while Ritsu stays tensely by his side and wonders if this burning feeling means he's jealous or grateful that Mob has people who so genuinely care for him. Family. Maybe he feels both.
With no warning, the attention is turned to him. And he's supposed to be used having all eyes on him, has reveled in it, in fact, but right now he's caught off guard. His wound is easy to see so there's no real need to ask, he thinks.
"What happened?" Reigen asks soberly as they look to him. Oh, that must be why they're focused on him now. They need the story.
He starts to explain, brows furrowed as he tries to relay it all as best he can, "They ambushed us, and then they stripped me of my power and I couldn't do anything, Mob had to—" Reigen cuts him off with a wave of his hand as if brushing it all aside.
"No, don't worry about any of that right now." He tells him seriously, looking him in the eye. "You can tell us about that later. What happened to your arm? Are you hurt anywhere else?"
He hates the way his face crumples at the concerned words and all he can think is 'why bother crying now?' Don’t cry when they're looking at you. Don't show weakness. But he can't stop the well tears, even as he tries to blink them away. He swipes his good hand across his face quickly, trying to recover his composure and keep his voice steady, "My shoulder is dislocated," he admits miserably.
"Anywhere else hurt?" Reigen asks and all Teru can answer with this time is a shake of his head. He feels small and venerable— not for the first time. But its overwhelming to have someone trying to take care of him, that, he has not experienced in a long while.
Still, Shigeo's master leans over and brushes a hand across his head as he checks for injuries.
"Your nose is bleeding, does that hurt?" Reigen raises a concerned eyebrow at him and Teru reaches up to touch just above his lip and strangely enough finds it to be damp, pulling his fingers away to find deep crimson stained on their tips.
"I didn't even notice."
"Hm," Reigen simply nods with a frown and turns back to Mob, Teru barely hears what he asks him as he marvels how he didn't notice his nose bleeding. Then he's turning back to him, the handkerchief returned from Mob, "Sorry I don't have another, but you can use this and don't tilt your head back, let the blood drain out."
He nods and does as told, the cloth is not even damp, he thinks most of Mob's tears and snot must be in his hair. That's sort of funny.
"You think you can walk?" Reigen asks, still holding his crouch in front of him, hands braced on his knees.
"I can carry you," Ritsu offers quickly.
Teru shakes his head though. "No, I can walk." He answers readily.
Reigen nods and pushes himself to stand up before holding a hand down for Teru.
He looks at the hand, then up at the man offering it. He isn't entirely sure he trusts him. He admires him, just from having seen him in action that night at Claw and knows if he's Mob's master he must be someone good. But he's also an adult. And the way Teru sees it, adults either want to control you, and see you put into your place. Or, they abandon you. And they don't look back. The problem is, he wants so badly for an adult to see worth in him, especially someone good like Shigeo's master. But his brain is warning him he's only going to have his trust broken.
So be he hesitates, but in the end he takes his hand. He could use the help, he just hopes he isn't let down. Reigen holds him steady while he gets his legs under him without the use of his other arm. Then "You can lean on me if you need to ok?" The man offers.
"I can still lift both of you if you need," Ritsu adds, watching his movements sharply.
"Just let us know if you need help," Reigen decides.
He nods to acknowledge the words but Teru doesn't really ask for help. He watches as Ritsu helps Shigeo to his feet now. Their eyes catch as he stands and Teru takes the chance to study his face while Mob watches him in return.
"We just need to walk to the road then I can get us a car," Reigen says, clapping his hands together lightly, "hopefully," he adds under his breath.
Theres a small cut on the other boy's cheek that seems to have stopped bleeding already and one of his eyes is beginning to swell. His eye catches on the smear of blood on the shoulder of Shigeo’s dirty, roughed-up t-shirt where Teru had pressed his face into the fabric.
"I have to go find those guys," Ritsu declares dangerously.
Ritsu looks at his brother, brows furrowed, "Nii-san, I can go find them so they won't just get away," he offers more evenly.
"You need to stay with your brother," Reigen counters easily.
Shigeo shakes his head solemly, "... stay with us. Please, Ritsu."
"... Okay."
"Now," reigen says, stepping behind them to steer them forward gently. "Let's get you two to the hospital. I'll make sure nobody falls behind, Ritsu why don't you take the lead."
Little brother nods seriously as he walks up front, glancing back every now and then, while Reigen walks a few paces behind them.
Teruki glances over to Shigeo beside him. He looks tired, but Teru can't quite tell if he still feels all that despair he'd shown earlier. His gaze falls back to the blood stain on his shoulder. And he thinks of being curled up beside him. He thinks of trying to find some way to assuage all that pain.
Any and all risks Teru takes are calculated. When you see him fight he may not seem it, but he's careful. And he's always taking in information. So even if every move he makes might be a gamble, its one he knows he'll win. All his choices are careful and safe, except for when it comes to Kageyama Shigeo, apparently.
He starts to reach out, their hands are close as they walk side by side. and its easy to brush pinkies. He sees Mob's eyes flit down to their hands and then back ahead of them. And Teru honestly has no idea what he's thinking. What he might do. If he'll pull away, or brush closer. He does neither of those things though, simply keeps his hand where it is and walks. Teru takes another risk. He brushes his fingers past his palm and slots their hands together.
Mob blinks, misses a step and almost trips as he looks down at their hands. Then he's looking back up at him with wide eyes, and Teru waits for the backlash.
It doesn't come. Shigeo simply looks back down at his feet carefully studying their steps. And, he holds Teru's hand.
---
Their palms get sweaty and Shigeo starts to swing their hands stiffly between them like he doesn't know what he's meant to do. And Teruki feels like their hands were made to fit together.
Teru isn't exactly certain what information Reigen wrote on his sign-in form. He remembers answering a few questions for him, but recalls nothing about his parents.
The man is sat in a chair beside him in the hospital room now, idly flipping through a magazine. Teru is on the bed, his arm resting in a sling. They gave him pain medication and plan to release him in a few hours. But for now its just waiting, and stillness. He stares down at the spider web crack running across his phone screen, minimal damage considering what they'd been through.
"How ya feeling?" Reigen asks out of the blue, still looking at the magazine.
"Fine," he answers simply. The man is setting the magazine aside then, open-face on the small bedside table, focused on Teru now.
"That's one hell of a bruise."
He blinks and looks down at the purpling mark in the vague shape of a hand holding onto his wrist.
"Yeah," he agrees blankly.
"Wanna talk about it?" The question takes him off guard and he actually looks over at Reigen now. He looks serious; Teru considers it. He shrugs, feeling a slight twinge in his shoulder as he does.
"Mob did that?" He wonders, seeming concerned.
"Kageyama-kun just had to grab me." Something about Reigen's expression seems to sharpen at that.
"He had to, he saved me from falling."
"But he didn't catch you with his powers?"
"The power blocking, they had—" he starts, feeling impatient at having to explain this again.
"Oh, right, of course," Reigen nods, recalling.
It's silent for a moment again as he looks back down at his phone and traces the crack once more. For some reason he keeps talking, "I tried to save him too, but I couldn't."
"What do you mean?"
"When he had me I knew he couldn't protect himself if he was holding me so I tried to get him to let me go."
The room is dead silent then for a long moment. He looks over at Reigen after it goes on for too long, having expected a response.
He finds the man staring at him intently, eyes wide and horrified, "You did what?" He demands.
"I tried to save him," he clarifies but for some reason he's starting to feel guilty.
"You tried to throw yourself into a river to be someone else’s raft. That stuff doesn't work."
"He could have died trying to protect me!" He bites back feeling sick to his stomach at the thought.
"And you could have died from the fall!" Reigen responds, leaning towards him, looking furious.
"Why does that matter!?" He demands.
Reigen moves to perch on the bed beside his legs. He looks at him seriously, voice gentler now as he speaks, "you matter."
"Because you matter!" Reigen tells him sharply standing quickly, and Teru goes still with shock. "You matter! You're alive and you've got your whole life ahead of you. You don't just throw that away. You've got people who care about you and people who will down the line. Don't. throw. that. away." Teru wants to shrink away from the words. He stares up at the man and tears well up in his eyes.
Teruki had always lived a world that moved as game chips. Useful, well-liked pieces were kept, while unnecessary or threatening pieces were discarded. In the past he told himself he was an important piece because of his powers. One that could move other pieces as he liked. Then Mob came along and he wasn't so important anymore.
Which was ok, really, if he didn't have to be special. It was ok that he wasn't perfect. Right? But he was just another piece then. Disposable. This Master Reigen seemed to think otherwise. That he had worth simply for being alive. Tears were streaming down his face but he wasn't quite sure when he had started crying.
A hand was on his shoulder, his uninjured one. "If Mob was trying to save you, don't try to take that choice from him." He continued sincerely, then sighed, "You're both alive and well, and that's what matters."
"Where is he?" Teru asks in a broken voice, too overwhelmed to be worried about seeming weak and getting choked up.
"He should be out of treatment soon or already is out." Reigen spoke, patting Teru's shoulder twice before standing from the bed and walking to the bathroom. "Do you want me to try and find him?" He asks, voice drifting out from the open door of the bathroom as he opens some cabinet drawers.
He steps back out with a roll of toilet paper, setting it down on the bed just next to Teru. He grabs it, wordlessly grateful for the immediate chance to wipe his face. He removes a length of it and sets the roll back down next to his phone. Something occurs to him.
"Did you have them call my parents?"
"No." Reigen answers simply moving to lean against the wall.
"But— how did you sign me in then?" He looks at him, bewildered.
"I said that I was your guardian." He responds like it makes the all the sense in the world and Teru balks.
"Why would you do that?" He demands.
Reigen considers him and Teru envies the way he keeps his demeanor his so unaffected even when he's being challenged.
"Mob told me you live alone and I have no idea what your relationship with your parents are like. And this way we don't have to wade thought the bullsh— the muck of trying to explain what happened before you get treatment."
That all... made sense.
"Want me to call them now?
He shakes his head quickly. Something else occurs to him, "You're paying for this?"
The man's mouth quirked in a smile, "Of course, I'm your dad now, aren't I?"
He couldn't help but snort at that. "Yeah... right."
---
Reigen had disappeared to talk to the front desk about payment but in his absence he'd sent Shigeo and Ritsu to keep him company in his room.
"Hey, Hanazawa," Ritsu spoke as he entered the room first, pushing the door open with Shigeo trailing just behind him.
"Hanazawa-kun," his older brother spoke, stepping out from beside him to stand just next to his bed as he looked him over intently. "How is your arm?"
Teru found himself smiling, "Hi, kageyama-kun and little brother. My arm is fine. Or at least it will be."
Mob nodded stiffly, examining the floor in great detail now. Teru was still focused only on him, concern knitting his brows when Ritsu spoke up.
"I'm gonna get get some water, anybody want some?" The door squeaked open as he spoke and both of them looked over to see him halfway out the door already, looking at them expectantly.
"I'm ok," Teru spoke and glanced at Mob's perplexed expression, adding, "We're ok."
Ritsu simply nodded and then he was gone, door slipping shut behind him. That was a little odd.
"Why didn't he get water before we came in here?" Mob wonders softly.
"Maybe he actually had to take a shit and didn't want to admit it?" Teru offered as explanation.
The line between Shigeo's brows deepened as he put a hand to his chin and considered this carefully, then, "maybe," he decided doubtfully.
Teru smiled at his serious expression but it started to fade as the worry on Mob's expression didn't ease.
"There are chairs if you want—"
Shigeo cut him off, which was a rarity in itself, "Can I see?"
"See what?"
"You arm." Teru tensed at the grave demeanor he was carrying, but shifted the arm in the sling towards him with no hesitance, so he could get a better look. Slowly, Shigeo reached a hand towards his, eyes focused on the purple bruise wrapped around his wrist.
Fingers brushed the discolored skin there with a feather light touch. Teru dared not move feeling like anything would startle this fragile moment, as if Mob might startle off like an injured animal. Which was ironic considering Teru was the hurt animal in this situation. Maybe Shigeo was feeling the same way towards him.
"Does it hurt?" The words were soft and Teru let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding.
"No, not right now."
The hand lingered there for a long moment and he could only guess what was in Shigeo's head. But that wasn't enough for him.
"What are you thinking?" He wonders, barely above a whisper.
Dark eyes flit up to him, then back down. His hand moves away incrementally, no longer touching, but fingers still arrayed around his skin. "I... think I might could help heal you. But I don't want to mess it up," he supplied quietly, "And make it worse."
"You can try it," he answered immediately, trusting him entirely. "It’s just a bruise, so its not like you'll be trying to mend bone or something," he reasoned after the fact.
Shigeo hesitated for just a moment longer before a soft white glow started to emit from his hand held around Teru's wrist.
The feeling of it was hard to pin down, the power felt warm, uncomfortably so, almost like his body was running too hot just under the skin. And pinpricks were buzzing where the damaged blood vessels knitted themselves back together. It felt unnatural, but Teru kept himself still and let him work. When Mob did pull his hand away, he could see that the bruise was still visible in a few dark purpled spots and the rest faded to the brown of an old bruise. Like it had healed unevenly. Interesting.
"How does it feel?" Shigeo asked and when Teru glanced at him he could see the nervous tension around the boy's eyes.
He poked one of the brown places experimentally, nothing, "It feels better," he spoke, looking up to turn a smile on the other boy. In response, Shigeo’s shoulders relaxed incrementally as he took a step back to collapse into one of the chairs situated next to the bed. Teru relaxed back into his pillows in turn, still keeping his eyes on the other boy. As he settled into the chair, Mob curled in on himself, looking down at his hands as he twisted them together in his lap.
"Thank you, Kageyama-kun," he spoke sincerely, trying to calm whatever distressing thoughts he might be having.
"Why did you do it?" He asked in response, getting right to the thick of it.
Teru swallowed, "Do what?"
When Mob looked up at him his eyes were shining again and this time it was Teru who was staring down at his hands, unable to look at him.
"Why did you make me let you go?"
"I was trying to save you," he spoke, voice thick and nervous.
"You were hurting me," Shigeo responded simply and at those words Teruki's head snapped back up to look at him. The expression he wore was hard to parse and it was all Teru could do to hold his gaze, like whatever feeling was in his eyes was burning him just from looking at it. "I wasn't going to let you fall. But you just kept falling."
Teru froze at that, he hadn't thought of it from Mob's perspective, he'd watched him fall three times and three times he caught him, but the third he hadn't even been awake to see. His eyes drifted back down to his hands, curled instinctually around his phone and its dark, cracked screen.
"I didn't want you to get hurt protecting me," he said so softly and right now he couldn't bring himself to say 'die' when Mob had been so close to it and had seen him stray too close to it as well.
"I didn't. We're both still here."
"We are," he agrees brokenly, feeling like he's drowning in the smallest puddles.
"I'm always going to save you if I can. Please don't try to stop me." He requests. And Teru stares at his reflection in a cracked phone screen, face screwed up as tears well in his eyes. "Please, don't do that again," Shigeo asks of him once more and Teru can's speak as a drop of water lands on the reflective surface of his screen, another joins it as they run down the side and one seeps into the crack. He nods.
"Okay," he chokes out in agreement, managing to turn and look up at him. Mob has tear streaks running down his cheeks to match Teru's and he can't help but reach out his good hand towards him. Mob obliged him, standing and stepping towards the bed, and with no prompting he leans down to hug him. His arms are gently draped around him, as if he's trying to only barely be there. Teru holds onto him with his one arm as tight as he can.
"We're ok," Mob says, an echo of Teru's words earlier.
"We're ok," he repeats.
---
"He's just out in the hallway," Mob comments looking bewildered.
"Really?" Teru wonders, Shigeo had scooted his chair closer now and was allowing him to hold his hand. Though Mob had asked Teru if he was doing it right at first.
"Yes, he doesn't seem to be doing anything," he glanced up at Teru curiously, "can you sense him?"
"Maybe if I focused on him."
"Do you have your powers back yet?"
"I haven't tried yet," he admitted with a shrug. He could sense Mob's power again though, emanating from him like warmth from a radiator. Though there was really no telling if that spoke to the strength of his own power or the strength of Mob's. And Mob's psychic aura tended to drown out others, or at least Teruki was more tuned in to it than others. Maybe if he worked at it he could sense past the hum of power beside him into the hall where Ritsu was, but he had no real need or desire to. Instead he focused on his phone. It lifted easily and orbited in the air. He turned to look at Shigeo. "They're back."
Mob nodded, then gently tugged his hand away, quickly wiping it on his pants, "Sorry, my hand was sweaty," he spoke, but kept his hand in his lap. Teru quashed down his disappointment and nodded in return.
"Do you know how they did it?"
Mob's dark eyes shine in the cold lights as he looks at him from under his bangs.
"Did what?"
"The power blocking move."
“Not really,” he said, eyes still focused on Teru intently.
“What did it feel like to you? You still had some of your powers,” he points out, always wanting to know more.
Mob hesitates, staring down to study his hands in his lap before he answers, “strange... Like I was muffled.”
“It stopped working on you completely when you passed out,” Teru observed, already hypothesizing. It seemed to have some connection to the conscious mind, and they knew it was temporary.
“Maybe you have to be thinking about it,” Mob wondered.
Teru lit up at that, “you mean like perception block in your mind?”
Shigeo blinked at him, “maybe,” he agreed mildly, clearly not undestanding, but Teru smiled at him anyway, Mob may have figured out more than he knew, he’d have to work on this.
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Why I think Shigeo Kageyama (Mob) is autistic
Quick word before analysis:
I don’t know what the author of mob psycho 100% had in mind when he created this character. This is only me sharing my point of view. Take it for what it’s worth.
Autism is a spectrum, the following characteristics don’t represent its entirety. Also english isn’t my language. I’m just doing my best to convey my thoughts ^^
1. Lies, being fooled, implicit meanings
Since the first episode, Shigeo is a character that appears to be very gullible and is often qualified of “softy”.He clearly has trouble telling if people are lying to him or having malicious intent. He seems to believe everything that he’s told as if other people were as honest as him (sad truth being that they’re not).
Some people might just see this as an endearing character trait or a quirk but I think this is a first hint at autism. Most people on the spectrum have trouble to distinguish between lies and truth or sarcasm and honesty because we have difficulty reading between the lines.
There are so many examples of this side of him like the fact that he doesn’t even suspect Reigen of lying to him about having psychic abilities or him not thinking that Dimple (エクボ) has malicious intent when he follows him around. But I think the following dialogue summarise this point perfectly:
2. meltdown (the whole 0-100% concept)
First of all what is a meltdown? A meltdown is “an intense response to overwhelming situations. It happens when someone becomes completely overwhelmed by their current situation and temporarily loses behavioural control. This loss of control can be expressed verbally (shouting, screaming, crying), physically (kicking, lashing out, biting) or in both ways”.
Shigeo being in a cycle of slowly getting to 100% and exploding with psychic powers is really similar to the way meltdowns work. We see him getting through the day accumulating small things like unexpected events, social interactions, conflicting feelings or an overload of sensations all of which bring him closer to loosing control of his emotions.
In my opinion this sounds exactly like a meltdown.
3. facial expression
Something quite common for people with autism is to have trouble expressing feelings not only with words but also with facial expressions that don’t match what we’re trying to convey. Mob isn’t expressionless but the changes between his usual face and his others expressions are quite subtle.
4. Lacking social skills
His problems in socialisation are obvious from the start but it becomes even more prominent in the third episode of season 1 with Dimple’s sect. This episode shows us how Mob was always left out of group with children his age because he simply couldn’t read the atmosphere.
In the anime this line is translated by “get a clue” but it doesn’t really match the Japanese words used here “空気を読む” which means “read the situation/sense the mood”. Also I think it’s worth mentioning that in episode 4 he literally names it the “reading-in-the-mood technique” (空気を読む技術). This just illustrates how non-natural this is to him.
Again this is something anyone on the spectrum can probably relate to. Mob is clearly hurt by people constantly telling him to read the mood when he just can’t!
5. Trouble expressing feelings:
In the same episode with Dimple and his sect, it is made very clear that Shigeo has two difficulties: Reading the mood and expressing how he feels. It’s not that he doesn’t want to smile I’d even say that at one point (when Dimple uses his power on him and it doesn’t work) he wants to laugh like everyone else but he can’t.
Dimple then assumes that Mob has no emotions which leads to him saying this:
How many times have people on the spectrum heard this because they couldn’t read and express emotions the same way than most people do? My heart sank when he said that to Mob...
6. Monotone voice
I didn’t find a video of just Mob talking to illustrate this but it’s really obvious in the anime (I only watch in VO so I don’t know about the dub). Mob always talk with the same tone except when he’s at 100%
This is also something widely experienced by people with autism who often say something with the “wrong” tone of voice and it ends up sounding mean, sarcastic or uninterested.
7. bad at sports
This might seem unimportant but I found interesting that Mob was introduced to us as someone absolutely terrible in sports because usually heroes in Shonen mangas are more on the athletic side.
While Mob being bad at sports doesn’t automatically means he’s autistic, I think this is a hint more in that direction as most people on the spectrum are often affected by dyspraxia.
What is dyspraxia? Dyspraxia is “a form of developmental coordination disorder (DCD) is a common disorder affecting fine and/or gross motor coordination in children and adults”.
8. Bullied in parallel reality
So season 2 is incomplete for now but I just watched episode 5 and I decided to add this point to my list. Apparently some people are arguing about the accuracy of the version of mob in the parallel reality that Mogami showed him. In my opinion it was very accurate.
Mob’s environnement is perfect for him. His power (even thought he doesn’t use it much in his daily life) helps him connecting with others (his brother, Reigen, bodybuilding club,...). Because he is in such a good environnement he can thrive and become a better version of himself.
Not everyone is born with the chance Mob has. Growing up in a loving family, making caring friends, having kind teachers or meeting an adult that will guide you...These are probably things most of us wish were part of our life. Especially for neurodivergent people that are often confronted to rejection.
In my opinion this episode showed very well how people who identifies with mob’s characteristics are actually treated in the real world. In a world where they don’t have a cool power that creates ties with other people. In a world where the harsh reality of being bullied, hit, ignored, mocked and harassed is common for people that are considered “different”.
This episode physically hurt me while watching but I hope I was able to make a point without being too emotional.
Conclusion:
So that’s it. These are the main reasons why I think Shigeo is on the autism spectrum. There are still a few but they would be more arguable so I’m going to keep these to myself. Feel free to disagree with my opinion but please be respectful.
In the end I think this show contains so many powerful life advices that can help anyone who’s neurodivergent. Mob is such a wonderful character and I’m glad others are not making a fool out of him like it would have been the case in so many others anime/TV shows.
I’d like to conclude with a quote of Reigen. This is in my opinion one of the best speech in the history of anime:
“Listen, just because you have psychic powers doesn’t change the fact that you’re a human. People who run fast, people good at studying or people with strong body odour. Psychic powers are just another characteristic. You must embrace that as a part of yourself and continue to live positively. The truth behind one’s charm is kindness. Become a good person. That’s all.”
If anyone read this until the end thank you!!
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