Chapter Text
When Teru found himself face to face with a domesticated six-inch spider that possessed enough hairs on its thick, abominable legs to make any of his wigs jealous he knew, he should have seen it coming.
The signs had been there all along.
Teru made a fatal error and took a swig of tea when Serizawa cheerfully recited the most wholesome anecdote involving Mob and a friendly flock of birds. He concluded that the tall, awkward black-haired man was nothing short of the “Disney Channel version of Jesus Christ”.
Teru subsequently laughed so hard that he launched the beverage right out his nose and ended up coughing for dear life.
That description was certainly… something.
But Mob never concerned himself with his more humanitarian strokes. All life was sacred and offering to help just about anyone in need was a deeply rooted urge. A primal one, even. Whether it’s a spirit or a person, when needed Mob always ensured he’d be as kind and understanding as one possibly could be. Once because his master said so but nowadays because he truly understood that people needed kindness to flourish. Being this noble took guts.
It’s something Teru scoffed at as a middle schooler. And something Teru envied as a slightly older middle schooler. But ultimately, something Teru came to love as an adult.
And, oh, how animals loved Mob.
It was shockingly endearing.
More often than not he would find himself surrounded by countless strays, struggling to be on the receiving end of his attention. Birds would rest on his shoulder and butterflies descended on his nose. Teru vividly remembered an occasion where they sat by a Koi pond and watching in awe as hundreds of shiny carps gathered around one particular spot where Mob had dipped his hand into the water to rub their sparkling scales against his finger. And when he pulled it out, they scrambled. All gone, in the blink of an eye.
Of course they would crave his attention. It was his aura. Pale blue. Soft like sea waves licking at your feet. Teru’s wasn’t quite as golden as he’d like for it to be. More of a glaring yellow, really. Loud and overstimulating like the sun in late July and the sound of bumblebees rumbling straight into your ears. Most pets were cautious around him and he couldn't blame them. Ritsu’s was purple-ish and similar to his brother’s. But as far as Teru knew, nocturnal animals very much enjoyed Ritsu’s presence (and especially Shou’s hamster). Meanwhile, Shou was struggling with an aura similar to Teru’s which was simply too unsettling for most little critters (like his hamster, unfortunately).
Serizawa’s color, however, was really hard to tell. Whatever it was, it just seemed to attract blonde men in gray suits.
Two bodies, tangled up on their couch.
In their apartment.
Had a nice ring to it, no?
Teru scrolled through some semi-interesting news report on his phone and let his fingers comb through thick, black hair. Mob still loved to rest his head on Teru’s chest but over the years, he had sprouted into a tall, tall man. Significantly taller than either one of the child prodigies could have ever anticipated. And as a result, handling his weight was noticeably harder. But a flattened boyfriend was none of Mob’s concern right now, as he was peacefully snoring away and treading through a pleasant dream. Being happy was easy. They stayed like this for a while until the blonde became a little restless and started shuffling around so he could gently wake the other man. Mob groaned softly and turned his head around. His eyes remained stubbornly shut.
"Shigeo."
"Hnnn..."
"Shi-ge-o."
"Go away..."
Teru chuckled and Mob groaned again because his chest shook and so did Mob’s head.
"Go where exactly? You’ve trapped me here and I usually don’t mind but, y’know, nature calls..."
Teru smiled apologetically. Mob always thought he looked so very mischievous with that look on his face. The ineffable psychic was now facing his boyfriend with tiredness still etched into his features. Mob tried to frown but it was mostly ineffective. Teru was now face to face with the sleepiest pair of eyes he’d ever seen. A few unruly strands of hair slowly fell towards his pitch black eyes. Perhaps they were trying to shield Mob from Teru’s shit-eating grin.
"You disrupted my dream.", he announced condescendingly.
"I assume it featured me?", Teru inquired.
Mob’s frown deepened and Teru’s smile widened.
The blonde was much tamer now as an adult but a watered down version of his bratty teenage-self still occasionally popped up every now and then. Sometimes Teru flirted with Mob just to piss him off but seeing his partner lose his cool from time to time was definitely worth the risk.
"No. It didn’t.", Mob grumbled.
Then he looked away sheepishly.
"I mean... Okay, maybe kind of..."
Teru's heart grew ten times in size.
"No way! Tell me everything! It wasn’t something perverse, was it?"
Regret quickly outbalanced amusement as every single cushion on the couch came flying at his face at an unbelievable velocity. Muffled screaming ensued.
"Don’t use your powers on other people!", Teru yelped. "You said so yourself!"
Mob sat up and crossed his arms.
"I’m defending myself."
Reigen taught him well.
Teru couldn’t help but break into a giggle and the pillow armageddon came to an abrupt halt because, at the end of the day, Mob was still utterly defenseless against his boyfriend’s criminally charming laughter. He liked banter. It was a foreign type of love language that he explored through Teru. Teasing people just for fun took the slightest bit of effort. Mob's textile weapons slowly floated back to their initial spots.
"I liked my dream. It was nice."
"Well, now I’m dying to know! What was it about?"
Mob paused to chew on his lower lip.
"What?"
"It’s stupid..."
Teru groaned theatrically.
"Geez... Alright then... It’s just that I, uhm..."
Teru reached out to hold his hand which distracted Mob a little.
"You... know I like animals?"
The blonde nodded dutifully.
"I also know your favorite shampoo brand."
Mob’s lips curved into a tiny smile.
"Well, I dreamed we raised a pet."