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i.
If you had told Reigen that the shy, little elementary school boy who entered his office all those years ago would be the cause of his now stress, he’d look at you like you were crazy.
Yet, here he was: frantically calling for Mob after his protege decided to walk off alone. Which, sure Reigen was the all-powerful psychic who could handle himself, but Mob surely could not! No, this was a high-level, powerful spirit — one that Reigen had warned the boy about the moment they arrived.
It was bad enough that Reigen already regretted bringing the boy along, all things considered with reports on the spirit itself, but now he’s certain he’ll be maimed or killed or sent to prison for child endangerment.
He’s tempted to call the police when the kid still doesn’t answer after another few minutes but then he spots it. A familiar bowl cut and a frigid feeling in the air, Mob turning back towards Reigen meekly.
“Mob!” Reigen bolts over, holding back tears and sniffles as he envelopes the kid. “Good thing I was close by so I could scare that spirit away from my dear kohai, huh? All in a good day's work.”
The kid reciprocates the hug with a small hum. “Oh, shisou. Thank you.”
A sense of pride surges through Reigen before it’s immediately replaced with the same stress from earlier, using the feeling to tug the boy from him so he can meet his eyes.
“Why did you run off like that!? You were all alone and-“ And left me alone with no defense... “And without my help. Mob-kun, you know better than to leave my side during a job.”
The boy’s eyes widen and his lips make an ‘o’ shape, “I’m sorry.”
This kid, honestly. So polite and obedient and-
-and moments from sending Reigen into anaphylactic shock and letting Ekubo take control of his body.
Reigen shakes his head as he maneuvers the boy under his arm, two brisk swats alternating on each side against his pants, before he lifts the boy and hugs him again.
“Don’t do that again.” He breathes out, still calming down from the shock.
Mob stiffens, nodding slowly against his chest, and it’s all the extra push he needs to relax. Ever so slightly.
“Hey, how about we get some takoyaki? I’ll treat my favorite employee for a job well done.”
The boy lifts his head up and Reigen can’t help but smile at the expression, eyes sparkling and mouth returning to its familiar gape. “Thank you, shisou.”
His fingers reach out to lace between the boy’s as he guides them away and back towards the car, a reassuring “so we don’t get separated again” as his excuse for holding his hand and he tries not to sniffle when Mob only reciprocates the hold and follows along with no complaints.
And as they sit at the hole-in-the-wall restaurant, two large servings of out-of-budget takoyaki on the table, there’s a lingering question that fills his thoughts: how did he get himself in this deep?
ii.
Like almost everything else in Reigen’s life, Tome coming to the office was out of his control.
The girl was persistent, determined, the polar opposite of himself, yet Reigen couldn’t help but let her stick around despite Ekubo and Serizawa’s protests.
It was bad enough that Reigen himself wasn’t a psychic but for a young, naive, and non-psychic girl to hang around as often as she did? It was no wonder the two were concerned.
And sure he was concerned about her well-being, but he never really had hired her so he couldn’t very well fire her.
Even if she went off and did something so dangerously stupid on her own, despite his warnings.
He was more than nervous hearing the voicemail from the girl and downright terrified when his calls went unanswered, seconds away from crying out for Ekubo and risking a few ‘I told you so’s to ensure Kurata-kun’s safety.
Reigen nearly keels over when he spots the young girl ahead of him, watching with a mix of pride and utter fear. Pride that Ekubo managed to help her without qualms but so, so much fear.
1) She went off alone (and with salt no less!? As if Reigen’s proclamation of his killer salt splash technique was that believable)
2) She almost got herself killed
3) She almost got herself killed
Ekubo needs a medal or a permanent body to possess because if not for the green little menace, Reigen is certain he’d have a dead child on his conscience.
And, well, maybe he’s grown fond of the girl…
“Kurata-kun!” He calls, sighing when she turns with a beaming smile that’s about to be wiped away in an instant. “What- You- Why did you go off without making sure you had backup first!?”
The girl shrugs, pocketing the remaining salt packets. “I had it handled! You’re right about your salt splash though, hitting them with the salt is the hardest part, Reigen-san.”
Reigen wants to cry.
“Kurata-kun, what would have happened if the salt didn’t work? You don’t have psychic powers like Serizawa or I-”
“But I still took care of it.”
Not really, no. Not at all .
“Look, kid, if you’re going to keep working with me you can’t keep trying to exorcise spirits on your own. Especially not if you leave disheveled voicemails with frantic locations!”
Kurata frowns, lip beginning to quiver slightly, and Reigen doesn’t hesitate to pull her in for a tight embrace; stroking her hair and thanking every god and deity out there that everything worked out okay.
She sniffles against his chest, “Sorry… I just wanted to help…”
“I know.” He does. “But not like this. It makes it hard to trust you, Kurata.”
“You can! Trust me, I mean! Please, Reigen-san, I need this job.”
He hums, glancing to see Ekubo glaring from behind the girl and shaking his head no before seeing the saddest and most pathetic look painted on the girl’s face that decides things for him.
“Fine.” Reigen ignores the finger sent in his direction by the floating snot and crouches down to meet Kurata’s height. “But I can’t let you get off scot-free, not when you almost gave me a heart attack.”
“What do you-”
She’s cut off when Reigen stands back up and then turns her around, checking left and right to make sure there are no loiterers, before giving her a good few swats against her skirt that have her bouncing toe to toe.
“There we go. Clean slate.”
Kurata sniffles and reaches up to wipe her eyes which pushes Reigen to reach forward and ruffle her hair, smiling gently when she nods in understanding.
“Hungry?”
“Starving…”
All seems forgotten as he walks with the girl back towards the office, spirits higher and gentle laughter filling their walk.
Not even Ekubo’s smug looks as he and Kurata bite into their burgers can ruin it.
iii.
If Shigeo was quiet, kind, and respectful, his younger brother was the exact opposite. Ritsu Kageyama was loud, proud of himself, a delinquent who scorned Reigen at every opportune moment.
Basically, he was, as Reigen would describe him, a brat.
The devil to Mob’s angel. The prepubescent pip squeak with narrowed eyes and crossed arms, as though to rival for dominance. The pain in Reigen’s ass.
Sometimes, it’d be funny to watch the younger Kageyama brother perform his facade of protective brother, to watch him tease and come up with insults that Reigen would usually play along with.
Other times, the kid went too far. Said something indecorous or make one jab too many or, the most common offender, presume he was invincible.
Most times it was met with a flick to a forehead or a tut of disapproval, mainly from Serizawa, but when it came to any of the kid’s well-being? Reigen drew the line there.
He was already so used to the kids doing dangerous and not entirely age-appropriate tasks, but that was usually when he or Serizawa or any other adult esper was with them.
Reigen made it very clear of a child’s place in the world and how there would be moments when any of his kids would be expected to be such: kids. But Ritsu never really felt that applied to him. Felt as though he was unstoppable and capable of anything, alone, without telling a soul.
Reigen was more than pleased to remind him of his age and the expectations that were held for him when he ends up basically running into him instead: taking on a group of delinquent high school boys all on his own.
No time is wasted between scolding the other group of boys and watching them grumble and storm off before he’s rounding on Ritsu, eyes blazing at the look of annoyance he possesses.
“Hey! This is- Let me go !”
Any pedestrian who saw the scene didn’t pay them any mind, just stepped aside and kept on their merry way as he continued to tug Ritsu by the arm towards his office; the vice-like grip around his bicep a silent confirmation of how serious he is.
“Why? So you can run off to use your psychic ability for personal gain? Nice try, kid.”
Ritsu tugs, groaning dramatically when his arm doesn’t budge. “You suck.”
“Yeah, well, I’m about to suck a lot more.”
The complaints only amplify at that, Ritsu whining and complaining the rest of the walk home, all the way into the office, and even when he’s tipped over and laid across Reigen’s lap on the dingy couch.
They only die down and morph into pathetic sniffles when he’s tugged up and pulled into a gentle embrace, eyes red and glaring like a kitten but still sinking into the hug.
It’s pathetically sad. But not sad enough to deter Reigen from guiding the boy into a spare corner as he makes them tea, eyes focusing on the sniffly child with his pants pooled around his ankles on the floor and shoulders hunching.
He looks so very small like this, just a sorry little kid who got in trouble for being bratty, one who Reigen much prefers over the little kid who got too big for his britches.
Casting one more small smile he brings the tray to the coffee table.
“Ritsu? Come here, bud. Let’s have some tea and cookies.”
iv.
Reigen Arataka was what many would call a heavy sleeper. He could sleep through anything, from a crying baby to a literal thunderstorm with ease.
So then why was he wide awake at 2 in the morning over a premonition?
A glance at the sleeping figure beside him shows Serizawa is accounted for and judging from the lack of anything valuable in his flat, he doubts someone has broken in.
Grumbling and wide awake now, he dares to venture out of bed as carefully as possible — not wanting to wake the literal log snoring in his bed — to get a drink of water. The least he can do for himself is get a drink. (Maybe a snack too, seeing as though Serizawa is sound asleep and not awake to get onto him for it.)
He’s filling his cup under the tap when he notices it. Teru’s door is closed.
Which, isn’t a problem in itself, but Reigen distinctly remembers shutting it when he said goodnight to the boy all those hours ago. Cup of water in hand, he makes his way over to the spare room and opens the door slowly-
To reveal an empty bed and a wide-open window.
His first thought is to panic, naturally, scary thoughts of someone actually breaking in and snatching up the kid.
His next thought is far more rational and far more plausible.
He snuck out.
Reigen doesn’t even bother to wake up Serizawa, not when he knows exactly where the brat is. The exact place they had argued about him going only earlier that day.
Teru was so convinced he had to go to a midnight event downtown and Reigen, being the responsible adult and guardian he is, told him he was out of his mind for even thinking he’d be able to go — and on a school night no less.
And when Reigen storms down the road in duck-printed pajama pants and Serizawa’s winter coat in the direction of the crazy action that everyone deemed appropriate to occur on a Wednesday night, he isn’t surprised to see a familiar mop on blond in the crowd.
“Hanazawa Teruki!”
The boy turns slowly and his eyes widen dramatically when he sees Reigen, quickly turning back and almost bolting further into the crowd.
“Teru! Stop!”
He’s surprised when he does, freezing in his tracks and turning with narrowed eyes and arms wrapping around himself. It’s only then that Reigen realizes he didn’t even have the sense to bring his jacket with him in his sneaky escape.
Serizawa’s jacket is massive on the kid but it’s better than him getting a cold and it makes it easier to grab the hood and drag him behind him.
“What were you thinking !?” Reigen seethes as he tightens his grip amidst the squirming. “You snuck out!?”
“Obviously.”
Reigen bites his tongue, fully aware of what the kid is trying to do. What he had been doing for weeks.
“You could have at least brought a damn jacket with you. It’s the middle of the night in January, Teru-kun, you’re going to catch a cold.”
He hisses. “I’ll remember one next time.”
That gets him. Reigen can’t help but snort, turning Teru so they’re facing each other as he reaches out and pats his shoulder firmly. “You’re a real brat, you know that?”
“Whatever.”
Reigen doesn’t remember having ‘deal with teen angst and rebellion’ on this year’s bingo card, but hey, he’s willing to adapt to the punches.
“Right. Well, since none of this seems like a big deal to you then you being grounded probably won’t either.”
Teru seethes for a minute before shrugging and Reigen continues to walk them home at that, just the sound of snow squishing under their feet and mumbled complaints from the brat that’s lucky Reigen was nice enough to spare the coat.
He unlocks the door and immediately Teru moves to storm up the stairs, foot hovering over the bottom step when Reigen calls him back over.
“Nice try. Your ass is toast, kid.”
It’s the harshest spanking Teru’s ever gotten and the harshest Reigen’s ever given and by the end of it, the kid is sobbing and sniffling over his knee, backside red and certainly aching.
He strokes the boy’s spine as he lets out the rest of his sobs, slipper returned to his foot, and it isn’t until Teru is no longer hiccuping that he sits him up and plops him down beside him on the couch.
“You know, Serizawa is probably still asleep.” He whispers, tugging the kid under his arm and giving him a hug. “Want to raid the candy stash?”
bonus.
He was framed, really. That had to be it. There was no other explanation as to why Serizawa was pacing in front of him and lecturing while Reigen sat sulkily on the bed.
As if Reigen would be one to sneak late-night snacks so frequently, to even have some kind of candy stash that he lets his kids dig into. To treat his dear colleagues and kohai to nice dinners every so often. Certainly not him.
“Arataka, are you even listening ?”
Reigen looks up with a quirk of his lip. “Yes, yes, of course.”
“You can’t bribe the kids with snacks and treats after disciplining them.”
“It’s not bribery!”
“So you admit you do it, then.”
Was Serizawa in law school all of a sudden!? Where did this manipulation even come from?
He frowns, “Occasionally.”
“Arataka.”
“What!? It’s not illegal to give them a treat, Katsuya.”
The other man groans and runs a hand down his face, Reigen’s lip twitches.
“You literally popped Shigeo-kun once and then immediately bought him takoyaki.”
“... And that’s a bad thing?”
“Look, Arataka.” Serizawa takes a seat beside him, hands clasped in between his legs. “I get that you want them to still like you afterward and you feel bad but you can’t keep spoiling them. If they do something wrong, they do something wrong.”
Reigen sighs out, shoulders slumping in defeat. “Fine… I won’t do it anymore.”
“Good.” He gasps when he’s pulled sideways and his ass is exposed to the cool air of the room, head whipping to glare at Serizawa. “Let’s make sure of it.”
His ass hurts, even if he rubs it over and over, and he can still feel the sting from the swat that fell on his thigh when he made an inappropriate joke. Serizawa is mean, but… but he might have a point.
Reigen looks up and meets the other’s eyes with a sniffle, lip pouting. “Can we have tea at least?”
He squawks when he’s met with a face full of pillow in response.