Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Reigen can’t help but flinch as his father slammed his fists against the table; his eyes flicker to his mother, who stares back with a disappointed stare and tightly pulled lips.

“No!” His father yells, outraged. Reigen feels cold fear seep through him, along with bright, excruciating shame. “I will not have a gay son!” His father continues, spit flying out of his mouth as he gets angrier. Reigen wilts away when his father stomps toward him.

“Dad, please , I-I’m not -” He tries to plead, but his father has other plans, grabbing the fifteen-year-old by his upper arm. Reigen catches his mother’s gaze again. “ Mom , you have to believe me!”

“Like Hell you aren’t, you little liar !” Reigen flinches and a cry of pain exits his mouth as his father’s fingers sink harshly into his sensitive skin. He feels his eyes start to burn, from adrenaline and betrayal. His parents were never the best , but this really is a whole different level.

“I-it’s true, Dad, I'm not, ple-hease ,” Reigen sobs, his words coming out between gasps. He’s stunned into silence when his father’s fist connects to his face. 

He’s absentmindedly aware that he’s being dragged out of the kitchen, through the house; his father’s bruising grip was nothing compared to the intense, sharp ache radiating from his cheekbone that his free hand hovers over. 

Reigen barely has time to react before he’s being thrown onto the porch, his shirt sleeve tearing and his hand scraping on the merciless concrete in an attempt to brace himself. A gasp forces its way into his throat when his face connects to it, smashing his nose. He looks back at his father who stands over him with a glare of disgust. Reigen feels blood begin to flood from his nose and he has to lean forward to avoid getting it on his clothes.

“You can come back when you leave your sinful ways behind,” His father deems, his voice even, but filled with malice and hatred. Reigen’s eyes widen as his father takes a step back, bringing the door with him. “Until then, I have no son.” And with that, the door slams, shaking the whole house and causing Reigen to shudder.

He brings himself to his feet, mind racing on what he could do. He could stay here, beg to be let back in, to at least be let back in to grab a few things. That would be futile though, Reigen knows, his father was never one for pity.

He decides to leave, pulling his sleeve up so he could wipe the blood from his nose on his arm whilst a shaky breath leaves him. He steps away from his home with one last glance. ‘ No, not home, ’ Reigan thinks, ‘ Never home .’ His home was with his Master, at Spirits and Such, his home was with his best friend, Katsuya. 

He doesn’t know if he’d like to see Serizawa right now though, he’s the reason Reigen was in this mess in the first place. He’s not sure what made his father connect the dots, but he found out about how Reigen felt towards his friend. 

He trudges heavily to the park just down the road, thinking. He wishes his father would be more accepting. He wishes that when his father found out, all he would have gotten was teased jokingly and given some advice, not punched and kicked out. Though maybe that’s what he deserves. 

Reigen can’t stop his eyes from stinging, tears flooding them as his breaths become uneven. He whimpers quietly, bringing his hands to cover his face as he collapses on one of the park benches. He tries to take a steady breath, but it just tapers off into a low whine. 

He sniffles, trying to calm himself down as he pulls his cheap flip-phone from his pocket. Surely, his master will know what to do, Mob knows everything. Reigen stops himself when he gets to his Shishou’s contact though, his mind racing. 

Mob will ask what happened. Would Reigen lie? Could he lie? Yes, of course he could. He doesn’t want to see the disgust that he saw on his father’s face mirrored on his master. He doesn’t think his heart could take it. He really needs some of his master's wisdom though, but could he give it without all the information on the situation? 

Maybe Reigen doesn’t need advice, perhaps he could just use the comfort his master would provide. Would Mob provide it though? Reigen shakes his head, reaching up to wipe his tears as he hits the call button, bringing his phone to his ear. 

It rings for what seems like an eternity.

“Hello? Reigen?” He hears Mob say. He sounds tired, like maybe he was just about to go to sleep. Reigen’s reminded how late it is, nearly ten at night. He wants to laugh at the absurdity of his situation, but his throat is dangerously tight. His eyes start to sting again. “Reigen? Is everything alright?”

“Sh-shishou-” Reigen chokes out into the speaker of his phone, devastation obvious in his voice. He swallows against the lump in his throat. “I-” Reigen cuts himself off, a short sob escaping his chest. He swallows again in an attempt to quell his tears.

“Reigen, what’s going on? Are you okay?” Mob asks, his typically monotone voice much more alert. Reigen almost laughs at the way Mob sounds, it comes out as a sob though, and this time, he can’t stop it. He tries to respond to Mob’s question, but he just manages to gasp loudly. “ Breathe , Reigen, it’s okay, breathe- with me,” Mob commands, and Reigen pushes his phone right up to his ear to really listen. Mob’s example is louder than normal, to make sure Reigen can actually hear.

It takes a few minutes for Reigen to really calm down, and he’s still sniffling when Mob asks:

“What happened?” His voice is uncharacteristically soft, and it soothes Reigen a bit.

“N-nothing,” Reigen lies easily, not even on purpose, really. It’s instinct at this point. “Just… a bad dream, th-that’s all.” Reigen says, forcing his voice to take on a lighter tone, he fake laughs to really send the lie home. “It wasn’t even that scary, but I guess I couldn’t handle it, sorry to bother you, Shish-” He’s cut off by Mob.

“Reigen,” His voice is sterner, and it makes Reigen tense slightly. “You don’t have to lie. It’s nothing to be embarrassed about. You can tell me anything.” Again, his voice softens, making Reigen’s bottom lip tremble. He takes in a shaky breath, tilting his phone away to do so. He doesn’t want Mob to see him as pathetic.

“I know, Mob-Shishou…” Reigen says, trying to keep his voice chipper, and light-hearted. “Well, if you really have to know, I got kicked out.” His voice cracks a bit when he admits it, but he clears his throat and continues at the silence radiating from his phone. “It’s not too big of a deal though, I’m sure my old man will come around eventually, and I can handle being outside for a few-”

“Where are you?” Mob interrupts, making Reigen pause uneasily. He just takes a deep breath and clears his throat again.

“I-I’m… at the park near my house. Er, my old house, heh,” Reigen tries to joke, but it falls a bit flat.

“I’ll be right there.” Mob says, and Reigen jolts, his hand grasps onto his pant leg. 

“You don’t have to do that, Shishou, I-I’ll be fine. A-and I’m already planning on working tomorrow, so I’ll just see you then.” Reigen reasons unsteadily, the thought that his master would care enough to come get him at such a late hour made his chest feel full. 

“Actually…” Reigen reconsiders, looking down at his ruffled pajamas and his bloody arm. “Maybe I shouldn’t, heh. I… didn’t get a chance to grab anything; Hey, good thing it’s the weekend, huh?” He once again tries to joke, but just as the last one did, it fell flat. He winces and wipes his nose again, not really wanting to think about school at the moment.

“You don’t have to work tomorrow if you don’t want to.” Mob tells him before he says something to someone else. Reigen’s eyebrows furrow at what seems to be a conversation on the other side of the phone.

“M-Mob-Shishou?” Reigen says timidly, his voice quiet in worry.

“Yeah, Reigen?” Mob asks, back to the phone and actually comprehensible.

“Who… were you talking to? J-just now?” Reigen forces himself to ask, even though he isn’t sure if he’d like an answer. 

“Oh, I was speaking briefly with Teru-kun,” Mob answers easily. Reigen’s heart sank at the words, however.

“T-Teru-san? He’s… at your apartment?” Reigen’s voice quivers. It’s not that Reigen didn’t like Teruki, he just looked up to him so much, and Reigen doesn’t know what he’d do if he saw the look of disgust on Teru’s face. Reigen swallows, and nods to himself, he just wouldn’t admit why he got kicked out, no matter how much they ask.

“Is that okay? I can send him home-”

“No! I mean- no, that’s fine, I swear,” Reigen says, schooling his wavering voice. Somehow, even just imagining how they’d react if they found out made Reigen’s eyes sting again, and his hands tremble. “Are… you sure you want me to go to your house? I… wouldn’t want to i-impose or something.” Reigen says, sniffling and grimacing at how tender his nose still is and the smell of copper.

“Reigen. You could never impose because you’re always welcome,” Mob tells him warmly. Reigen frowns, because that can’t be right. His lips form into a thin line and the lump in his throat returns with a vengeance. He doesn’t get a chance to react as it bubbles out as a sob.

“S-sorry-” Reigen rushes to say, wiping his eyes free of tears. “I mean- O-of course I’m always welcome,” He tries making his voice hold its usual bravado, and he hopes that Mob doesn’t see through it. “I’m a delight to be around!” He continues, and he thinks it kind of worked, except for the moment his voice cracked on the last word. He prays that Mob sees it as puberty and not Reigen being a baby about what’s happening.

“Reigen,” He hears Mob say, except it doesn’t come from his phone, it comes from behind him. Reigen tenses, his shoulders rise in defense as he jolts in surprise, he didn’t expect him to get there so fast. He doesn’t turn around, because he knows he’s a mess, with obvious tear tracks running down his cheeks, smeared blood that’s still slowly dribbling from his nose, scrapes, and the bruise that still aches under his eye. 

“O-oh, h-hey, Shishou,” Reigen says, his voice wavering only slightly. He remains sitting forward, not facing Mob. He closes his phone to give himself something to do, slowly bringing it down and away from his face. 

He can’t help the full body flinch he does when he feels a hand land on his shoulder. Quickly, he turns his head away from the hand, trying to keep Mob from seeing what a mess he is.

“Reigen,” Mob repeats, stepping around the side of the bench to be in front of Reigen, who panics and turns his head to face down, continuing to avoid Mob’s gaze. He doesn’t want to see the expression on his master’s face, if there’s any at all. “Look at me, Arataka.” Mob demands softly, his voice just above a whisper. Reigen can’t help his shaking shoulders from trying to hold in his tears. He shakes his head mutely, so many emotions coming forth when a quiet whine leaves his throat unwarranted, along with a few tears.

Gently, so very gently, He feels a hand touch the side of his face. He breathes in sharply at the touch, but lets it guide his head to look up at Mob. His master is shadowed slightly by the poor lighting, the lamp post overhead was all they had. Reigen can only imagine how he looks with the dim orange tinted light, all battered and bruised.

Mob on the other hand, looks like normal, though a bit disheveled. Reigen also can’t help but notice how weird it is to see his master not in his typical fancier clothes, the sight of him in pajamas is funny enough that a choked laugh bubbles out of him. Mob’s expression, too. What usually sat in neutrality, is lit with a deep anger, and maybe a bit of sorrow, if Reigen’s reading him correctly.

“H-hey, Shishou, s-sorry to have bothered you so late…” Reigen tries, but his master’s hand is still resting on his face, and his eyes are raking over Reigen’s injuries. Mob just frowns harder, and Reigen has to look away, blinking a stray tear out of his eye so things stop being so blurry. 

“Nonsense,” Mob tells him soothingly, and Reigen looks back up at him with tilted furrowed eyebrows. “You could never be a bother.” He continues, and he says it with such conviction, that Reigen is almost inclined to believe him. He doesn’t believe him. “Come on, let’s go.” Reigen just nods, sliding off the bench while Mob steps away. Mob keeps a reassuring hand on his shoulder though, and Reigen can’t help but relax at the familiar touch.

“Sorry for making you come all this way,” Reigen mumbles, sniffling softly. “And for making you wake up to get me- and for having to come over when Teru-san is over, I know you don’t get to hang out with him often. And for-”

“Reigen, you have nothing to apologize for.” Mob interrupts, sounding a bit more tired. Guilt creeps up through Reigen’s throat, or maybe it’s just bile, either way, he swallows it down.

“Okay… Then I guess I should thank you,” Reigen says, stumbling a bit when he accidently dragged his feet. “So, thank you for coming all that way just to get me.”

“You shouldn’t have to thank me either…” Mob mumbles mainly to himself, and Reigen can’t help but furrow his eyebrows in confusion. If he wasn’t supposed to say thank you or sorry , what was he supposed to say? He just opts to say nothing else the rest of the trip. The silence between them seems one-sidedly tense, only filled with a few sniffles from Reigen and echoing footsteps from both of them.

When they finally get to Mob’s apartment, Reigen’s suddenly hit with the fact that he’s never been in his master’s house. He’s a bit upset that it had to be under these circumstances that he visits for the first time, but hey, it’s better than nothing. He waits patiently for Mob to unlock the door, and then click the door open. 

Mob walks in, toeing his shoes off in a quick practiced manner before he gets out of Reigen’s way, still politely holding the door open for the boy. Reigen mumbles a quiet ‘ Thanks ’, stepping in and out of his shoes as well. He passes Mob, standing awkwardly as the man shuts the door and locks it back. Mob walks past him, waving an arm for him to follow. Reigen obeys, walking with him to the living room. Reigen tenses at the sight of blond hair at the couch.

Teruki turns at the sound of their footsteps, a hint of a tired smile showing on his face before his eyes land on Reigen. His eyes instead widen, and he quickly hops over the back of the couch, kneeling and looking over the boy with concern in his eyes.

“What happened!?” Teru asks, and Reigen flinches at the loudness of it. Teru seems to notice because he puts effort into not being as intense. “Reigen, what happened?” He asks again, softer this time, and his eyes still look all over his face, he even uses his hand to turn Reigen’s head in different directions so he could see everything. Reigen sniffles, pushing Teru’s hand away, trying to look angry. He’d rather be angry than sad.

“I got kicked out.” Reigen answers with a huff, crossing his arms, internally wincing at the reminder of the bruise steadily forming on his bicep.

“Oh, wow, that sucks, kiddo.” Teruki says ineloquently, at a lack of anything else to say. “How’d you get all beat up though?” He continues questioning, leading Reigen to the couch. Reigen notices that Mob has left his side to leave the room, and an empty hollow feeling resonates, making him realize that that feeling has been there for a while, not just appearing now. 

“...” Reigen hesitates. Of course he does, what’s he supposed to say? ‘ Oh, this? nothing much, just took a tumble when my dad punched me and then threw me to the ground outside and disowned me, how have you been doing? ’ He almost winces at the thought, but he keeps his face carefully neutral. “Nothing.” Is all he says. Teru looks at him with a look of disappointment, and it almost makes him tell the truth.

“Reigen, you don’t have to tell me what happened right now if you don’t want to. But just know that you can tell me or Shige anything, and there’ll be no repercussions. I promise.” Teru tells him with a sad smile. Reigen feels his lips quiver as more tears fill his eyes. Teru’s eyes widen, before retracting to a sad comforting smile, and he raises his arms to offer a hug. How could Reigen refuse?

That hug was probably the most comforting thing he’s ever felt. It also just happens to be his first hug since probably elementary school. He can’t hold back his sobs, and he lets his tears flow freely, all over Teru’s sleep shirt. He gasps and whines and whimpers and just cries .

“ Why? ” He hiccups, it comes out muffled and whiney. He’s going to be so embarrassed when he’s done, but it feels very nice to just let it all out. “Why don’t they care ?! It’s not fair !” His words are slurred and messy, and he grips onto the back of Teru’s shirt like a madman. Teru just shushes him softly, rocking gently, and rubbing a soothing hand along his back.

“It’s not fair, you’re right,” Teru whispers his agreement, holding Reigen a bit tighter.

“ How could they do this to me ?!” Reigen yells. His throat is sore, but he just can’t stop . The sobs ripping through his throat become painful, his eyes start to sting from crying too much, and his nose is tender against the cloth of Teru’s pajamas. “ Why didn’t she stop him ? They’re supposed to love me ! How could they- ” He’s cut off by his own cries, and he takes that as a sign to just stop talking and wail some more.

It takes a bit for him to finally tire himself out, pulling away from Teru’s hold, he laughs weakly. It comes out wrecked, his throat scratchy. His attention is averted to Mob, who sat patiently next to him, which is double embarrassing because Reigen didn’t even notice. He holds a glass of water up to him and Reigen takes it gratefully.

“Thanks… Sorry for getting blood on you…” He says, looking at Teru’s mess of a sleep shirt before giving one more sniffle and taking a sip from the glass in his hands. It goes down with a bit of effort, seeing as he wasn’t really in the mood to drink water. His head is starting to hurt from the crying, and he feels empty again, numb. He takes another sip and Mob motions to a bowl with a rag beside it on the coffee table, along with a first aid kit. His cheeks would flush if they weren’t already splotchy and red. He nods, and Mob reaches over, bringing the table a bit closer to them before grabbing the rag and wetting it. “Wait!” Reigen says abruptly, almost tripping on his own tongue. “I can do it myself, I’m not a baby.” 

“I know you’re not, Reigen, but there’s no shame in getting some help sometimes. I would like to help you, so really, you’d be doing me a favor by letting-” Reigen cuts his master off.

“ Okay , I get it, you don’t have to reverse psychology me. Just get it over with, I feel really gross, and I wanna take a nap.” Reigen tells him, weakly doing his usual hand gestures, only with his good arm. He takes one more sip of his water before setting it on the table and closes his eyes for Mob to clean his face.

The feeling of the warm rag working its way into his skin feels amazing to say the least. Mob’s gentle around the still forming bruise on his cheekbone, along with his scraped and tender nose. Reigen feels a lot better when Mob’s done, but that’s not saying too much because any small amount would have felt like a lot. He still feels like he could sleep for a year, and maybe cry a bit more, but he doesn’t have it in him.

“Thank you, Mob-Shishou. A-and you, Teru-san.” Reigen says, making sure to pour enough gratitude into his voice. Teruki just smiles at him, brighter than the sad smile Reigen last saw. Mob looks neutral, but Reigen knows he’s probably just tired. “And sorry, for… making you take care of me.”

“It’s no problem, ‘Taka, but we’re not finished yet.” Mob says, grabbing the first aid kit. Reigen warms at the nickname and doesn’t even complain when Mob puts a weird smelling cream on his fingers and smooths it over his scrapes. “Looks like you’re going to have two black eyes as well.” Mob notes passively. Reigen blanches reaching up to hover closely to his eye.

“Augh, no way! He didn’t even throw me that hard!” He complains exaggeratedly, pouting and poking the underside of his eye a bit.

“What?” Teru asks, causing Reigen to look over with furrowed eyebrows. The blond man’s eyes look dark, and his lips are pulled into a tight frown.

“I said , he didn- Oh-” Reigen stops himself, realizing what he just admitted. “I-I meant, I didn’t, uh, fall that hard, heh, on my own, onto the porch. Just because I felt like it!” His attempt to convince them that he didn’t mean what he said was terrible, but you can’t blame him, he’s had a rough night. He’ll be able to lie properly after a good night’s rest, but right now, his mind is jumbled, and he can’t quite think straight.

“Arataka.” Mob speaks, and Reigen’s head sweeps towards him, maybe a bit too fast, because the movement makes him slightly dizzy. “Your father did this?” Reigen wilts in on himself slightly, shame flooding him when he’s reminded why he’s in this mess in the first place.

“Yeah… But I deserved it, so it’s fine-”

“Reigen. No one deserves that.” Teru says softly, setting a hand on Reigen’s arm, unfortunately his bad one, making him suck a sharp breath through his teeth. Teru pulls his hand away, confused.

“Well. Maybe I do . I’m… disgusting.” Reigen admits, shutting his eyes tight to stop another wave of tears. 

“What happened to your arm? Would you mind rolling your sleeve up so we can see?” Mob asks, ignoring Reigen’s self-deprecating words for a second. Reigen just nods mutely, rolling his long sleeve up to his shoulder. It bunches uncomfortably, but his swollen bicep is now visible. He’s not sure how, but his father’s fingernail marks are now welts on his skin, showing exactly how harshly he was grabbed. The glass of water on the table cracks loudly, making Reigen jump and lean away from it. He looks back at Teru before flipping to Mob.

“Sh-shishou?” Reigen says at the sight of Mob’s face, which is dangerously shadowed, despite the relatively good lighting. His eyes are tunneled on Reigen’s arm, and Reigen shudders in subconscious fear. “I-I didn’t think it would look so bad, I’m sorry-”

“ Arataka . Your father did this?” Mob repeats himself, voice deeper than Reigen has ever heard it. Reigen tries to keep calm, but he can feel his breaths come in faster and leave sooner.  

“Y-yeah, but it was my fault, so, uh, really, I made him do it, 'cause I did something bad- I mean I am something bad.” Reigen tries to explain, his breath getting slightly faster as Mob’s hair starts to float. He isn’t really trying to defend his father, knowing the man doesn’t deserve it, but he can’t help but do it anyway, childish as it is to want approval from the man when he isn’t even there. 

“Shigeo, this isn’t what he needs, calm down.” Teruki says loudly, placing a grounding hand on Reigen’s other arm. Reigen can’t help but lean into it gratefully, watching silently as Mob takes a deep breath, and really calms down.

“Sorry, Reigen, sorry, Teru-kun.” Mob apologizes, his voice still hard with anger, but softening greatly. 

“It’s okay…” Reigen forgives him awkwardly, not very sure what else to say.

“No, no, it wasn’t okay, you’re obviously hurting, and while it was his instinct to protect you that made him react like that, it clearly scared you,” Teru assures, making Reigen even more confused. What’s the point of reprimanding Reigen for forgiving Mob? He just nods, and continues to sit there, frowning.

“He doesn’t need to be chided for accepting an apology, either, Teru-kun.” Mob says, unamused. Reigen swallows dryly, eyes flickering to the broken glass. 

“Yeah, you’re right, here, you wrap that nasty bruise, and I’ll get something to clean up this mess.” Teru says, not the slightest bit of distaste in his voice. Reigen furrows his eyebrows, not able to understand how the argument was over so quickly, and then no hard feelings afterwards. Mob nods and Teru sets off to the kitchen.

Mob works quietly, grabbing some gauze and carefully wrapping it around Reigen’s arm. Reigen has to bite his tongue to stop himself from blurting out stupid questions like, ‘ Why do you care so much ?’ or ‘ What am I going to have to owe you for this ?’

“What’s the point of wrapping a bruise?” Is what Reigen asks instead, mumbling it as he watches. Mob’s eyes flick up to him before going back down.

“My little brother’s a nurse, I’ve been forced to learn stuff, like first aid.” Mob says dully, making Reigen crack a small smile. He wishes he knew stuff like this, for all the times he needed it. Reigen just hums in acknowledgement, watching as Mob finishes up. It was wrapped firmly, but not enough to hurt, and Reigen can tell why you’re supposed to do it as his arm already starts to feel better.

“Thanks, Shishou.” Reigen says, rubbing it a bit before pulling his sleeve back down. Teru walks in with a towel and a trash can in his hands, as well as another glass of water which is floating after him. The drink lands in his hands, and he takes an appreciative gulp, now in the mood to drink something, feeling thirstier than ever. Teru smiles as he cleans up the broken shards and spilt water.

“Here, let me help,” Mob says, dropping to pick up a few of the larger pieces of glass. Reigen watches with rapt attention, well, maybe not ‘rapt’, but he watches with full attention. He’s confused, and a bit grumpy at the fact that they’re using their hands, when they have perfectly good psychic powers that would ensure that they got every piece.

Together, they get it done quickly, and Reigen has to ignore the guilt he feels at the fact that he didn’t even offer to help. Mob takes the trash can and towel back to the kitchen and Teru stays with Reigen.

“Do you need anything, Reigen? I could get you a change of clothes. And the remote for the TV. Would you like that?” He asks, very nicely, and Reigen almost gets choked up again at the offers. Carefully, he just nods, because different clothes would be nice, even if he could live without the remote. Teru gives him a smile and ruffles his hair before leaving. 

Then, Reigen is alone. The TV is buzzing, showing whatever Teru was watching before Reigen arrived, but Reigen’s eyes won’t focus on it, and the words sound all jumbled. He just sits on the couch and stares down into the cup of water he holds. 

His lungs itch for a cigarette, but it would be rude to smoke here, after Mob has been so adamant that he stops smoking. Reigen’s not one to invade on someone’s hospitality and then disrespect it, so he just leans into the feeling, letting the itch fester in his throat. He jolts when Teru returns.

“They might be a bit large on you, but the pants have a tie thing, so it should be fine,” The man says, looking at the clothes collected in his arms before holding them out to Reigen with a smile. Reigen sniffs, eyes stinging once again as he takes to clothes silently. “I’ll take you to the bathroom, here.” Teru continues, holding out his hand. Reigen looks at it with a lack of amusement, before he blinks and tries to remember the last time he held an adult’s hand just to bring himself comfort, and he decides it’s better to just take it.

The short trek to the bathroom ended with Teru giving Reigen another soft smile and Reigen closing the door just to be alone again. With a shaky sigh, he sets the clothes on the sink and looks in the mirror. He didn’t get a chance to see himself at the worst of it, but he still looks pretty bad. The soft frown seems deeper than it feels, and Mob was right about the black eyes, Reigen can already see the light bruises forming. He lets out another shaky sigh, pulling his shirt over his head, careful with his wrapped arm. He looks paler than ever, and there are small bruises littering his body, which makes the paleness look worse. 

He takes his pants off next, leaving his underwear on, because even if Teru brought him some, he wouldn’t feel very comfortable wearing someone else's boxers. Having his legs free from the suffocating jeans makes him feel miles better, and he gives himself a second to shiver at the coolness of the air before he grabs the sweatpants Teru gave him. They’re a nice dark grey, and Reigen can tell they’re Mob’s because it actually seems wearable. If Teru had sweatpants, Reigen’s sure they’d be bright pink and yellow, with some random characters on them. Reigen smiles at the thought as he slips them on. They are comically large on him, polling at his feet.

Taking the t-shirt, he turns it to see the design on the front. It’s a cute decal of a kitten with english characters surrounding it. Reigen personally can't read english, but he’s sure it’s something with a cheesy pun. He smiles a bit wider and slips it on as well. It covers all the way to a quarter of his thigh. He leans down to bunch the pants around his ankles so he can walk before he lifts the shirt a bit to secure them on better with the drawstring. Looking in the mirror a second time, he looks better somehow. The dark clothes contrast him nicely, and he’s very comfortable. 

Teru’s waiting for him when he walks out, and at the sight of him, the man covers his mouth to hide a laugh. Reigen wants to get angry at him, but he can’t help the matching smile that spreads across his face.

“Yeah, I look pretty dumb, huh?” He says with a laugh, looking down at the clothes. Teru ruffles his hair, getting his attention back to him.

“No, I think you look very cute.” Teru says, his voice full of amusement. Reigen pouts at him and swats his hand away. “Do you need anything else, Reigen-kun?” Teru asks, and Reigen’s faux grumpiness falls away quickly as sheepishness replaces it.

“Do you think… Mob-Shishou has any honey?” He asks, a hand nervously holding onto the hem of his shirt. Teru blinks before he thinks about it.

“I’m sure he does, I could go ask him and you can head back to the couch, alright?” Teru says with such soft kindness that Reigen has to sniff to keep his nose from leaking as his emotions once again run rapidly. He nods and heads back to the living room, departing from the blond man, who heads for the kitchen instead.

Sitting back down on the couch makes Reigen remember how exhausted he is. He sees that there’s already a pillow and blanket waiting for him, and he pets the folded blanket to feel how soft it is. His frown twists and his eyebrow furrows. Then Teru and Mob walk in, and Mob’s holding a mug carefully. Reigen relaxes, but his confusion grows.

“It’s warm milk with some honey,” Mob says simply, handing Reigen the mug. Reigen takes it, and looking down at it with a slack jaw, the warmth emanating from the porcelain finally sends the boy over the edge. His face twists and more tears fall from his squinted eyes. “Oh, d-do you not like warm milk? I could-” Before Mob could finish his sentence, Reigen sets the mug down and launches himself into his master’s arms. He’s not sobbing like before, but his shoulders shake.

“Th-thank you,” Reigen stutters into Mob’s shirt. “I-I really don’t deserve your kindness, Shishou. I wish I could be better, like you, but-” He’s stopped when a warm hand lands softly on his back and he just cries a bit more. He pulls away and wipes his face before he really starts crying. Mob’s looking down at him with a small smile.

“I think you’re perfect the way you are, Arataka.” He says simply, letting Reigen step away properly. Reigen just nods, because of course his master would think that now, but if he knew … Reigen looks over at Teru, who stands there a bit awkwardly, but still gives him a reassuring smile, and decides to give him a hug too. Not as aggressively, he slips his hands around the older blonde man.

“Thank you, too, Teru-san.” Reigen mumbles softly. Teru hugs him back, petting his hair gently. Then, Reigen lets go, so he can get to enjoy his milk before it becomes lukewarm. Getting comfy, with the blanket wrapped around him, he grabs the mug again. He gives it a sniff before sipping it. The typical neutrality of the milk sweetened with honey tasted like heaven, and it settled warmly in his stomach. He looks up to see Teru set the TV remote on the coffee table.

“Try to keep it quiet. Goodnight, kid.” Teru says softly, his smile remaining intact as he gives Reigen’s hair one more ruffle before he heads off, probably to Mob’s room. Mob steps forward afterwards.

“Don’t forget, I love you. Goodnight, Arataka.” His master says softly, leaning down and planting a kiss on Reigen’s head. Then, he too, walks away, leaving Reigen in the dark of the living room, only lit by the TV. Reigen takes another sip from his cup, and it’s almost hard to swallow around the fullness of his heart.

“Love you, too, Shishou…” He mutters to himself, leaning back and enjoying the warmth all around him.

When he's blinking sleepily with his head safely on the provided pillow a bit later, he realizes they didn't question him at all.

----------

The odd domesticity of waking up and enjoying breakfast with Mob and Teru isn’t something Reigen was really expecting, but it’s nice. After eating, he’s given a spare toothbrush, and he brushes his teeth. He’s never really cared for brushing his teeth, but this is nice too. He’s given another pair of clothes, less baggy, and more formal, so he can keep up the professional work environment.

Walking to the office with Mob is nice too, though separating from Teru so he can get to work is less nice. Reigen makes sure to give the man another hug, and gets a promise that Reigen will see the man again soon. Reigen feels a bit childish, but he holds Mob’s hand the entire commute. 

Walking into Spirits and Such after such an eventful night feels a bit surreal, but Reigen feels more relaxed here than anywhere else, so he quickly collapses into his chair and kisses his desk.

“Gross.” Mob comments at the sight. “When’s the last time you wiped that down?” He asks, sitting down at his own desk. Reigen tilts his head in thought, before realizing that he’s actually never wiped it down before, because he never thought to, so he just responds with a shrug. Mob hums knowingly.

Mob spends most of the morning rescheduling appointments outside of the office. Reigen tried to reassure the man that he feels well enough to go out on jobs, but one look from his master has the boy wilting and agreeing that he probably shouldn’t. So, today was mainly filled with walk-ins and in office appointments. Which is why it wasn’t odd when the bell rang above the door a bit after noon.

“Arataka,” Says an uncomfortably familiar voice from the entrance to the office. Reigen’s head shoots up from the little character he was drawing to be greeted with the professional stature of his father.

“D-dad?” Reigen stutters, despite knowing how much his father hates that. Reigen’s eyes flicker to Mob, before going straight back to his father out of fear and confusion.

“Yes. Get up, we’re leaving.” His father says, and Reigen can’t tell what he’s thinking. Typically, he’s great at reading people, but his father was always an enigma. Reigen instinctively shoots to his feet, before he cowers a bit.

“What… are you doing here? I thought…” Reigen doesn’t finish his sentence, looking nervously at the ground. He gasps sharply when his father grabs him in the same way as last night, in the same exact arm.

“Well, we still don’t want a homo as a son, but me and your mother talked about it, and we figured we should get you some actual help.” His dad says, his words sharp, his fingers digging deeper into his arm.

“O-okay! I-I’ll go, just please, stop,” Reigen pleads, a few tears slipping from his eyes out of pain. Reigen chances a look behind him, which must’ve been the wrong thing to do, because Mob’s shocked expression shifts into one of pure rage. Suddenly, Reigen’s dad stops moving, a look of confusion crossing his face as he’s forced to let go of Reigen’s arm. 

“What the Hell-” Reigen’s father shouts, trying to move. Mob walks towards them, causing Reigen to take a step back.

“I think you should leave .” Mob growls out, and Reigen almost laughs at the fearful expression on his father’s face, knowing that the man made him look that way on more than one occasion. His father just nods and as soon as he’s released, he tails it out of there with a few weak threats about suing.

“Wow, that was so cool! The look on his face was-” Reigen’s interrupted from his shaky victory cheers by a firm hand on his shoulder. He flinches, looking up at Mob quickly.

“Reigen… he called you...?” Mob starts, his voice quiet, and an unreadable mask on his face. Reigen’s breath hitches, and his heart drops like a stone. Mob found out, and now Reigen will truly have no one.

“H-he did call me, uh, that, but I-I’m not! I swear, I would never - I-I-” His first instinct is to lie, of course. Mob’s hand becomes firmer, and Reigen knows that his master doesn’t believe him. “No! Sh-shishou, you’ve gotta believe me, really , I’m not!” He tries, closing his eyes roughly when they start burning from the imminent rejection. 

He’s sure that’s what’s going to happen when the comforting warmth on his shoulder retracts, except, instead of the freezing cold of reality, he feels gentle arms wrap around him. His eyes flash open, shock tingling through his bones.

“ Reigen , you should have said- I-” Mob chokes, and Reigen freezes all over again. He’s never seen his master cry, but clearly, his shoulders are shaking minutely against him, making Reigen’s brow crease in confusion. “Reigen, there’s nothing wrong with being gay.” Mob says, his voice holding more emotion than Reigen had ever heard it. Reigen freezes all over again, had he heard him, right? That can’t be right, though, if it was, his parents wouldn’t have…

“M-Mob… you’re lying to make me feel better.” Reigen says, his own voice coming out thick as he tries to hold back his feelings.

“I don’t lie, Reigen. Being gay is not wrong.” Mob repeats, holding Reigen a little bit tighter. Reigen tries to breathe evenly, tries to regulate his emotions.

“That can’t be true. W-why would my parents-” Reigen hiccups to hold back a sob, his hands subconsciously holding onto the front of Mob’s coat. “How come-” He tries again but can’t hold back the second sob that wracks through him. 

“Some people… think that it’s wrong. Those people teach the same thing to impressionable people, so there are… a lot of people that feel that way,” Mob tries to explain. He pulls away from Reigen, but not far enough to make Reigen let go of him. The boy sniffles and blinks at his master. “They’re wrong to think that way. Being gay isn’t something you decide to be, it’s a part of who you are.”

“So…” Reigen starts, his voice below a whisper. He takes a deep breath and looks down at his shoes. “It’s… okay? That I… like boys?” It felt odd to actually say it out loud, but a tension he never noticed relaxes from his shoulders. Mob pulls him back into a hug and nods. Reigen feels enlightened in a way he wasn’t before. He lets go of Mob’s coat to properly wrap his arms around the man. Now, Reigen lets himself cry freely, a part of himself that he locked away for so long, now free and throbbing with hurt. 

Now though, in his master’s arms, he thinks… maybe things will actually be okay .

Chapter Text

Once he fully calms down, Reigen steps away, wiping his eyes. Mob also takes a moment to wipe his eyes.

"I can't believe your parents said that to you, I'm so sorry, Reigen." Mob says, his voice just as soft as before. Reigen sniffs and gives him a big smile.

"It's okay, Shishou, if it weren't for you, then I wouldn't know that they're wrong! And I'd be sleeping on that bench you found me on! And-" Reigen's interrupted by a hand covering his mouth.

"Let's stop going over the worst-case scenarios." Mob says, a small smile gracing him before he scoops Reigen back into his arms, making the boy giggle as they twirl a bit.

"I'm getting dizzy, put me down!" Reigen lies, laughter making his voice light. Mob puts him down with a wider smile, and he leaves Reigen with a kiss on the head, that makes Reigen feel even lighter.

"We're already not in the best-case scenario, so really, we- or, well, I need to get things a bit more under wraps." Mob says, and Reigen's lightness fades a bit. "You have school tomorrow, so I'll have to buy you a new uniform. Or I could… convince your parents to let me grab your things from your old house." Mob speculates, maneuvering around his desk to sit back down. Reigen frowns at the mention of school, and he wilts a bit as he walks back to his chair. He slumps a bit and absentmindedly rolls the pencil he was drawing with.

“Do I really have to go to school tomorrow?” He asks, mumbling his words a bit. Mob frowns from where he sits.

“I guess… If you really , really don’t want to… I won’t make you. But if I can help it, I don’t want you to miss any school because of this.” Mob replies, tapping his chin. Reigen takes a deep breath through his nose. The thought of disappointing Mob feels awful, but the thought of having to see Serizawa… He blushes and shivers in fear at the same time somehow. 

“I’ll go…” Reigen says, covering his face a bit to hide his obvious emotions. Mob hums.

“I don’t want you to feel forced to. You went through a lot yesterday, and just now, so I don’t want to stress you more.” Mob admits, frown softening. Reigen looks up with a smile and raises his hand to turn up his theatrics, but the door opening gets his attention first. He tenses and waits.

“Man, you guys wouldn’t believe the day I’ve had!” Tome announces, and Reigen relaxes immediately as he shoots to his feet. 

“Tome!” He shouts, dashing towards her to give her a hug.

“Whoa!” Tome says, smiling as she hugs him back. “Is this the first hug you’ve ever given me? What happened? Must’ve been pretty bad, huh?” She continues, noogying the boy, who immediately pulls away with a whine.

“It was pretty bad; you don’t get to bully me over this!” Reigen says, laughing as he pushes her. She keeps him trapped in her arms, however.

“No way! This is our first hug, I have to bully you over this, I’m basically your older sister!” She jokes. It lands wrong in Reigen’s brain, though. He’s reminded of his actual older sister, who he hasn’t seen in years. His face twists as more tears sprang to his eyes. “Whoa, I was just joking! I’m not really your older sister, I was just…” She can’t find anything else to say as Reigen continues to break down.

“Sorry, I-I’m sorry,” Reigen says, burrowing further into Tome. The woman can only stand in shock before she sends a confused and concerned look to Mob. He looks weirdly fond, but also sad. 

“Hey, you don’t have to apologize,” Tome says, crouching a bit to properly hug Reigen. “Jeez, I’m sorry, I… What happened, kid?” She asks, pulling Reigen away to wipe his tears. 

“I… just want to be over this!” Reigen declares, pulling away more to wipe his tears himself. “I’m tired of feeling bad about it, but- I just can’t stop! I already know I can’t do anything about it, but it still hurts, so bad!” He sobs, curling into himself again. Tome looks back at Mob, whose expression has shifted to a soft frown. Tome can’t help but feel more confused.

“I feel extremely out of the loop. What happened? You got rejected from a crush or something?” She speculates, her frown twitching a bit as she imagines Reigen with a crush on someone.

“Oh, man, don’t make me think about that!” Reigen shouts, covering his face. Tome blinks, and she thinks maybe she was a bit on the nose. 

"Sorry! Touchy subject, huh?" She says, trying to joke again. Reigen looks at her with teary eyes and nods.

"The touchiest subject." He agrees, wiping his nose grossly on his borrowed shirt. Tome raises an eyebrow at his attire, just now realizing the bagginess of it.

"Where'd you get your clothes? Those are way too big for you." She says, pinching the fabric. Reigen swats her hand away and crosses his arms.

"They're Shishou's. I had to stay at his apartment last night. and probably for the rest of my life." Reigen says, choking up slightly on his last sentence. Tome's eyes widen as she begins to put together the pieces she has been given.

"Oh, man, you got kicked out? Or you ran away, but that doesn't seem like you…" She adds to be safe. Reigen shakes slightly and Tome decides to bring them to one of the sofas against the wall.

"Yeah, I got kicked out…" Reigen answers, rubbing at his puffy eyes. Tome now understands why Mob seemed so angry a second ago, and she feels it now.

"Why?! You have good grades, and you do your chores, right? You even have a job! Sure, it's questionable at best, but that's better than what most kids have going on!" Tome says, conviction filling her voice. Reigen picks at a thread on his pants and sniffs.

"You won't… get angry with me if I tell you, right?" Reigen asks, looking at her. Tome nearly chokes at the sadness on Reigen's face, and she smiles in response.

"You're making me kind of nervous, but I could never be mad at you. You didn't get a girl pregnant, did you?" She jokes once more, because she really can't help it. She almost laughs at the disgust that twists into Reigen's face.

"No!" He shouts, covering his face. "...It's worse…" He mumbles, making Tome's eyebrows raise significantly. Worse than getting a girl pregnant?! She waits for him to elaborate. Reigen sends his eyes to Mob, who is politely pretending not to eavesdrop. A short connection of eye-contact and a supportive nod from Mob spurs Reigen forward. "I'm… attracted to boys." He stumbles out, that 's easier to say than the word , so he hopes it's enough.

"What?!" Tome shouts in reply, making Reigen tense. This was the rejection he was scared of, and now… " That got you kicked out?! What kind of piece of sh- uh, awful parents do you have?" She continues, springing to her feet to pace in front of him. "The nerve some people have- Augh! To judge you for something like that , that's so stupid!" She stops to pull at her hair a bit.

"You're… not angry with me?" Reigen can't help but ask, wringing his hands. Tome turns to him with pure confusion.

"Of course I'm not, that would be pretty hypocritical of me," She says, laughing a bit. Reigen's eyebrows furrow at this information, and then he's springing to his feet too.

"What?! Y-you're like me ?" He asks, his voice loud. Tome rolls her eyes and knocks on his head. He flinches back.

“Not exactly, but we’re in the same category. I like girls.” She says, noogying Reigen once more with her tongue peeking through her lips playfully.

“No way! Girls are gross!” Reigen says, pushing away from her with a laugh.

“Oh.” Mob says from his desk, and Reigen looks up to see a contemplative look on his master’s face.

“You didn’t know?” Reigen asks, sparing a look at Tome.

“Nah, Mob’s probably known the longest.” Tome reassures with a wave of her hand. Reigen relaxes and looks up to see Mob standing from his desk again.

“I didn’t even think to…” He mumbles with a knuckle over his mouth. He steps around the desk again and approaches Reigen. Tome steps back as Mob comes forward.

“Think to what? What’s going on?” Reigen asks, nervousness getting the better of him as he squirms in his seat. A hand on his shoulder makes him jolt and look back up at Mob. 

“Reigen, I like men too.” Mob declares, and Reigen only blinks. 

“Huh?” Reigen says intelligently, his eyes wide.

“Me and Teru-kun are dating.” Mob continues. Reigen balks, his jaw dropping.

“What!? You- You and- Huh?!” Reigen stammers, hands stuttering with him as he tries to process that information. 

“Oh, man, you didn’t know!? That’s priceless!” Tome laughs like it’s the funniest thing in the world. Reigen frowns as embarrassment begins to make his face hot.

“It’s not like they’re obvious!” Reigen defends, crossing his arms again. This just seems to set Tome off harder.

“They’re so obvious!” Tome replies, snorting harshly. Reigen really contemplates this, trying to wrap his head around it. All the soft looks, the touches, Reigen’s eyes have been opened.

“The whole time?! So, T-Teru-san is also -?!” Reigen falls over himself again, and his hands reach up to pull at his hair. “That’s so embarrassing! I was so worried over nothing!” He whines, his hands releasing his hair to run across his face.

“You weren’t worried over ‘nothing’.” Mob says, a sad smile sliding onto his face. Reigen peeks through his fingers to look up at him. “You experienced severe rejection for being who you are, so you were logically defensive.” He continues, ruffling Reigen’s hair. 

“But… you guys mean so much to me, way more than my parents, so… I shouldn’t have been so scared to tell you guys…” Reigen replies, smoothing his hair back down while looking at the floor. 

“Aww, kid, that’s a nice thought, but that would probably make it worse . Y’know, I didn’t know you looked up to us so much,” Tome says, ruffling his hair again. Reigen just swats her away with an indignant noise.

“No way, I don’t look up to you , you’re the worst!” Reigen lies, continuing to keep Tome’s hand away from him, but she scoops him up into her arms like Mob did. 

“Yeah, right, you can’t lie to me, Reigen, you care about me~” Tome singsongs, rubbing her face across his. Reigen groans in faux annoyance, trying to push away from her again. Suddenly, the door opens again , and Tome actually let's go of him to face the potential client.

“Kageyama-san?” A nervous voice asks from the door. Then, Serizawa is stepping through the threshold.

“Serizawa?!” Reigen shouts without meaning to.

“Reigen-kun!” Serizawa replies, easily relaxing once finding out his friend is here.

“What… are you doing here?” Reigen asks, twisting more one the couch. Tome gives another snort, ruffling Reigen’s hair one last time before she departs to her desk. Mob also goes back to sit back down, but he keeps an eye on the two. 

“I was actually looking for you .” Serizawa admits, rubbing the back of his neck with a bashful smile. Reigen feels like his heart grows ten times its original size at the sight. “You weren’t answering your phone, or any of my texts, so I wanted to make sure you’re okay.” He continues. Reigen almost giggles, but he withholds himself.

“Oh, yeah, my phone died a while ago, and I… lost my charger.” Reigen says, laughing softly, pulling his dead flip phone from his pocket. At the attention brought to Reigen’s pocket, Serizawa raises an eyebrow at his clothes.

“Did you also lose your clothes?” He asks, really squinting at his friend’s clothes. Reigen blushes and tries to cover what he’s wearing with his arms.

“Yeah, heh, funny story, I got kicked out of my house, so I had to borrow some of Mob’s clothes…” Reigen admits, rubbing his arm. Serizawa grabs hold of his shoulders.

“What!?” Serizawa shouts, and Reigen grins widely.

“Yup!” Reigen responds, feeling oddly proud about it. Serizawa frowns at Reigen’s upbeat attitude.

“B-but, why?” Serizawa asks, looking Reigen over, eyes honing on the dark eyes and bruise still forming on his friend’s face. “And what happened? W-why did you get hurt?” He continues, reaching a hand to hover over Reigen’s face. 

“I-I’m fine!” Reigen says, probably too loudly. His hands begin to move on their own accord as he gets ready to lie. “I just got a bit roughed up on a job; you should’ve been there! Really, it was insane!” And then Reigen’s making up an elaborate story, and really, it’s quite believable, if you didn’t know Reigen. Serizawa stops him by taking hold of Reigen’s wrists. 

“You… don’t have to lie to me, Reigen.” Serizawa tells him softly. 

“...” Reigen pauses, looking into Serizawa’s eyes with his own wet ones. “I… know that. Sorry, Serizawa… I don’t know if I can tell you about this yet.” He tries, looking away to a poster on the wall. He’s pulled into a hug, and out of all the hugs he’s gotten these past two days, this has got to be the best one. He quickly forgets his fears of seeing the boy holding him.

“That’s okay, Reigen-kun,” Serizawa mumbles, readjusting slightly to hold Reigen closer. Reigen automatically hugs back, hands fisting into the back of Serizawa’s shirt.

“Is it… really okay?” Reigen asks, his words drowning in Serizawa’s shoulder. Serizawa huffs a soft laugh.

“Of course it is. You can tell me whenever.” Serizawa tells him, and Reigen really should drink more water with all the tears he’s been crying.

“Alright, this is too cheesy for me to sit through,” Tome announces, standing back up from her seat with a few bills in her hand. Reigen steps away from Serizawa, blush rising to his ears as he’s reminded of their audience. “Here, go get some lunch, or something.” She says, dropping the money into Reigen’s hand.

“Yes! Let’s go, Serizawa!” Reigen says, wiping his eyes before grabbing Serizawa’s wrist to lead him out of the office building. “Where do you wanna eat?” He asks as soon as they make it to the sidewalk. Serizawa smoothly slides his wrist from Reigen’s hand to properly hold hands. Reigen blinks, but his smile widens, and he squeezes Serizawa’s hand.

“I’ll be okay with whatever you choose.” Serizawa replies, smiling softly at Reigen. Reigen just breathes through the fullness of his heart and drags Serizawa to get ice cream instead.

Serizawa gets normal cookies and cream, while Reigen gets strawberry. They decide to enjoy their cones as they walk down the street.

"We should go to the park, so we can sit down." Reigen declares, licking a stray bead of melted strawberry ice cream from his arm. Serizawa just nods, enjoying his own ice cream. Reigen beams at the agreement, and they set out. 

Reigen finishes before they can even sit down, Serizawa, however, still has his full cone. Once they sit, Serizawa turns to properly face Reigen, but he covers his mouth at the sight of him. Reigen's eyebrows furrow and he crosses his arms defensively.

"What?" The blonde demands, frowning. Serizawa seems at least a little apologetic about it, as he uncovers his mouth and points at his mouth.

"It's just, you've… got a little…" He says, smiling. Reigen reddens and wipes at his face.

"Aw, man, I should've asked for napkins!" Reigen complains, trying to scrub the syrupy mess away.

"Wait, I've got just the thing!" Serizawa says boldly, before digging through a pocket. He pulls out a handkerchief.

"A handkerchief, really? When did you start carrying that around?" Reigen teases, waiting for Serizawa to hand it to him. The boy, instead, leans forward to do it himself. Reigen short circuits as Serizawa wipes at his face with an odd look of complete focus.

"Actually, could you…?" Serizawa says, pulling Reigen away from his swirling thoughts. Reigen blinks and looks at the cloth in front of his face. Reigen feels like he might be blushing enough for a stream of steam to begin raising off his head when he realizes what Serizawa was asking for. He tries to ignore how warm he feels as he leans forward a bit to lick the handkerchief. Serizawa smiles encouragingly and uses the now damp cloth to properly clean off Reigen’s face.

It’s nothing like when Mob washed his face for him, not nearly as relaxing or soothing, but his heart feels like it skips a beat with how harshly it's pumping in his chest. He decides that it’s better anyways. 

They spend the rest of their time talking about everything and nothing. Reigen tries to get up the courage to tell Serizawa why exactly he was kicked out, but he can’t manage it. That’s okay though, Serizawa is a very patient friend, and Reigen has time to really work through it.

Serizawa walks him back to the office, and they wave goodbye to each other. Once Reigen shuts the office door, he’s leaning against it with a hand over his heart, and a dreamy smile on his face.

“Have a good date?” Tome teases, and Reigen sticks his tongue out at her, sitting in his chair and spinning a few times. It squeaks loudly in protest, but Reigen couldn’t be bothered to care.

“It wasn’t a date , but I did have a good time!” He replies, once he stabilizes himself. Reigen can’t even help himself to stop gushing. “Serizawa was so sweet the whole time, we had ice cream, but I’d bet he’s even sweeter than that! He’s sweeter than Takoyaki after a long day! He’s sweeter than sugar itself! He- He’s sweeter than warm milk with honey!” He declares loudly, spinning a few more times, his hands high in the air.

“Yuck, I don’t wanna hear about your puppy love,” Tome says, sticking her tongue out in mock disgust. Reigen is immediately discouraged, and he wilts in his seat a bit.

“O-oh, sorry, Tome-chan…” He apologizes easily, shutting his mouth. He frowns down at his desk, not really sure what to do now. Mob hasn’t given him paperwork to fill out, so he just grabs his pencil to continue scrawling on the page he left quite a bit ago. He misses the glare Mob sends to Tome, and Tome’s realization of her mistake.

“I-I mean! I was just joking, Reigen, y-you can talk about Serizawa all you want!” She says, her voice wobbling a bit. Reigen has already been disheartened, though, and he can’t help but slump a bit further into his chair.

“That’s okay, Tome, I probably shouldn’t talk about him like that anyway,” Reigen says, swiping his pencil across his paper to scratch out the character he had been drawing before. “Kinda weird…” He mumbles, his frown soft, but his hurt very sharp.

“You- can always tell me about Serizawa-kun.” Mob offers, awkwardly. Reigen can’t help the twitch at the corner of his mouth, and he gives in easily to the smile.

“Thank you, Shishou, I appreciate it, but I was done talking about him anyway.” Reigen lies. He has plenty of other things he could say about Serizawa, all nice things, some border lining on creepy, but he decides he should probably keep all of those things to himself. He scraps his piece of paper and starts fresh.

____________________________________

Reigen frowns up at the door that he was thrown out of not even twenty-four hours ago. This time, Mob and Teruki stand by his side, but it doesn’t stop his hands from shaking. Mob seems to notice his discomfort, and the man places a grounding hand on his shoulder. Reigen can’t relax though, he has to be on his highest guard here, he’s learned that by now. Mob knocks on the door. Reigen’s mom answers.

“You.” She says, distaste already showing. “I thought you knew better than to show your face here again.” 

“I-I-” Reigen tries, but he’s interrupted by Teru placing a hand on his other shoulder.

“It’s not like he’s here to see you .” Teru responds, distaste obvious in his voice too. Reigen looks up at the man with a slack jaw, and his respect for him increases tenfold. Reigen’s mother harumphs at the rude words.

“Well, what is it here for?” She asks, and Reigen isn’t indifferent to the pronoun change. He feels his eyes sting at the knowledge that his own mother doesn’t see him as a person anymore.

“ He’s here for his belongings. Then you can rest assured that you’ll never see him again.” Mob answers, malice thick on his tongue. Reigen can tell his mother is intimidated by his Shishou, and he can’t help but feel a bit satisfied about it. 

“Fine. My husband won’t be very happy to hear that that thing has been back in the house, but I’ll allow it.” She says, like she’s being something that deserves praise. Reigen just plasters on his usual mask he wears around her. He almost bows and thanks her, but once again, Teru’s stepping forward.

“You don’t get to talk about him like that!” He hisses, face dark. Reigen’s mother steps back, sweat perspiring on her forehead.

“Look, I don’t have to let you in, you should be grateful .” She replies smoothly, stepping aside to let them in. Teru walks in, glaring at the woman with all he has. Mob moves to the other side of Reigen to put a barrier between him and his mother. Reigen’s grateful that they’re here.

“It’s old room is-” The awful woman is interrupted.

“I’ll find it.” Mob says, his words immovable. Teru stays with Reigen in the living room, with his mother. The woman stands a bit away from them with her arms crossed. Reigen stands awkwardly. 

“So, what? You found a couple of adults that would take you in? What if they were perverts? Have I taught you anything?” She bothers to ask, staring with judgment. Reigen shuffles.

“Not really…” Reigen decides to answer honestly.

“...What?” The woman says, her eyes narrowing. Reigen swallows thickly. There’re so many questions he wants to ask her, but he pushes them down.

“You… asked if you taught me anything, ma’am… and the answer is. Not really?” Reigen says, clearing his throat a few times. Teru gives him a grin, but his mother’s stare turns nearly murderous. 

“How dare you?” She says, stalking closer. Reigen can’t help but cower under her gaze.

“S-sorry, ma’am! I-I didn’t mean it, y-you taught me all kinds of things!” Reigen stammers, trying to fix his wrongdoing, tripping over his feet to back away from her. Teru is too slow to stop the slap that echoes through the room. Reigen is once again, shocked into speechlessness with his hand hovering over his face. Teru is automatically in front of him though, shielding him from even the sight of her. 

“Back up!” Teru shouts, and Reigen can’t help but flinch at hearing the anger in the man’s voice.

“Well, I never !” His mother replies, strong headed and indignant. Her eyes narrow once more, in understanding this time. “ Oh , I see, not only has it found new parents, but those parents are those things as well.” Disgust lining her voice. Reigen can’t believe the anger he feels at those words. When she was just targeting him , it was fine, bearable even. This though, her turning those toxic words to his beloved friends. He does feel a bit giddy when she referred to them as his new parents, but it’s easily overpowered by his anger.

“Don’t talk about them like that!” He shouts, jumping slightly to peer from behind Teru. “They care about me more than you ever did!” At his harsh words, his mother crosses her arms and turns her head.

“I can’t imagine why.” She says bluntly, and Reigen falters, wilting behind Teru again.

“Huh?” Is all he can utter. The woman turns back to lay sharp eyes on him.

“You have always been insufferable, but I put my motherly duties above my personal feelings. If they don’t have that obligation, I can’t understand why they’d keep you around.” She says harshly, eyes narrowing impossibly more. Reigen can feel his heart fall through the floor, and he can’t keep the tears from falling just as quickly as they come to his eyes. “Unless it is obligation? They came across you and took pity?” She contemplates, and Reigen’s brain runs with the words. Was it obligation? Pity? No, they love him… Right? He thought his parents loved him, too, but it’s clear now that they never did. 

Reigen can’t help but run from the room. He skids across the floor and runs right out the front door. He’s vaguely aware of his name being called as he sprints away from there. His feet take him to the park. Once again, he’s here in tears. He can’t help but wonder how many times he’s been in this exact situation, running from his mother’s harsh truths.

“Oh, man,” He whines, deciding to hide in one of his favorite bushes. He appreciates how well it shields him from the world, and he tries to breathe through it. It really is pity, huh? Why else would Mob let him stick around for so long? And now, with Reigen trying to stay at Mob’s apartment, he’ll be nothing but a burden on the man. Oh, he’s probably already a burden, now that he thinks about it. Him sticking around the office for years , how could he not even have thought about it before now?

He hiccups and rubs his fists harshly across his face in a desperate attempt to stop his tears. Crying has always come naturally to Reigen, and now isn’t any different. He knows his parents never liked his open emotions, and- He’s cried in front of Mob and Teru so many times now! He lets his hand fist through his hair, gripping and pulling to make him hurt like he does inside. They’re never going to want to see him again! They’re going to leave- and that’s what Reigen deserves, he knows it. A rough sob tears through his throat, and it hurts. 

“Reigen!” He hears, and his tears quickly stop. His breath is still hiccup, but he tries to keep it quiet by covering his mouth. He tries to resituate silently, but that just rustles the leaves. He holds his breath and waits. “Reigen…” A soft voice says, right beside the bush he’s in. He tenses and waits. “Do you wanna get out of the bush, kid?” Teru asks, amusement lining his words, but there’s mostly worry.

“...No…” Reigen answers, his words as shaky as he is.

“Well, that’s okay. Shige is finishing getting your things, so… we can talk until then.” Teru tells him through the leaves. Reigen mumbles a weak response, and he only hugs his knees a little closer to his chest. “Man, that woman is a real piece of work.” He continues with a sigh as he sits beside the bush. Reigen thinks that might be putting it lightly, but he smiles, nonetheless. “I thought my mom was bad, but this? Jeez, I almost wish we got you out of this situation sooner.” He said with a laugh. Reigen brightens at these words, and he sits up slightly to wipe his nose.

“Almost?” Reigen says, trying to come off as teasing, but it falls a bit flat. 

“No, I really wish we did. I honestly didn’t even see it, the abuse… You’re so strong, Reigen-kun…” Teru tells him, voice thick with emotion. Reigen frowns, because that's definitely not true.

“Not really,” Reigen sniffs, burying his head in his knees again. “You and Shishou are the strong ones. If I could do half of what you guys can do… I probably wouldn’t be crying in a bush right now…” He speculates, not really able to imagine himself not in a bush right now. 

“Hey, c’mon, psychic powers aren’t all that. I mean, if I could do half of what you do, I’d be able to take over the world!” Teru replies, a hint of joking in his tone, but also sincerity. Reigen chuckles wetly, and he coughs to clear his throat.

“Yeah, right, if I was really like that…” He pauses, his furrowed brow relaxing as he lets a few more tears flow freely from his eyes. “If I was like that, maybe my parents would’ve loved me…” He chokes, on his last word, shoulders shaking as his fingers bruise into his calves. 

“...Reigen, I-...” Teru hesitates, not really sure what to say. Reigen’s crying just gets louder.

“Or, m-maybe I had no chance-” He chokes again, it comes out grossly, and he whines slightly. “I-I’m really unlovable? How can they- I just can’t understand-” He can feel another headache form against the back of his skull.

“Reigen, you’re not unlovable. Me and Shige love you- and Tome, Shou, Ritsu, they love you too!” Teru says, and Reigen laughs bitterly, wiping his eyes.

“No way Ritsu loves me, he hates me.” Reigen replies, and his small smile twists again. He would deserve Ritsu hating him, he deserves to have all of them hate him.

“Hey, you guys might bicker from time to time, but I’m positive he does. And your friend, Serizawa, he loves you too, right?” Teru continues, and Reigen can hear the smile on the man’s face. Reigen can agree with that one, he’s sure Serizawa loves him.

“Not in the way I want though…” Reigen doesn’t even notice he says it out loud, heart pounding at the unrequited love he feels for his friend.

“You have a crush on him!?” Teru questions, giddiness obvious. Reigen blushes harshly, embarrassed to find that he said it out loud.

“N-no! I mean-” He tries to come up with some way to defend himself, but he just lands on defeat. “Of course I do, have you seen him? He’s so sweet , and cute! He’s… everything I don’t deserve…” His gushing turns sour quickly. He absentmindedly pulls on one of the leaves near his hand.

“Aw, of course you deserve him! That’s so cute, puppy love! Ah, I remember when me and Shige were in your shoes- man, I fell head over heels after he beat the pulp out of me,” Teru sighs dreamily, looking back on his childhood. Reigen frowns in slight disgust, he’s only basically just figured out his master and Teru are in a relationship, and hearing Teru gush about it so openly now makes him feel a bit queasy. The thought of his master in a relationship, with kissing ? So gross.

“Gross,” Reigen voices aloud, laughing softly. 

“Right? So gross. Oh! Shige, do you need help with that?” Teru asks, announcing Mob’s presence. Reigen tenses, and properly wipes his face, maybe a bit too roughly, but whatever gets the snot and tears off.

“No, I have it. Did you find Reigen? Why are you sitting on the ground?” Mob asks, looking around. Reigen pops his head out of the bush and he’s about to apologize, but he’s quickly shut up by the sight he takes in.

“Did you grab everything ?!” Reigen shouts, his jaw basically to the floor seeing all his stuff floating behind his master’s back. 

“Yes, I even got your futon.” Mob says, rather proudly. Reigen makes a choked sound.

“W-Where are you gonna put all of it?!” He asks, eyes roving over it, picking out some of his things he immediately recognizes.

“Hmm…” Mob hums, turning to look at the massive pile with him. He turns back with a small smile. “Guess we’ll just have to get a bigger apartment.” He declares, his smile widening a bit.

“Huh? You’d… do that? B-but the cost- Really, we can just t-toss most of it, I honestly just needed the clothes!” Reigen says, his mind flickering to the ‘ burden ’ comment his brain made earlier. He, still standing in the bush, bows deeply. “P-please don’t do that, Kageyama-san!” He pleads, holding the bow to keep it as respectful as possible. When he straightens his posture as smoothly as he can in his state, he’s met with wide eyes from both Mob and Teru. 

“I-if you really don’t want me to, then I won’t,” Mob tells him, his eyes softening. “But I’d like to make you as comfortable as possible, and privacy is important to teenagers' development. Maybe you could take the room?” Mob begins to tap his chin as he thinks.

“No! I don’t want to burden you like that, Shishou! Please just let me stay on your couch!” Reigen says, bowing again, a bit too haphazardly, because it makes him trip forward, the bush not helping to let him right his legs. He falls into a gentle pair of arms, and he looks up to see Mob staring at him with wet eyes.

“That’s what this is about? You feel like… a burden?” Mob asks, floating Reigen a bit to untangle his legs from the branches. Reigen averts his eyes as he’s set on his feet. “...Reigen, you’re not a burden. I love you too much for you to be one.” Reigen just stares at grass, his arms crossed.

“You… have to understand that that’s a bit unbelievable, right?” Reigen says, huffing a slightly bitter laugh. Another frown twists on his face, and he grips the sleeve of his shirt a bit more as he tilts his face down.

“Then I’ll just have to say it until you believe it,” Mob says, stepping back to give him more space. “C’mon, let’s go home, ‘Taka.” So, they walk home. Reigen keeps his eyes on his feet, just contemplating, and going through his thoughts. 

After getting there and organizing everything into optimal positions, they stand around the living room awkwardly. Well, Reigen stands awkwardly while Teru gets comfortable on the couch, and Mob walks quietly to the kitchen, probably to cook some dinner. Reigen is still shuffling on his feet and studying the ground.

"You wanna take a seat, kid?" Teru asks gently, patting the seat next to him. Reigen, sullen and still really going through it. He thinks about the offer, but he shakes his head.

"I think I wanna go talk to Mob-Shishou…" Reigen admits, but he stays where he's standing, not really able to get the courage to move. Teru gives him a supportive smile and a thumbs up.

“I’m sure he’ll want to talk to you, too. Take it easy, though, kid, you’ve had a rough couple of days.” He says, and Reigen nods in acknowledgment, and his feet finally drag him to the entrance of the kitchen.

“Maybe we should’ve eaten out… Delivery, maybe?” He hears Mob mumble to himself, looking in a cabinet. Reigen shuffles further into the room.

“Shishou…” Is all he can muster. Mob jumps and turns to face him.

“Reigen.” Mob replies, standing stiffly. Reigen can’t ignore how much that hurts, and he shoots forward to hug the man.

“I-I really appreciate all you’ve done for me!” Reigen states, though it comes out muffled with his face against Mob’s chest. Mob relaxes easily, hugging him back. “I love you, and I know you love me, too, I’m sorry for calling you by your last name. I won’t be a problem at all, no more fights, or smoking- and I’ll do all my chores, and I’ll get good grades! I-I’ll brush my teeth every day! I’ll pick up after the dog!” He declares, hands clutching Mob’s shirt. Mob begins to shake, and Reigen looks up, worried he said something wrong.

“Dog? We don’t have a dog, Reigen.” Mob tells him, and Reigen is relieved to see that he was shaking with laughter. “No smoking is a good idea, though. Chores and grades… I don’t really care about that, as long as you’re okay.” He continues, and Reigen smiles genuinely, wiping his eyes again.

“Oh, right… I’ll have to convince you to get one then!” Reigen jokes, his smile widening. Mob smiles back, and he leads them back to the living room with a hand on Reigen’s back.

“Hey, Shige, I ordered some delivery, hope that’s alright.” Teru says, smiling widely at them from the couch. Mob just sighs heavily.

“That’s perfect.” Mob replies, settling on the couch next to the man. Reigen takes a second, to really take everything in, and he decides that it might just be.

________________________

The next morning, Reigen wakes up with tear crusted eyes and a light heart. He blinks around the room, seeing all his stuff filling the nooks and crannies, and he smiles. He can hear Mob and Teru in the kitchen, so he goes through his pile of clothes that Mob carefully kept folded and grabs his school uniform. 

He hesitates, if he were to change in the bathroom now , he could save his time by brushing his teeth too, but he likes to brush his teeth after breakfast. His… old parents never really liked him to come downstairs without being ready to leave for school. Mob and Teru are different though, but he isn’t sure how different. They’re way nicer, but what expectations do they have? He decides to play it safe, by doing what his old parents would’ve felt neutral towards.

Leaving the bathroom, with freshly brushed teeth and a fully buttoned gakuran, he makes his way to the kitchen.

"Hey, good morning. Are you sure you're feeling well enough to go to school?" Teru asks as soon as he catches sight of the boy. Reigen sits at the table and tries to appear casual.

"Yeah, I'm good! Matter of fact, I'm feeling way better!" He says, and he almost believes himself. Of course, there's no getting better after something like this. Reigen's sure he'll be dealing with the repercussions of this for the rest of his life, so there's no point in dwelling even more.

"Are you… sure?" Mob asks, tending to a steaming pan on the stove. Reigen just nods with a confident smile.

"Super sure! I gave myself all night to cry about it, and now I'm over it." He had decided this as he got ready for the day, and he figured that his new guardians would appreciate this news. Instead of being smiled at, however, he gets concerned frowns. His pride at this decision wilts.

"Reigen… you don't have to be over it." Teru tells him, sitting in the chair next to him. Reigen frowns and looks down at his lap.

"But I am," He insists, his hands leaving the tabletop to go to his lap as well. 

"Well, if you really are, then that's great," Mob says, bringing over three plates after turning off the stove. Reigen nearly tears up at the sight of pancakes, but he manages to calm down. "But don't force yourself to be okay with what happened. It wasn't okay, and there's no shame in understanding that."

"I do understand it. But if all I can do about it is accept it and move on, then that's what I'm going to do." Reigen explains, straightening his posture when a plate is set in front of him.

"That's a great idea… but it's harder than that. Accepting it and moving on is a great first step, after properly grieving. You barely gave yourself two days to do that." Teru tells him while grabbing a fork from beside the plate. Reigen followed suit, and then Mob.

"Being sad about it is such a waste of time though, I just want to get over it." Reigen mumbles, gearing up to take a large bite of one of his pancakes, before he remembers what his situation is, and instead, uses his fork to make a smaller bite so he can politely eat. 

“Repressing how you feel about it isn’t a very healthy coping mechanism…” Mob says, frowning at the boy from his seat across from him. Reigen frowns as well, keeping his eyes carefully averted to his plate.

“It’s better than some other ones I’ve used.” Reigen admits, wanting to bring his arm up to rest his head on his hand, but he knows better than to put his elbows on the table. 

“Like what?” Teru can’t help but ask. Reigen actually looks up to blink at him. If Mob and Teru are dating, then surely his master has told him of Reigen’s not very good habits, so it wouldn’t hurt to repeat it. Reigen just shrugs and looks back down to his food.

“Smoking. I guess getting into fights would count, too, ‘cause I-” He stops himself, and he glances up at Mob, before quickly averting his eyes back to his lap, where his hand is picking at a scab on his palm. “‘Cause I did that for attention sometimes…” He admits, biting the inside of his cheek.

“Wait, smoking? Cigarettes?” Teru asks, leaning forward a bit, with a look of disbelief. Reigen feels shame wash over him like a familiar friend. He can only nod in response. “Where did you even…?” The man’s words taper off, and he just looks sad. Reigen shrugs.

“When my dad gets drunk, he has loose hands. So, I usually just take a pack from under his nose.” Reigen says, shrugging again. He jolts at his words after a second thought, and he shakes a bit as he rushes to correct himself. “Not anymore though! I-I threw out my last pack before I was even done with it a week ago!” He attempts to reassure. 

"Really? That's great, Reigen," Mob says, and Reigen can tell it's genuine.

"Not really… If I was better, I never would've started." Reigen replies, still keeping his eyes on his hands.

"Hmm, well, I'm proud of you regardless." Mob tells him with a soft smile. Reigen tries not to think about the fact that that’s the first time he’s heard those words, and the rest of breakfast is spent in comfortable silence.

When it’s finally time to really start the day, they all leave together, and once again, Teru leaves in the other direction with a hearty ‘Goodbye!’. Mob turns his head to Reigen as they head down the street.

“Do you know how to get to your school from here?” The man asks as they walk together. Reigen looks around at the unfamiliar roads.

“I’ll just go with you to the office and backtrack from there.” Reigen replies, feeling a bit shaky and nauseous. Stupid anxiety, it’s just school. Where Serizawa will be…

“Hmm, that’s a good idea. Would you like me to walk you?” Mob asks, interrupting Reigen’s train of thought. Reigen’s heart warms at the idea, but physically he scowls down at the sidewalk.

“I’m not a kid, I can get to school fine on my own.” He huffs, shoving his hands into his pants pockets. Mob hums and follows suit, slipping his hands into his coat pockets.

“I know that I was just wondering if you needed some extra support.” The man tells him gently, and Reigen wants to feel angry and pestered, but he can’t help but feel warm instead. It’s weird, Mob’s always been like this, and it never sat wrong with him before. Maybe it’s the loss of his old parents, his wound still bleeding, and the thought of Mob being a better parental figure is just a salt to pour into it.

“...I’d like to walk alone, but thank you, Shishou…” Reigen says, still looking at the ground. 

“Alright, that’s fine.” Mob replies easily. Reigen squints at his shoes in suspicion, because he couldn’t do it right at Mob’s face. 

Departing from Mob was surprisingly difficult as well. They make it to the office, and Mob makes sure to ruffle Reigen’s hair with a smile, and Reigen has to say goodbye to him as well. The boy can’t help but loiter a bit, kicking at the sidewalk after Mob enters the building. He can’t bide his time the whole day though, so he begins to backtrack to school.

His usual walk to the office, backwards, is weird. He’s walked down these roads before, but with a new perspective it feels somewhat new. Something about it lightens his heart, and he gains a slight pep in his step, even if his hands are sweaty from his nerves. 

The walk isn’t too long, and he makes it to school with minimal error. He scans all the crowd of children all waiting for school to actually start, and his eyes land on Serizawa, who as usual, is waiting for him. The brunet waves when Reigen catches his eye as well. Reigen doesn’t hesitate to approach him.

“Hey, how are you feeling?” Serizawa asks, glancing at a person that passed him a bit too closely. Reigen shrugs, deciding to sit on the curb. Serizawa follows suit easily. 

“I don’t really know. Things are gonna be weird for a while…” Reigen replies, shrugging again. Serizawa nods with an understanding look.

“Yeah, I mean, you got kicked out, so there’s definitely going to be an adjustment period,” Serizawa states, frowning a bit after reminding himself that Reigen got kicked out. Reigen scowls and an embarrassed blush pinks his ears.

“Tell the whole school, why don’t you.” He hisses, putting his face in his hands. 

“S-sorry!” Serizawa quickly apologizes. Reigen lifts his head and decides to practice his sympathy. He puts a hand on Serizawa’s shoulder.

“It’s okay, I’m not that upset about it. Even if people found out, I wouldn’t be that bothered.” Reigen says, shrugging yet again as he takes his hand back. Serizawa gives him a confused frown.

“You’re not upset? But it’s such a big deal! I’m upset!” Serizawa says, fairly passionately. It’s Reigen’s turn to frown.

“What do you have to be upset about? I mean, it’s not that big of a deal, it was probably a long time coming anyway.” Reigen admits, thinking back on it. Even if he wasn’t gay, his parents’, now obvious, disliking of him would’ve had him kicked out as soon as he turned eighteen. 

“You think so? ‘Cause to me, I see that my best friend got wronged unfairly. I can’t help but feel angry and sad to see you get hurt so personally.” Serizawa says. Reigen wants to question him, wants to cry, wants to scream, and yell. He just does the first one.

“I’m your best friend?” Reigen asks, somewhat timidly, picking at the grass beside him. Serizawa gives him a slightly exasperated look.

“Of course you are. You’ve been my best friend since we became friends.” Serizawa responds, setting his hand frustratingly close to Reigen’s, who quickly settles from pulling at the grass.

“...You’re my best friend, too.” Reigen mutters, scooting his hand a little closer in a random boost of confidence. Before he could fully get the courage to hold his friend's hand, they’re interrupted by the morning bell, signifying that they could head to class now. Reigen nearly groans in defeat, but he manages to suppress it. Serizawa stands up first before turning to help Reigen up as well. 

They walk to Serizawa’s homeroom, like they do every day. Reigen is somehow still trying to get the nerve to grab his friend’s hand, even if it would risk other students seeing, but he can’t manage it. Serizawa seems to see his frustration but interprets it slightly wrong.

“Don’t worry, we’ll see each other again at lunch.” He tries, smiling brightly. Reigen smiles back, regardless of how he’s feeling inside. He feels like the Moon, reflecting the rays of the Sun easily.

“Right,” Is all Reigen can say in reply. Getting to Serizawa’s class is as easy as always, and the boy turns to wave before stepping in, but Reigen grabs his hand, finally, succeeding in stopping the boy in his tracks. “We should eat on the roof today. I… have something I want to tell you.” Reigen tells him, surprisingly not stumbling over his words at all. Serizawa stares at him with wide eyes before he gives a wordless nod. Reigen smiles widely, before he’s zooming away, the warning bell tolling over his head. 

Running across the school is easy when he gets to see Serizawa beforehand. He makes sure to slow down at the sight of teachers, but he tries to sprint the whole way so he can get to his class in time. Even all the sweating is worth it. 

Sitting through all the classes before lunch isn’t quite as nice, his high from seeing his friend quickly dying down as he listens to the droning nothingness of his teacher’s. The questions from his classmates in between classes are also not as nice, but he manages to impress them by lying and saying he got mugged over the weekend, but he was able to overpower the man. 

The time can’t pass by any slower, but it passes, nonetheless. Soon, he’s meeting with Serizawa on the roof. The area is surprisingly desolate, so Reigen leads the other boy to a spot away from the other groups. 

“Y-you wanted to tell me something?” Serizawa asks nervously as he pulls out his lunch. Reigen takes a deep breath to ease his nerves.

“Yeah. I want to tell you why I got kicked out…” Reigen replies, also taking his food out. He smiles at the small box that Mob caringly made for him, and it nearly gives him enough courage to say it. Regardless of how much confidence he gets, it’s still not a very easy thing to admit.

“Really? You don’t have to, you can take your time-” Serizawa tries, but Reigen interrupts him with a hand landing on his forearm. Serizawa blinks at it but keeps his attention on Reigen.

“I know, but Mob and Teru-san know, even Tome! But you’re my best friend, and I think you should know too.” Reigen says, trying to smile reassuringly, but his nerves are getting to him. All Reigen’s other friends reacted great, but Serizawa is more important than all of them, and to chance losing him? This is an all or nothing situation, and he tries not to squirm at the anxiety eating away his stomach. “I-... I’m gay. I like boys, and my parents didn’t like that.” He spits out, finally. His hands clench into fists as he waits for a reaction.

Serizawa blinks at him with a neutral look. As the boy processes this information, his face quickly morphs to shock, then anger, then sadness, before landing on worry.

“You can get kicked out for that?!” Serizawa shouts, before he slaps a hand over his mouth. He lowers it and leans forward. “Do you think I’ll get kicked out for that?” He whispers, slight fear settling over his brow. Reigen blinks at this, frowning as he thinks.

“Well, you don’t have to worry about that, ‘cause you’re not gay, and your mom really loves you.” Reigen replies honestly. Serizawa gives him a confused look, but he still looks relieved. “What?” Reigen asks at the look. Serizawa tilts his head slightly at the question before he points to himself.

“I’m gay, too.” He states easily. Reigen blanches, once again he’s enlightened. Of course Serizawa’s gay, too, he never even talks about girls! 

“What?! Really?” Reigen asks, leaning in as well. Serizawa blushes, but nods. “Ugh! I was worried about nothing again !” He groans, covering his face in embarrassment.

“I-I was worried to tell you, too. I mean… probably not as nervous as you were. I can’t believe your parents kicked you out over it, though-” Serizawa pauses, thinking back on the one time he ever met Reigen’s parents, and his face contorts at the memory. “Er… Actually, it’s pretty believable. Sorry.” 

“It’s cool. I’m actually grateful that they kicked me out, cause now there’ll be no negativity in my life! Except for, y’know, math exams, but that’ll be bearable now that my parents won’t be able to yell at me for not getting the best grade.” Reigen jokes, smiling widely. Serizawa smiles as well, but he still holds a sad tint in his eye.

“I’m really glad they kicked you out. You deserve to be happy, Reigen-kun.” He says, his smile turning even softer somehow. Reigen can’t help but soften his smile as well, his face turning warm.

“Yeah, I’m starting to think so, too.” Reigen replies, his voice quiet as he imagines it. Sitting here with Serizawa, he is happy. Living with Mob, and Teru sometimes, he is happy. Being a brat to Ritsu, bothering Tome like a classic little brother, joking around with Shou, he’s the happiest he’s ever been. He deserves to be.

“Serizawa-” He starts before he can stop himself. Serizawa looks up from where he was opening his lunch to give Reigen his attention. Reigen can’t help the redness that quickly overtakes his face. “I… really like you!” He forces himself to continue. He shuts his eyes tight to avoid looking at the boy across from him. “I know this is sudden, and you don’t have to reciprocate, I just want you to know-”

“Reigen- you? Me?!” Serizawa interrupts loudly. Reigen opens his eyes to question him, and they widen at the sight of Serizawa more flustered than he’s ever seen him. Reigen nearly laughs at him right to his face.

“Yes, you!” Reigen tells him, feeling semi-defensive at the response. “You’re so nice, and cute, I like you so much that I got kicked out of my house over it!” He continues, and it feels weird to gush about Serizawa to Serizawa, but it comes easily. 

“You got kicked out because you like me?” Serizawa asks, and his voice makes him sound horrified. “And you still like me?” He continues, still looking slightly worried. Reigen furrows his eyebrows at his questions.

“Yeah? Of course I do. So…?” Reigen says, trying to get a proper response to his confession. Serizawa jolts but quickly calms.

“Oh, right, I like you, too, Reigen-kun, sorry, I was kind of caught off guard, I never would’ve imagined you liking me back, I mean, wow! You like me back!” Serizawa rambles with a laugh at the end. He seems in slight disbelief, and Reigen understands, because he never would’ve guessed Serizawa liked him back. “What now?” Serizawa asks nervously. Reigen blinks.

“I… don’t know? I didn’t think that far ahead…” Reigen admits, looking down at his lunch that lays untouched in his lap. He looks back up to Serizawa with a grin. “Do you wanna be my boyfriend?” He asks boldly. Serizawa flushes all over again, and Reigen relishes in the obvious reaction.

“Y-yes! Do you… want to be mine?” Serizawa asks back, and Reigen’s grin widens. 

“Of course I do! So, we’re boyfriends now?” Reigen asks, still slightly unsure. Serizawa nods with an extremely red face. Reigen can’t help but beam back at him. They enjoy their lunch with intertwined hands.

___________________________________

Things after this are relatively good. Sure, there are bad days, healing isn’t linear. The good days easily outnumber them, though.

About two months after Reigen moves in with Mob, Mob’s lease runs out, and he decides not to resign it. They find a good two room apartment, and Reigen finally gets a room for himself, while Teru gets to fully move in with them.

Reigen and Serizawa’s relationship also develops, as they get more comfortable around each other. It’s very nice, even if Reigen had no other relationships to compare it to.

On Reigen’s sixteenth birthday, which is also coincidentally the seven-month anniversary of when Reigen stopped smoking, Mob throws a party at their apartment. Reigen decides that it’s the best birthday he’s ever had. He gets more presents than he’s ever gotten in his life, too.

Surrounded by friends, he blows out his candles.

“What’d you wish for?” Tome asks, ruffling his hair. Reigen’s mind blanks as he realizes he forgot to wish for anything.

“Nothing,” He answers honestly, shrugging. He smiles up at everyone surrounding him. “I already have everything I could ever wish for.” He says, feeling his eyes tear up slightly.

“So cheesy.” Ritsu complains, but he’s smiling too. It just makes Reigen smile wider as he digs a hand into the cake, careful not to ruin the whole thing, and throws the piece right at Ritsu, who shouts in surprise. This leads to Reigen himself getting cake smeared all over his face, but he just laughs. 

After cleaning up in the bathroom, he looks at everyone lounging around with a piece of cake, he smiles again. He was right, this was all he’s ever wanted, a real, good family. 

“Oh, Arataka, you have one last gift.” Mob says, interrupting his warm thoughts. Reigen frowns, wondering how he could’ve missed one. He’s led to the couch where a pretty large box sits. His eyes widen at the sight of it, his mind runs quickly as he tries to guess what could possibly be in there.

Everyone watches with eager eyes, and Reigen can’t help but shuffle forward awkwardly. 

“What is it?” He asks, not able to help the nerves he’s feeling. 

“C’mon, just open it and you’ll see!” Shou urges. Reigen frowns at the excitement all his friends are exhibiting. He turns to the box properly, setting his hands on both sides of the lid. He takes a breath and lifts it. 

He peaks over the edge, surprised by how much space was in there. His eyes land on the small puppy standing on the side looking up at him. His jaw drops, and so does the lid from his hand. It hits the floor with a soft noise, but Reigen pays it no attention as the dog yaps at him. Silently, he reaches his hands in, petting the puppy’s head before he picks it up to properly look at it.

It’s a small breed, maybe a chihuahua mix? Reigen doesn’t care, not really, he pulls the puppy to his chest, and it quickly starts licking his face, which Reigen now realizes has tears running over steadily. He chokes on a sob as he pets the puppy’s small head. 

“Reigen?” Tome asks, stepping forward.

“You okay, kid?” Shou asks, not stepping forward, but still worried.

“‘Taka?” Serizawa asks, setting a hand on his shoulder. Reigen turns then showing his wide smile and tears. He gently hands the dog to Serizawa, who takes it with a confused face. Reigen doesn’t mind though, and as soon as the puppy is safely out of his hands, he makes a beeline for Mob. He hugs the man as tight as he can, rubbing his face all over Mob’s chest.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” Reigen says, sobbing slightly from the crazy amount of happiness he feels. “I love you, thank you so much, Dad.” He says, hugging Mob impossibly tighter. 

“Whoa!” He hears Tome shout, and he turns, still holding onto Mob, just to be met with the sight of nearly everything in the room floating, even the people. Reigen can feel himself lifting off the ground too, and he looks up at Mob’s face. The man’s typically neutral look is replaced with the widest smile Reigen has ever seen on the man. Reigen only sees it for a split second before he’s swept off his feet and into the tightest hug he’s ever received. 

The rest of the night is spent with light hearts, nearly everything a bit to the left, and a new addition to the family.