Work Text:
It's a peaceful rainy morning, and Reigen is going to be early to work.
His internal clock, for whatever reason, had woken him up almost an hour before he had to get up. He'd considered going back to sleep, but he was surprisingly awake and didn't want to risk waking up in an hour groggy.
So instead, he's going to go in early. As he brushes his teeth, he thinks about the plans for today. He could make some tea for himself and Serizawa and Tome before they get there, and not have to rush getting ready (not that he ever does that…) He doesn't have any appointments, and with the weather he doubts too many people will want to come by today anyways. He grabs his-this one might be Serizawa's, actually, he realizes-umbrella, and locks the door behind him.
The rain is an annoying slight drizzle. He knows it's going to make him want a nap later. He could send all three of them home early, go home… or see if Serizawa is up to being there for a few hours without him.
Regardless of any future plans, he arrives at the office.
And finds the door is unlocked.
Odd. A few thoughts run through his head in the total of one second it takes for him to swing it open. He doesn't actually specifically remember locking it last night, Tome and Serizawa have keys to the door, I mean, really, anyone who broke in must've been long gone and insurance-
He's distracted by that train of thought fairly quickly when he looks in.
-
Shigeo wakes with a start, as he often does. Even though it's been months since he's begun to be able to control his body consistently again, he's never gotten used to randomly waking up in it alone.
He checks his clock…he's pretty sure he isn't late for Mob's job. But he should probably get up. He sits up, reluctantly. There's no chance he's supposed to be at his job at five-thirty… But he has no idea when he is. He can't remember, regardless of how he tries.
He could text Mob's employer, of course… but he doesn't want to do that. Mob knows when his job starts. He can't think of a way to ask without explaining he isn't Mob.
Shigeo elects to get ready anyways. He can be early. He can do that. Shigeo can hear rain still pattering on the roof and distantly remembers its cold, so he grabs a slightly-too-big sweater to go over his shirt (he thinks Mob likes this one, and so wouldn't want to get it wet).
He assumes Ritsu, and probably their parents too, aren't awake yet. By the time they wake up it'll probably be a normal time for him to be gone. He grabs his phone and heads out into the dreary weather.
He doesn't bother to look for an umbrella, instead opting to just shield himself from the rain with his powers. At the very least he remembers the route.
He's almost at Spirits n Such when he notices a furry shape under a bush. Barely thinking about it, he gets down on his knees next to it, getting gravel and grit stuck to his pants. He leans over to the best of his ability without having to balance himself using his hands. It's a cat. A kitten, specifically. It's a skinny, pathetic little thing, soaking wet, orange paws muddied. It stares up at him, shrinking back into the foliage. Shigeo holds his hand out and makes a little noise in a half-hearted attempt to get it to come to him. It doesn't come closer, but it doesn't back up anymore either.
He sighs, and uses his powers to pick it up without further coaxing. It flails for a second, and then calms down once Shigeo cradles it against his chest. Its fur is getting Shigeo's sweater damp, but he doesn't mind too much. The poor thing probably hadn't felt anything warm all week.
He continues his walk with the kitten. It snuggles into his arm and fits there like a puzzle piece. Once he's there, he shifts his little companion to one arm (easily, since it's so small. He'd guess it's barely old enough to be without its mother.) and tries the door handle. The door is unlocked, thankfully. At first, he thinks it's because Reigen is actually there and he isn't insanely early, but he soon finds it to be empty. He must've forgotten to lock it. Shigeo isn't surprised.
He slightly struggles to both take off his sweater and not set the cat down, holding the cat sort of like an orange and swapping which hand is holding it. He places his sweater on Reigen's desk, arranges it in a sort of circular manner, and then sets the cat down on it. Shigeo watches the animal for a second as it minorly explores the makeshift bed, then plops down and closes its eyes.
He wishes he knew where some towels were. He'd like to clean the thing off, not so much to prevent getting his sweater (or Reigen's desk, he guesses) dirtier, but he feels…pity, he thinks, looking at it so dirty. It can't be nice, fur covered in grit and rain.
If Reigen isn't here… he isn't quite sure what he's supposed to do. Shigeo sits at the desk, absentmindedly petting the cat's head with his thumb. He lays his cheek on the table, watching its nose twitch. He's halfway falling asleep when the door whips open.
-
Reigen freezes with the door almost entirely thrown open, holding silent eye contact with Mob. Mob's gaze leaves…the cat, he was apparently petting on the table and goes up to Reigen. He doesn't say anything about the cat or anything else.
"Ah, Mob… Wasn't expecting to see you today!" He hangs up his coat and places down the umbrella by the door, quickly shaking off the awkward stare-off they'd just had.
"You weren't?" Mob asks, sounding a little confused. Reigen can't tell for sure if it was supposed to be a question or statement. Why would Mob be expected to be here on a Saturday morning? He didn't even come in this early when he did have a schedule.
"And especially not this early." Reigen looks from the cat, uncommented on by either of them, then to Mob again. It's dangerously close to his computer for how soaked it is. "Why… Did you come here?" He nudges his laptop a few inches farther from the cat. "Not that you're unwelcome, of course."
Mob's face scrunches further in confusion. "I work here."
Reigen stares blankly down at him for a second, then chuckles. "Jeeze, Mob, if you wanted to visit me you could've just said so. I mean, you don't have to be getting paid to talk to me, right?"
"...I work here." He repeats, and gestures vaguely out to the office, like Reigen might not know what here is referring to. He sounds a little annoyed. (Reigen notices how when his hands return to the table he picks at the loose skin on his fingers.)
Reigen's face softens, dropping his stupid smirk. "I'll go get us some tea, okay?"
When Reigen gets back, Mob is sitting fully up, slightly bunching his shoulders up. Instead of petting the cat, his hands are palm-down on the chair. His eyes flick from the desk where he was staring to Reigen, and then quickly back again.
Reigen places down their two cups, slides up a chair, and sits opposite from Mob.
"Did you bring the cat from home?" Reigen prompts.
Mob stares at the kitten for a second, and then finally makes eye contact with Reigen for longer than a second. "I found it…on the way here. It was alone."
So he didn't come here because of the stray, Reigen thinks.
"Have you named it?" Mob nods his head no.
"If you aren't planning on getting attached to it, don't. It all goes downhill when you name it." Reigen lists a few orange things that its fur reminds him of in his head anyways. Apricot, sundrop, tangerine, pumpkin-
"Eh, but you're already attached, aren't you?"
"... I don't think my mom would let me keep it."
"Hm." If it were any other day, he'd probably tell Mob to let him take it to a shelter or something, maybe put some posters up for a free cat. It's…a weird day though, and he doesn't want to upset him by bringing up the idea of giving it to a stranger. "Maybe Serizawa could keep it, and then you'd know it's going to a good home and all. I'm sure he loves cats." Hopefully he'll agree to until they figure something else out.
"I'll…go call him! I'll go ask. Give me a second." He,a little too quickly (he nearly forgets his phone), leaves not only the room but Spirits n Such entirely to stand out of Mob's hearing range when he tells Tome not to come to work today. Serizawa probably shouldn't come in now, he considers, but he should tell him to pick up… cat food, and stuff, and bring it here later. And ask him if he wants a cat, just for a bit.
-
Shigeo is going to be sick. He must've messed up some sort of schedule and is here on an entirely wrong day. He knows Mob has come here on weekends before. Mob hadn't gotten fired, had he? Shigeo hadn't caused him to get fired, certainly? (After nearly destroying the city, he had subtly receded, of his own will this time, for a few weeks. Just to give himself a chance to adjust to the idea of coming out again. He hadn't even considered that their job situation could've changed in that time. He'd only been around at home since then…) He doesn't even want to know who Reigen is actually calling that would lead him to have to leave the room. Or what he could be saying. He has no idea how he'd explain why he came here to his parents if Mob had gotten fired.
He makes himself stop that train of thought, even though he's already thought of what Reigen could be whispering to his parents right now on the other side of that door.
Reigen…wouldn't do that. There was no reason for Reigen to lie to him about that, especially not after risking his safety to try and help Mob like how he did. Or fire him, after taking him to the hospital after his breakdown (which is the last thing Shigeo can remember of Reigen.) Reigen doesn't know he isn't Mob. There's no reason for him to be mad at Shigeo, who he doesn't even know exists. From what he's gathered, everyone assumes his breakdown was some fugue state caused by his powers, not another person. Not him.
He doesn't know why Reigen left the room, then, if he told Shigeo the truth, but he makes himself trust that it isn't a bad reason. It doesn't do much to quell the anxiety in his stomach. It somehow makes it worse, actually.
Part of him wishes he was just angry like he used to be. That was a hot, sharp feeling, like wielding a knife. He could do something with that. This anxiety just makes him unsteady. He doesn't know what's changed in him. This feeling is unfamiliar, suffocating any flames of anger Shigeo could use to protect himself. No one has wronged him here, he can't find anything to be angry about other than at himself.
He can't do much other than hope Mob comes back soon.
-
Reigen comes back, after an agonizing five minutes. He basically kicks the door open. "Good news! Serizawa is totally down for having a cat. His mom adores cats! He's coming later to get it." (She's more of a dog person, Serizawa had said. She's okay with cats.)
Mob still just stares at him. "That's good." He says, finally.
Reigen frowns. He sits across from Mob again as Mob takes an overly long sip from his tea. "Tell me what's going on today."
Mob puts his cup down and lightly drags his thumbnail down the ribbed exterior. "I…um." His other hand lightly twitches on the table.
"I'm not mad at you, first of all. You're acting like you're in trouble. If you…forgot you didn't work on a schedule anymore, that isn't something anyone's going to be mad at. I'll just have to tell your mom to get you checked out, because that's pretty concerning."
Mob's eyes widen at that. "No, don't- don't tell my mom. I don't want to worry her-"
"Hey." Reigen interrupts him, holding a hand up. "Your mom's going to be a lot more worried if she finds out later you've had an undetected brain injury for months, Mob."
"I'm not Mob." He blurts. Reigen thinks he can tell by Mob's expression (and reddening face) that wasn't really meant to come out.
"What?" He sounds more incredulous, more loud, than he means to.
"I- nevermind. I-" He stands up, face going pale.
"Hey, hey." Reigen stands up with him, and puts a hand on his shoulder to stop him as he goes by. "I'm sorry for saying that so loud. You just confused me." The full force of what he just heard hits him. "What do you mean you're not Mob? You're…Are you-"
A thought hits him and he lets go of Mob's shoulders. God, please don't be a spirit. He doesn't even want to know how powerful that thing would have to be to possess Mob unwillingly. Or why Mob would let one do that. Or what any solution other than that could be that would be less concerning-
Mob… Or Mob's body, he guesses, or something that looks like it, speaks, and Reigen can hear the shake in his voice.
"I'm not- I'm not possessing your student. This- this body's mine. Ours." Reigen doesn't say anything, even as he pauses. "I was here first." He continues, an almost defensive tone to his voice.
"Who are you, then?"
"Shigeo." Reigen opens his mouth and Shigeo rushes to keep talking before him. "I'm- I was Shigeo before Mob was. And after- after everything he tried to shut me out but we agreed he wouldn't anymore and I woke up today and I thought he had work and I wanted to make sure you didn't find out-"
His last word chokes off into a sob. He closes his eyes and focuses on not making everything in Reigen's office crash into the ceiling. Now he does recognize the flickers of annoyance, (at himself for causing this, at Reigen for not damn leaving him alone, he even tries to catch on to the distant idea of being mad at Mob for even coming into this office in the first place) still overshadowed by the worry of ruining his- ruining Mob's life.
"Shigeo." Reigen says, far too kindly for the situation. Shigeo opens his eyes. He hears the foreignness of the name in Reigen's mouth. "I told you I'm not mad. I'm not going to be mad at you for not knowing someone else did something. I mean, I'm not that clueless." He chuckles. Shigeo notices first how fake the chuckle is, then that Reigen's hands are on his shoulders again.
"I get it. You just wanted to do what you thought you needed to. It's okay. Take a sec to catch your breath." Reigen stands there with him for a second. He gives Shigeo's shoulders a reassuring squeeze.
Seemingly satisfied with his breathing, Reigen hands him his cup of tea, wordlessly, and Shigeo sits back down. "I'll be right back, okay? Don't wander off on me." Shigeo nods.
He can hear Reigen shuffling around in some cabinets, then running water. When he comes back around, he's carrying a damp towel. He sits across from Shigeo again, and picks up the cat (who had seemingly woken up at some point, and had wobbly walked off of Shigeo's sweater). He starts gently cleaning the cat off with the towel. It mewls, but otherwise doesn't protest.
"Mob stopped working on a schedule a few months ago. And before he did, he certainly didn't come in at six on a saturday. You might've gotten by if you didn't overestimate his dedication to being my student."
"I should've…I just thought, this morning… I don't know. I woke up and thought Mob had somewhere to be." He sighs.
"Speaking of you and Mob… You said you came first. Did you meet me before he did?" He isn't sure if that's intrusive. Reigen only has cursory knowledge of Mob's situation- or what he thinks it is at least, based on what Shigeo has said, which is something similar to a dissociative disorder but coupled with psychic powers. He has no idea how to approach this, but he doesn't want to leave the poor kid to simmer in his thoughts.
"No. The only time we've met is when-" He pauses, then stutters the starts of a few different words. "When we- When I-... When Shigeo was young, he was just one person. It was just me. And one day, that person decided he didn't want to have powers anymore. Then there was me and Mob. He shut me out. The only time I could do anything was when Mob blacked out."
"Until the last time. You and Mob talked it out after that?"
Shigeo nods. He watches as Reigen puts the kitten back on his sweater, and keeps his hand scratching it as he starts talking again.
"Does your family not know? Is that why you didn't want me to call your mom?"
Shigeo nods yes.
Reigen hums thoughtfully. "Well, if your parents happen to ask where you went, tell them I needed help and called you. If anything, they'll just get mad at me for calling you so early." He finally takes a sip from his own cup. "Don't go home still crying though, I don't want them to hate me too much. Not even mentioning your brother, yeesh. That kid would kill me if he thought I made you cry. Stay here as long as you need."
Shigeo hums. "Oh, uh. Thank you. For not freaking out."
"It's no problem. I mean, you know what Mob's job is, don't you? I've dealt with way worse. I mean, this one time-" Reigen begins telling Shigeo about a certain job him and Mob went on. Shigeo knows the basics, of course, since he was there (His only real gaps in memory are very recent). He listens anyway, laying his head down on his arms on the desk. He's barely been up for an hour, but the vague ache in his head and the emotional outburst he'd had have left him tired anyways. Without realizing it, his eyes slowly start to close. Reigen doesn't stop talking, probably because it takes him until he's done with the story to realize Shigeo isn't awake.
When Mob wakes up, it takes him a second to realize where he is. He's at Spirits n such, and he's very warm despite the rain he can hear. Sitting up, he realizes it's because of an old blanket Reigen keeps in one of the lower cabinets.
He blinks, hard and rapidly, for a few seconds as he remembers how he got here.
"Morning, Mob." Reigen, who Mob hadn't noticed was leaning on one of the doorways, greets him.
"Ah, Master Reigen. Hi."
"So…Never bothered to tell your buddy you basically quit on me, huh?"
"Oh. Thank you." Reigen looks at him, puzzled. Shigeo can anticipate the 'huh?' that's going to come. "For being kind. To us."
Reigen does that stupid thing where he sticks his chin in the crook of his thumb and pointer and smiles. "Oh, it was nothing much." He scoffs. "It was more of an issue getting Serizawa to agree to take care of a cat." Even though he said Serizawa's mom adores cats…? Mob thinks, but doesn't say anything. "He came to get it while you were out."
"Thank you for that, too."
"Don't worry about it. Tell him thanks next time you see him or something. I'll get him some ramen."
"I will…but I'm going to go home now. Me and Ritsu are doing something later." He gathers up his damp sweater and puts the blanket over the back of Reigen's chair. "I'll tell Shigeo about the cat."
After he shuts the door, Reigen leans against the wall and slides down to the floor against it. Euh. He isn't entirely sure how to take that whole situation. At the very least, Mob seems fine for now, which is good. He needs to do some research or something later.
He's going home to take a nap. Now.