[ as soon as he says the name out loud, he frowns. it’s not a severe reaction, though; he huffs out something like a laugh afterwards before he drains a third of his water bottle. ]
I kind of like the nickname, though. Mob. I bet your friends call you that too sometimes, right?
If you don’t mind, I’ll stick with it for awhile. See how it feels.
[ a nickname feels a little like leapfrogging intimacy--a needle reigen wants to thread carefully, given their unusual situation. he collapses back against one of the office chairs and lets out a gusty sigh. ]
Well. If you aren’t too bored yet, we can start putting some of this stuff together ... and then we can get ramen or something later. How does that sound?
[ he rubs the side of his neck as if that can suppress the persistent flush that rises at the sound of his name. jeez, he should’ve tried to get out more before his parents dropped this engagement on him. at least he would’ve been better prepared.
he clears his throat, then reaches for a box cutter. ]
It's the first time in a long, long time that Shigeo was using his powers more openly. Reigen could be frustrating, especially with his lack of consideration for Shigeo's schedule or pacing... but he didn't ultimately mind. At the end of the day, people were grateful, whether they needed a curse expunged from their homes or a simple massage to lift their spirits.
One day, though, not yet a year into their working together, Shigeo was missing for one of the days of work. He didn't answer his phone - the thing went straight to voicemail, indicating it was off. It wasn't until the next day, about an hour after Spirits & Such opened, that the doorknob turned and Shigeo finally entered.
He was looking quite worse for wear. He had ugly bruises all over his face and hands, and a turtleneck only barely hid ugly purple marks around his throat that were already fading faster than should be humanly possible.]
Arataka...
[The esper's voice is just slightly cracked, but it didn't paint a pretty picture.]
[ months of work later, reigen is maybe getting too used to mob being at his beck and call. he mostly assures himself that these impositions aren’t real impositions, that mob doesn’t really have anything better to do, and anyway they’re engaged so they should be spending as much time together as possible anyway.
but it’s gotten to the point where it’s unusual when mob doesn’t respond promptly to a text or call, and after only a single night of radio silence reigen finds himself incredibly antsy. no, not just antsy--anxious, genuinely anxious. he stays overlong at the office and curses himself for not getting the kageyamas’ home number, catches with a passing eye and promptly ignores a broadcast about a train station getting ripped to pieces by seemingly supernatural causes--he barely even sleeps that night, tossing and turning in his low single bed. he checks his phone over and over again, the glow from zero unread messages eventually dragging him into a restless sleep.
with effort, and not a little desperation, he opens the office on time. mob’s never been to his apartment--this is their point of commonality, their shared space. if mob’s going to turn up anywhere it’ll be there.
he’s at his desk, having canceled every pre-lunch appointment, clicking agitatedly on a game of solitaire when the door opens. he bolts up immediately. ]
Mob--! Where have you been, I was--
[ worried--but the word dies in his throat at the sight of bruising all along the side of mob’s face. he scrambles around the desk. ]
Jeez, you look terrible! What happened? Did you fall off a cliff!?
[He's a bit surprised that Reigen isn't more mad at him for not answering, or showing up late, or showing up with this bad of an impression for clients. His head hangs low in shame nonetheless.]
[ mob? fighting? it’s almost unimaginable--not softspoken, gentle mob. reigen stops short in front of him and bites his lip because the temptation to--
hell with it. he lifts his hand to mob’s face, fingertips brushing delicately over the bruising before he can help himself--and then he’s tugging at the neckline of his sweater, dread like a stone in his belly when he realizes the bruising just keeps going. ]
Shit. [ to himself, more than anyone else. ] Sit down, I gotta--we gotta get you some ice.
[Shigeo tensed at the way Reigen was getting close, assessing the damage... Reigen managed to tug the collar down, but he was quickly pulling it back up to hide it away. Don't look, don't think about it too hard, don't let your feelings boil over...
Nonetheless, he wordlessly sat down and stared hard at the floor, gripping his hands together in a fist.]
[ there’s a pang of something in reigen’s chest when mob pulls his collar back up--he pulls his hands back acquiescently, clenching his fists for a second. ]
What you did ... ?
[ it can’t be that bad. mob wouldn’t hurt a fly. ]
[Hunching over, Shigeo hid his face in his hands. There were a thousand thoughts in his mind, but none of them quite had words he could attribute to them. This wasn't like losing his temper with a cult-leading spirit that had been following him until yesterday. This was... after twenty years, he thought he was never going to do this again.]
I... I lost control of my powers... I hurt someone with my powers.
[ is it bad that reigen’s first thought is do i have to hide a body--but no, that can’t be how it works. just because mob can eviscerate evil spirits with a literal blink of his eyes doesn’t mean he can do the same to ... what, a person?
anyway, he’s really shaken up about all this. reigen hesitates for only a second, then pushes the other chair closer to mob so he can sit close. ]
It looks like they got you back pretty bad. [ his voice dropping low and soft. ] Talk to me. Tell me what happened.
[At first, he thought Reigen would be terrified of him. Hell, Shigeo was terrified of himself. But Reigen pulled himself close, wanted to hear, wanted to be supportive. Or maybe he just needed to know details to tell the authorities.
Even that last spiteful thought didn't hold any purchase. He didn't believe it. So despite the tears welling up in his eyes, Shigeo started to quietly, oh so quietly, explain himself.]
At the train station, I... I ran into an esper... he attacked me, asking me if I was with some group called 'Claw'.
I told him... not to use his powers on other people. He'd shoved normal people out of the way to attack me, but they were on the tracks, so they could have been hurt. He insisted he didn't care, and that angered me... he was getting physical with me.
[Hence, the bruising. Not from impacts of psychic powers, but from hands wrapped around a throat.]
And when I... when I woke up, everything was destroyed. Because of me.
[ train station ... train station. holy shit, holy shit.
but also mob, folded in on himself, his bruised face shadowed with deep unhappiness--reigen swallows hard, swallows back his more practical concerns. there’ll always be time for those. for now, mob.
mob, with his similarly bruised throat. that other esper--did he choke him--reigen tightens his fists in his lap for a second and has to force back a rising tide of nauseous anger too-- ]
He ... knocked you unconscious. [ choked him unconscious. what the fuck. ] And that’s what happened to the train station on the news.
[ a pause, reigen collecting his thoughts in tandem with his temper. ]
I didn’t ... hear that anyone got hurt, you know. You must have gotten them away in time. And that guy, whoever he was, he must’ve been able to get away too.
I hurt him... but I came to... everything was flung into the sky. I... I twisted all of the metal and concrete back into place as best as I could. But the cracks are still there...
[ his voice dropping even further, something oddly gentle. there’s a second where he really wishes he did have psychic powers so he could flip the sign on the door and guarantee them more privacy. ]
Stuff like that can be rebuilt. It’s not your fault, Mob. You said you passed out, and ... it wouldn’t have happened if he hadn’t attacked you.
[ god. is this what happens when mob passes out?
he reaches out again unthinkingly, fingertips on mob’s jaw. under the fluorescents the bruising sure is ugly, but--is it just his imagination or does it already look better than when the guy walked in? ]
[He was going to say something else, but the words evaporated as Reigen touched him gently, eyes focused on his bruising. And it had been so much worse yesterday.
Shigeo closed his eyes, chest hurting at seeing the other man's expression. He wrapped his own shaking fingers around the hand that Reigen was using to hold him and look at him.]
Reigen-san... I am too dangerous. I don't think this business is a good idea anymore. I don't think being around me is a good idea, anymore...
[ it’s only his second impulse, to rail against the idea that they shouldn’t continue on with spirits and such. that should worry reigen more than it does.
his first impulse is something else, and he follows it unthinkingly over a precipice he hadn’t anticipated, something painful and urgent clenching in his chest at the tangle of mob’s long slender fingers with his own. ]
You’re not dangerous, Mob. You’re a person, just like anyone else. Someone who’s helped a lot of people here. And you’ll help way more people in the future, with or without this place. Far more than you could ever hurt.
[ he doesn’t mean to say that--he shouldn’t say anything that could possibly jeopardize the business--but it’s true. sometimes even reigen knows it’s better to say something true. ]
That doesn’t sound like someone who isn’t safe to be around at all.
[It was this... it was because of this that his parents even thought about arranging a date for him in the first place. Because Shigeo, in this moment, wanted to run away and lock himself away forever.
And yet, Reigen was earnest, right now. He wasn't good at reading people, but... he believed in Arataka. Shifty and full of white lies on most days, but the tone was different here.]
[ his tone comes out a little teasing. but seriously, he’d sized up this gentle giant pretty much the second he’d meandered in on his parents and the kageyamas. sure, mob has psychic powers; sure, they might be much more powerful and difficult to control than reigen had initially surmised. so what? one time reigen bought a really nice chef’s knife from an infomercial when he’d been up too late thinking about opening a hibachi stand. doesn’t mean he’s in danger of becoming a serial killer. ]
Staring at Reigen for a bit, trying to decipher the smile, trying to understand and falling short... after a bit, Shigeo just rubs his eyes a bit and lets out a single huff of a laugh.]
[ it’s ... the closest thing to a real laugh that reigen’s ever heard from him. speechless for once, a very brief once, reigen stares.
the moment passes because it must. reigen flusters and lowers--their hands, he hasn’t let go of mob’s hand--still doesn’t, stupidly-- ]
M-me? You’re the one walking around in public looking like you got hit by a truck ... We really should ice that, you know. --and hey, since you had a rough day yesterday, maybe we should take today off ... ? We could go replace your phone.
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millefolium2023-01-19 06:49 pm
no subject
[ as soon as he says the name out loud, he frowns. it’s not a severe reaction, though; he huffs out something like a laugh afterwards before he drains a third of his water bottle. ]
I kind of like the nickname, though. Mob. I bet your friends call you that too sometimes, right?
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[When he had those, that is.]
Both of them are fine by me. I know you mean me.
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[ a nickname feels a little like leapfrogging intimacy--a needle reigen wants to thread carefully, given their unusual situation. he collapses back against one of the office chairs and lets out a gusty sigh. ]
Well. If you aren’t too bored yet, we can start putting some of this stuff together ... and then we can get ramen or something later. How does that sound?
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That sounds good. ...I'll treat you, Arataka.
[That's what a good spouse would do, right? Especially since Reigen paid for all of this stuff?]
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[ he rubs the side of his neck as if that can suppress the persistent flush that rises at the sound of his name. jeez, he should’ve tried to get out more before his parents dropped this engagement on him. at least he would’ve been better prepared.
he clears his throat, then reaches for a box cutter. ]
Alright. Let’s do this thing.
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It's the first time in a long, long time that Shigeo was using his powers more openly. Reigen could be frustrating, especially with his lack of consideration for Shigeo's schedule or pacing... but he didn't ultimately mind. At the end of the day, people were grateful, whether they needed a curse expunged from their homes or a simple massage to lift their spirits.
One day, though, not yet a year into their working together, Shigeo was missing for one of the days of work. He didn't answer his phone - the thing went straight to voicemail, indicating it was off. It wasn't until the next day, about an hour after Spirits & Such opened, that the doorknob turned and Shigeo finally entered.
He was looking quite worse for wear. He had ugly bruises all over his face and hands, and a turtleneck only barely hid ugly purple marks around his throat that were already fading faster than should be humanly possible.]
Arataka...
[The esper's voice is just slightly cracked, but it didn't paint a pretty picture.]
Sorry, if you called, my phone got broken....
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but it’s gotten to the point where it’s unusual when mob doesn’t respond promptly to a text or call, and after only a single night of radio silence reigen finds himself incredibly antsy. no, not just antsy--anxious, genuinely anxious. he stays overlong at the office and curses himself for not getting the kageyamas’ home number, catches with a passing eye and promptly ignores a broadcast about a train station getting ripped to pieces by seemingly supernatural causes--he barely even sleeps that night, tossing and turning in his low single bed. he checks his phone over and over again, the glow from zero unread messages eventually dragging him into a restless sleep.
with effort, and not a little desperation, he opens the office on time. mob’s never been to his apartment--this is their point of commonality, their shared space. if mob’s going to turn up anywhere it’ll be there.
he’s at his desk, having canceled every pre-lunch appointment, clicking agitatedly on a game of solitaire when the door opens. he bolts up immediately. ]
Mob--! Where have you been, I was--
[ worried--but the word dies in his throat at the sight of bruising all along the side of mob’s face. he scrambles around the desk. ]
Jeez, you look terrible! What happened? Did you fall off a cliff!?
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[He's a bit surprised that Reigen isn't more mad at him for not answering, or showing up late, or showing up with this bad of an impression for clients. His head hangs low in shame nonetheless.]
I'm sorry to have scared you.
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[ mob? fighting? it’s almost unimaginable--not softspoken, gentle mob. reigen stops short in front of him and bites his lip because the temptation to--
hell with it. he lifts his hand to mob’s face, fingertips brushing delicately over the bruising before he can help himself--and then he’s tugging at the neckline of his sweater, dread like a stone in his belly when he realizes the bruising just keeps going. ]
Shit. [ to himself, more than anyone else. ] Sit down, I gotta--we gotta get you some ice.
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Nonetheless, he wordlessly sat down and stared hard at the floor, gripping his hands together in a fist.]
I'm okay. What I did, though...
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What you did ... ?
[ it can’t be that bad. mob wouldn’t hurt a fly. ]
What happened?
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I... I lost control of my powers... I hurt someone with my powers.
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[ is it bad that reigen’s first thought is do i have to hide a body--but no, that can’t be how it works. just because mob can eviscerate evil spirits with a literal blink of his eyes doesn’t mean he can do the same to ... what, a person?
anyway, he’s really shaken up about all this. reigen hesitates for only a second, then pushes the other chair closer to mob so he can sit close. ]
It looks like they got you back pretty bad. [ his voice dropping low and soft. ] Talk to me. Tell me what happened.
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Even that last spiteful thought didn't hold any purchase. He didn't believe it. So despite the tears welling up in his eyes, Shigeo started to quietly, oh so quietly, explain himself.]
At the train station, I... I ran into an esper... he attacked me, asking me if I was with some group called 'Claw'.
I told him... not to use his powers on other people. He'd shoved normal people out of the way to attack me, but they were on the tracks, so they could have been hurt. He insisted he didn't care, and that angered me... he was getting physical with me.
[Hence, the bruising. Not from impacts of psychic powers, but from hands wrapped around a throat.]
And when I... when I woke up, everything was destroyed. Because of me.
no subject
but also mob, folded in on himself, his bruised face shadowed with deep unhappiness--reigen swallows hard, swallows back his more practical concerns. there’ll always be time for those. for now, mob.
mob, with his similarly bruised throat. that other esper--did he choke him--reigen tightens his fists in his lap for a second and has to force back a rising tide of nauseous anger too-- ]
He ... knocked you unconscious. [ choked him unconscious. what the fuck. ] And that’s what happened to the train station on the news.
[ a pause, reigen collecting his thoughts in tandem with his temper. ]
I didn’t ... hear that anyone got hurt, you know. You must have gotten them away in time. And that guy, whoever he was, he must’ve been able to get away too.
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I hurt him... but I came to... everything was flung into the sky. I... I twisted all of the metal and concrete back into place as best as I could. But the cracks are still there...
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[ his voice dropping even further, something oddly gentle. there’s a second where he really wishes he did have psychic powers so he could flip the sign on the door and guarantee them more privacy. ]
Stuff like that can be rebuilt. It’s not your fault, Mob. You said you passed out, and ... it wouldn’t have happened if he hadn’t attacked you.
[ god. is this what happens when mob passes out?
he reaches out again unthinkingly, fingertips on mob’s jaw. under the fluorescents the bruising sure is ugly, but--is it just his imagination or does it already look better than when the guy walked in? ]
You didn’t hurt anyone. I know it.
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Shigeo closed his eyes, chest hurting at seeing the other man's expression. He wrapped his own shaking fingers around the hand that Reigen was using to hold him and look at him.]
Reigen-san... I am too dangerous. I don't think this business is a good idea anymore. I don't think being around me is a good idea, anymore...
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his first impulse is something else, and he follows it unthinkingly over a precipice he hadn’t anticipated, something painful and urgent clenching in his chest at the tangle of mob’s long slender fingers with his own. ]
You’re not dangerous, Mob. You’re a person, just like anyone else. Someone who’s helped a lot of people here. And you’ll help way more people in the future, with or without this place. Far more than you could ever hurt.
[ he doesn’t mean to say that--he shouldn’t say anything that could possibly jeopardize the business--but it’s true. sometimes even reigen knows it’s better to say something true. ]
That doesn’t sound like someone who isn’t safe to be around at all.
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And yet, Reigen was earnest, right now. He wasn't good at reading people, but... he believed in Arataka. Shifty and full of white lies on most days, but the tone was different here.]
Aren't you frightened?
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[ his tone comes out a little teasing. but seriously, he’d sized up this gentle giant pretty much the second he’d meandered in on his parents and the kageyamas. sure, mob has psychic powers; sure, they might be much more powerful and difficult to control than reigen had initially surmised. so what? one time reigen bought a really nice chef’s knife from an infomercial when he’d been up too late thinking about opening a hibachi stand. doesn’t mean he’s in danger of becoming a serial killer. ]
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Reigen-san... are you sure?
[His powers terrified his brother absolutely witless, they were scary to anyone that saw them for what they were, so...]
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[ together. it occurs to reigen that he hasn’t really thought as much about that particular word as maybe he should have.
he’s smiling, though, helplessly. ]
I’m still in if you are.
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Staring at Reigen for a bit, trying to decipher the smile, trying to understand and falling short... after a bit, Shigeo just rubs his eyes a bit and lets out a single huff of a laugh.]
You're reckless... Arataka.
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the moment passes because it must. reigen flusters and lowers--their hands, he hasn’t let go of mob’s hand--still doesn’t, stupidly-- ]
M-me? You’re the one walking around in public looking like you got hit by a truck ... We really should ice that, you know. --and hey, since you had a rough day yesterday, maybe we should take today off ... ? We could go replace your phone.
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