Chapter Text
“Are you sure you don’t want me to come along?”
Serizawa’s words still lingered in Reigen’s mind as he walked up the street where Roshuto’s office was located. “I’m pregnant Serizawa, not disabled,” had been his answer, “I don’t need anyone to escort me. Furthermore, this is a thing between Roshuto and me. I’m best at talking anyway.”
Tome had even tried to stop him, calling him rash for not waiting for Mob and giving Roshuto a call in the meantime. Reigen had rejected all suggestions, even though he knew his employees meant well. When it came to the supernatural, sure, Reigen had no problem with depending on others. But this was different; an earthly matter, a cheap trick played on him by his self-proclaimed rival to rip him off his clients. By doing so, Roshuto had stepped on his turf and there was no way he would tolerate such insolence, nor settle this over the phone.
Despite his resolve, Reigen didn’t feel half as confident as he usually would. Was it because of his special condition? Did he feel more vulnerable? Maybe he should have accepted Serizawa’s offer or given Mob a call to join him after all. Doubts that came too little, too late. Now he already stood at Roshuto’s doorstep he wasn’t going to back off.
Bright green neon-letters decorated the sign at the door, yelling 'Strongest psychic in the Solar System'. There were some planets on it and at its center a with Photoshop inserted Roshuto, emphasized by a way too obvious outer glow, holding a sphere that was supposed to look like Mars in one hand while carrying Saturn under his arm.
‘What a lame poster,’ Reigen considered, ‘as if something as over-the-top as that would ever appeal to anyone.’ Impatiently, he knocked on the door.
He could soon hear footsteps at the other side, but after that it remained silent. A pre-recorded voice started to play. “Unfortunately, the radiant Master of spiritual energy is currently outside of earth.”
Reigen groaned, the anger he had suppressed earlier quickly returning. Again, he knocked on the door, this time louder. “I know you’re there, Roshuto,” he yelled, “you better let me in now or I’ll make this door open up myself!” He had no idea how to backup this claim, but it did the trick; the door unlocked soon after. However, when Reigen stepped into a hallway he was nowhere to be seen. What was Roshuto up to?
“Come on in. Stay calm. I can sense some unrest.”
The voice welcoming Reigen came from an adjacent room; a dimmed office with a stars projector that created some sort of planetarium effect on its ceiling. Reigen rolled his eyes upon noticing it and instantly turned on the light switch.
“Hey! I’m trying to create an atmosphere here!” Roshuto protested from behind his desk. He seemed to be the only one present; the office had another desk but it was empty and looked like it hadn’t been used for a while. Which didn’t surprise Reigen, because who’d want to work together with a guy so full of himself anyway?
“Atmosphere?” Reigen replied. “You’re meddling with my business and then you’re whining about atmosphere?! I demand answers! What the fuck did you think you were doing?!” He marched towards Roshuto and leaned over the desk.
Visibly startled by Reigen’s outburst, Roshuto started to sweat, raising both hands in front of him defensively. “Wait, wait, wait,” he appealed, “please grab a seat and let’s talk about this civili –”
His eyes were quickly drawn to Reigen’s midsection. Or rather, his baby bump.
“Whoa,” Roshuto exclaimed, “That’s not just some random pillow you stuffed below your shirt.” He blinked a few times, tilting his head ever so slightly as he chuckled. “You got yourself some silicone shaped thing? Hats off. You really go all the way when doing something. Well, I wouldn’t expect less from my rival. It looks kinda ridiculous on you, but I won’t deny it’s still quite realistic. My sister had her baby just a couple of months ago so I can see the semblance.”
Was this guy for real?! Every muscle in Reigen’s body tensed. Where did this man find the audacity to talk to him like that? Roshuto seemed to notice his annoyance, taking two paper cups from a stack next to his desk to pour both of them some water. “Let’s start this over,” he proposed, “please sit.”
Reigen exhaled slowly. He hadn’t come to fight, he was here to stop this conniving fake psychic from contacting his clients. And thus, he put his briefcase on the floor and took a chair from the other desk to indeed sit and talk.
“First things first,” Roshuto continued, “how are you doing, Reigen? You don’t seem to be yourself today.”
Reigen snorted, his arms crossed. “I’m doing great,” he replied, “or rather, I did, until I came back to the office and heard about your unsolicited interference. Hadn’t I been clear on the phone? We’re not interested in any kind of affiliation with your business whatsoever. Are you bitter over being rejected? Is that why you’re trying to steal our clients, telling them I’ll abandon my job?” His foot tapped on the wooden floor repeatedly. “That’s really low, even for your standards, and especially considering my condition.”
“Oh please, you can drop the act. I’m not gonna fall for that.” Roshuto straightened his tie and casually settled back in his chair. “It’s clear as day you can’t really be pregnant. I even made a fool out of myself, asking around in the psychic community if such incidents had happened before. They laughed. Of course they did. Couldn’t you come up with something better? I mean, getting yourself creampied by one of your own employees, that boy? At first I considered it to be a hoax – but after some time I finally understood. Because if you really want to leave business - why care indeed? This might keep people from going after you.”
Reigen squinted his eyes, placing his hands on the desk with a slam. Where did this man find the audacity to insult him like that? “He’s my business partner now - a way better psychic and much more mature than you’ll ever be!”
Being insulted himself was one thing, but absolutely no one was allowed to badmouth Mob. He really felt like slapping Roshuto across the face. Not to do so took about all of his willpower – or maybe reasoning, because it was starting to become clear this man had somehow managed to make some real crazy assumptions. He took a sip from the paper cup he’d been poured earlier instead to cool himself down.
Roshuto shrugged, holding his hands up in the air. “I don’t even get why you’re mad, after all I’m helping you here.”
“Helping?!” How was any of this helping him?! Reigen squeezed the cup a little too tightly, causing it to dent and spill some water over his hand.
“Look,” Roshuto continued, “Whatever your reasons are, you clearly don’t want to tell your employees the real reason for quitting business. And let’s face it – they aren’t cut out for this line of work without the guidance of a competent psychic. They’re way too gullible. Especially the tall guy, Serizawa was his name? I think he really fell for this little charade of yours. When he told me about your ‘pregnancy’,” and with that word Roshuto made quotation marks with his fingers, “everything became clear to me. So I’m making things easy for you – your clients find a good new home and you can wrap up without feeling guilty towards your employees. I was thinking, maybe we could still make a deal? I could use a second office, and…”
“- Oh my god!”
Reigen jumped up, walked around the desk and leaned in on Roshuto, his hands holding onto the arm rests to prevent the man from turning away. “How can you be so thick?!” he yelled, “For the last time, it’s not fake and I’m not quitting business! Mob and I chose to have this baby and the forces in this universe did grant us our wish. But you know - some fraudulent pseudo psychic like you would never understand!”
Exuberant hand gestures punctuated Reigen’s statements. He didn’t care about being a hypocrite. Even if he himself was a fake, Mob’s powers were real. His baby was real and it deserved to be recognized.
“Pah,” Roshuto scorned with a smirk. His personal space had been invaded, but this actually provided him the perfect opportunity to prove Reigen’s deceit. And thus, while shaking his head dismissively, he placed a hand firmly on his rival’s shirt – right at the level of his belly.
It felt soft yet sturdy.
Warm.
Real.
Very real.
This wasn’t the silicone counterfeit he had been so sure to find. Roshuto’s jaw dropped. His eyes became wide. And then he started to cough frantically, for the next moment Reigen had emptied what was left in his cup by turning it upside down above Roshuto’s no-longer-smirking head.
“Don’t fucking touch me!” the pregnant man hissed.
Roshuto didn’t, not anymore. He had already pulled back the moment he realized what was beneath the shirt. Completely stunned, he slumped back in his chair while water dripped down his hair and the collar of his suit. But right now he couldn’t care about getting soaked. “Holy shit,” he stammered. It took a few seconds to find the words. He kept on staring at Reigen’s belly. “It’s true? It is actually TRUE? I’m… I’m…”
Reigen snorted. All of this was starting to make him really tired. The astonishment in Roshuto’s voice, the complete bewilderment in his eyes; they hurt, even worse than his earlier insults. As if Reigen wasn’t supposed to be pregnant. As if it really made him some kind of freakish anomaly. He didn’t want his baby to have an anomaly for a parent. He just wanted to provide it with a loving family, together with Mob, not having to excuse or explain himself to anyone else.
“I hope you now see how inappropriate your recent course of actions were,” Reigen stipulated, fighting to keep the tears away as he - too - sat back in his chair. Of course it surprised Roshuto. Everyone had been surprised. It was only natural. With a sleeve Reigen quickly wiped the moisture from his eyes.
The office fell silent.
Slowly getting back to his senses, Roshuto started to rub his hands over the length of his face, trying to get rid of the wetness. Of course this didn’t do much so he stood up to grab a towel from the pantry next to his office, leaving a trail of wet spots on the floor. When he came back he’d taken off his jacket. His hair didn’t drip anymore, or maybe that was just because he’d wrapped the towel over his shoulders. As he sat down, Roshuto exhaled deeply. He decided to ignore the whole incident, he hadn’t been too sensible himself and Reigen’s condition now piqued his interest.
“As a fellow psychic, I must say I’m intrigued. There really were supernatural forces involved in the…conception?” Roshuto bit his lip, unsure if he should have asked like that. Still, as a psychic, he needed to know. His cheeks burned slightly more red than before.
The question didn’t embarrass Reigen, not anymore. He crossed his arms. Now he finally started to have the upper hand in this conversation, a sly smug started to dawn on his face. “Of course. The greatest psychic of the 21st century doesn’t need to obey the laws of physics. However, make no illusions, such an event is reserved for the most powerful psychics only. Guess your affiliates simply lack such kind of power.”
“I see,” Roshuto nodded. “I had no idea you could use them like that.” There was still a trace of doubt in his voice.
That was Reigen’s cue. He had practiced his speech several times, as he already anticipated many of his clients to have questions about his condition. This was actually a great opportunity to test its consistency. If Roshuto would buy it, anyone would.
“Yes,” Reigen spoke solemnly, “Souls sometimes shed parts of their spiritual energy when they move on to the other side, especially their will power. If accumulated, spiritual willpower makes a very strong type of energy. That’s a basic. You really didn’t know?!”
Slightly offended, Roshuto crossed his arms. He wouldn’t let his rival make him look like a fool. “Of course I do! Just asking… So, you collected and manipulated this energy?”
Reigen nodded. “Glad to hear you understand.”
Suddenly, a new kind of shimmer appeared in Roshuto’s eyes. “Wait a minute,” he said, “If this is a new way to conceive babies… Have you any idea how many people you can help with this?! My sister – it took her and her husband years to finally get pregnant! They almost gave up…”
Ah. That somehow hit Reigen, hard. His face paled. There indeed were people who weren’t as blessed as he was. But there was no way Mob’s powers could be used for other people! Not without him being the father. Ugh, he didn’t even want to think about this -
“Impossible,” he replied, shaking his head at the preposterous suggestions. “Only the most seasoned of psychics are able to even see this residual energy, and it probably takes, well, the greatest psychic of the 21st century to actually absorb it. Make no illusions, this process isn't without any risks. You have to separate the good from the bad residual energy waves, because if you make just the smallest mistake... well, the consequences would be catastrophic.”
Reigen's mouth snapped shut to add a dramatic effect to the serious face he was making, not showing a trace of the content he felt with his improvised explanation. Even after all those years of running Spirits and Such consultation, it still amazed Reigen how he could come up with so much bullcrap out of nowhere. He didn’t even need to think about it – the words just formed between his lips. “Furthermore, it took me many years to collect enough to let my greatest wish come true.”
As Reigen talked, Roshuto nodded several times. He didn’t want the man across his desk to think he wasn’t versed in residual psychic energy waves. “I see,” he nodded yet again, “a true psychic – I’ll give you that. Wouldn’t have guessed you’d be able to pull this off.”
“Spare me the praise,” Reigen reacted, “That’s not what I’m here for. I just want you to not contact my clients anymore. I’ll call them myself to revoke whatever stupid offer you made, so don’t bother to send them a rectification.”
Roshuto however, didn’t want to let it end like this. He’d noticed before – or actually on several occasions, ever since the incident with the press conference – that Reigen somehow always seemed to be encircled by supernatural events. And for a long time he doubted him to be the real deal but this was the last straw, there was no way all of this was fabricated or just coincidence. Furthermore, there was still a certain debt to pay off.
“Reigen,” he said after a few contemplations, “I didn’t lie when I said I wanted to help.”
He decided his shirt had dried enough to get rid of the towel, which he casually placed over a radiator next to him as he spoke. “To be frank, it relieves me to hear you’re not quitting business. I recon you will still be away for a bit, but it’s good to know my rival will be back. Makes business more interesting.”
Reigen knitted his brows. What was this man up to? He couldn’t be trusted, that much was sure.
“I haven’t forgotten about that one time I passed this curse onto one of your employees,” Roshuto continued, “When I did I knew you would be able to handle it, but still – I owe you. Which brings me to the following - you can’t take on as many jobs during maternity leave, now can you? I’m willing to support your team during that time - ”
Reigen sighed, suddenly aware of a whole different urge he felt. Roshuto was probably still trying to turn the situation to his own benefit, but least this sounded like they’d be able to come to at least some kind of agreement. However, that conversation would need to wait for a bit. First things first. Reigen scratched the back of his head as he rose up.
“Where’s the restroom?”
*****
It was already past lunch time when Mob and Reigen walked down the sidewalk, heading for their car to go back to the Spirits and Such Consultation Office. Roshuto’s office was nice and cool, but despite the warmth, Reigen felt relieved to be outside again. He let out a puff of air as he gazed at the briefcase Mob was carrying. His briefcase. When they walked together, his lover didn’t let him carry anything these days, even if it was just a laptop.
“You really didn’t need to come, you know that, right?” Reigen tried to sound as casual as possible.
It were moments like these that his own attitude wore him out. When the doorbell rang at Roshuto’s office he had been simply happy when it turned out to be Mob. Maybe their employees had been right. Maybe in his current state it was better to not take on such confrontations all by himself. Not because Reigen’s skills were lacking, but because being with someone he trusted made him feel more at ease. So why was he still trying to keep up this front?
“Of course,” Mob nodded, “Still, it’s my business too so I felt like showing my face as well. When Tome called and explained the situation I was just wrapping up at one of my clients anyway. I can easily catch up on work later tonight.”
Reigen grinned. “Well, showing your face you did. And not just that. Did you see that look on Roshuto’s head when he noticed how tall you’ve grown? Not to mention the way he reacted when you used your psychokinesis to grab my suitcase when we left. He still called you a boy earlier – tssk, can you imagine?”
Mob shrugged. “People tend to hold on to the image they had of someone when they last saw them. And I think that in Roshuto’s case, that’s been several years. I’m just happy that you were able to sort things out with him. It sounded like most of it was one big misunderstanding.”
“Pah. You can never be too careful with guys like him, Mob. We agreed that in case Serizawa and Tome require help they’d be free to give him a call, but of course I’ll instruct them to not do so at any cost. Roshuto means trouble and especially now we’ve got enough on our hands already.”
As they walked, Mob wrapped the arm that wasn’t holding the suitcase around Reigen’s middle, caressing his fingers lovingly over the shorter man’s belly. “And not just on our hands,” he hummed.
Ah. If Reigen knew one thing for sure, he would never grow tired of Mob’s natural loving and dependable tendencies. They gave him strength and the courage he needed to be himself. To be vulnerable. He placed a hand on top of Mob’s. The talk with Roshuto had been one of many hurdles they would encounter on their way. And even though the outcome was satisfactory enough, right now Reigen just wanted to lean in on Mob and let his tears flow over what had been bothering him, ever since his self-proclaimed rival mentioned his sister to almost give up on her dream to have a baby.
Some people can’t get pregnant.
A cold hard fact he had never given much thought, but now filled him wilt guilt and sadness. He couldn’t even put it to words as he let his tears stain the shoulder of Mob’s suit.
Mob didn’t ask any questions. He knew that in Reigen’s current state he could be like this and that was fine. He just patted his shoulder as they continued their way to the car.
“There, there, that’s okay.”