Chapter Text
“Come with me this weekend,” you blurt out.
Reigen raises an eyebrow at your sudden request, leaning back in his squeaky office chair. He was as handsome as ever today, though the expression he wore wasn’t very flattering. He looks about as thrilled as someone being asked to unclog a toilet.
“You want me,” he says, gesturing to himself with his hand as if to clarify the absurdity of the situation, “me, of all people, to meet your friends in person?”
“Yes,” you reply quickly, pacing back and forth. Every step feels like an outlet for your restlessness. “I mean, I don’t know what else to do! I just—I can’t go alone.”
You popped by this morning unannounced just so you could ask him this. Dressed nice for it too. After some hemming and hawing, he prompted you to just ask your question. A part of him was wondering if you were gonna ask him to be your boyfriend or something, but any hope he had for that was dispelled a second ago.
Reigen exhales loudly, pinching the bridge of his nose. “You know this won’t end well, right? Like, objectively. They don’t like me. They’ve made that painfully clear.”
“Yeah, but they don’t know you,” you counter, stopping mid-step to face him. “They just have this idea of you in their heads. If they met you—really met you—it might change things.”
“Right. Because people always change their minds once they meet me. You know what they’ll do? They’ll judge me harder. Trust me, I’ve been down this road before. It’s a dead end.”
You sucked air through your teeth. “Us meeting changed my mind about you.”
His expression softened, but quickly hardened again. “Yeah, after you lied to me and wasted my time.”
He wasn’t getting it! You had completely flipped after meeting him and having a few conversations. You wanted so desperately to argue and tell him how little you originally thought of him, but you couldn’t give him any more details. He was amazing, he’s done so much for you. If he knew that you were part of the group who doxxed him and made things even worse for him, he’d never want to see you again. Rightfully so.
“Reigen—”
“No,” he cuts you off, spinning his chair slightly so he doesn’t have to look at you directly. “Look, I get why you’re upset. But you don’t need me there to handle your friends. You’re a grown adult. You can navigate this without dragging me into the lion’s den.”
But you can’t, that’s the problem! You can’t navigate this without him. Sure, you’ve improved a lot with your hygiene, habits, and social skills — but meeting everyone was so, so out of your comfort zone. With Reigen, everything has just made sense. The prospect of going at this alone without his guidance was frightening.
Across the office, Mob watches the two of you from his usual spot on the worn couch. He fidgets with the hem of his school uniform, looking like he’s debating whether to speak up or stay out of it.
Your frustration flares. “I’m not asking you to fight my battles for me! I just… I need backup. This isn’t about being ‘grown’ or whatever—it’s about not wanting to get steamrolled in some dumb argument I’m not prepared for. They’ll eat me alive if I mess up, Reigen.”
“Then don’t let them.”
“That’s easy for you to say!”
Finally, Mob speaks up. “Um… I could go with you.”
Both you and Reigen whip your heads toward Mob in unison.
“What?” you ask, dumbfounded.
“Yeah,” Mob says, sitting up straighter. “I could go. If it would make you feel better.”
Reigen snorts, shaking his head. “Kid, as much as I appreciate the enthusiasm, this isn’t exactly your scene.”
Mob tilts his head, looking genuinely confused. “Maybe not, but if (Y/N) needs help, I wouldn’t mind.”
You blink at him. He’s so earnest, so utterly sincere, that it’s almost painful. You wish you had a friend like him as a kid. Maybe then you could’ve navigated your anxiety a bit better.
“Mob, I appreciate the offer, but no offense—they’d pick you apart.” You explain.
“Pick me apart?” Mob frowns. “Why would they do that?”
“Because they’re…they’re just like that,” you say, struggling to find the right words. “They’re not bad people, but they can be… intense.”
You’re ignoring the fact that you participate in that behavior as well. It’s hard to shake, but honestly it was a little cathartic getting to do that to Noch. It bit you in the ass though… You can dish it out, but can’t take it so to speak.
You continue, “If anyone’s coming with me, it has to be Reigen.”
“Why?” Reigen asks, sounding genuinely baffled.
“Because!” you snap, turning your head towards him. “You’re good at reading people and turning situations around. You’re quick on your feet, and you don’t back down. That’s exactly what I need.”
There was a pause.
“So you’re saying you need me?”
“I—“ You pause, feeling your cheeks warm up. “I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?”
Fuck. He had you.
“What do you want me to say to that?” You huffed, putting your hands on your hips.
“The truth.”
God. You forgot you made that promise to him. Eternal honesty, full transparency. This is so not fair.
“Is it that big of a deal for you to accompany me? Do you really need me to say it outright to get you to come?” Your voice wavered. “I need you.”
“Ugh,” Reigen rubs his temples, groaning.
This is what he gets for getting emotionally involved with a client. For wanting you. Now he’s gonna be asked to do all sorts of things that he really doesn’t want to be a part of. Not that he regrets it, but…
Reigen had already caught himself day dreaming about you at least twenty times. He’s thinking about you before bed, in more ways than one. The attachment he has to you was really starting to get to him. Letting you down, especially after you admitted to needing him, would be tragic.
The idea of someone besides Mob genuinely needing him incites such a confusing emotion deep within him. Actually, Mob doesn’t really need him in the same way as he did before their fight, so realistically — nobody needs him.
Besides you, apparently.
That was scary to him. To be needed. What if he couldn’t live up to whatever expectations you had of him? If a fight breaks out, or someone says something to you, and he handles it the wrong way… Then he’ll disappoint you. He couldn’t afford that.
“It’s not healthy to rely on me so much.” Reigen spoke. “You know it’s not.”
Oh god. Were you a burden?
The thought has crossed your mind a couple times, but you wrote it off as anxiety. He seemingly enjoys talking to you. Have you been reading him wrong this whole time?
“Should I go?”
He looked back at you. “What?”
“I— I don’t want to be a nuisance.”
You were far from it.
“You’re not.” He sighed, frustrated. “It’s just–”
“Shishou, I think you should go with them.”
Reigen shoots Mob a pointed look, as if he was asking for him to elaborate. Usually Mob doesn’t take sides like this. Must have been another change that flew under his radar.
“It sounds important to them,” Mob says simply. “Maybe it won’t be so bad.”
Reigen sighs, slumping in his chair.
Important. Yeah, you’ve made that crystal clear.
He looks at you, then at Mob, then back at you. Mob was his weakness. The kid saw him for who he was. It’s not like Reigen was saying no because he didn’t care about you. He just didn’t wanna have to deal with the stress.
“Well, sometimes, we can’t get everything we want.” Reigen shrugged, feigning indifference. “They’ll live.”
You felt your heart sink a little. How could he be so cold to you? You two were friends, maybe even more than that at this point, but it looks like you were gonna be doing this on your own after all. Reigen was a busy man anyways. He didn’t owe you his time or company, and you’d have to accept that.
He looked over to see your expression.
It’s not like he’s required to go just because you went out for drinks once. Who cares if he essentially confessed his feelings to you through song? It’s no big deal that he tucked you into bed and spoke to your mother after the fact. You were drunk. He was just trying to make sure you didn’t stumble into a hole on the way back, or fall down the stairs trying to get to bed. Taking off your heels? He was just helping you get comfortable.
It ultimately should’ve meant nothing.
But it meant everything.
“(Y/N), is this really that important to you?”
You nodded, albeit weakly, and met his eyes. It was really hard to hide just how sad his rejection made you. You didn’t want to guilt trip him into doing something unpleasant. Let’s be real, he was right about one thing — it likely wouldn’t end well. You both knew what you were asking him to do.
Reigen thought hard. What did he really have to lose? His pride, maybe, but it’s not like he’s new to criticism directed at him. He dealt with skeptics on a daily basis. It wasn’t… foreign territory. He’d just have to put up with people who already don’t like him for your sake.
Someone who he’s not even dating.
“Look, I... I’ll think about it.”
“Really?” you ask, hopeful.
“Don’t get too excited,” he warns, pointing a finger at you. “I said I’ll think about it.”
The next day finds you back in Reigen’s office. You opened the door and stepped in, only to find his desk empty and chair abandoned. Neither him or Mob were here.
You lean back against his desk, half-sitting on the edge, facing the door. Looking around the room, you’re reminded of your first visit — seeing the cork board again. So much has happened since. Incense was burning, so maybe he just went out to grab some lunch and would be back any second.
You open your phone to pass the time, and see a few messages from Star.
>st4rpl4t: Hey (Y/N), we booked our airb&b! It’s a place near town. Are you gonna come stay with us? :D
Stay with them…? Town is a fair bit away. It’d be annoying having to walk there every single time you wanted to hang out.
>kittypaws333: won’t it be crowded?
>st4rpl4t: Nope! We got one with 4 bedrooms.
>kittypaws333: …sounds a bit crowded to me lol
>st4rpl4t: Well Noch and Sense can share a room, they’ve done it before!
>kittypaws333: pls don’t give him any more reasons to bitch at me lol
>st4rpl4t: Um ^^’ yeah that was awkward to listen to… But hey, I’m sure things will be better in person!
If ‘things’ means Noch, then you aren’t too sure about that. He was unpredictable. That outburst he had the other night felt like it came out of nowhere. Did he only freak out like that because you guys were picking on him?
>kittypaws333: what about you, lyfe and milk?
>st4rpl4t: Umm, Lyfe can’t share a bed because of his legs. I don’t think Milk would be opposed to sharing a room with you though, I can ask!
>kittypaws333: is there any way that can be avoided
>st4rpl4t: Oh… Umm, you could sleep on the couch?
>kittypaws333: are you for real
>st4rpl4t: Sorry…
>kittypaws333: ugh. is sharing a bed with you a no-go?
>st4rpl4t: >_>
>kittypaws333: message received; couch it is
>st4rpl4t: Oh, by the way, are we gonna meet Reigen while we’re there?? :0 I’ve been wondering since we started planning!
>kittypaws333: oh um idk
>st4rpl4t: Well I just think it’d be cool!
>kittypaws333: do u think everyone else would mind?
>st4rpl4t: Lyfe goes with whatever, Sense doesn’t really care, Milk would probably want to out of curiosity. Noch would be the only one not on board…
>kittypaws333: do you think they’d fight?
>st4rpl4t: Physically??? XD Noch would lose
>kittypaws333: okay lol true but I meant like, an argument
>st4rpl4t: If he’s the only one not fine with it, I don’t think he’d try to start anything. It’d only embarrass him tbh XD Plus he’d probs be too focused on you to care
>kittypaws333: idk if that’d be enough to deter him based on what happened the other night
>st4rpl4t: ^^’ Well, I’m not a fortune teller (Y/N), I’m just answering your question. Either way if something happens we’ll step in!
>kittypaws333: like how you guys did the other night?
>st4rpl4t: :T
>kittypaws333: sorry
>st4rpl4t: So are you coming to stay at the house for sure?
>kittypaws333: yeah
>st4rpl4t: Kk, talk to you later! <3
>kittypaws333: bye
You were about to click off your phone when you got a text message from Reigen.
“I’m running late, ETA 30 minutes. Can you put out the incense if you’re there?”
You rolled your eyes, and got up from the edge of his desk to extinguish the source of the comforting smell. Sandalwood wasn’t your favorite scent he’d burn, but it was still a shame to put it out. After doing so, you examined the pile of ashes under it. You touched it, your fingertip coated in the warm, fresh powder.
Next to the burner was a calandar. It had appointments written on each day. Who was coming, what for, etc… and your name was written on there, accompanied by little heart next to it. You appeared to be his only client for the rest of the week, at least for now.
You walk over to the couch, wiping your hand on your side, and start typing a response to Reigen.
“done, anything else your majesty?”
You watched the typing bubble pop up and disappear a few times, as if he was struggling to respond to that. Snicking, you send a heart sticker, and that makes the bubble halt and fade from view once again. This was too easy. After you leaned back onto the couch, you got a response.
“Lock the office door for me, peasant. I wasn’t expecting to be out this long so I left it unlocked.”
You grinned. He was going along with it.
“if im a peasant does this make you my king?”
“You wish. Maybe this whole roleplay thing would work better if you were a jester. Got any jokes?”
“i don’t have any photos of you on-hand, sorry.”
“Real funny. Lock my door please, I’ll knock when I’m back.”
You slowly stood up, and stretched out your arms. Christ, you were tense. All this anticipation to see him was starting to make you restless. Walking over to the door, you looked at the cork board on the wall again. It was easy to forget that you weren’t the only person coming to the office anymore. Him recovering his reputation was a good thing, ultimately, but a part of you wished you could have him all to yourself.
Your gaze returned to the door.
…Is someone out there?
You can faintly make out a silhouette - the person was short, had sharp looking hair swept upwards. Was it a kid…? Ignoring Mob, why would a kid come here?
Your hand cautiously extended to meet the doorknob.
Knock-knock-knock.
Oh God. Your heart nearly fell out of your ass. How are you supposed to deal with this?! You didn’t work here, Reigen was gone, and you were no good at talking to strangers! What if you mess up and he loses out on a client?!
Your hand grasped the handle, and you felt it twist against your will beneath your grip. Before you knew it, the door cracked open, and a hand pushed it forward, firmly, just enough to where you were face to face with the person.
“Hey.” The young boy spoke. His bright blue eyes bore into yours.
“Um. Hi.”
“Spirits & Such, I’ve got the right place, yeah?” He asked, eyeing you. “Is a man named Reigen Arataka here today by any chance?”
“N-no.”
He clicked his tongue. “‘No’ this isn’t the right place, or ‘no’ he’s not here?”
“I-I, uh, he’s not here, no.”
“Ah.” The kid spoke, looking over your shoulder. “Do you work here?”
“No, no, not yet at least.” You spoke, recalling his promise to give you a job if you learned to control your powers well enough.
The kid raised an eyebrow, as if something didn’t add up.
Why would an esper adult be seeking Reigen’s services? You could just excorsize the spirits yourself. It made more sense for you to be another employee like Shigeo Kageyama.
“What do you see him for?”
“Don’t you think that’s a bit personal, kid?” You huffed, the anxiety starting to gnaw at your patience. “He told me to lock up until he gets back. Do you have an appointment?”
He tucked his hands in pockets. The jacket he was wearing was a varsity one. Which was strange, he didn’t look like he was in highschool.
“Yes.”
You squinted. “When?”
“Right now.” He said plainly. “Why else would I be here?”
Now he was saying something that wasn’t adding up.
“Hey kid, don’t think you can lie to me.” You confronted him head on, despite your nervousness. It felt like your heart grew arms and was trying to tear its way out of your ribcage.
“Lie to you? What would I gain from that?”
“I don’t know, but I’m his only client for today.”
He sighed. “Do you know the name of his assistant?”
You blinked. “Mob?”
“That can’t be his real name.”
“Yeah, it’s not. Why do you need to know?”
“I go to school with him, and we were partnered up for a project.”
You sighed, becoming exhausted by this. You were already closing the door. “Just ask your teacher, I’m sure they’ll—“
He pressed his hand firmly against the door, keeping it open. “Look, I’m already here, so just tell me so I can go home. I don’t have time for this.”
That gesture freaked you out. All of this rubbed you the wrong way. You were getting a really sickening feeling by just being around him. You sensed what felt like sparks coming off of him. It was a very intense aura, like what you feel when Mob is around. Is that what this intense anxiety is? You’re not usually this fight or flighty when it comes to talking to strangers. You definitely weren’t this nervous even with your highschool bully.
You got a bad, bad feeling that something would happen if you didn’t answer this. An even worse feeling washed over you when you realized he’d probably see through any lies you told.
Swallowing hard, you spoke. “S-shigeo Kageyama.”
His serious expression fell to one of slight relief. “Thanks. That’s all I needed.”
“I-it’s… no problem.”
Fifty minutes later, Reigen returned to the office, knocking a few times. The sound made you jump, and you quickly answered the door once you saw his familiar outline through the glass.
“Hey you,” Reigen smiled, and held your arm for a moment as a greeting, before entering. He was holding takeout. “I gotcha some.”
“Oh, that was nice of you.” You mutter, still shaken from what happened almost an hour ago.
“It was compensation since they took so damn long to make my food. Gave me a whole bunch.” He tapped the bags, and set them down on his desk. He took one styrofoam box out, and put it on the side where you’d be sitting. “I don’t know what exactly you like, but there’s some chicken katsu with rice in there.”
God, you needed some good food right now. You walked over and took your seat, unwrapping the plastic utensils provided.
Reigen took his own seat, cracking open a can of soda before noticing your silence. He paused, his easygoing expression shifting to mild concern as he glanced at you. “You good? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
You let out a shaky laugh, not quite meeting his gaze. “Funny you should say that, considering where we are.”
“Seriously, though,” Reigen pressed, leaning forward slightly. “You’re acting… off.”
You hesitated, unsure of how much to share. On one hand, you didn’t want to seem like you were overreacting, but on the other… that was sketchy as fuck. How were you gonna word this?
“Uh… yeah, actually,” you finally admitted, setting down your fork. “Some kid came by asking for you. He said his name was…” You trailed off, realizing too late that you hadn’t even gotten his name. “Okay, I don’t know his name, but he was looking for Mob.”
He set his food down and tilted his head at you. “A kid asking for Mob? Sounds like one of his school friends.”
You frowned, your appetite fading. “One of his friends wouldn’t be asking for Mob’s real name, though. They all probably know it.”
“Hey, kids have a lot to memorize nowadays.” He sipped on his drink, almost annoyingly so. “I’d forget shit like that too.”
“Yeah but—“
“C’mon, you’ve got anxiety, remember?” Reigen said lightly, brushing off your concern. “You know how that makes things seem bigger than they are. A kid showing up here isn’t that weird, especially one of his friends.”
Really? Here?
“But how would they even know to come here?” you countered, leaning forward in your chair. “This office isn’t exactly on every kid’s radar. If it’s one of his school friends, why wouldn’t they just… I don’t know, ask him directly at school?”
Reigen let out a small sigh, as if you were missing something obvious. “Rumors, word of mouth—those things travel fast. Especially with someone like me.”
“Like you?” you echoed, crossing your arms. “You’re not exactly a celebrity, Reigen.”
He grinned, unbothered. “Infamous, then. You’d be surprised how much my name gets around. Someone probably mentioned to this kid, ‘Hey, I dunno his name, but Mob works at that sketchy exorcist guy’s office,’ and they decided to check it out themselves.”
“But why ask you for his real name? Their teachers are right there. That’s—”
“Paranoid,” Reigen interrupted gently, holding up a hand. “Look, I get it. You’re on edge, and this whole esper thing still makes you nervous, right? You’ve had a lot of intense experiences lately. But not everything has to be a mystery. Sometimes, the surface is all there is, and a kid’s just a kid.”
You stared at him, frustrated by how easily he was brushing it off. “I don’t think I’m overthinking this, though. He wasn’t acting like some random kid. I felt… I don’t know, wrong. Like there was this pressure around him.”
Sending energy from other espers wasn’t even a thing you knew you could do. All it was right now was a feeling. An intense one at that. Like all your nerves were lit on fire.
Reigen gave you a sympathetic look, but his tone remained calm. “You’ve got a lot of feelings tied up in this esper stuff. Sometimes, your powers are gonna mess with your head and make you feel things that aren’t there. That’s why I keep telling you to focus on control first, right?”
You opened your mouth to argue, but his steady gaze and infuriatingly logical tone made you hesitate. Maybe you were overreacting, letting your nerves get the better of you.
After all, Reigen knew what he was talking about.
He was an esper himself, right?
There was no reason for you not to take his advice.
You’d be stupid not to.
Reigen smiled, clearly sensing your reluctant agreement. “Good. Now, eat up before it gets cold. I didn’t lug this back here just to let it sit.”
You sighed, picking up your fork again. “Fine, but if that kid does something shitty, it’s on you.”
He sat with that for a moment, and shrugged, before continuing to eat. The hell is a kid gonna do? Egg his non-existent car? Egg his building? Egg Mob’s house?
Mm, eggs. He was starting to wish he got ramen instead.
“Anyways,” Reigen spoke, mouth and thoughts full of food. “I’ve thought about it.”
Your eyes lit up. Everything about the past hour faded away and was replaced with excitement.
“And I still think it’s a bad idea,” he says bluntly.
You deflate, slumping into the chair across from him. “Reigen…”
“Look, I get it,” he says, his tone softer now. “I do. But I’m not the right guy for this. Your friends clearly don’t like me, and me showing up is just going to make things worse. You’re better off handling this on your own.”
“I can’t,” you admit, your voice barely above a whisper.
Reigen leans forward, resting his elbows on his desk. “Yes, you can. You’re stronger than you think, (Y/N).”
“You just got done telling me how messed up I am right now because of my powers,” you challenged him. “What if something happens?”
He didn’t have a response for that.
“Look, (Y/N), I’d love to help, but sometimes helping means not stepping in,” he says firmly. “This is something you need to face on your own.”
You open your mouth to argue, but hesitate. Deep down, you know he’s right. But that doesn’t make it any easier to hear. Silence fills the room, and you shift in your seat. This sucks. You took a bite of your chicken, defeated.
Finally, Reigen sighs, running a hand through his hair. “Look, if things go south, you can always call me. I’ll be there in a heartbeat. But you’ve got to at least try to handle this on your own first. This is serious.”
“I know it’s serious, Reigen. That’s why I need you there.”
He started to shake his head, but you pressed on.
“I’m not asking because I want to show you off or anything. I’m asking because… because I’m scared, okay?” You admitted.
That got his attention. “Scared? Of what?”
You took a deep breath, your hands curling into fists in your lap. “Of how they’ll treat me. Of saying the wrong thing. Of them turning this into some big confrontation, and I won’t know how to handle it. They’re my friends, yeah, but they’ve always been… intense. And lately, it feels like Noch’s just looking for reasons to tear me down.”
Reigen frowned, leaning forward slightly. “That’s… not fair to you.”
“It’s not,” you agreed, your voice barely above a whisper. “But it’s how they are. And I can’t handle that alone right now. I need someone in my corner. Someone I trust.”
For a moment, the room was quiet except for the air conditioner. Reigen’s gaze softened, his fingers drumming against the desk as he processed what you’d said. He wants to be in your corner. But this was a lot to ask.
“You don’t have to deal with people like that, you know,” he said finally. “If they’re really your friends, they’ll support you, not tear you down.”
“I know that,” you said quickly. “But cutting people off isn’t as easy as everyone makes it sound. I’m trying to work through it, but until then… I just need a buffer. Someone to keep things from getting out of hand while I strengthen those friendships.
Reigen sighed, leaning back in his chair. “And you really think I’m the right guy for that?”
He’s the right guy in general.
“I do,” you said firmly. “You’re good at reading people. You know how to talk your way out of sticky situations. And—” You hesitated, then added softly, “You make me feel safe.”
You could see Reigen swallow hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing. He looked like he wanted to say something equally as impactful, but instead, he rubbed the back of his neck and avoided your gaze, a faint blush dusting his cheeks.
“You’re really not going to let this go, are you?” he muttered.
“Nope,” you said, your tone lighter now, but still determined. “And for the record, I think it’ll still be fun. Even if you’re older than all of us.”
He shot you a look. Finally, he exhaled heavily, throwing his hands up in defeat. “Fine. I’ll go. But only this once.”
“A-are you sure?! You really don’t have to if—“
“I said yes, don’t make me second guess myself.” He took a fat bite out of a chunk of teriyaki chicken, before speaking with his mouth full again. “If it’ll make you happy, I’ll do it.”
Your heart felt full. “Thank you!”
“Yeah, yeah,” he grumbled, swallowing, though his tone was more resigned than irritated. “Just don’t make me regret this.”