[Hybrid, Reigen has a fluffy tail and Tiny Mob likes it]
Reigen + Mob | Mob Psycho 100
Hybrid AU
18-06-2023
[#mp100 Reigen & Mob. 1125, hybrids fox and panther]
Reigen had noticed rather quickly Mob's strange habit of grabbing and hugging onto his tail pretty early on. The first time he had been rather shocked at the suddenty of the action, not used to anyone touching it, aside from the accidental brushing too closely behind someone, but that was just normal and expected in crowded spaces.
The poor little black panther had looked worried he had done something bad, finger twitching around the orange tail as if unsure if he should let go or not.
Reigen was quick to reassure him that evening, gently petting his hair while explaining that it's not very polite to suddenly grab onto people's tails like this, and that he should ask first if he really needs to.
"Can I touch Shisho's tail?" the boy had shyly asked.
Reigen of course agreed. He truly didn't mind it and could see how pleased Mob was at brushing his fingers through the fluffy fur and hugging it.
After that it just became something Reigen was accustomed to, not even reacting when Mob would hold onto it.
Reigen noticed that Mob would usually only start holding onto it and pet it when he started feeling anxious. As if Reigen's tail was a good and reassuring stress reliever. Mob would hug it at times when he felt more anxious than others.
"Can I take it home?" Mob ask after one particularly bad day. The kid as been looking rather down and anxious all day and Reigen hadn't been quite able to ask him what was wrong, seeing how busy they had been all day.
When he asks Mob what's wrong the little panther finally says that Ritsu was really sick the day before and his parents had taken him to see the doctor that morning. He was scared to something was wrong with his brother.
Reigen cannot really resist the way his heart squeezes at his teary eyes.
He walks the kid back home, letting Mob gently hold onto the dark end of his tail instead of his hand. He tries to ignore the way finger brush through the fur as they walk.
The fox has never met either Kageyama's parents and he's not quite sure how to present himself in this situation. Surely Mob has mentioned him before, right?
They find Mob's mother standing on the porch, looking at her phone with uncertainty. Her eyes immediately snap up when she hears her little boy calling out to her.
Reigen doesn't miss the careful look thrown his way, although she nearly immediately put her attention back on Mob.
They talk for a little while, Mob still holding onto him. He heard that Ritsu's doing better now and that she had been on her way to go pick him and his dad.
"I can stay home" Mob assures her after everything, not wanting to be in the way of bringing Ritsu back home.
She looks unsure about leaving her son home alone, which the child seems to pick up on. "Shisho can look after me!".
Reigen immediately turns back to his little disciple, only to look back up at the mother.
"I already look after him at the office, a couple more hours won't be a problem" he assures her. Despite how tired he is after a busy day he can't think of leaving Mob alone and worried by himself. Plus, the little panther also looks tired from the day and the trip to and back from the hospital may be a bit much.
There's more back and forth before, explaining what is where in the house in case he needs anything for Mob.
"Thank you for looking after him" she thanks before being on her way.
And with that Reigen finds himself sitting in the living room with a tired-looking pup that still somehow has the energy to talk with him and watch tv.
Mob hugs onto his fluff tail through it all, and it takes a while of Reigen simply watching the kid show that Mob had put on for them for him to realise that Mob fell asleep.
He chuckles quietly as he brushes his fingers through Mob hair, watching him sleep peacefully.
He does try to gently move Mob's arms away from his tail, only to hiss a little when he only hugged even more tightly onto it, pulling at it by accident.
No taking Mob back up to his room then.
The remote is too far away for him to reach by pulling onto his tail, so Reigen just watches the different kid shows. It is a bit boring, but it's still better than nothing.
He perks up when 2h later he hears the sound of a car pulling into the driveway. Then the sound of people talking nearing the door.
Reigen then gently tries to shake Mob away, smiling when he sees him slowly blink awake, looking unsure of where he is, nuzzling closer into the soft fur.
"Mob wake up" Reigen gently calls, "Your parents are back with your brother".
This seems to catch the boy attention more, slowly sitting as he rubs the sleep away from his eyes.
The little panther perks up when the door opens, looking over the back of the couch to see his parents entering the house, his dad holding a sleeping Ritsu in his arms.
Reigen stands up and stretches a little as Mob goes and joins them, asking questions about ritsu. He's then gently nudged towards the stairs so he can prepare for bed, only doing so after he greets goodbye to his shisho, which Reigen greets him a good night.
"Thank you for looking after him" he hears as he puts his shows back on, offering a smile to the mother of the house.
"No problem, Mob is such a good kid, it's easy to look after him," he says.
He exchanges a couple more polite words with her, as she tries to ask about how his teaching is going with Mob. Reigen manages to lie his way out of it, politely greeting her goodbye once again.
When Reigen starts making his way home, he cannot help brushing a hand through his tail, bothered by how cold it suddenly feels now.
"To me, you are still nothing more than a little boy who is just like a hundred thousand other little boys. And I have no need of you. And you, on your part, have no need of me. To you, I am nothing more than a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes. But if you tame me, then we shall need each other. To me, you will be unique in all the world. To you, I shall be unique in all the world . . ."
- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Le Petit Prince (1943)
