Chapter 3: Hunting Season(ing) Part Two

[mp_npc]

God, was there some planet in retrograde right now? Everything was so…gray. Tome usually would have been able to cite a specific planet but she had been too oddly deflated all day to speculate.

At least she wasn’t the worst one off. No, not by far. That honor went to the pompadour’d thug who did nothing but sulk in the corner of their shared club space now. Her own club mates who were always too scared of him to even approach even tried to offer him one of their honey chip bags out of sheer pity. Tome, usually quite stingy with the resources (especially now they didn’t actually have funding anymore) didn’t even object. ‘How the mighty fall.’

Goda had spent some time trying to cheer Onigawara up. That boy was too nice for his own good. Him AND Kageyama. Tome didn’t know what Goda had been trying, exactly, since she was too engrossed in (or rather numbed by) her video game to listen but she could guess. The Body Improvement Club had one solution for every possible human ailment. It was exactly why she didn’t risk complaining today.

Tome glanced at the clock—it was getting to be that time, wasn’t it? The time where everyone finished their club activities up. Ah. Orwell was calling her name once again.

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[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"That makes us friends, then." Mob put his free hand over Teru's.

[mp_simplyacommoner]

Sniffing again, Teru had to smirk a little. Kageyama had already gotten pretty confident with his hand-holding technique. Teru really was a miracle worker, wasn’t he? He hadn’t completely failed at everything he set out to do. But even if he had…Kageyama made the failures feel like successes.

“Kageyama-kun…um…it’s not about any of this but…you called me by my name earlier.” His nickname. No honorifics.

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"Yeah." Mob couldn't help but feel embarrassed about it. Maybe he did offend Teru? That could be the only reason why he remembered it in the midst of that big fight. "I'm sorry about that. It just slipped out."

[mp_simplyacommoner]

“No, not at all!” Teru finally flopped back into his seat at Mob’s side. “It made me happy.”

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"So... you want me to call you Teru?"

[mp_simplyacommoner]

“Most people do.” Though usually they attached the appropriately reverent honorific to it if they knew what was good for them. “Ah, but you can call me whatever you like. I was just happy that you were worried about me.”

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"That spirit was pretty powerful," Mob said, as if it were natural to be worried about someone fighting a strong spirit. "I don't mean that I didn't think you could handle it. I was more worried you'd get badly hurt."

[mp_simplyacommoner]

“I know. I’m not special. You’d worry about anyone.” That was who Mob was. “I don’t think I can cut back on violence completely anytime soon, but I’ll do my best not to worry you.”

…Hm. Maybe that wasn’t the best way to open up that sentiment.

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

Mob decided he was not going to be unsettled by that. He couldn't expect everyone to subscribe to the same ideals that he did. Everybody, like Master Reigen told him, was different. All he could do was try and respect those differences.

"Oh," Mob said instead. "It's okay if you want to call me Shige too. Though it's really only my family who call me by my first name." Or his shortened first name.

[mp_simplyacommoner]

“Shige, huh?” Teru said it a few times. Shige. Shi-ge. His tongue only had to curl and release for two syllables instead of five. A hush and a click. “That’s cute.”

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

Mob was happy to hear that, but the emotion failed to register on his face.

"Though... both Master Reigen and Tsubomi call me Mob. It's from the characters in my first name."

[mp_simplyacommoner]

“Shige is cuter.” Mob…kind of had a dour connotation didn’t it? “Wait…do you really want me calling you that in public?”

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"Well, if you want to. You can call me Shigeo if you think it's weird. Or Kageyama, since that's what everyone else calls me." That'd draw the least amount of attention in public.

[mp_simplyacommoner]

“I mean…your parents and all…”

Teru had no fear of anyone’s opinions anymore—except, perhaps, he had to admit, the boy next to him. And Mob could only be deeply affected by his beloved parent’s opinions. If his parents kept getting the wrong idea, Mob would put distance between them.

The thought was terrifying. He wanted Mob to trust him and be as comfortable around him as he felt around Mob.

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

Mob could see that Teru was bothered by it. "What do you want to do, Teru?"

[mp_simplyacommoner]

“I don’t want to trouble you.”

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"It's not going to trouble me."

[mp_simplyacommoner]

“If you’re sure then I’ll take you at your word.”

Deciding Mob had the right idea, Teru pulled up another blanket around his shoulders and yawned.

“I might be gone in the morning before you, so don’t be surprised. I told Matsuda to drive you home so take your time getting ready.”

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"Why are you leaving early?"

[mp_simplyacommoner]

"I joined a pilates class at my gym. I usually stretch on my own in the morning, but...it's gotten kinda boring when it's just me." Teru yawned again and sighed. He felt like a fogie for already being this tired during his first sleep-over, but the evil spirit had taken it out of him. "I'm sure you understand, Kage--mm, Shige."

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

Mob had no idea what pilates were. They weren't something that he learned to do at the Body Improvement Club.

Oh.

"If you wanted to, you could work out with us at the Body Improvement Club."

[mp_simplyacommoner]

Smiling, Teru gazed at Mob through half-lidded eyes. There was something very soothing about the boy's deadpan.

"They seem like a lively bunch, don't they? And dependable. ...Thanks. That might be fun." Teru was learning not to ask if it was alright. He saw them welcome him inside with no hesitation. "If you ever wanted to visit my gym, I can bring in plus one's for no extra charge."

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"Sure," Mob said. He might have hesitated before, but now he wanted to try new things. And he wanted to get better at them. Even if he didn't know what they were, like pilates.

[mp_simplyacommoner]

Teru suddenly flopped sideways, wrapped up tight in his blanket.

‘That'll be really fun.’

“Sorry if I pass out…you can finish the movie. I find it relaxing.”

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"Yeah, I'll go to your room before it's done."

That's what Mob meant to do, but before long, he drifted off to sleep on the couch, next to his new friend.