Pass The Salt

Mob Psycho 100
Summary: Reigen is invited to the Kageyama household for a holiday meal. Ritsu is understandably annoyed, however, when he's left alone with him to chat.
Genre: General, Humor
Rating: K+
Characters: Ritsu, Reigen
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The holidays were a time for bringing family, friends, and loved ones close together. A time that usually meant happiness was to be spread, and laughter was to be had.

In the Kageyama household, however, this didn’t seem to hold entirely true.

Or rather, the youngest chose not to partake in such festivities when it involved a certain conman. Masquerading as a psychic - no, The 21st Century’s Greatest Psychic - he irritated Ritsu to no end. And the man had the gall to fool his older, kind and gentle brother (as well as many other people) into believing him.

And now his family had invited him over for a holiday dinner. Ritsu thought he was going to have an aneurysm from the stress. Worse yet, Shigeo and their dad had greeted said conman on their way out to pick up some extra food and supplies they’d neglected to buy the day before.

Their mother was busy with the cooking, so naturally, that meant he was left to entertain. Joy.

“Ah, Kageyama-san! Let me help you out!”

“Reigen-san, you’re too kind! But please, have a seat. I couldn’t ask guests to work, you know,” Ritsu’s mother replied kindly. Ritsu rolled his eyes when Reigen tried to insist - after all, that’s what a gentleman does. He relented in the end, and took a seat across from Ritsu, who was busy boring holes through Reigen’s skull with a sharp glare.

“Mob’s Little Brother, you’re looking cheerful today!”

“Ritsu,” he corrected through gritted teeth. Not today. He was NOT in the mood for this today. Reigen only smirked, irritating Ritsu even more.

“So, doing well in school? Mob tells me you aced another test the other day. Now what was it again?” He placed a hand to his chin in mock-contemplation. “Was it a spelling test? Math?”

“It was a geography test. I don’t see why that matters. Why do you care?” He rested his head against his fist on the table. Reigen’s smirk softened a little.

“Why wouldn’t I care? It’s impressive for a kid your age, you know? And if Mob cares, then doesn't that mean it should matter?”

“Sure. Whatever.”

Ritsu had temporarily forgotten just how good at small talk and conversing this guy was. Maybe he’d leave him alone if he tried ignoring him. He turned his head away from Reigen, choosing instead to stare at a wall. Somehow, it was a lot more welcoming than the man sitting across from him. Reigen watched him for a moment before turning to face the kitchen.

“Kageyama-san, you’ve got some impressive boys! Talented, the two of them.”

Oh no, Ritsu thought, no no no! Mom, don’t buy into this!

“Well, thank you! Ritsu could run circles around those honor students at his school! And Shigeo has always struggled with his studies, but I know he tries very hard,” his mother responded with a proud smile. Of course she’d take the bait. If Ritsu wouldn’t chat with him, then Reigen would find a way to converse with him indirectly. Typical conman.

    “Speaking of which, how IS Shigeo doing? With your office, I mean,” she asked after a moment’s pause. Still keeping his gaze firmly averted, Ritsu scowled slightly. Oh, here we go…. Reigen closed his eyes in thought, taking a minute before answering her.

    “You're correct when you say he's a hard worker. He gives 110% in everything he does,” he crossed his arms and nodded. “He's a fantastic addition to the office, and business has boomed since his arrival. On top of that, he goes so far as to invite his friends and brother over when we need an extra hand. His workmanship goes above and beyond in comparison to past coworkers of mine.”

By this point, Ritsu’s full attention was on Reigen, mouth slightly agape. The compliments for his brother were not what he'd been expecting from the older man at all.

    “And his younger brother is no exception. He has his reservations and makes his feelings known loud and clear, but he works hard when he's called in for assistance. More often than not, his honesty is appreciated, even if he himself doesn't think so.” He smiled - genuinely - and looked to Ritsu before continuing.

    “Shigeo-kun and Ritsu-kun are both wonderful, and they're welcome to my office anytime they please. On or off the clock.”

It would be an understatement to say that Ritsu was stunned silent. His jaw could've unhinged from his skull if it fell open any further. Reigen's smile melted into something a little more mischievous, knowing he'd effectively broken this boy's expectations, and quite possibly his mind. Ritsu's mother simply thanked him again - pride evident in her voice - and continued cooking on her merry way, as though the world hadn't completely stopped to take in the words tumbling from the man's mouth. Ritsu worked his mouth up and down as he tried to find something, anything to say in response to all of this. He paused and took a breath, recollecting what little composure he had left, and finally spoke.

    “...What?”

The amount of emotion and force within that single uttered word was enough to break Reigen’s poker face, and he guffawed.

    “What's wrong, Mob’s Little Brother? Cat got your tongue?”

And just like that, the tense, almost whimsical and dreamlike atmosphere the conman had so easily woven was shattered. Ritsu's face morphed back into his usual frown, resorting back to glaring at the wall beside his chair.

Damn him!! he couldn't help but think. He supposed this was another way Reigen drew in his clients, with sugary words and reassurances. He chided himself for falling for it, and letting himself get drawn in, almost believing him for a second there.

Unbeknownst to him, Reigen was still carefully watching his face, reading each emotion that flitted across it as easily as though he were reading the daily tabloid. To Ritsu’s chagrin, he had a terrible poker face, and practically wore his expressions on his sleeve. Try as he may to hide it at school or home, if one paid enough attention, they might as well be telepathic and read his mind.

    “...You know, I wasn't lying,” Reigen finally said. Ritsu snapped to attention, having not been expecting the man to say anything else. Reigen leaned back in his seat and put on a casual grin. “I mean it. You and Mob are two pretty special people. And there are tons of people who can back up that statement.” Ritsu went from confused to wary, and Reigen almost laughed at how quickly the kid could switch gears.

    “You say that- you say ALL of that, but you only think that way because of our powers, don't you? Who'd care about some dumb teenagers if we didn't have powers, right?” For a split second, Ritsu almost regretted what he'd said. But as was stated before, Reigen appreciated his honesty, and was willing to prove as much, it seemed.

    “Well, you're not wrong... I mean about if you guys were dumb teenagers without powers!” he added on quickly when Ritsu’s scowl went from ‘apprehensive’ to ‘threatening’. “You're right: who WOULD care? Mob’s powers are the whole reason we met, right?” He laced his fingers together and placed them on the table, leaning forward slightly as he did. “But not once in that previous conversation just now did I mention psychic abilities, did I? No, I simply complimented yours and your brother’s work ethic.

    “There is something to be said about kids your age who actually put in the effort and try. The number of times I've seen indifferent teens in the workplace is alarming, let me tell you.” His words trailed off with a small huff of laughter, but Ritsu, once more, was unable to find the right words to say. He stared down at the table, almost ashamed that he'd spoken so thoughtlessly yet again. He startled slightly when he felt Reigen’s hand clasp him on the shoulder.

    “Don't think about it so hard. I couldn't have put more honesty into what I said, and you two should really give yourselves some more credit.” Ritsu, though briefly stunned by this, immediately batted his hand off.

    “That's a load of bullhockey, coming from someone like you! And don't think your honeyed words will win me over that easily!” he exclaimed defensively. Reigen laughed at the outburst.

    “Darn! And I was getting so close to melting that icy heart of yours, too!”

    “...Why you no-good, rotten, son of a-”

    “We’re back!” Ritsu heard his dad call out from the entryway. After a minute or so, Shigeo entered the room, approaching Ritsu and Reigen and taking a seat at the table. He took a moment to look over each of them before speaking.

    “It's good to see you two getting along,” he commented plainly.

    “See, now that's hard to read! I can't tell if you're being serious or sarcastic…” Reigen shook his head, to Shigeo’s confusion.

    “Nevermind that, Nii-san. I think dinner will be ready soon,” Ritsu smiled.

---

    “I think I'll take you up on that offer, though.”

    “What offer?”

    “About going to your office anytime we want. I'm sure Shou wouldn't mind the invitation being extended to him, too. And there's a few things about the office setup that you should really change-”

    “Ah, enough, enough! Just… pass the salt, would ya?”

    “...So you don't carry a bag of salt around with you at all times, then?”

    “NO!”