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Reigen stared down at the pair of scissors in his hands, an unusually determined look on his face and a slight gleam in his eye.
So maybe he had been telling a slight lie when he mentioned his degree in hairdressing- no big deal, he figured; how hard could it be? Sure, it wasn’t like he’d actually used those things for more than cutting out the meal deals on the inside of magazines before, but there was a first for everything. Mob’s parents had trusted him with their son and he was going to deliver.
Probably.
The blonde looked down for a second, the makeshift station he had set up beckoning him forward. In the mirror, the esper was beaming, eyes alight with a new sparkle and cheeks reddened with excitement.
He might never have done anything like this before, but was he about to let down this kid? Absolutely not.
Mob’s hair hung down his back in all it’s glory, free of the bucket hat in which it was usually stuffed under. Reigen wasn’t exactly sure of the circumstances, but assumed enough begging and the sight of their son’s lumpy looking, bucket hat clad head had probably convinced his parents into letting him cut it.
And about time too, the taller man thought with a slight glare at no one in particular. The little boy had recognised himself as such for years before, so it bothered him that only now he was being paid attention to.
Despite it, Reigen couldn’t help but feel his heart swell with pride. It didn’t feel like so long ago that he was in that position- not as himself, but as a girl who lied to herself for years longer than she should have. While it was bittersweet, Mob deserved better than what he had had.
Almost perfectly on time, the dull ache of his binder around his ribs. He’d sort it out one day, once he’d paid off the mortgage for the office, and sorted out new furniture- it had been a little funny when his chair had collapsed the other day, but the aftermath of having to sit on an increasingly squished pile of boxes less so.
For now, all he could do was support his assistant as best he could without having him worry. He could take it off when Mob went home; it wasn’t like he hadn’t put up with the pain for years already. He was just glad the dark haired boy was in for something better.
“Right!” He announced, rolling up his jacket sleeves to reveal slightly muscled forearms, “Let’s get this show on the road.” Perched on the seat in front of him, Mob plastered his hands over his eyes.
“Tell me when you’re done, okay, shishou? I want it to be a surprise.” The little boys voice echoed from behind himself, legs swinging in anticipation and hair standing up ever so slightly. The room was electric with the esper’s psychic energy, bubbling through the walls and floor in a way that Reigen would never be able to describe properly. He sighed quietly; now he had to do a good job, or risk disappointing Mob- if there was one thing he wanted to avoid, it was letting down the kid who meant the world to him. While maybe not the best at parenting, the blonde had always tried his hardest for his apprentice... despite his original reason for hiring him. Reigen had messed up a lot in the past, that being one of those many times, but he tried everyday to make it better, to be the person he aimed to be one day. His own father had always told him “put the energy into the world you wish to receive” and as bad he felt to admit it, he only really listened a few years ago. Hiring Mob for his powers when all the child really wanted was someone to talk to had been the turning point. He didn’t want to be seen as a bad person to anyone, and, even though his job was a little shady, he worked on improving himself everyday. And the job didn’t technically count... he had helped all those people with their issues, of course, just maybe not ones of a spiritual nature.
Reigen pulled away from his thoughts with a jolt, trying to keep up with his air of confidence. The conman wasted no time, taking a breath and gathering Mob’s dark hair in his hands. His dominant hand shaking just slightly, the taller man sliced through the section with a flourish of Reigen cockiness and a deep sigh as he let out the air he’d be unconsciously holding in. The makeshift ponytail clung to his fingers for just a second before sliding to the floor, the fine strands floating through the air like thunderclouds. Probably should’ve thought that through a little better, he realised, watching exasperatedly as the open window blew hair across his office. At least he had a real motivation to clean now.
“How does it look, Master?” A tiny voice piped up. It was a good question, Reigen thought as he looked down for the first- ohh, that was definitely not a straight line.
Eyes wide and mouth pulled down in a guilty frown, the conman petted his apprentices head reassuringly. “Mm, looks great so far. No looking though, that is not a cue to look! It’s not quite- finished yet!” Mob nodded enthusiastically, his hair bouncing around his shoulders in a very wonky bob cut.
Oh dear.
Well, it wasn’t what he was going for originally but there was plenty opportunity to improve. Bracing himself and picking up the trusty scissors again, Reigen attempted another cut, and then another, and then... was it getting better, or worse? Surely he himself shouldn’t be leaning towards worse. That hairdressing degree he definitely had would be proving itself useful right about now.
“One second, kiddo, I’ve got to... check something.” Before Mob could even reply, the blonde had practically ran out of the room, only popping his head round the door for a quick “NO PEEKING!” Before leaving again.
So this could’ve gone better, Reigen thought to himself. Somehow, he seemed to have turned the little boy into some anime character; there were chunks standing on end that almost surely shouldn’t be standing on end, bits that were longer than others... it looked like someone had come at him with a pair of fun shaped kids crafting scissors. Not exactly the most stylish in the world.
Pacing the office like a movie character, the blonde wracked his thoughts to try and come up with a good fixing solution. Shave it all off? He didn’t own an electric razor, and it was probably for the best. Reigen wasn’t convinced bald was a good look on anybody.
Opening his phone with a tired dad-like sigh, he opened MobTube and wasted no time at all searching “how to improve a home done haircut.” Part of him thought “improve” as if it was actually good in the first place was a little bit of an insult to Mob, but his pride refused to let him type out anything along the lines of “how to fix a terrible haircut.”
Suddenly, an idea hit him.
Running into the kitchen with a new found speed, he grabbed Mob’s designated bowl (clean, of course, he wasn’t an animal) and made his way back to his apprentice, smiling triumphantly like he had just won a gamble.
“Here we go, kiddo! My tool for the uh... final touches.” The boy looked up at him comically, still hiding behind his hands, almost buzzing with excitement. Trying to hold in an unfair bout of laughter at the esper’s dedication to his words of not looking, the taller man plonked the bowl over his jagged head with a grim smile.
Mob was still swinging his feet, eyes squeezed tight shut but hands still over his face- he couldn’t risk accidentally looking when Master Reigen had said he couldn’t. It was taking all his energy not to start shaking his head like a wet dog- the lack of weight from his shoulders enough to cause absolute joy; for the first proper time, the dark haired boy knew he looked just like that. A boy.
Had he been more emotional, he would’ve been struggling not to cry.... instead, to Reigen, the way he was clenching his jaw looked downright menacing.
A few minutes later, a few tidy ups and the moment had finally arrived fifteen minutes later. The bowl laid abandoned in the table, hair fluttering down and around it like a scene from a horror movie.
Reigen stepped back for a second, admiring his shoddy handiwork but proud nonetheless. It WASNT like the best, but it was enough.
“Mob! You can look now.” The blonde put a hand on his shoulder, fully prepared for upset. From in the mirror in front of him, Reigen watched as Mob studied himself in the mirror, eyes and mouth growing wider and wider.
In the end, he had settled for a bowl cut- simple, affective and easy to maintain, yet still short enough to give his apprentice the biggest rush of euphoria he expected he’d ever felt before.
“Shishou! It’s- I look like-“
completely unexpectedly, the little boy felt his eyes flood with tears and he stood up, burying his face in Reigen’s shirt and jacket and wrapping his arms around him like he’d have to be torn away. Smiling in return, the taller man petted his freshly cut hair, a silent sigh of relief escaping his lungs. Thank you MobTube for the reminder of the easiest haircut on the planet.
“Yeah, yeah, kid. Let it out. I’m... proud of you, you know that?” He did his best at encouraging the little boy, reminded so much in that moment of his younger self.
When Mob finally let go, face red and sticky with tears yet still smiling, he looked shyly at the ground. “Thank you, master. I feel... like me.” It was all the conman needed to envelope the smaller boy in his arms again, this time kneeling to his level to rub his back. They were both practically glowing, the positive energy bouncing around the room like a excitable child. His arms didn’t once leave Mob’s back, rubbing up and down it like he thought a real father would.
Neither of them spoke for a little while, until a line barely more than a whisper escaped the dark haired boy’s mouth. “Thank you... dad.”
Reigen paused for a moment, letting the words sink in. Dad. Dad? Mob really called him dad... for the second time that day, the conman felt his heart was about to burst.
“Don’t thank me, it’s the least I could do. Suits you, y’know.” He paused, a small grin working it’s way onto his face. “You think that Teru kid will be impressed?”
Mob could barely stammer a response, face now resembling Dimple’s cheeks.
It felt good to be a kind-of dad, Reigen thought to himself. He could get used to it.