Chapter Text
Sweat had been pouring down Mob’s forehead all day. He could just not stop. His uniform clung to his body and he itched. He was hot, he was sticky and everyone was staring. Mob just knew that he smelled. Things were happening, he had gone through the Talk like every other kid in school but still, was everything supposed to be this awful?
There were so many rumors about this kind of thing that no amount of mandated Sex Ed was going to clear it up. He needed to talk to an adult. But he really didn’t want to discuss the humiliating changes his body was going through with his parents. So that meant going to the only other adult he truly trusted.
“Hey Mob,” Reigen greeted the boy as he walked through the front door of Spirits and Such. “We weren’t expecting you—oh my god did something just die?” Reigen wrinkled his nose and waved his hand in front of his face.
Mob knew it was bad, but not that bad. Serizawa had been making tea but now his entire body was stiff. He was eyeing Mob with suspicion. Serizawa had never acted that way before.
Meanwhile, Reigen reached for one of his “physical exorcism” towels and covered his nose. “Congratulations Mob, you’ve presented.” Reigen opened his desk drawer and rummaged through it. He pulled out a bar of soap charmingly called “Pheromone De-Stink.” He thrust it at Mob. “Now go wash up in the bathroom.”
The boy took the soap bar with a small pout. “But Shishou, why do you even have this?”
“I work with teenagers, you didn’t think I’d be prepared for this?” Reigen’s voice was muffled behind the towel. His eyes were watering. “Didn’t think it’d be this bad.”
“Um,” Mob did not want to be banished to the bathroom just yet. He shifted in his seat. “I have some questions.”
“The first couple days are always the worst,” Reigen said, in serious teacher mode despite the towel. “All your hormones are mixed up and pumping out pheromones like crazy. It’ll even out but right now you reek.”
The boy was still not satisfied. He looked up and Serizawa was doing this strange posturing behind Reigen. His aura was just all over the place. That was weird. Mob decided to ignore it. “Some of the boys at school said some things about being an Alpha—"
Reigen started rattling off advice, counting it on his fingers. “Look, just because you’ve presented as an Alpha doesn’t mean you will end up with an Omega.”
“But you and Serizawa—”
“None of your business,” Reigen interrupted. Did Serizawa just growl? “Biological sex does not predetermine attraction. Alphas end up with other Alphas and Omegas date other Omegas all the time. Hell, sometimes love and sexual attraction just don’t line up at all.”
While all that was useful, it wasn’t what Mob needed. “That’s not quite—”
“You could still end up with that Hanazawa kid,” Reigen reassured him.
Wow, Reigen-Shishou really was wise. It wasn’t what concerned Mob at that moment but that was going to come up down the line. Especially since Teru-kun had already presented as an Alpha. “Oh, that’s good.”
“Now go to the bathroom,” Reigen ordered. “I am literally choking right now.” He finally noticed Mob looking past him. “Is something happening behind me?” Reigen turned his head to see Serizawa’s odd dance, complete with aura light show. The older man was presenting like a mandrill.
Reigen uncovered his face. “What the hell are you doing?”
Serizawa stopped and had the grace to look embarrassed. “I, uh—”
“Are you threatened right now?” Reigen asked, referring to Serizawa’s bizarre Alpha swaggering. “By MOB of all people?” He said this as if the very idea was the most ludicrous thing he had ever heard.
“I’m sorry,” Serizawa tried to explain, “it’s the smell and psychic powers make it worse.”
Reigen just shook his head. “Alphas, I swear,” he muttered, rubbing his face. He looked up at his student. “I don’t want you two destroying my office; go wash up.”
While what Reigen said had been interesting, Mob was curious as to what another Alpha could tell him. “Doesn’t Serizawa have any advice?”
The older ESPer’s aura flared. It seemed that Serizawa resisted answering for a moment before blurting out: “Don’t knot someone without their permission.”
Reigen’s eyes nearly bugged out of his head. He spun around in his chair to confront his partner. “He’s way too young for that!”
“Well, yes but—” Serizawa was bright red.
But not as red as Reigen was getting. He rose to his feet, hands flailing in agitation. “Why would you even bring that up?”
Mob had no idea what was happening but Serizawa looked very upset. “Because I don’t want him making the same mistake I made,” Serizawa said, advancing on the shorter man.
Reigen hissed in embarrassment. “It happened once!”
The two men were now only a hair’s breathe apart, Serizawa shaking with some emotion Mob couldn’t identify. “And you couldn’t walk for an entire day.”
Reigen leered at Serizawa, hand gripping the older man’s tie. “Yeah and your little Alpha hindbrain loved it, didn’t you?” The two of them were about two seconds from making out until Reigen remembered that Mob was still sitting right there. Reigen looked back over his shoulder in horror, terrified that he had just scarred his student for life. “Uh—"
The chair squeaked as Mob pushed it back. “I’m going to go wash up now,” the boy muttered.
Reigen stepped back from Serizawa as if the other man were on fire. He smoothed down the front of his suit while poor Serizawa just wandered over to the other side of the office. “Yeah, you go do that.”
As the door to the bathroom closed, Mob could hear Reigen say: “You are so sleeping on the couch tonight.”