A/N: One regret writing this: fic title is too long.
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"Shige! Get up, you're going to be late!"
Mob sat up in his futon, blinking against the daylight. He yawned and pushed the blanket down.
"I think your mom wants to make you a big meal before school," Dimple appeared in the hallway as Mob walked towards the bathroom. "She has this whole giant thing going on in the kitchen!"
Mob nodded to show he understood. He brushed his teeth and returned to his room to retrieve his uniform from the closet. He finished dressing just as his phone rang, and he answered to find it was Reigen.
"Hey, Mob!" Reigen said cheerfully from the other end. "Mom and I wanted to wish you good luck on your first day!—well, of second year, at least."
"Thank you, Shishou," Mob replied as he heard Reigen's mother yelling 'Good luck, Mob-kun!' in the background and making kissing noises. "Is the move into your new apartment going well?"
"Yeah, the last box came in yesterday!" Reigen confirmed. "The last of the blinds and drapes—nothing important. Serizawa went over to the graveyard today to see if the new house tenants are doing okay, and to see if the shrine he pieced back together is holding up. Also, a new office space opened up, so I'm going to go check it out this afternoon. Hopefully, we can use it as the new consultation office and start working again soon."
"I'm sure you'll find something, Shishou."
"Oh—and tell Ritsu good luck on his first day of middle school!"
Mob said he would and hung up after a minute more of chatting. Dimple eyed him as he packed his bag for the day.
"I don't know why you still put up with him," Dimple sighed. "I mean, you're with your real family now! You don't need him anymore."
Mob paused. He stared at the books and folders in his bag, considering a reply.
"He raised me for most of my life," he said at last. "I don't want to cut ties with him. The least I can do is help him, and in turn help others."
Dimple sighed again and shook his head—or, rather, his whole body. Mob finished preparing his bag and went downstairs, where Ritsu just put his school bag over his chair at the table and sat down.
"Shishou wanted to wish you good luck on your first day," Mob said to him as he did the same. Ritsu tilted his head.
"Oh? That's nice of him."
Their mother came from the kitchen, a platter of rice bowls in her hands. She set them at each place at the table, and put the various condiments and sauces in the center.
"The eggs will be done in a moment." She leaned back from the table, and looked to Mob and Ritsu with determination. "You two need to eat well! You have a big day today."
Mob offered a small smile in return. His mother seemed to melt: purely by the fact that he was there and chose to smile at her. She hurried back in the kitchen to prepare the rest of the meal. Ritsu excused himself to go and collect their father, and that left Mob alone at the table, staring at his mother's back as she fried the eggs in the pan.
And it was nice.
Not that he disliked living with Reigen or that part of his life wasn't nice: this was different, but in a good way. He felt like he belonged the moment he walked through the doorway he missed the first time—felt the hope, felt what maybe Ritsu felt when he met Mob and knew in some part of himself that they were brothers. It was similar to what he felt when he walked through the graveyard gate or into the house, where Tome-san or Reigen would be waiting with open arms.
"Shige?" His mother faced away from the stove to look at him. "Are you alright? You look a little lost in thought."
Mob smiled again and nodded his head. He was where he was meant to be. He was home.
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A/N: And that's it, folks! Thank you so much for reading! I may do snippet stories for this fic in the future (how the graveyard house came to be, how Reigen and Serizawa met, etc.), so if you want to request a story, feel free to do so on my tumblr ( thejapanesemapletree)!