When Mob came to work that afternoon, Reigen immediately noticed something wasn't right.

Telltale signs of exhaustion were evident on Mob's face, and he looked slightly paler than usual. Even his movements, though they were never quick to begin with, were sluggish, and he appeared to be having some trouble concentrating.

"Master, is something wrong?" Mob asked quietly. Crap, he'd been caught staring. He had met his gaze a couple times earlier, but Reigen would hastily look away or pretend he was staring at something on the wall behind him. This time, though, he had actually called him out on it. No sense in covering it up now, he supposed.

"You're looking a little pale there. Are you sick?" Reigen mentally winced at the bluntness of the question, and yet it was all he could think to say at this moment. Mob seemed to hesitate before answering. Clearly, there were some nerves at play here, he noted.

"I-I'm not sick…"

At the very least, he wasn't lying, but he definitely didn't seem to be telling the whole truth, either. Mob quickly turned back to his schoolwork, and Reigen watched him carefully. Now, it appeared as though he were trying to somehow hide himself. What could have set him so on-edge?

"...Is there something you're not telling me?" he tried, attempting to coax an answer out of the boy.

"Huh? Ah, no… everything is fine."

Bizarre behavior, indeed. He was definitely hiding something, but what? Why on earth would Mob feel the need to keep a secret from him? He decided pushing for a little more information couldn't hurt.

"Mob, you do know I'm your master. That means you should definitely tell me if something isn't right." Reigen didn't feel great about pulling this card against him, but if he wanted info, then this was the way to do it. Mob's face, ever so slightly, changed into something of sadness, maybe even a touch of guilt.

"I understand, Master. Everything is fine." He held his attention on his schoolwork, still attempting to avoid his gaze. Reigen might as well have been trying to squeeze info from the wall next to him, but determinedly, he decided that he wouldn't be defeated this way.

It was at this point he decided to pay closer attention to his student's strange, lethargic appearance. Mob's hands were trembling subtly, and he was breathing heavier than normal. Not only that, but his overall appearance was just… tired. Despite wearing his usual default expression (or non-expression, if he was being honest), it was obvious he wasn't doing too well right now, and probably hadn't been for the past few days.

He thought back to the last work day he had seen Mob - maybe 2 days ago - and remembered that yes, he had noticed something vaguely unusual about his student that day, but disregarded it as nothing. Looking at him now, he regretting not saying anything sooner. But he would get to the bottom of this, no doubt, and he brainstormed a little more. If what Mob was saying was true, that he wasn't sick, then that could only mean…

"Have you been taking proper care of yourself, Mob?" Mob didn't answer, so Reigen tried pushing a bit more. "You know, like eating enough meals, or getting enough sleep. Are you doing that?" All was still before Mob finally responded, so quietly he nearly had to strain to hear him.

"...No."

It definitely wasn't the answer he'd been hoping to hear, but he was surprised by how easy it was to get him to say it. Mob was never good at lying, thankfully, and he probably knew he wouldn't be able to lie to his master, even if he tried. Though Reigen felt some weird, protective nature start to take over, he forced himself to remain composed (and found it oddly tough to do so). Even from across the room, he could feel his disciple's stress, and decided that adding onto it by freaking out was a bad idea.

"Well, now I'm curious. Why not?"

Mob kept his gaze trained on his schoolwork, likely pondering how to properly respond. Reigen could practically see the gears turning in his head.

"I've been… busy," he replied softly. Now that he mentioned it, Mob had been studying unusually hard the last time he was in the office, too. In that moment, the pieces finally came together, and everything clicked. Reigen sighed; he knew exactly what was going on.

Overwork. It was all too common and tragic in the present-day workplace, with businessmen and students alike. Barely taking the time to eat, sleep, or properly care for themselves in general, and all for what? Just so they could get more work done, or study for tests that would never matter again for the rest of their lives?

Reigen found such an endeavor to be incredibly stupid and self-destructive, and unfortunately, he had seen at least one or two colleagues fall into this god-awful habit in his previous workplace. And while that in itself was bad, it was ten - no, a hundred times worse seeing Mob, of all people, being dragged under this terrible spell.

Again, that strange, protective nature reared its head full-force, and he found himself struggling more and more to keep it subdued. What was wrong with himself today?

"How long has it been since you've eaten?" Reigen asked slowly, the question somehow harder to ask than the previous questions before it.

"I ate a little before coming here," Mob answered earnestly.

"No no, I'm talking about an actual meal, Mob, not a small snack. When was the last time you had something filling?"

"... ...It's been a few days." It took a little longer for him to answer this time, and if Reigen thought keeping it together was difficult before, it was almost impossible now.

He could've damn-near exploded right there and then - not at Mob, of course, but just in general. How had his parents not noticed? How did Ritsu not notice? It became increasingly obvious that Mob may have been hiding or making excuses to everyone regarding his condition. He didn't know how often he interacted with his parents (though Reigen had stressed to him in the past that spending time with family was incredibly important), but Ritsu, surely, would've at least felt something wrong (if that was how reading auras worked, anyways). Maybe he had lied to him, too. And maybe Ritsu saw through the deceit and, though worried, took his word for it, since Mob's his older brother, and should know what he's doing.

"The finals are coming up, and my math grades aren't so good…" he heard Mob speak again, more so to himself than to Reigen. So that really was the reason, then. Studying so hard, to the point of almost collapsing, because he feared certain failure. A valid fear, but still, he had to wonder….

"Why didn't you tell me about this?" Reigen heard himself say, voice surprisingly steady despite the absolute chaos he felt swirling about as he tried to wrap his mind around all of this.

"I didn't…" Mob started, but paused, seeming reluctant to say more.

"...Didn't what?" Reigen prompted. Didn't want to fail? Didn't want anyone to find out?

"...I didn't want you to be disappointed in me."

...Oh.

Now that hurt. For once, he found himself at a total loss for words. The metaphorical train of thought had smashed into an impenetrable brick wall called heartbreak, and Reigen had no idea where to even begin picking up the pieces.

"I'm really sorry… I'm sorry," Mob's voice, ashamed and even softer now than before, floated through the air. No, this absolutely was not how he wanted this to go. Gods be damned, this wasn't how it should go. Reigen took a moment to pull himself together before leaving his desk to cross the room. He crouched down next to Mob, who still hadn't looked up from his lap.

"Hey, Mob."

Mob slowly turned his head to face him, his usual blank looked overshadowed by what could only be described as pure debilitation. Reigen stared for a moment, before flicking his gaze to the open book on his desk.

"This is important. But it's not something so important that you should sacrifice your well-being over it." He closed the book and pushed aside gently. He turned his attention back to Mob, who still hadn't said a word. "I don't want to tell you how to live your life, but I need you to promise me you'll at least try to eat and sleep each day. Even if it's just one meal, or only a few hours of rest, it makes a world of a difference. Not just you, but your grades will also suffer if you aren't caring for yourself first, and all of this will be for naught."

He placed a hand on his shoulder, comfortingly and not so unlike the way he had done when they first met. "I am worried about you. I am concerned about you. But I am not disappointed in you.

You could never disappoint me."

Mob's eyes widened slightly, before he let out a sigh of something akin to relief. And in that moment, he suddenly appeared far more exhausted than he did when he first walked in. Reigen squeezed his shoulder and smiled lightly.

"First thing's first, let's get you something to eat, then you can crash on the couch, okay?"

This time, Mob only acknowledged what he'd said with a nod. Reigen coaxed him to stand, then grabbed his own coat and closed up the office. They didn't have any appointments today, and he figured that, while his student rested up, he could search the internet for any news or rumors. It definitely wasn't a bad idea to take a day off.

They visited their usual ramen stop and stayed for a little over 2 hours. Reigen had finished his meal in record time, but Mob ate slowly, likely not so hungry at this time. He warned Mob that, now that he'd gotten sustenance for his system, his body would probably wake up more, and he'd be hit with a wave of starvation.

"Eat in moderation. You'll end up feeling sick if you just scarf down everything you see."

"Yes, Master."

By the end of the meal, Mob had, unsurprisingly, fallen fast asleep at the table. Reigen had expected as much, and after paying for the meal, he hoisted him up onto his back, gripping under his legs.

"...Sorry…" he heard Mob murmur quietly as he began walking back to the office. He readjusted his grip and turned his attention back to the road in front of them.

"You've got nothing to apologize for. Getting better and taking care of yourself are all I'm expecting from you."

They made it back to the office as the sun was still setting, bright orange hues still coloring the evening sky. It was usually around this time that, on a not-so-busy day, Reigen would send Mob on his way home. As he was now, exhausted and in no mood to walk anywhere at the moment, they returned to the office instead.

He laid Mob down on the couch, noting that he was just small enough to fit on it comfortably. Now that he thought about it, his student had gotten heavier, too, if his aching arms and back were any indication. It was enough to remind him that, even though he was still young, Mob was growing up quickly, and was, unfortunately, experiencing an unnecessary part of adulthood that he'd never wish upon anyone.

Ah, there was that peculiar, nameless feeling again, this time a lot quieter than it was during their previous conversation. He shrugged off his coat and laid it over Mob, then began making his way back to his desk to start researching jobs again. Before leaving however, he paused when he heard Mob whisper a soft "thank you" as he turned over to face the couch cushions. Reigen, smiling tenderly, reached out to ruffle his hair gently.

"Have a good rest, Mob. You deserve it."

This is KINDA based on a "true story", or a personal one for me. It's not good to skip meals kiddies! My friend told me that Reigen would be upset if he knew I wasn't properly taking care of myself, so that was enough to convince me that I was doing a bad. :'D If you're in the same predicament, just think of how your favorite characters would feel if they knew. It's weird, but it works!

I was in the mood for dad!Reigen, so I went and made one! How about that? :)