Work Text:
Shigeo wasn't idiotic.
A tad slow, maybe. Apprehensive, anxious and a little dense, yes.
But not dumb.
He was aware of the lies, he was aware of the intent to hurt, to isolate, to push away. Shigeo knew that Arataka Reigen wasn't a man to look up on in the eyes of society. Mob still trusted said man in his heart.
His brother, Ritsu, would beg to differ. He was a bad man and his older brother was plain naive. No good man would lie for the person that they were trusted with. Hanazawa words about the man were slightly softer after the previous happenings.
But Shigeo didn't really have the heart to even call it a lie. Both parties knew that the other knew.
Yes, it felt more like a play.
A play were none of them were willing to let go of the scrip they were handed, even when the curtains had long since fallen.
Shigeo didn't feel worthy. Mob wasn't worth it.
Those words repeated day after day in his head. No matter the reassurance of the people, the friends, around him, his emotions still warmed and bubbled and boiled until it reached a point of no return.
He was scared.
His master made the wrong choices. A lot of times.
Choices that Shigeo feared that would come back to hurt his master sooner or later.
Choices that had his younger brother sighing and plotting bloody murder once again, choices that had Teruki stepping in more than once or twice, choices that even Dimple couldn't believe sometimes. Choices that shook Mob to his core.
Shigeo sometimes cried. Mob couldn't.
Still, he was aware of one thing for certain.
Despite what whoever may say, his master was a good man.
He tried. He pushed himself further, he made mistakes, but he worked over it again. Arataka tried to be better. Even if for the only ray of light that had shone on his life for the last 28 years of his existence.
Even if only to share the burden of the array of colours and emotions that Mob carried inside of himself.
Maybe Shigeo was a tad idiotic, because he knew, if under the right circumstances, he too would trust his whole life to Arataka Reigen.
An he believed him to take good care of it. No matter how much time may come to pass.
And Mob trusted that the man too would care for it as if his whole existence was meant solely for this.