Chapter Text
Reigen woke to an empty bed. It wasn’t the most unusual thing in the world since Katsuya was a naturally early riser, but it did mean he was cold when he threw the covers off with a whine. He didn’t remember putting himself there, was certain he’d fallen asleep doing paperwork at the dinner table, but figured Katsuya or Dimple had saved him the cricked neck.
The night had been kind enough to not bring a slew of unpleasant images like he'd expected, which meant he actually felt rested for the first time all week. It was nice, and he wanted to ride that pleasant feeling into Katsuya’s arms which was why he forewent brushing his teeth after peeing and veered toward the living room where he caught the sound of hushed voices. So Dimple had stuck around. The thought had him smiling when he came upon Katsuya lounging on the couch with the spirit laying on his chest.
Despite the comfortable position, the two seemed to be in the middle of an intense conversation.
“Morning.” His greeting startled them but he made no attempt to apologize because it was funny, the way their eyes widened and they froze mid-sentence.
That they were so focused on whatever discussion being had did catch his interest, and he lifted Katsuya’s legs up to settle beneath him. “What’s up?”
They shared a weighted look that definitely didn’t make his curiosity wane, and Dimple said, “Nothing much,” at the same time Katsuya asked: “Do you think it’s possible to be in love with more than one person?”
Reigen wasn’t sure that was how he wanted to start his day, but there was no escaping now because he’d effectively pinned himself to the couch. His desire to know what they were talking about split off into fear that he was being interrogated. He hadn't talked with either of them, even hinted at how he'd been feeling since the move, but the seriousness on the pairs’ faces suddenly held a new meaning. Reigen forced himself to breathe slowly so he didn’t immediately seem panicked, even though sweat was already gathering at his temples.
He couldn’t lie. Not about something so serious, but he also had been expecting to have more time to sort through his feelings before ever bringing them up. He hadn’t meant for his care for Dimple to turn into what it had, but just like with Katsuya, he’d been careless and let it fester until it was impossible to not let the affection slip out. And they’d noticed. There was nothing else Katsuya could be referencing with his question. The man was insanely perceptive when he put his mind to it, as Reigen was understanding the longer they remained together. And now Dimple was going to be uncomfortable around him and Katsuya would feel betrayed and he would ruin the best relationships in his life in one fell swoop.
Because you can’t just be happy with what you already ha--
He squashed the voice down and realized then that, given the concerned pinch of Katsuya’s eyebrows, he wasn’t doing a great job at hiding his panic.
He couldn’t lie, but maybe he could skirt around the issue.
“W-Well I don’t really know, but I suppose it’s possible - and if it was, would that be such a big deal? I mean lots of people love different people in different ways. You can love lots of friends, so like, maybe it stands to reason that you can also love-love more than one person, right?”
His cadence was all over the place, because it was far too early to try mounting a defense, but his brain was still rushing to do so. His shirt clung to his wet back while Katsuya hummed and shared another secret look with Dimple that Reigen was quickly deciding he didn’t care for at all.
“Well, I guess that answers that.”
“Yup.”
Reigen braced himself for the anger, the hurt, and the accusations of selfishness that were well deserved. It left him breathless in the worst way, then, when Katsuya’s face split into a grin.
“What?” He squeaked.
“Well, Dimple and I were talking and I think he has something to tell you.”
“Ah-ah-ah, no thanks, I’ve done more than enough talking for two lifetimes.”
Reigen gulped when the spirit was suddenly in his face with his own warbling expression. It left him beyond concerned, especially when he slipped into the co-pilot seat.
Katsuya tacked on a quick, “And I’m all for it, by the way," that didn't help with anything.
“Okay, listen, I’m not sure how else to do this, or how it's really gonna work so… I’m just gonna apologize in advance.”
Dimple’s presence wrapped around him before he could process what either of them could possibly mean, and once it did, Reigen choked on the everything he felt.
When they had laid the ground rules for possession etiquette, keeping everything but surface thoughts and feelings to themselves had been important, so even when they’d been perfectly connected, there had always been a layer of privacy between them. Now, however, Dimple had that wall completely removed on his end and a strained gasp exploded from his mouth without warning while tears completely obscured his vision.
He didn’t know if it was himself or Dimple, or both of them. What he did know was an overwhelming feeling of fondness and joy directed him way; of concern for his wellbeing, fear when he hurt himself and anger when he refused to share his struggles, when he was a stubborn asshole; of jealousy from when he’d told him about that New Years night, and then from when he Katsuya had officially started dating, how it mixed with happiness for them but also a crushing sadness Reigen hadn’t known Dimple was capable of feeling. How that feeling morphed into adoration and care - love - for both himself and Katsuya, the joy of being around them and especially when he was in Reigen’s body and in his head because he was the only asshole who could make Dimple genuinely laugh and it was way too much too fast and it was killing him in the best way possible and his sobbing was twisting into a hysterical laughter, and then all those feelings were fading alongside Dimple's presence. But the knowledge of their existence remained.
Reigen felt Katsuya rubbing soothing circles in his back as his shoulder shook and his chest heaved. He kept laughing as he wiped his eyes clear to stare at Dimple, and everyone was quiet, letting him calm down with the patience of saints.
He wanted to say something, to ask Dimple when and how and why, even though he had those answers already. Instead he just kept staring at him, at the nervous expression he wore that made Reigen marvel over all the times he'd seen it before and never read it correctly. It was insane, and impossible and nothing short of hilarious when he actually stopped to think about it.
As soon as he’d relegated himself to hiccups and jilted giggles, Katsuya pulled back and joined Dimple in his staring contest.
“So…” he started, “What do you think?”
“What do I think?” Reigen barked another laugh. “I think I need to know why the people I love never just tell me they love me back?!”
“Hey, to be fair you never gave me any indication that you--”
“Well…” Katsuya cut Dimple off with a sheepish look that had the spirit making an indigent noise.
“So you seriously knew before either of us did?”
“I had my suspicions.”
Reigen barely heard anything they said after that because he was trying to get a hold of himself, of the dozen thoughts whirling around his skull. Because that was so much to take in the span of a few minutes, and the anxieties previously clawing at him were being forced back into their ‘for therapy’ box.
Dimple didn’t hate him and Katsuya wasn’t angry, and those were the only important facts at the moment. Well, right behind the fact that Dimple apparently fucking loved him too, or something. Which...
Reigen laughed again, because the idea that he could have both the people he wanted without drama or a fight was nothing he could’ve dreamed up in his best case scenarios. His best bet had always been a weirded out Dimple who eventually came back around to being his friend and an upset Katsuya who worked through things with him until Reigen got over his feelings.
“Okay, you gotta stop doing that because it’s starting to make me worry for your sanity.”
Dimple’s words only made him laugh harder, until he was clutching his stomach and shaking his head to rid himself of the remaining tears.
“‘Taka, you’re okay, right?”
Katsuya’s hand returned to his back and Reigen nodded.
“Yeah,” he sniffled, “I just. It’s a lot. Sorry.”
“That’s okay. We can work with that, right Dimple?”
“For sure. 'Okay' is better than the alternative.”
Reigen was glad it was the weekend and that he and Katsuya had already planned to take the day off for a beach trip, something to distract from any stress as October 2nd crawled closer. They forewent the trip, which he was fine with, because he doubted he could’ve made it through the day without falling into another fit of laughter. He’d been doing on and off all day. Dimple and Katsuya had started just pretending it was normal, which he appreciated.
The release of emotion felt similar to the first couple of months Amane had worked the Mogami story out of him and he’d been unable to stop crying for hours or days after each session. Only this time it didn’t feel like his insides were being scooped out with his need to vomit. No, he was just happy. Confused as all hell as to how he’d managed to land Katsuya and Dimple, waiting for the rug to be pulled out from under him at any second, but happy nonetheless.
At some point the two had disappeared to grab takeout for lunch, nobody quite ready to brave a group cooking experiment, and Reigen took the time to shower and change into a clean pair of sweats and a t-shirt that wasn’t so loose. He tried not to think too much about the morning because he didn’t want to accidentally drive himself into a frenzy of worry that he’d dreamed the whole thing up. Having Katsuya and Dimple around to ground him had certainly helped with parsing through reality versus flashbacks, but sometimes it was still hard to pull himself out of remembering. Now, he spent more time winning arguments against Mogami or thinking up scenarios in which he beat the spirit at his own game, but that was just another method of coping. But at least he wasn't devolving into fits of paranoia or hyperventilating. Even if the dissociation got weird sometimes.
But that wasn't the case this time. The conversation had been real.
What he did take a minute to think about that, he realized just how goddamn weird he was. Normal people settled for partners with steady jobs, stable mental states, and a pulse. Maybe he was the true overachiever of his family if he’d roped an esper and a fucking ghost.
A snicker escaped him while he brushed his teeth.
He had an esper boyfriend and a ghost… whatever Dimple decided he wanted to be. To make it easy on himself, Reigen decided boyfriends was the word he was using.
He'd never seen himself as someone who could hold down a single relationship, much less two.
Take that, Chinami, he thought with a weak smirk, bubbles sticking to the corners of his mouth.
He’d managed to go from having zero people in his life outside of Mob who gave a damn about him, to having two people who liked him enough to actively choose his company over others. It was a staggering concept. One that left him speechless throughout lunch and while Dimple and Katsuya argued over which movie they were watching to bring the afternoon to an early close. They ended up selecting a dramedy from his personal collection of crappy films.
Halfway through the movie, Reigen noticed Katsuya and Dimple whispering before the spirit disappeared into Katsuya’s chest. The ruddy flush popped onto his face in another moment and Katsuya drew in a sharp breath. Reigen knew how strange first-time possession felt, willingly or no, and he wanted to crawl into that static space with Dimple just to experience it with them. He watched as Katsuya put a hand over his chest and took a deep breath, no doubt settling into the feeling of a secondary consciousness.
“Whoa. That’s… something.”
“I’ll say,” Dimple marveled, hands exploring Katsuya’s arms. Reigen followed the movements, the way his biceps swelled with each flexion. Given how physically weak he was by comparison, he knew Dimple had to be enjoying the new strength. No to mention how the psychic power must have felt.
And like they still had a mental link, Dimple's words echoed that sentiment.
“I didn’t realize you had this much power. And you work for this guy?”
“Hey, he happens to love 'this guy' very much,” Reigen piped up, movie forgotten in favor of watching Dimple settle further, getting comfortable in a new body. Just like everyone he possessed, Katsuya held a new spring in his movements.
Then his face scrunched and he stuck his tongue out in disgust. “I’m not saying that, you cheesy motherfucker.”
“What?” Reigen leaned into their space, knee pressing into their thigh.
Dimple narrowed his eyes at him and looked like he was having an internal battle with Katsuya. Reigen waited for Katsuya to win, like he usually did, and within another minute Dimple groaned and said: “Fine, alright? Fine, jesus!”
Reigen's giggle died in his suddenly dry throat when Katsuya’s eyes pinned him down, the sudden intensity there 100% Dimple.
“He’s not the only guy who loves you a whole lot.”
Reigen bit his cheek, not wanting to laugh at Dimple. Knowing Katsuya had harassed the spirit into saying that only made it all the funnier.
“See? I told you he’s a cheesy fucker.”
“He has his charms.” Reigen countered.
He figured Dimple would argue, lull them into their typical round of bantering. Instead, he surprised by strong hands grabbing his waist and pulling him into Katsuya's lap, that magnetic stare back with a newfound determination.
“He’s not the only one,” Dimple said, eyes flashing.
He couldn’t argue that.
Reigen put a hand against the man's chest and felt Katsuya’s aura wrap around him, reminding them how he was right there, encouraging them. And it was so damn strange, but it made his stomach flutter. Dimple and Katsuya, working in tandem to show affection. It was almost too much to accept. But he let himself have it. Let himself feel what Amane would encourage because it made him happy.
Under any other circumstance, with anybody else, he would've hesitated, would've eaten the words before they got out, but Dimple had already been in his head enough times to know how he worked.
“Would it be weird if I said I kinda want to kiss you?”
“It’d be weirder if you didn’t at this point.”
He snorted and conceded that, especially given their current position, his legs on either side of their hips.
As he leaned in, Reigen wondered what it was about him and couches and first kisses.
It was strange, there was no denying it. It was Katsuya’s face beneath his palms, his lips pressing against his, and yet it wasn’t. It was different. With Katsuya, their kisses started out simple always, pretty chaste to start, and sometimes it didn’t even go beyond that, but with Dimple…
With Dimple, it wasn’t soft or slow, but wasn’t desperate or pushy either. He was quick, starting with a tentative peck before deepening it in the same motion. And it was almost exactly the same as anything he and Katsuya had done before, but so unlike them that the sensation was almost tangibly new. Because it was Dimple, who in many ways wasn't as experienced as him or Katsuya. It meant their noses bumped when Reigen pulled him closer, and teeth scraped his lower lip when Dimple shifted to press closer.
It was fantastic. Especially when Dimple wound a hand up his neck to tug at his hair. It was something Katsuya never did after Reigen had offhandedly mentioned how Mogami used to rip at his scalp when he was bored or annoyed or - and we are not thinking about that!
It was nice. It was pretty fucking good, actually. Reigen gasped into Dimple and Katsuya’s mouth. Dimple chuckled and when they finally parted for air, he nipped at him on purpose, which dragged a needy sound from Reigen that he hadn’t expected.
“Whoa.”
At least he wasn’t the only one breathless.
“Yeah. It's been... I kind of... I’ve always wondered how that would feel."
"You mean, kissing in general, or…?" Reigen's pause was terrible, embarrassed. "...kissing me?"
Dimple shrugged, playing it casual, but then he was leaning forward again. Reigen realized with delay that it was Katsuya taking over when the kiss was softer, measured and familiar, Dimple seemingly happy to take the back seat. Reigen hummed against his lips and moved his hands from his jaw to wrap arms fully around his neck. Katsuya was halfway with his tongue in his mouth when he pulled away with a sharp huff.
“I think I know how to kiss my own boyfriend, but thank you, Dimple.”
“What’s he saying?”
“I’m saying,” Dimple’s voice popped out. “That he needs to be more aggressive. I saw that look, you liked it.”
“I liked it from you,” Reigen corrected, pulling Katsuya's face back to his, peppering little kisses between each word. “But I’m perfectly. Happy. With how. 'Suya- hmm, does it.”
“Then gimme another go -- wait your turn.”
Reigen wondered if that was how insane he looked when he and Dimple talked with his body. If it was, he could see why Katsuya was always trying to film them.
They stayed at it for a long while, past the movie’s credits, Katsuya and Dimple taking turns to lavish him with affection. Dimple didn't do much talking, but Reigen didn't mind, happy to just share in the understanding that they were happy with the turn of events. Katsuya whispered soft praises and encouragements to both of them, their plates and cups floating about as his emotions swelled. Reigen's chest tightened without a shred of anxiety behind it, for once the overwhelming feeling a good one.
Eventually, after who-knew how long, Reigen had his head in Katsuya’s lap while Dimple played with his hair. Reigen would have to ask what it was about his hair that the spirit liked so much at some point, but for the time being, he was content to lay there. It was nice.
Then Katsuya was asking if this meant they were all dating now and Dimple’s eye roll was audible.
“Sure, whatever, who cares, I’m a ghost.”
And it wasn’t even that funny, but it echoed Reigen’s earlier shower thoughts and he burst out laughing, the ugly loud one he reserved for moments when nobody was around. Dimple joined him while Katsuya only shook his head and leaned down to kiss his forehead.
"I love you."
"Gross." - "I love you, too."