Chapter Text
Even as Teru awoke, his head throbbed, very real evidence of what had happened the previous night. Lying on his bed, he spread his arms wide and stared at the ceiling suspiciously. He was instantly on edge – when would the next scribbles appear? Still eyeing the blank canvas of a ceiling, he slowly got up, a mix of consternation and determination set on his face. Teru would never admit it, but it looked very close to constipation.
How in all hells am I going to find that blasted pen... While he didn't mind the idea of random messages per say, he was not going to go through life with either his grandfather, and probably ancestors as well, on his back, nor would he be able to simply give up the remaining pen. It wouldn't do to give up; Teru never gave up.
Stretching, he slowly prepared for his long and arduous quest, mind already forming and dismissing ideas. As he left his apartment and took the subway to the university campus, Teru didn't even spend a thought on the abandoned piece of paper on which he had scrawled the girls' phone numbers.
Where did I lose it again...
It was in the middle of his 'Introduction to Homicide Law' that Teru had an epiphany. “I got it!” The words jumbled out of his mouth before he could stop himself, interrupting the lecturer who had been introducing the topic of the next exam. Teru flushed, embarrassment causing him to falter. The entire class had turned at his very vocal interruption. The haggard Mogami-sensei frowned deeply and continued, “Do you have something to tell the class, Hanazawa-kun?” Teru swore he could see vague murderous intent in his lecturer's eyes and shook his head faster than he thought he could. “Uh, no, sir. I'm just not feeling very well. May I be excused?” The class tittered and Teru groaned internally. It's going to take some explaining to get people to forget that little outburst. Ears glowing bright red, he fidgeted in his seat, hesitantly faking a cough.
Mogami-sensei visibly rolled his eyes and motioned for Teru to leave. “Can't have you dieing here, so go ahead.” Teru left the classroom very quickly, squirming under the watchful lecturer's gaze. What were the rumors about him again? Every day, Teru heard a new one; Mogami-sensei was supposedly not even his real name, he was actually a drug dealer, had killed the previous law professor, killed himself to become the law professor, all that jazz. However, Teru definitely made to stay on his good side.
As he speeded through the halls, set on a specific destination, Teru remembered that he thankfully had lost the pen on campus, specifically after he had taken down all those girls' numbers. He thought longingly of the slip of paper, not even sure where it was anymore. Ah well, there's more fish in the sea. Finally coming to a halt before the Literature lecture theater, Teru actually stopped to take in whether there an ongoing class or not. He couldn't just burst in, even if it was him doing it. He wasn't cool enough to make even that not uncool. Ears pressed to the door, he couldn't hear anything but silence. He leaned further in, trying to hear even the smallest of sounds. He wasn't at the top of his game right now, ok, and very much preferred to not meet anyone while looking for a stupid pen.
Just as Teru leaned in, head sideways, the door opened and almost as if in slow motion, he continued his descent, his life flashing before his eyes.
I will never live this down.
His face met the ground at a higher speed than what he thought possible. Lying still for a moment, wishing to sink into said ground, Teru remained absolutely silent. Maybe if the person who opened the door thought he was dead, went to go call the police, Teru could take that chance to get the fuck outta here.
But no, Teru opened his eyes to the sight of a hand reaching down.
“Uhm, are you, uh, ok?”
The voice was quiet, hesitant and just a touch hoarse, as if the speaker didn't speak loudly very often. The words however were sincere and Teru sighed roughly, accepting the impending death of his reputation. What would people think of him now that he'd made such a fool of himself? “I'm great, thank you for asking” He mumbled. Teru slowly pushed himself up and ignored the hand offered, vaguely recognizing the face of the person. Straightening out, he glanced around conspicuously. Phew, there's no one else here.
“So, what will it take for you to stay quiet about this incident?”
Teru stated the question with casual arrogance, as if he hadn't just fallen through a door way. He dusted off his blazer, not even looking at the other guy/
“Money? Some girl's phone number?
He honestly just wanted to get this over with. He had shit to do, places to be, goddamn magical pens to find.
“Popularity?”
At his last question, Teru heard a soft squeak. Eyes snapping up to the source of the sound, he looked at his “savior” for the first time. A simple, yet thin guys stood before him, no emotions visible on his face except for shining black eyes, shadowed by the straight bangs. Teru almost snorted at the old school look.
“...You can make me popular?”
There it was again, that soft voice. Teru froze at the question. Had he actually said that? Taking one look at the bright eyed kid, he coughed and set an arrogant grin on his face.
“Of course, kid. Who do you think I am?”
The question was of course rhetorical, as Teru assumed everyone had heard of him before.
“Actually, I don't know.” The guy said without a hint of shame.
The statement hit Teru like a stack of bricks. “You don't know me?! I am Hanazawa Teru, most popular student of our year!”
The guy's facial expression didn't change. He started again, “So, you can help me become popular?”
Dragging his palm across his face, Teru nodded unconvincingly. If even this kind of a low level student didn't know him, what kind of reputation did he actually have? Determination, the type that had dimmed since the morning, flared to life again. He was going to make this kid a living, breathing social butterfly so help me god.
“What's your name in anyway?” Teru asked dismissively, already walking along the tables in the lecture theater and trying to spot the lost enchanted piece of stationary.
“It's Kageyama Shigeo, Hanazawa-kun.”
That rang a bell. “Ah, that kid Reigen-sensei called Mob.” Teru asked while he looked underneath the desks. A flush spread across the kid's face, embarrassment obvious. “From Literature class, right? We have a class together and you still didn't know who I was? Tch.” Teru asked, vaguely annoyed. “Anyway, Kageyama, I'll help if you do one thing for me – don't tell anyone what happened here, ok? If they ask you how you know me just say, uh, that I decided to be your friend, ok?”
Teru would do anything to forget his clumsiness.
Kageyama shrugged, obviously not seeing the harm in that. “So when is the first class, Hanazawa-kun?” Teru straightened, annoyed at not finding the pen and paused for a moment. “You know what? Let's start now.” He stated triumphantly, heading out the room. “Follow me Kageyama!”
“But- I, I still have work to do!”
“Is your work more important than your dreams, Kageyama? We also have work to do! Now come!”
Teru was already out the door, waving his hand and motioning for Kageyama to follow.
“Sorry master...” Came the soft whisper as the black haired young man followed Teru, into what would affectionately and sarcastically be known as 'the awakening'.
Reigen Arataka pranced into the lecture theater, already spouting a steady stream of words. “- can continue to publish, Mob! Isn't this a great opportunity!” He laughed heartily, not yet noticing the absence of his disciple, and sometimes friend, Kageyama Shigeo. As his outburst was met with continued silence, Reigen took in the room. The wind whistled through a small crack in the window, providing the perfect backdrop for his desolation. Whipping his phone out, small beeps were heard as the lecturer and mentor dialed the number of one 'Mob”.
Pinching his nose bridge, Reigen sighed in annoyance as the call directly went to voice mail.
“Seriously Mob? This is the time you decide to finally spend your youth on something not work related?”
Teru watched in satisfaction as the hair dresser snipped away at the kid's hair. The noticable apprehension was a welcome change to the otherwise unemotional face and Teru snickered softly. “Is this really necessary, Hanazawa-kun?” Kageyama asked, his voice calm. “Why yes, my disciple, it is.” Teru answered smugly, sharing glances with the scissor-wielding stylist. “We're of course not going to change anything drastically, just make it a little more... presentable.” The stylist continued, adding the finishing touches. She'd simply cut away excess hair to make the haircut less old fashioned and more of a statement.
“And done!”
Teru watched Kageyama smile shyly at the stylist, already thanking her. Shouldn't he look at the haircut first? He laughed quietly and waited for the kid to appreciate his magnificent guidance. “This is the first step, disciple. You have more to go before you can be as cool as me.” Teru smirked, running his hand through his own hair and letting the spikes fall naturally into place. Of course, he didn't have to put much effort into his appearance – he was after all born with superior looks and taste. Posing and awaiting some kind of thanks, Teru only heard Kageyama mumble softly. The kid was softly running his hands through his own hair with a small smile. Huh.
Annoyed at not being paid attention to, Teru huffed and crossed his arms. He glanced around the salon, thankful for the lack of any cursive writing. He did not want to be reminded of the looming problem. Shaking his head, Teru watched as Kageyama paid for his hair cut, a sunny disposition creeping into his appearance.
They continued from store to store, spending probably all of Kageyama's allowance – sure you can afford all that? - and slowly strolling towards the subway station. Teru's attention was everywhere except on the conversation his companion tried to hold, gazing after some girls who walked by. He was still thinking about going after them when a tug on his sleeve brought him back to reality.
“-helping me?”
Teru blinked, completely lost.
“Why are you helping me, Hanazawa-kun?” The question was stated in a clear, yet precise manner. The consonants were crisp and the intonation smooth. Teru vaguely wondered why Kageyama's public speaking seemed so poor. The black haired kid continued, “You could have simply forced me to stay silent, or ignored me. People wouldn't have believed my word against yours.” Teru stopped mid step. He's right. Why did I offer my expertise? Kageyama looked him straight in the eyes, no blame present; only pure curiosity and a glimmer of gratitude.
“I guess I see this as my pet project.” And a way to momentarily ignore my other problems.
“Nothing personal.”
A rueful look passed over Kageyama's face so quickly that Teru thought he must have imagined it. “However, I don't do things in half measures, Kageyama. If I decide on something, it's going to be perfect.” Teru was confident. Well, he always was, but this time he felt something more. “You're going to be one popular guy once I'm finished with you. On top of the rankings. But, after me of course.”
The statement unlocked a small laugh out of Kageyama and Teru couldn't help but smirk at the sound.
Teru pulled off his clothes, ready for a long soak in the bathtub. He was ready to just relax and forget some of his worries – I didn't actually make any progress on finding the mythical ballpoint – and think about it tomorrow.
As he slipped into the water, he sighed gratefully, already feeling the steam and heat loosen the tension in his muscles. Teru was so relaxed that he didn't even startle as words again appeared on his ceilings. He watched the sweeps and curls slowly transform into words and finally, for the first time, saw the beauty in them.
Whoever has that pen is one hell of a writer.
Teru sat there for hours, watching the unfolding story appear on every available surface. The words themselves were beautiful, drawing out visions of hearts lost and lives found, every story leaving a lingering presence behind. He could feel the kindness behind the words and wondered if that also was a part of the pen's powers. Slipping his head lower into the water, Teru continued until his mouth was covered.
Beautiful.