Chapter Text
It was Serizawa’s first ever time going to the ramen place that Shigeo and his master frequented, he realised, as they eventually came to stop outside a small building nestled in the back corner of an alleyway.
It was gently illuminated by softly coloured string lights and LED signs which definitely required battery replacements welcoming them in - while slightly cramped, and relatively empty of customers besides themselves, it possessed quite the cosy atmosphere, dimly lit by low lying ceiling lamps and furnished with dark oak tables, a row of stools lined up behind them, the cushioning of the seats very evidently worn. The tiles adorning the wall behind the counter were clearly polished yet inevitably yellowing with age, wearing a menu sign that had begun curling in on itself from the corners. He could hear a muffled radio playing somewhere in the back of the kitchen to accompany the chefs as they worked, the notes of the idle melody hanging in the air, swirling around with the aroma of freshly chopped vegetables and succulent meat that carried itself over to the front of the shop.
Serizawa could see why they liked this place - it felt somewhat familiar, despite never having been here in the first place - not an uncanny kind of familiarity, but more akin to a warm déjà vu feeling that put him at rest.
He could easily imagine this as the kind of place to sit down at, accompanied by card games and a group of friends after a long day, who would be chatting and laughing the summer evening away, whilst witnessing the sun gradually set through the opened window beside them. Not giving too much thought to tomorrow, or how much work they had to do, simply allowing those trivial day to day concerns to melt away before slipping their minds entirely.
And that is exactly what the three ended up doing.
These restaurant trip conversations used to mainly consist of Reigen passing down words of wisdom to his mentee, who sat nodding and listening earnestly, ever curious and eager to learn- however, since the two had encountered Dimple, him and Reigen had constantly been at each others’ throats, dissing one another to no end, each insult ridiculously more fruitful than the last. They also had days when they tolerated each other, though, of course. Days like today, now with Serizawa joining in where stories were told in between mouthfuls of steaming, flavourful noodles, lighthearted complaints about whatever was topical thrown around, jokes that had been rinsed a hundred times over yet still managed to humour them.
Reigen just had something about him, Serizawa noticed, that managed to bring out a talkative side in others.
Another thing that Serizawa noticed was Reigen's complexion - flushed from the sheer heat of his food, and how his cheeks had only grown redder as tiny beads of sweat had begun appearing on his forehead. He looked different with his messy, gingery blonde bangs pushed out of his face for a change, jacket shedded and hung around the back of his chair, and with the sleeves of his usual white button-up shirt now being rolled up to his elbows, revealing stretches of skin he hadn’t yet beared witness to before, little hairs lying flat all the way up his forearm. How his collar was now loosened, tie now laying freely around his neck and thrown out of the way over his shoulder. He definitely looked different like this, Serizawa concluded - more relaxed, more casual.
Reigen was just the kind of guy who was satisfying to look at, he supposed.
Perhaps it was his aura, perhaps it was just his nature, but either way it was a useful quality to have as someone whose job consisted mainly of consoling people troubled with evil spirits.
About a minute must’ve gone by before Serizawa realised what he was doing, immediately ripping his gaze away in an ashamed flash - controlling where his eyes settled was one thing he had always struggled with. It was also something that needed working on, he admitted to himself whilst quickly wiping away a small string of drool that, for the sake of Serizawa’s peace of mind, had absolutely emerged due to the mouthwatering ramen and nothing else.
Shigeo typically didn’t have much to say by the time it was this late, chiming in every so often after some thoughtful munching. It was noticeable by now that his exhaustion was slowly creeping back up on him, with his eyes drifting closed more frequently and head sinking lower and lower with every passing moment before Reigen eventually suggested he head home, especially considering it was a school night.
Around half past eight in the evening had arrived by the time the four had parted ways, Shigeo giving a final wave goodbye before slipping through the door to his house, with Dimple following, floating just behind him, which, of course, left just Reigen and Serizawa, lingering in the middle of the street for a short, quiet moment.
That was, until Reigen, lightly glazed in the orangey glow of the street lamps spilling overhead and painting him golden, cleared his throat and took an indicative glimpse at his watch.
“We should probably start heading back as well,” he declared.
Serizawa nodded, and the two of them walked on, side by side in silence, the buzzing atmosphere from earlier still echoing in their ears.
Was it awkward? Maybe a little, Serizawa thought. Yet, for some strange reason that he couldn’t quite place, it felt comfortable.
It was an uncommon occurrence that Reigen didn’t have anything to say - his mouth was almost always running, words flowing like water down a stream, as though he was in a constant state of rushing to say more.
So now, while the man was striding beside Serizawa, chin raised, eyes squinting intently on the street ahead of him, there was something eerily captivating about him.
This, Serizawa realized, was probably the way the rest of the world must see Reigen - mysteriously strong-headed, smart-looking, and irrevocably confident.
He looked like one of those important businesspeople that you would typically see marching across a train station in one single flash, briefcase in one hand, talking into a cell phone in the other, probably on an important work call to an important company. He did seem the type, if not blessed with a little eccentricity, noticeable only if you picked him apart by his permanently tousled hair and questionable tie colour of choice.
Other than that, he simply seemed… ordinary. He seemed normal enough.
And in that moment, Serizawa found himself washed over with an immense wave of gratitude - gratitude that he was lucky enough to have known Reigen in the way that he did, and not simply as a mere passer-by in Seasoning City’s train station. He even found himself feeling actual sorrow for those who didn’t get to know him in all his genuinity - those who hadn’t even had a clue what they were missing out on - glad that they were walking together right next to one another, and not just crossing paths temporarily.
Yet again, he couldn’t quite decipher exactly what it was, but there was just something about Reigen, Serizawa thought, something so undeniably… captivating?
No. No, that word felt wrong.
Something else, then.
Intriguing? Perhaps.
Yet, not quite.
Alluring, maybe… Nope. Nope. Not that. No.
Not a good word to describe your boss, Serizawa thought, as he cringed internally at the absurdity of his own subconscious.
No, Reigen was just something else.
He’d think of the word eventually.
Eventually.
“Sooo-oo,”
Reigen’s voice rolled out low and smooth, causing Serizawa’s shoulders to jump slightly at the sudden break in silence, slicing through his mental monologue.
“I’ve been meaning to ask, but a client earlier today called with a job a couple hours out of town,”
Serizawa could already see where this was going.
“And, I was wondering if you would be willing to come along - seeing as the hospital it’s at is pretty far away, I thought it’d be best to leave Mob out of it. Y’know. Wouldn’t wanna tire the kid out the weekend before a school day - I mean - it felt ridiculous to even suggest! Especially…”
Scratching the back of his neck, Reigen paused mid-sentence, his eyes narrowing and drifting off to the side in momentary guilt before shooting back to focus on his colleague, admitting the rest with a clenched jaw.
“...Since that brother of his has practically already chewed my ear off with complaints about inconvenient hours - Aaanyway! There’ll be a bonus in it for ya - that is, if you’re willing…”
But at first, Serizawa’s mind was made up before the man could even finish his sentence; a bonus pay was probably exactly what he had needed right then. And besides, he had never minded giving up his weekends in order to help out the spiritually troubled.
However…
If there was one thing he was slightly unsure about, it was an overnight job.
It was one thing already to spend a whole day in an unfamiliar environment among spirits about as unpredictable as they get.
But to spend the night somewhere among the alleged boogeymen, was a slightly different story.
The gut feeling deep in Serizawa’s throat told him that it would probably be for the best to just stay behind and let someone else handle it. After all, it wasn’t like there weren’t other psychics, possibly even more well-equipped ones, who could’ve dealt with the request.
Nevertheless, the people-pleaser (or rather, the Reigen-pleaser) in Serizawa told him, urged him, in fact, not to let his boss down, especially not after he’d just benefitted from a favour from him.
Naturally, of course, it was only the moral thing to do.
“Oh - Of course,” Serizawa muttered in response, before swallowing and adding on a little more clearly, “I’d be happy to help.”
“Well, then! It’s decided,” Reigen half-exclaimed, followed up by a sigh of both exasperation and relief. It was almost as though he had been holding his breath in anticipation, “I apologise for the short notice, but I’ll see you at the office at 6:00am tomorrow morning?”
The other man tried his hardest not to look surprised. That was short notice - when Reigen mentioned it, he’d been expecting the trip to be taking place at least the next week over.
But having already agreed to the job, and having had no prior arrangements to miss (not that he usually tended to, not non-work related ones anyway), Serizawa nodded in confirmation, a small part of him cursing himself for never having the mental preparation for anything.
“Perfect!” Reigen clapped his hands together in a show of enthusiasm, quickly overwritten by a huge yawn that left him blinking back a stray tear. Today seemed to be proving that even the greatest psychics aren’t past the inability of hiding their fatigue.
Before they knew it, they had reached the end of the road which they would typically part ways at, with Reigen heading straight on, Serizawa usually stopping behind and lurking a little, peering ahead until, assured his coworker was out of sight, he’d eventually turn the corner onto the right, and make his own reluctant way home.
Today, Serizawa hovered a little longer.
By now, the sun had completely set, and Reigen’s shadow, highlighted by the series of lamps lining the street, was long gone.
The only thing left to accompany Serizawa was the scent that always lingered.