Chapter Text
Reigen had always, always been one to roll with the punches, both literally and figuratively. He’d always prided himself on being able to take a hit and stay standing. From starting his own business, to faking psychic powers, to infiltrating Claw, to taking on a man who wanted to rule the world, to getting brainwashed into religion, to stopping Mob from destroying the town… At this point, he didn’t think anything could really surprise him.
However, waking up to find that he couldn’t see colors was quite a heavy blow.
He groaned, shut his eyes, and reopened them again, but nothing had changed. It didn’t help that the area around him was unfamiliar; he was on a couch in a living room. The decor was minimalist. There was nothing on the walls, save for a framed photo that looked sort of like a stock image. He could tell the couch was darker than his own, but the color wasn’t something he could parse. He heard cars and people outside, and water dripping occasionally from the tap in the small kitchen which he could see from where he was laying. He looked at his hand, which was just a shade of gray, trying to remember where he was.
Work. Work had been slow, and so he and Serizawa closed early, and went and got dinner. They had started to become close friends, and Reigen found the other man to be reliable and surprisingly charismatic. Especially when drinking. He remembered both of them ordering drinks, and laughing, and then suddenly they had to leave.
He remembered seeing in color then, so why was he colorblind now?
Reigen deduced he must be at Serizawa’s apartment, because… where else would he be? His head faintly hurt, but he could tell it was morning. He got off of the couch and dared a glance out a nearby window, and found himself dumbstruck.
Outside looked perfectly normal. The sky was the orange-y blue of sunrise, cars were passing by, people were walking- so what the fuck was up with in here?
He heard a thump from nearby and jumped, whipping around. Serizawa? Could Serizawa be behind this? Reigen knew that espers could have specialized powers, though he hadn’t known they could sap colors from around them like this. Nevertheless, he crept forward, towards where he assumed Serizawa’s room was. The door creaked open, and he peeked inside.
The room was in a state of disarray; Clothes and other things were floating through the air, and Reigen sucked in a breath to see Serizawa tangled in his bedsheets, floating alongside his pillows and a stuffed animal or two. If Serizawa didn’t look so distraught - and frankly, possessed - Reigen might have found the fact that he had stuffed animals cute.
But Serizawa was definitely in trouble. He must be having a bad dream. Reigen slowly walked towards the sleeping man, looking up at him as he drifted through the air.
“Serizawa? Katsuya, are you alright?” Reigen asked quietly. No reply. He heard Serizawa mumble, legs twitching. Reigen dared to reach his arm up, pulling Serizawa down like a balloon. He could see Serizawa’s aura, bright purple compared to the rest of the black-and-white room. “Serizawa, wake up. You’re having a bad dream.”
At this point, Reigen was nearly holding this grown man in his arms, looking down at his face. He was quite handsome, but his normally flat expression was twisted into something more nerve-wracking. Reigen patted him on the cheek, receiving a grumble in response, before Serizawa’s eyes snapped open.
At that point, everything floating around them drifted to the floor, including Serizawa, who became too heavy for Reigen to carry and sent them both to the ground, Serizawa still sort of in Reigen’s lap.
“Reigen? W-where are we?” Serizawa groaned, covering his eyes with his forearm. “Everything hurts.”
“Like you have room to talk, you big lug,” Reigen wheezed, struggling to get out beneath the larger man. Serizawa noticed and immediately rolled over and off of Reigen, who patted his chest and breathed heavily. Serizawa may be awake now, but everything was still monochrome. “Can you see anything... weird?”
“W-weird?” Serizawa asked, looking around, holding his head. “Oh… Huh. Why isn’t anything… Is this a nightmare?”
“I don’t think so, because I’m awake too,” Reigen replied. “D’you think it’s something with your powers?”
“I… Oh. Yeah. It’s me.” Suddenly, color was restored, and everything turned very bright and vibrant. Reigen would have been relieved if he wasn’t so hungover. The two of them groaned and covered their eyes.
“Turn them off, turn them off!” Reigen gasped and soon the world was back in monochrome. The duo sighed, looking at each other.
“This is new,” Serizawa remarked after a moment of silence.
“Yeah, this is…”
“I didn’t mean to wake you, Reigen-san.”
“You didn’t, don’t worry. It was just… strange to wake up colorblind.” They leaned up against Serizawa’s bed frame, shoulders brushing.
“Do you want to talk about your nightmare?”
“Not… particularly.”
“That’s alright, no worries.”
They were quiet for a few moments.
“Actually,” Serizawa mumbled, rubbing his face. “Maybe. But not right now. It’s too early. I feel like shit.”
“Your first hangover, huh?” At Reigen’s question, Serizawa just nodded.
“I think I’d like to go back to bed.” Reigen nodded and stood up, getting ready to go back to the living room. Serizawa looked at him confusedly. “Wait… Can you…” He hesitated, avoiding Reigen’s gaze. “Can you stay in here? Just… In case I have another nightmare.”
Reigen looked at disheveled Serizawa, bags under his eyes, then to the mess the room had become. “Yeah,” He finally said, moving to sit down again, “Of course.”