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Chapter Text

Shigeo’s life ended the day he put Hanazawa Teruki in the hospital. Before he had just been a stoic child with a tight grip on his emotions, but the moment he lost control Shigeo felt he no longer had a place amongst ordinary humans. He wanted to withdraw from school, from friends, from life in general but his parents wouldn’t allow it.

They pushed him through his remaining years of compulsory education and even forced him to muddle through high school but college was beyond him. Shigeo wished to retreat to the sanctuary of his room but his parents were pragmatic. There would be talk if they allowed their son to become a hikikomori under their own roof. So they did what any self-respecting Japanese parents would do: they paid for a small apartment for him and ignored the problem.

If Shigeo became a NEET then so be it. So Shigeo did. He spent years alone in his tiny apartment, with only the occasional visit from Ritsu or trips to the grocery store to break up the monotony. He made extra spending money by stuffing envelopes for charities and other mundane tasks that could be done from home. He grew pale from lack of sun, weak from lack of physical activity and lonely from lack of human contact. The days flew by, one into the other, a meaningless blur of hunger and sleep.

Real life did not start again until he met Reigen Arataka.

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At the ripe old age of eleven, Reigen Arataka was already tired of adult’s expectations. “Oh, you are so smart Arataka.” “You’ll go far, Reigen-kun.” “Someday the family business will be yours, son.”

He was just in elementary school and there was so much pressure already. Couldn’t they lay off of him? Didn’t this sort of thing start in the last year of middle school? He wanted to do something foolish, something just to piss everyone off, but he couldn’t think of what. Taking up smoking was expensive and joining a gang just seemed so cliché. There was nothing wrong with being normal but Reigen felt that the absolute worst was being boring.

“Reigen-kun,” a soft voice interrupted his thoughts. Nakamura Hanako sat in front of him in class. The teacher was out of the room at the moment so the blonde had turned in her seat to face him. Reigen was at the right age for girls to become interesting but Hanako-chan had the kind of face that inspired trips to the nearest shrine to pray for her in pity rather than poetry.

“Can I ask you something?” she asked.

Reigen hoped it wasn’t a confession. Please, don’t be a confession—

“There’s a park I used to play at with my sister,” Hanako said, horse-face downtrodden. “But lately the older kids have been saying it’s haunted and I’m scared to go.”

She sounded so miserable that Reigen’s heart melted. He tried to reassure her. “They’re probably just being jerks.”

“I know,” Hanako confessed. “But I can’t take the risk. My sister cries that I won’t take her but if there’s a ghost and she gets hurt—” she trailed off. “I don’t know what I’d do.”

He sighed, not quite knowing what to do. Before he could open his mouth Hanako blurted out, “I can give you 500 yen.”

He resented the implication he could be bought but 500 yen was 500 yen. “Okay,” Reigen agreed. “I’ll go look after school.”

Hanako looked like she was about to launch out of her seat to hug him. “Thank you so much Reigen-kun.”

He waved her off. “I’ll give you a report tomorrow.” Honestly, Reigen didn’t have anything better to do and any detour to keep him from home was welcome. The teacher came back in so Hanako’s gratitude had to be shelved for the moment.

He didn’t know anything about spirits but Reigen figured he could do a little research in the library at lunch. How hard could an exorcism be?

Chapter Text

Apparently, exorcisms were really hard. To be fair, Reigen hadn’t expected an actual ghost at the park, just some bullies with too much time on their hands. Although Reigen was small, he was scrappy and he figured a few kicks to the shins would give the park back to Hanako and other kids like her.

But the black ooze that leaked from the equipment condensing into a shapeless mass was not the work of bullies, the dark tendrils that reached for him was not the work of delinquent children and the bone-chilling voice was not the work of anything human. “Come with me child,” the voice hissed. “Come into my fold. Come be in me.”

A thin white circle of cafeteria salt was the only thing separating Reigen from the creature. He hesitated, maybe the circle would hold and give him time to think of something. He still had the exorcism book in his pack, maybe there was a spell. His hopes shattered as the white salt smudged when an oozing tendril crossed the line.

Scrappy wasn’t the only thing Reigen was, he was also fast. His legs pumped underneath him as he sprinted from the park. “Be in me! Be with me!” The scratchy bass voice followed him as the blond ran and ran. He had to get help, he had to get an adult. Maybe a policeman? It sounded dumb but he was always told to get a policeman if he was in trouble. Would a policeman even be able to fight this thing? Maybe they knew people who could, like a monster SWAT or something. Ugh, that sounded like something out of anime, Reigen had to be more serious about this.

He collided into something tall, thin and boney. Reigen’s body rattled as he staggered backwards. He looked up at the unexpected obstacle. The man easily towered over him but his figure was so slight that a stiff breeze could knock him over. His ink black hair was in an unfashionable bowl cut paired with a too pale face. A grey cardigan over a bright yellow animal charity t-shirt and charcoal sweatpants did not inspire confidence. He held two bags of groceries in his awkward hands and just looked at Reigen with a blank expression.

Definitely not the kind of adult Reigen needed. “You need to get out of here, Mister,” Reigen shouted, sounding strained to his own ears. Panic choked at his throat. “There’s a monster coming. We need to go!”

“Monster?” the man asked. His voice held no inflection, just a steady murmur. “What kind of monster?”

Reigen stared up at the stranger. “The kind that eats people, we need to go!” He shoved at the man trying to get him to move. Did he have no idea the danger they were in?!

Two sacks of groceries settled gently on the sidewalk. “That explains the aura,” the man said. He pushed past Reigen, his face slack of intention. “Please mind my eggs.”

Baffled, Reigen watched as the man took a few steps forward right toward the black mass. The creature undulated, its body growing so tall that it blocked out the sky. Reigen’s throat went dry. It was too late, they were going to die.

The man’s dark hair floated off his head, a strange aura glowing around him. The creature roared, hurtling an oozing tentacle right toward them. There was a flash of light and a noise like a firecracker popping. The creature was gone, just like that. There were no splatters of goo, no marks against the ground to ever indicate it had existed at all. The only ones who knew were Reigen and this mysterious man.

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Over the years, grocery shopping had become less of an ordeal but Shigeo still liked to keep it to two visits a month. It meant a lot of processed foods and limiting the consumption his beloved milk but it was a system that worked. Today though as he left the store he felt an evil aura. Isolated in his apartment, Shigeo didn’t have the same contact with spirits he had before. He wasn’t certain if it was curiosity, nostalgia or some darker emotion that compelled him to seek it out.

The boy running into him had been a surprise. When the child looked up he got a good look noting that they could not have been more different. This blond child radiated energy where he had always been withdrawn, a charisma suck as it were. His face was expressive, fearful as it was while Shigeo had a flat affect. Shigeo idly wondered if Tsubomi would have paid more attention to him if he looked like this boy.

The boy told him to run, there was a monster. So, he had seen the spirit and was concerned about Shigeo’s safety. That was nice. Most of the kids Shigeo had known would have dashed right by him without warning. It was good to see there were still nice kids around.

“What kind of monster?” Shigeo asked, wondering what the boy had seen.

The boy’s brown eyes grew wide, as if to say what kind of question is that? “The kind that eats people, we need to go!” Tiny hands slammed into Shigeo’s gut, trying to get him to run. He couldn’t help being pleased, this really was a good kid. Shigeo would take care of the monster for him.

He put down his shopping and faced the dark, gelatinous beast that plagued the child. Oh yes, not too powerful but gross and threatening all the same. It didn’t take much energy at all to dissipate the monster. The sensation of power moving through him was like flexing an old neglected muscle. Shigeo had resisted using his power for anything but envelope stuffing for far too long. A part of him wanted to keep going, show off what he could really do. But he wouldn’t.

His hair settled back into its usual flatness, his aura retreated back to the unknown. That was enough excitement for one day. He turned back to his shopping. The boy was staring at him. Oh, Shigeo hoped he hadn’t scared him too much.

The child’s brown eyes flicked up to Shigeo’s face. He was in awe. An entire world had opened up before him, revealed in just a brief encounter. The sun and the moon were nothing compared to that flash of energy. No one had ever looked at Shigeo that way. “Thank you,” the boy whispered.

The ESPer’s face flushed, not used to praise. “You’re welcome.” He picked up his grocery bags and started to walk away. The boy had no psychic energy, but his sheer force of personality was strong enough to make Shigeo uncomfortable. He needed some distance.

“Wait!” the kid called out. He caught up to Shigeo quickly. “You saved my life, I have to do something! Let me—” The boy reached for a bag.

“It’s fine.” Shigeo jerked the groceries out of the boy’s grasp.

“No, it’s not,” the boy insisted. It was obvious even to Shigeo that the boy wanted to express his gratitude. “Look, I don’t have any money or anything but maybe I could clean your office.” The boy nodded like that was a great idea. He pursued the concept. “Where do you work?”

Shigeo hesitated. “I, uh—” The lack of an answer settled between them, a lead weight in the conversation.

The boy’s step faltered. “Okay,” something in the kid’s demeanor shifted, “are you between jobs?”

Shigeo had never been a good liar. A good liar required an understanding of human nature and a sense of creativity. Shigeo felt like he had neither. “Not really.”

The boy frowned, his lips tight. It looked like a dreadful thought had occurred to him. “Are you a NEET?” He asked the question like he didn’t want the answer, like he knew exactly what that meant and was disgusted by it.

Shigeo replied the only way he knew how: “You could say that.”

The boy stopped walking. Shigeo paused his own steps. He watched the light of adoration fade from the boy’s face like a stab to the chest. He didn’t know what to do. Should he comfort this boy he had just disappointed? Should he say something? Should he just leave?

The boy sucked in a breath through his nose and exhaled. “Fine,” he muttered. “It’s like that then.” He looked straight up at Shigeo. “My name is Reigen Arataka.” The boy gave a stiff polite bow. “To thank you for saving my life I’m going to give you back yours.”

Shigeo blinked in surprise. “What?”

“You’re a NEET right,” the word sounded so hateful coming from his mouth, “so your life just sucks.”

The boy, Reigen, didn’t need to put it so bluntly. “Not completely,” Shigeo said, trying to defend himself.

Reigen marched right up to him, brown eyes boring into his soul. “Yes, it does.” He spoke with such authority that Shigeo couldn’t argue with him. “If you’re a NEET, you are a failure as an adult.” Every word from the child’s mouth was a slap to the face. “But you don’t have to stay that way,” Reigen said, his conviction palpable. “You saved a life, you don’t deserve to stay that way.” He backed off, adjusting his backpack. He stared at Shigeo expectantly.

“What?” Shigeo asked, shifting his bags. He really needed to learn to read other people and the boy made him nervous.

“We need to go home,” Reigen said. He indicated Shigeo’s groceries. “You’ve got food to put away and I need to inspect your place.” This was obvious to Reigen apparently if to no one else.

“Why do you need to go to my home?” Shigeo asked. He wasn’t sure he wanted this pint-sized terror near his apartment.

Reigen rolled not only his eyes but his whole body. “Come on,” he groaned, stamping his foot. “It’s Step One, stupid.”

Now the kid was losing him. “Step One?”

“To Reigen Arataka’s Trademarked Five Step Plan to Being a Grown Up!” Shigeo was certain that Reigen literally just made it up off the top of his head. “You’ll learn about the other steps when we get to your place.”

Meaning Reigen probably needed the time to figure them out. Fine, Shigeo would indulge the boy for one afternoon. He was a child after all, and would quickly become bored with this strange little project. It wouldn’t hurt to disturb the lonely monotony of Shigeo’s existence. Even a brief respite could nourish him for a little while, at least until Ritsu’s next visit.

Chapter Text

In the course of one afternoon Reigen learned that spirits were real, ESPers were real and had pledged to help a stranger with his life choices. Not bad for a kid still in elementary school. Of course, now he was following said stranger back to his home with no way of contacting his parents and no one knowing where he was. Not the brightest idea Reigen ever had but he doubted that bowl-cut guy meant him any harm. Speaking of bowl-cut guy—

“So, what’s your name?” Reigen asked. He couldn’t just keep calling his new hero disparaging nicknames in his head.

“Kageyama Shigeo,” the man answered. Reigen contemplated the name, he wasn’t sure how he felt about it. “Some used to call me Mob,” Shigeo offered.

The blond nodded. “Okay, I’ll call you Mob then.” He liked the idea of calling his new hero something only “some” had called him. It was a special name.

Shigeo’s back stiffened. ”That’s not what—" But the boy was at his side now, cutting through his objection.

“First we’ll scope out your apartment Mob and see what needs improvement,” Reigen said. He was practically beaming with excitement.

Shigeo sighed. He was not getting out of this, was he? “What makes you think I live in an apartment?”

The look Reigen gave him nearly made Shigeo want to apologize for doubting the other’s deductive reasoning. How was a kid this terrifying? “You are a NEET,” Reigen reiterated, “probably living off your parents’ money.” How could he-- “You don’t have a house, not in this town.” It was embarrassing to admit, but Reigen was a better observer of human behavior at eleven than Shigeo ever was.

Silence fell between them, a little strained but neither felt the need to break it. They approached a well-maintained building in an older neighborhood. Not exactly a chic part of town but not destitute either. A little gray perhaps, but it was not rundown like Reigen had feared.

Mob led them up a flight of stairs to an unassuming door. There should have been nothing to fear but Reigen’s heart pounded in his chest.

“Arataka, take these natto down to Ishii-san.”

Reluctant feet took him downstairs to the weirdo that lived below them. Reigen always hated going to Ishii’s apartment, it smelled. He knocked on the door, wanting the ordeal over with. No answer. Strange, Ishii never left his apartment. Ever.

A tiny hand pushed on the door. It was unlocked. The first thing that hit him was the smell, it went beyond the usual old food smell to actual rot. The only light was the flicker of a computer monitor. The bulk of Ishii’s form in the chair blocked most of it. Reigen didn’t want to cross the room. He could barely see the piles of garbage in the digital light, he was going to trip. “Ishii-san?” No answer.

He pushed his way forward, carefully oh so carefully. His bare legs brushed against slick black plastic. Reigen clasped a hand on Ishii’s shoulder. It was cold, so cold and the man’s face so bloated and grey. His tongue hung out of his mouth--

The door opened with a loud creak. Shigeo’s apartment was almost disappointingly normal. Sparse but neat, the studio needed some décor to seem homey but wasn’t too bad. Reigen exhaled, grateful that he wouldn’t have to wade through a sea of filth. Once was enough.

Shigeo went to the kitchen to put away his groceries. Reigen took the liberty of seating himself on the floor at the lone table. He unpacked his bag, drawing out a notebook. On the way to the apartment he had thought through his Five-Part Plan. He scrawled the rules on the sheet of paper to see if they made as much sense written down as they did in his head.

“So, what is this plan of yours?”

The sound of Shigeo’s voice startled Reigen. The man was just so quiet. Reigen glanced down at the paper, he didn’t have time to edit it. All the same, it made sense to the boy so it would have to make sense to Shigeo. He shoved the list at Shigeo.

“Here it is,” Reigen announced, clamoring to his feet. “Reigen Arataka’s Trademarked Five Step Plan to Being a Grown Up!” He spoke with the enthusiasm of a child who had just learned new words and planned to use them as often as possible.

“Step 1: Get a Place to Live

Step 2: Get a Job

Step 3: Make Friends

Step 4: Get a Girlfriend

Step 5: Be Financially Solvent.”

The list was both specific and vague. Shigeo pointed to the most confusing bullet-point. “What is financially solvent supposed to mean?”

“I don’t know,” Reigen admitted, hand waving about theatrically, “but it’s supposed to be super important.”

This child was simultaneously the most amazing and frustrating person Shigeo had ever met. “And all of these things will make me a grown up?”

“That’s right,” Reigen said, faking a confidence he didn’t feel. “When I’m done with you, you’ll be a top-notch grown-up. No longer a NEET but a productive member of society. Your parents will be proud—” off Shigeo’s bored expression he decided to wrap it up. “You’ll be on your own for old people stuff though.”

Shigeo knew he was going to regret asking but he had to know: “What’s old people stuff?”

Sweat beaded on Reigen’s brow. “You know!” he said, “Retirement, hemorrhoid cream, that kind of stuff.”

The ESPer had no idea how those things all got lumped into the same category, but then again, he was getting an eleven-year old as a life coach. “All right,” he said. It really wasn’t a terrible list. “Can I cross off the first item?”

Reigen put his thumb and pointer finger on his chin, thinking about it. “Yes,” he said after a moment. “But it’s only half-checked off. This place is not that cool and your parents are paying for it, right?”

Shigeo wasn’t sure how he felt about his lack of taste being judged but could not deny that his home lacked a certain something. “Yes.”

“It’s a half-check until you start paying the rent.” Reigen made a little half-check mark on the first bullet-point.

Shigeo silently agreed with the assessment. It was strange how after so many years of doing nothing, he could suddenly feel himself moving forward. All of Ritsu’s talks and his parents’ encouragement couldn’t move him the same way as this sloppily written list. “What’s next?”

“2. Get a Job,” Reigen read aloud. “That’s going to be hard. Did you go to university?” If Mob went to college it would expand his opportunities.

“No. I just finished high school.” Pushing himself that far had nearly killed his endurance for living at all.

It could be worse, Reigen thought, it could be worse. “Do you have any hobbies, any interests? Anything you were good at in school?”

“Not really,” Shigeo admitted. “I did want to work out for a while but I gave that up.” His weak flesh was a testament to that.

Reigen groaned. “You can’t make a living working out, Mob.” He had never heard of a personal trainer and if Reigen had, he still wouldn’t have thought of Shigeo as qualified. “I’ll pick up a job magazine tomorrow. Maybe you can search online for something.”

“Okay,” Shigeo said. He glanced at the list again. “Can I cross off the third item?”

Reigen frowned. “Why that one?”

“You’re my friend, right?” Shigeo asked.

The boy was caught off-guard. He scratched the back of his head. “Yeah, but it says ‘friends’ plural.” Reigen pointed at the relevant kanji.

“So just a half-check then?” Shigeo asked. Reigen got the impression he was being teased; he didn’t mind.

Shigeo took the pen and ticked a little half-check next to Step 3. That was when Reigen noticed how long the shadows stretched across the floor. “Shoot.” He checked his phone, it was getting late. “I’ve got to go home.” Reigen gathered his things, pulling his pack across his back.

“All right.” The older man sounded disappointed. Having the boy around had been kind of fun.

“I’ll be back tomorrow,” Reigen said, trying to reassure him.

“When?” Shigeo sounded needy to his own ears, but he had been so long without anyone other than Ritsu.

The boy did one of his eyerolls. “After school, stupid. It’s a weekday.” He made his way out the door without waiting for Shigeo to get up.

The ESPer sat there, surprised at the kid’s rudeness. The door swung open again. “And don’t forget to check for jobs!” Reigen ordered. “Bye, Mob.” The door shut again and the boy was gone.

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The next day was a usual one for Reigen until Hanako asked him about the park. “Was it haunted, Reigen-kun?” she asked.

“Yeah, some black ooze spirit,” Reigen said. It came off nonchalant because he was more invested in figuring out where he could get job listings on the way over to Mob’s place than the conversation. “It wanted to eat me but it’s gone now.”

Hanako’s eyes widened in horror. “You fought a spirit?”

“No.” Maybe he could hit a Mobsons on the way—“I met an ESPer; he took care of it.”

“You’ve met a real ESPer?” Hanako whispered.

“Yeah.” Reigen said it like he met amazing people every day. It wouldn’t occur to him until later that he could have milked the story for all it was worth, but he was busy. “You can go back to the park with your sister now.”

“Thank you, Reigen-kun.” Hanako hugged him with a gusto that nearly knocked him out of his seat. He didn’t particularly care about the hug but the 500 yen she gave him was nice.

That afternoon rumors about what Reigen did circulated around their class; Hanako had been too full of gratitude to keep the story to herself. The tale then bled into other classes, getting crazier with each iteration. Reigen was unaware of this phenomenon; he just wanted the day to end so he could continue with Mob’s journey into adulthood.

It wasn’t until after school that he got an inkling of what was going on. A dark-haired boy about his age approached him at the gate. “Reigen-kun?” Reigen didn’t recognize the boy. He had the sort of face that blended into the background. “My name is Abe, I’m in Class 2. Hanako-chan said that you took care of a demon in the park.”

“It wasn’t a demon, just a nasty spirit,” Reigen said, “and I didn’t exorcise it.”

“Oh,” Abe said. He looked disappointed. “It’s just my grandfather. His leg has been bothering him and he’s convinced that it’s cursed.”

“You sure it’s a curse and not just being old?” Reigen asked. His parents ran a massage—a medical spa, he corrected himself, so he knew all about the weird aches that effected the elderly.

“He limps a little all the time,” Abe said, “But it gets worse when he’s near the family shrine. Some days he can’t even walk if he’s been by there.”

“Hmm.” Reigen thought it over. That really did sound weird. Maybe the job hunt with Mob could be put off for another day. “Well, I didn’t take care of the spirit at the park,” Reigen said, “but I know the guy who did.”

Chapter Text

The Hanazawa Awakening Lab looked like any other grey brick apartment building on the block. Just ordinary, dull and grey. Did Reigen mention grey? Only the sign made any sort of distinction. He sighed under his breath; this had better not be a mistake.

Reigen pressed the door buzzer. It sounded like a strangled duck.

A guy with a hilariously bad black pompadour answered. He looked down at Reigen, curious about the boy’s presence. “Are you Hanazawa Teruki?” Reigen asked.

“Oh no,” pompadour guy said, “he’s this school’s illustrious founder.”

Reigen raised an eyebrow. “Illustrious?”

“Don’t tell him I used that word,” pompadour guy looked around like the real Hanazawa would pop up behind him, “he’s very humble, you know.”

Reigen was sure that a guy who put his name on the building was humble. Whatever. “I need to see him.”

Pompadour guy smiled with excitement. “Are you here to join our school?”

Reigen nipped that idea in the bud. “No, I just need to talk to your founder.”

“Oh,” the older man deflated. “Well, come in.” He stood aside and let the middle-schooler in. “My name is Hoshino Takeshi,” pompadour guy explained, as they walked through a surprisingly nice facility. “I met Hanazawa when we were young. After an encounter with a powerful ESPer, Hanazawa wanted to find others like himself. We decided to band together to help ESPer children awaken and understand their powers.” He grabbed a spoon from a nearby shelf. “I, for example, am telekinetic.”

Hoshino’s face screwed up in concentration. Reigen waited and waited and waited. Finally, the spoon bent in half. “See?!” Hoshino was excited at his accomplishment.

“Wow.” Reigen was not impressed. “Can I meet Hanazawa now?”

A blond man in his twenties approached them. Reigen’s eyes watered at the sheer terrible green of the jacket he was wearing. The purple pants just clashed and oh, god it was one of the worst outfits Reigen had ever seen. What color were those shoes? It sure as hell didn’t exist in nature.

“Are you here to join my school? Because, you have no aura whatsoever,” the guy said.

Reigen’s eye twitched hating to be reminded, yet again, that he had no powers; that his only use to Mob was his cunning. “I know, I’m here on behalf of my Boss. Do you remember a Kageyama Shigeo?”

Hanazawa’s entire demeanor changed. “You know, Kageyama?” The bleached blond fashion victim took Reigen’s upper arms in a death grip. “Where is he? Is he okay?” His words came out in a rush. “I tried to find him after that fight but he just seemed to disappear. He’s changed my life, made me a better person, I need to—”

“Okay, okay,” Reigen sputtered, baffled at this display. “Just let go.”

Hanazawa took a step back. He ran a hand through his blond hair, trying to appear cool rather than like a crazy person who just shook a middle-schooler like a ragdoll.

Reigen reached into his pocket and pulled out a business card. He had bullied Mob into making them when they set up the office. Mob hadn’t seen the sense in them but Reigen knew that a card was not just good advertising but social currency. He formally bowed as he presented the card, one businessman to another.

Hanazawa looked surprised at the gesture but reciprocated, taking the card with both hands. “Spirts and Such?” Hanazawa asked, examining it.

“It’s an exorcism agency” Reigen said, “we help people with their spiritual problems.”

That explanation earned Reigen a raised eyebrow. “We?”

He was still a child, but Reigen knew an implied jab when he heard one. “Not all spiritual problems are supernatural.” Off Hanazawa’s knowing smirk, Reigen continued: “Listen, I’m only here because I think Mob needs closure.”

“Mob?”

“Kageyama,” Reigen corrected himself. He never used that name, it felt so weird. “He still feels bad about what happened and I thought maybe you guys could talk it out.” Recently, a cloud had fallen over the older ESPer. It was nothing like anything Reigen had seen in the years that he had known Mob. It had came over him like a slow-moving fog. Reigen wasn’t sure what prompted it, but he knew that he needed to help Mob through it.

It had taken a lot of prodding on Reigen’s part to get the story of Mob’s fight with Hanazawa out of him. The only solution the middle-schooler could come up with was confronting the problem head on. Nearly a week later, he had finally tracked down a lead on Hanazawa Teruki. Now, he was here in the man’s school, hoping that he would acquiesce to Reigen’s request.

“When?”

Okay, that was fast. Hanazawa had no hesitation about meeting with a guy who, according to Mob, put him in the hospital. What a weird guy. “Um--“ Reigen pulled out his phone and looked at the calendar. “There’s an opening tomorrow afternoon at four. No clients scheduled except for walk-ins.”

“Great,” Hanazawa eyes were as bright as his outfit. “I’ll meet him at his office.”

His suspicious nature kept Reigen from being fully on board with Hanazawa’s enthusiasm. “What’s your deal?” he asked. “You seem way too eager to meet a guy who beat you up.”

Hanazawa chuckled, as if to say: “Oh, you sweet summer child.” He looked off dramatically into the distance. “When you meet someone who challenges your entire way of life, you will understand.”

At any rate, Reigen understood the vomit that threatened to come up. He had to remind himself this was for Mob, his own feelings on this didn’t matter. “Tomorrow then.”

----- 

Reigen’s legs pumped hard as he ran out of school. He could not believe he was going to be late. The tutoring session had gone on longer than expected. Reigen had started teaching some of his fellow students on the side as a way to make extra money. His salary working for Mob was abysmally low, but he felt that he could not ask for more while Mob was still working on the Five Steps.

The kid he was helping was just not that bright. It had taken the whole session just to get through a few math problems. Reigen wanted to throttle him out of frustration. Said with more patience than he felt, Reigen had cut the lesson short and made a break for it.

He hopped onto the crowded train. Just one stop over and he’d be at the office. Reigen just hoped that he beat Hanazawa. The teenager panted, sprinting up the stairs. “Sorry, I’m late!” he shouted as he threw the door open.

“It’s all right,” Mob said. The ESPer had that same dull look that had concerned Reigen in the first place. Reigen glanced around. No sign of Hanazawa and it was already nearly half past four. Maybe the bleach blond wouldn’t show.

Reigen set down his backpack next to his secretary’s desk. He couldn’t help being a little disappointed.

“Reigen, something wrong?”

Shoot, he hadn’t meant to worry Mob. “No,” he muttered. Maybe small talk would lighten the mood. “How were the clients today?”

“The same as always,” Mob said. He didn’t elaborate. It wasn’t that the ESPer was ever particularly talkative but Reigen could usually get something out of him.

The boy opened his mouth to spout nonsense just to get a conversation going when the door opened with a loud creak.

“I apologize for my tardiness but my new student orientation ran late.” The outfit today was somehow worse than the one from the day before. Maybe it was the attempt at professionalism but the orange blazer was just the wrong shade for Hanazawa’s complexion and the chocolate plaid shirt—Woof. It almost coordinated. At least the dark jeans were sensible.

Hanazawa got a good look at Mob and his lips quirked in a smile. “Same haircut, I see.” He ran a hand through his own hair. “As you can see my style hasn’t changed much either.”

The dull expression fled from Mob’s eyes replaced with something closer to panic. “Hanazawa-kun?” He stood up from his desk, hair floating about his head. His aura flared.

Hanazawa held out a single hand. “It’s good to see you again.”

The friendly gesture threw Mob for the loop. The flight or fight response of his aura retreated back into his body. Mob blinked at Hanazawa’s outstretched hand. He hesitated just a moment more and then took it.

The amusement on Hanazawa’s face didn’t abate. He gave Reigen a pointed look. “Did you tell him I was coming?”

Reigen obviously didn’t. He took to his feet. “I’ll leave you two to get reacquainted.”

Mob raised his voice, a rare occurrence. “Reigen!” The boy knew he had to do this, to abandon his Boss and let him sink or swim on his own. Reigen could not help him.

“I’m reachable by phone if you need me!” Reigen left before Mob could object any further. He stayed outside the door for a moment, checking for any distressed sounds. Nothing, just some low murmurs.

He made his way down the steps, uncertain what to do. Reigen hadn’t really planned for this bit of free time. He had a novel that he had to read for class, maybe he could find a quiet place. As he walked, Reigen’s thoughts turned to the Five Step Plan.

Mob was doing really well. He had finally started paying for his apartment so Step One was complete, After establishing a client base with Reigen’s elementary school classmates and branching out with referrals, Spirits and Such was born. Mob had to take out a loan, co-signed by his brother Ritsu, to start the office but it completed Step Two. Unfortunately, the loan made Step Five impossible for the moment but the debt was dwindling.

Step Three really got going when Mob decided to exercise again. He had run into an old schoolmate at the gym and rekindled his friendships with his old club.

As far as Reigen was concerned, Mob was nearly a grown up. So, if Mob was nearly grown up, would he have any need for Reigen anymore? The revelation stopped Reigen in his tracks. He had spent years helping Mob get back on his feet. What if he didn’t want a kid hanging around anymore? What if he completed Step Four and told Reigen his services, his friendship, was no longer required?

Reigen sat on a nearby bench, feet suddenly heavy. Oh. He had spent so long on helping Mob with his life he hadn’t really thought through his own. Exams were this year and he needed to start planning; or at least have something to say when adults asked him about it. In terms of the Five Step Plan, Reigen Arataka barely had a grip on Step Three. He had a few acquaintances, most of them in kempo class and some other kids he hung out with but no one really close. He had a leg up on Mob for Step Four, at least. He had been confessed to by a few girls and went out with them for a while.

None of the relationships lasted long since, you know middle-school, but at least he had some practice there. Reigen sighed. He needed to start expanding his own social circle. He checked the time. He had spent nearly forty-five minutes fretting. Time to go back.

He opened the door to the agency quietly, not wanting to disturb the mood. It seemed like Hanazawa and Mob were getting along. They were talking quietly, Hanazawa rambling while Mob looked on with quiet intensity. Hanazawa said something funny because Mob let out a soft snort of laughter. His smile, a rare sight, was slight but unmistakable.

Hanazawa also appeared to be having a good time. His grin was similar to that of some of the boys at school when they had a pretty girl’s attention.

Reigen felt panic creeping in. Oh no, he had made a terrible mistake.

Weeks later, as Hanazawa insinuated himself more and more into Mob’s life, Reigen found himself reevaluating the Five Step Plan; specifically, Mob’s Bullet-Point Four. As evidence mounted, the list felt like it needed revising. It was with great reluctance that Reigen crossed out “Girlfriend” for “Boyfriend” and put a checkmark.

Chapter Text

“I’ll see you later.” Ritsu hung up the phone, eyebrows pinched together. He couldn’t believe what he had just heard. He needed to see his brother. He snagged his coat and threw it on. Breezing past his coworkers he shouted out, “I’m going out,” he barged out without awaiting a reply.

Oh, that little twerp had done it now. He was going to give that blond menace a piece of his mind. It occurred to Ritsu about ten minutes into the train ride that he could have just called Shigeo to complain. But it wouldn’t give the same satisfaction as watching the look on Reigen’s face as Ritsu told his “Boss” what he had done.

By the time he arrived, Ritsu was riled up. He normally did whatever he could to keep his brother calm but his self-proclaimed “personal assistant” had gone too far. He flung the door open and was disappointed to see the “Spirits and Such” office empty except for Reigen. The high schooler sat at his desk working on homework. His bookbag was full to bursting.

“Where’s Shige?” Ritsu demanded.

“He’s out with Serizawa doing some training,” Reigen answered. He didn’t bother looking up from his math.

Multiple questions raced through Ritsu’s mind but one won out: “Who’s Serizawa?”

That did make Reigen look up. “He’s Mob’s new apprentice. He probably hasn’t told you yet.”

Ritsu refrained from yelling at the teen about how he addressed his brother. It was an old argument and he had new things to scream at Reigen about. “Fine then, tell me why you got Suzuki Toichiro suspended!”

Reigen looked confused. “Who?”

“Suzuki Toichiro,” Ritsu said as if somehow repeating the name without elaborating would jog Reigen’s memory.

Reigen thought it over. It’s not like he got a lot of people suspended. “Was he part of that ESPer gang, Claw?” he asked. “Because that guy deserved it.”

“ESPer gang?” Shou hadn’t mentioned an ESPer gang.

“Yeah, they were shaking down elementary school students for money,” Reigen explained. “Bunch of creeps using their powers to bully little kids. Should have been expelled but not my call.”

As much as he disliked the kid, Ritsu knew Reigen wouldn’t lie about this. He crossed his arms in front of his chest. “What happened?”

Reigen sighed and closed his notebook; he figured he wasn’t getting any more work done. “Some of the kids at school were complaining about a cousin or sibling getting their lunch money stolen.” He spoke with the singsong tone of someone who got these sorts of requests all the time. “I thought it was regular bullies until they said some weird things like one of the bullies teleported and another one used plants--”

“Used plants?” Ritsu asked. Now it seemed that Reigen’s storytelling was getting the best of him.

“Yeah, like the telekinesis Mob can do but with plants,” Reigen explained like it was obvious.

Ritsu shook his head. “That is not a thing.”

“It’s totally a thing,” Reigen looked offended. “I’m not making this up; I saw it!”

“Is that kid suspended too?” Ritsu sneered.

“Yeah, they all are, even Serizawa.” Reigen picked up his overstuffed backpack for emphasis. “His teachers are letting me bring him his homework so he doesn’t fall too far behind. They’ll all be back next week, though.”

“Wait,” now Ritsu was confused. “Why is Shige’s new apprentice suspended from school?”

Reigen shoot him a “haven’t you been paying attention?” look. “He was one of the kids in Claw, until he decided to help me instead.” Reigen smiled; it was a special memory. “He was really cool. Just blocked that blast like--” The boy made an elaborate series of hand gestures that meant nothing to anyone who hadn’t been there.

Ritsu was completely lost now. “Reigen, what are you talking about? Your story doesn’t make sense.”

“Well, you’re not letting me tell it in order,” Reigen shot back.

Ritsu hated talking to this kid. “And I don’t have all day!” He really didn’t.

Reigen’s face went a little red at Ritsu’s outburst like he was holding back his own urge to yell. At fifteen, he was determined to be the bigger person. “Fine.” He ran a hand through his blond hair then clasped his hands in front of him on the desk, a teacher lecturing a student. “I went to investigate the bullies and it turned out they were all ESPers. Powerful ones too, I should have called Mob but—”

“But you thought you could beat these ones up.” Reigen had come into work sporting some interesting bruises over the years. Ritsu figured the kid liked fighting more than he pretended to.

“That happened once,” Reigen defended himself. “Technically, I talked to them first. I only punched the one guy who didn’t listen the first time.”

Any discussion between Ritsu and Reigen without Mob to mitigate turned out this way, descending quickly into belligerent arguments. “And the other times I’ve seen you bruised?”

Reigen just rolled his eyes. “I’m in kempo, stupid.” He flushed beet red as he realized that he called his boss’s brother stupid to his face. He tried to brush past it. “There were six of them and I saw them threatening this group of fourth graders—”

Ritsu was not letting it go. “What did you call me?”

Before the conversation could degenerate any further, a green fart cloud of a ghost floated into the office. “Hey Blondie!” he yelled at Reigen, “Get the tea started. Shige and Curly are on their way back.”

Dimple, a green “evil spirit” as he called himself, had joined their ranks a few months ago. Ritsu still wasn’t certain of the whole story. Something about a laughing cult, an incomplete exorcism, and Reigen’s patience around the spirit being very, very thin.

Reigen took to his feet. He didn’t like taking orders from the ghost but it was a nice distraction. “How’d training go?” he asked as he filled the teapot with water.

“Ugh,” Dimple groaned, hovering over Reigen’s shoulder. “That Serizawa kid wouldn’t let go of his umbrella the whole time. It’s like a security blanket or something.”

“It’s his first session,” Reigen said, coming to the other kid’s defense. He turned on the hotplate. “He’s been using it for a long time. He can’t let go of it in a day.”

“Serizawa does seem to have a lot of potential.” The ghost shot Reigen a shrewd look. “Why didn’t you send him to Hanazawa’s school? They deal with ESPers.”

Reigen’s expression turned ugly. “Have you seen the kids he has there? None of them are anywhere near Serizawa’s level. Those teachers couldn’t handle him.”

Dimple insinuated himself between the hotplate and Reigen. “It isn’t because you hate Teru-san?”

Reigen bristled at the accusation. “I don’t hate him.” He really didn’t. He waved an annoyed hand through Dimple’s body, shooing him away. “He’s just really obnoxious.” This was true.

Even though he had no love for the ghost, Ritsu couldn’t help digging the knife in just to annoy Reigen. “He is Shigeo’s boyfriend.”

“I know,” Reigen’s voice took on a petulant whine. “And you don’t think I regret bringing that fashion disaster into our lives every day?”

Ritsu burst out laughing. The high schooler’s face screwed up, he didn’t like being ganged up on. “Do you know how many of Hanazawa’s ‘gifts’ I’ve had to hide so your brother doesn’t look like an idiot?” he hissed. “I thought you’d be grateful!”

The door opened; Shigeo was back at the office. Trailing behind the older ESPer was a boy of about sixteen in the same black gakuran uniform that Reigen wore. His hair was curly and unruly, a patchy mockery of stubble adorned his chin. He clutched a tattered umbrella to his chest, his eyes darted around the office landing on Ritsu. “Hello.” The boy’s voice was so quiet that Ritsu had to strain to hear it.

Shigeo smiled at his brother. “Ritsu! I wasn’t expecting you today.” He turned to Reigen. “Reigen can you make—”

The blond held up an empty tea cup. “On it.”

“Ritsu, this is my new apprentice Serizawa,” Shigeo introduced.

Serizawa bowed, his movement stiff and awkward, umbrella still in hand. “Pleased to meet you.”

Ritsu nodded his head. “Pleased to meet you.” He looked at this shy shrinking violet of a boy. Maybe he’d get the answers he needed from him. Ritsu gestured to an empty chair, using his powers to pull it towards him. “I had some questions for Reigen but maybe you can answer them.” He took a seat.

Serizawa’s eyes widened. “Um, okay.” He followed Ritsu’s lead and sat in an empty chair near Reigen’s desk.

“Do you know a Suzuki Toichiro?” Ritsu asked.

The curly haired boy swallowed. “He’s my senpai.”

Now Ritsu felt like he was getting somewhere. “Reigen said you were part of a gang?”

Serizawa looked down at his shoes. “Yeah, I guess I was.” He sounded ashamed of himself. “Suzuki helped me when my powers first showed up. I messed up and hurt a lot of people around me. He gave me this umbrella, said I could channel my power through it.” His fingers clutched the fabric of the umbrella. “We were all just supposed to hang out, learn how to control our powers. But Suzuki started saying that these powers made us better than other kids and that we should let them know it.”

Reigen quietly handed out cups of tea. When he handed a cup to Serizawa, the boy looked up at him with such gratitude it was hard to take. He took a sip and continued his story. “We started beating up other kids, taking money, stealing stuff from stores. I know it was wrong but Suzuki had done so much for me—”

Ritsu gritted his teeth. Ugh, this was not the situation Shou had described. How much did Shou really know about his son?

“Then Reigen-kun—” Serizawa flushed pink, “he just showed up. He had no powers but he still stood up to Suzuki, told him to leave those kids alone. He—” the tea cup trembled in his hands. “He said all the things I’ve been to scared to. He was so brave and then Suzuki tried to hurt him and I—” his voice hitched, stuttering with nerves and reliving the moment.

“He sent that blast back with his umbrella!” Reigen piped in. His tea sloshed in its cup as he gestured with it.

Ritsu was annoyed by the interruption but Serizawa just nodded, glad he didn’t have to say anything. “Okay,” Ritsu said. Shou’s kid was in so much trouble the next time he saw him. “So how did ‘Claw’ get caught?”

“Oh,” Reigen explained, “those elementary school kids got a cop while I was talking to the gang.”

“Lecturing,” Serizawa muttered with a slight smile. “You were lecturing.”

Reigen gasped in mock offense. He placed his hand above his heart like he was suffering an attack.

The dark-haired boy giggled, his cheeks reddening.

Ritsu just shook his head. Oh boy. Reigen had the Serizawa boy wrapped around his finger with no idea that he was doing it. Ritsu could not deal with burgeoning schoolboy crushes; he had his own schoolboy to yell at. He stood up. “I apologize Shige but I’ve got to get back to work.”

“Oh, that’s too bad.” Shigeo looked disappointed.

“We can get lunch this weekend,” Ritsu offered. As much as he disliked Reigen, he had to admit that he had made Shigeo more sociable. Before he had only been able to visit his brother perhaps once a month. It would be good to chat with him privately after he confronted Shou. He was not looking forward to criticizing his partner’s parenting. But if they didn’t do something now, who knows how that kid was going to turn out?

Chapter Text

It was too hot for the walk but Kageyama could not park the rented car any closer. The farm was huge and the spirits had congregated right in the center. The client had needed them exorcised because they kept interfering with the harvest. It had been a rough one, but now it was over. Thankfully, school was out on break so there were no itchy uniforms and the boys could sleep in the next day.

Reigen had come on the job right after kempo and was exhausted. When the last of the spirits was gone, he plopped on the ground with a tired grin. “Carry me?” he had asked Serizawa. He had been surprised when Serizawa agreed. So had Shigeo Kageyama.

Now Reigen was fast asleep draped across the taller boy’s back, held up not just by Serizawa’s physical strength but by his aura as well. The blond looked peaceful; Serizawa, on the other hand, had a more pensive expression. He was no stranger to violence. Under Suzuki’s orders Serizawa had battered other kids and even adults until they were black and blue. He had never felt good about it; but he willed himself not to question it either. It took Reigen confronting those more powerful than himself to give Serizawa the courage to take charge of his own life.

Serizawa had been studying under Kageyama for the past three months and honestly felt better than he had since before his powers emerged. He enjoyed the lessons, he enjoyed the work of spiritual cleansing but the job today--

Serizawa could feel his master’s stare. “I’m all right,” he insisted.

Kageyama said nothing. The heat was so extreme that even he had forgone his customary turtleneck and blazer look for a less formal t-shirt with the blazer. Unfortunately, the shirt had come from Hanazwa. With the blazer on it wasn’t so bad but now that Kageyama was carrying the blazer and the t-shirt was fully visible-- Serizawa was glad he had something else to concentrate on.

Sweat made Reigen slip on Serizawa’s back. The older boy reacted by tightening his grip under Reigen’s legs. He allowed himself to exert more of his power, coiling it around the limp limbs. He would not let Reigen fall. He would keep him safe. His kouhai was so fragile--

“Why do you let him come with us?” Serizawa blurted out, unable to stand it anymore. “He doesn’t have powers like us. He could get hurt.”

“You’ve been out on assignment with us before,” Kageyama said. “What brought this on?”

There had been a farmer, one of the client’s employees; he had been possessed by one of the minor spirits. Serizawa and Kageyama had been too busy to stop him and the possessed man went right for Reigen.

Serizawa hated himself for not reacting faster. He should have been able to protect his friend; he was strong enough, he was powerful enough, but he just wasn’t fast enough. Luckily for all of them, Reigen’s kempo practice wasn’t just for show. The possessed farmer reached Reigen with sickle raised but had been defeated by a simple throw and his own momentum. The shock of the impact forced the ghost out of his host long enough for Kageyama to destroy it.

But the what-ifs wouldn’t leave Serizawa alone. What if Reigen hadn’t fought the guy off? What if he had gotten hurt? What if he had been killed? Serizawa shivered despite the heat.

“Serizawa?”

He turned at the sound of his master’s voice. “Yes?”

“Have you thought about what you’re doing after graduation?” Kageyama asked.

Serizawa wasn’t sure if his master was changing the subject on purpose or just following the flow of his own thoughts but he would take it. “Sort of,” he replied. The year he had spent in self-imposed isolation in his early teens had delayed Serizawa’s social development. He should have been a senior this year but he was still only a junior. When he had been part of Claw, the discussion had never been about what school to go to, but rather how they were going to change the world once they were in charge. School had no part in Suzuki-senpai’s plans.

He had a full year to worry before exams for entering university, but Serizawa didn’t really care. “I don’t think I’m going to university,” he said.

Kageyama looked surprised. “Really?”

“There’s nothing that I want to study,” Serizawa admitted. “Not enough to get a degree, or get a salaryman job.”

“Then what do you want to do?” His master had no idea what a loaded question that was. For years, Serizawa had been under Suzuki’s thumb, doing whatever the older teen wanted to do. Voicing his own desires, his own wants, this was new to Serizawa. What did he want?

“This,” Serizawa admitted. “I like this work, I like helping people.” He liked being with Kageyama and with Reigen. Dimple he could take or leave.

Kageyama considered the answer. “Don’t you want to help people in another way?”

Serizawa thought it was an odd question. “I like using my powers,” he said, “I’ve always been so scared of them but this—I’m making a difference.” He could see the relief in a client’s face when a ghost problem had been taken care of. Sometimes they’d even get an email weeks later full of gratitude, explaining how their lives had been changed.

Kageyama hummed under his breath. “Interesting.”

“Don’t you?” Serizawa asked.

The silence went on for longer than was comfortable. “I don’t know,” Kageyama said. He wouldn’t look at Serizawa. “I just fell into this because of Reigen. I needed a job for the Five Part Plan and this was the only thing I was good at. But now that I’ve done this for a while, I don’t know if I want to continue.”

This was the first time that Serizawa had heard such a thing. He knew about the Five Part Plan (Reigen would tell anyone who wanted to listen about it) but that Kageyama might not want to be an exorcist? It seemed unthinkable. Who else had the sheer power to do what he did? And if Kageyama wasn’t an exorcist anymore what did that mean for Spirits and Such? What did that mean for him and for Reigen?

“Reigen once said that he’d help me be an adult,” Kageyama continued, “but that I’d be on my own for ‘old people stuff.’” His smile was a sad one. “I guess satisfaction with your life falls under that category.”

A soft voice murmured against the back of Serizawa’s neck, “Hmmm, smells nice,” then fell silent again. Heat rolled up Serizawa’s neck up to his hairline.

“I can take him, if you want,” Kageyama offered. He reached a hand out.

“NO!” Serizawa snapped, his grip tightening on Reigen. Reigen was his kouhai, his responsibility. He’d be damned if anyone-- It took a second before Serizawa’s face froze in horrified realization. Oh no, he had just yelled at his master. He was going to be in so much trouble. Serizawa’s lower lip trembled. “I’m—”

Kageyama just laughed, he covered his mouth with the back of his hand trying to stifle the noise.

Reigen stirred at the unfamiliar sound. He raised his head, eyes blinking with sleep. “Where are we?”

“We’re almost at the car,” Kageyama said. The rental was finally in their view.

“Wait,” Reigen shifted, leaning his weight off Serizawa’s back. “Did you let me fall asleep?”

Serizawa shrugged. “I don’t mind.” He really didn’t, other than the sweat it was kind of nice.

Reigen frowned and poked Serizawa in the shoulder. “Don’t let people take advantage of you.”

“It’s not taking advantage if I want to do it,” Serizawa argued. With Suzuki, most of his actions were out of obligation but with Reigen, it was because Serizawa wanted to do things for him. He couldn’t have even had this argument with Suzuki without some sort of punishment or ostracization. Reigen, Reigen had changed everything for him. “Besides, you were working late at your parents’ place, right?”

He couldn’t see Reigen but he could imagine the face he made as he groaned. “How could you tell?”

Serizawa chuckled. “You get this kind of glazed look.”

He felt Reigen press his forehead against Serizawa’s shoulder. “Too many little old ladies pinching my cheeks and asking when I’ll start full time. They say I have ‘magic hands.’”

Serizawa wrinkled his nose. Gross. It wasn’t like he complained about his own stiff neck as an excuse to get Reigen’s clever fingers on him. That the way Reigen beat a knot into submission was anything short of miraculous. Serizawa was just an overworked senpai with a helpful kouhai, not some gross old lady. They should mind their own business.

Kageyama derailed his train of thought. “Serizawa, we’ll continue this conversation at the end of the school year. There’s something I want to discuss with you.” He quickened his pace to open the car ahead of the boys.

Reigen whispered into Serizawa’s ear. “What’s he talking about?”

Serizawa shook his head. “I don’t know.” He really didn’t. But he was worried about what Kageyama said about being dissatisfied. Maybe with more time things would settle and Kageyama could get over whatever crisis he was having. Until then, Serizawa was not going to mention it to Reigen.

“Hey,” the blond muttered, “thanks for carrying me but you can let me down now.” Serizawa stopped and reluctantly let Reigen slip from his grasp. “I should do something for you. I have tomorrow off, do you want to go the arcade? I’ll buy you a soda.” The arcade was too loud and crowded for Serizawa’s taste but spending time with Reigen without sharing him with Kageyama or the kempo club? Serizawa realized he was too slow to answer when Reigen kept talking. “Or a movie if you don’t want to go to the arcade.”

“Movie would be great,” Serizawa said, a small grin tugged at his lips. He’d let Kageyama worry about his own problems for a while. He was still young and he was spending tomorrow with a friend and air-conditioning.

Chapter Text

Final exams were over for the term and the promise of winter break filled the students of Salt High School with anticipation. Serizawa was not immune to the lure of a vacation. Two weeks of no schoolwork with only the obligations he chose to honor; it sounded like heaven.

He had done well-enough on his exams, as always there was room for improvement, but it was much better than the year before. He still had a parent-teacher conference to get through but he wasn’t worried.

The entrance to the school was filled with other students milling about. Serizawa was in the locker alcove, waiting. He and Reigen had a job that afternoon and he wanted to walk together as was their custom. Unfortunately, Reigen was on cleaning duty and wouldn’t be down for a few minutes.

“Have any plans for the break, Seri-chan?”

It was a good thing Serizawa had trained himself not to react to Dimple’s sudden appearances long ago or he would have gone through the ceiling. “Why?” he asked. He fumbled for his shoes.

“Oh,” Dimple floated up in his periphery. “Just curious.”

Serizawa was suspicious, Dimple was never “just curious.” He set about the task of changing his footwear from school shoes to streetwear.

“Teruki has a romantic dinner with Shige on Christmas,” Dimple said. Everyone knew about the romantic dinner with Kageyama at the very exclusive restaurant that took Teruki all of his clout to secure blah, blah, blah, because Teruki never shut up about it. Serizawa had been forced to listen to every minute detail whenever the older ESPer popped by the office. He had come around so often the past month that Reigen had an impression down pat.

“So,” Dimple asked with a singsong voice, “I was wondering if you had any plans with Reigen this Christmas?”

Serizawa slammed his locker door shut, harder than intended. A few students reacted to the sound but none paid attention for long. Serizawa’s face felt hot. “Why…why do you ask?”

Dimple’s expression changed from mischievous to nasty: “Because it’s obvious to anyone not named Reigen Arataka that you have a thing for him.” The ghost got right in Serizawa’s face. “And you’re too much of a coward to do anything about it.”

Serizawa looked away. “I’m not a coward,” he muttered. Yes, he had spent years ignoring the obvious about his “friends” in Claw. Allowed himself to be manipulated and treated like a tool rather than a person—

“You could fawn over any pretty young thing with glossy black hair but no,” Dimple mocked, “you’re following around a skinny blond brat with a mean right hook.”

Serizawa had just about enough. He snapped at Dimple, “I don’t—"

“Ugh,” Reigen moaned, flopping dramatically against his locker. “Tanaka-sensei’s desk was so gross, there was a layer of grime.” He flailed his hands in emphasis. “How does that happen? We clean it every week!”

There were times when Reigen’s forays in the melodramatic helped Serizawa more than he’d like to admit. “He does eat there.” He could see Dimple hovering near Reigen, fuming over his mischief being interrupted. Good.

“We all eat at our desks,” Reigen said. He started switching out his shoes. “And none of our desks get half that bad.”

Serizawa shrugged. He wasn’t that invested in the conversation, but if it kept Dimple from his insinuations, all the better. “Not all of us are neat eaters like you.”

Reigen mock-glared at his friend; he had a reputation as the reason napkins were invented. “You wound me, Seri. You wound me.” He picked up his backpack, ready for adventure. “Let’s go; the house is supposed to be haunted but from what Mob said it’s probably just vermin.”

Serizawa was always interested in Reigen’s deductive process. They made their way out of the school, Dimple trailing behind. “Why do you say that?”

Reigen ticked the reasons off on his fingers. “Strange noises at night, scratch marks in odd places and little round black pellets in the pantry.”

The ESPer wrinkled his nose. “Why didn’t they call an exterminator?”

Reigen shrugged, “I don’t know.” He sounded exasperated. “Old people are crazy.” Serizawa didn’t think he was just talking about the client.

They made their way to the train station in comfortable silence. As they passed by other students, some groups of girls, some new couples, Dimple’s words came back to Serizawa. What was Reigen doing this break? He needed to know. “What are you doing for Christmas, Reigen?”

“Well, Christmas Day I’ll be at my parents,” Reigen said, scratching the side of his nose, the cold really bothered him, “but I’m taking Arai-chan out Christmas Eve.”

Serizawa didn’t think it was possible to hear a record scratch interrupting your thoughts in real life but he just managed it. “What?” Serizawa stuttered. A hot heavy weight settled around his heart. “I didn’t think you and Arai-chan were together.”

Reigen shook his head and laughed, eyes wet with merry tears. “No, oh god no.” He clapped a hand on Serizawa’s shoulder. “Her idiot boyfriend broke up with her and she’s trying to make him jealous.”

Her boyfriend might not be the only one. “So why did she ask you?” Serizawa asked, he sounded tight to his own ears.

“Well,” Reigen ran a hand through his hair, and gave Serizawa an exaggerated grin. “We dated briefly in middle school.”

“Oh.” That still didn’t answer the question to Serizawa’s satisfaction. Arai-chan had her pick of boys to pretend to date her, why Arataka? Why him?

“It’s going to be hilariously bad,” Reigen continued, finding the entire situation amusing. “We’re going to the big Christmas tree to take some pics for her Mobstagram. Her boyfriend still follows her so he’s guaranteed to see them.” Reigen frowned at the expression on Serizawa’s face. “Are you okay?”

“Yes.” Serizawa’s voice was flat.

“I’m sorry, Seri,” Reigen said, he looked at his friend with sympathy. “I didn’t know you liked Arai-chan.” He meant it and that stung.

“I don’t like Arai-chan!” Serizawa was louder than he had intended. “It’s just—” He hated sounding this desperate. “I think you should have better things to do. Other plans.”

Reigen raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

The older boy’s heart thudded in his chest. “What if someone else wanted to ask you out for Christmas Eve but they were too shy?”

Reigen pondered the idea for a moment. Silence never seemed so deafening. “It doesn’t matter, does it?” he finally answered. “The result is the same,” Reigen pointed out, “they didn’t ask so I didn’t have plans. Arai-chan needed the favor and this mystery girl remained silent.” The words so simple and so true but that didn’t make them hurt any less.

He should have said something sooner; he should have made more of an effort; he should have been able to keep Reigen out of this stupid, childish situation. It wasn’t just that the idea of Reigen pretending to be on a date with someone else made his head ache. It was that Reigen would go along with it; that he didn’t have the pride to say no. He deserved so much better than being used for petty revenge.

“We can still hang out the day after Christmas,” Reigen suggested, bumping Serizawa’s shoulder. “They have good sales on Christmas cake then.” Of course, he would think that.

Serizawa’s stomach was as twisted as his mood. “No one wants cake after Christmas.” He was sullen and didn’t care who knew it.

Reigen shrugged, giving up on figuring out Serizawa’s mercurial temper. “Then that’s their loss.”

Serizawa’s hand twitched. He just didn’t understand; why Reigen didn’t value himself as much as Serizawa did? He was smart, and handsome and so, so kind.

Coward.

He could say something, anything right now, and turn this whole thing around. Just tell Arataka—

Just tell him--

Coward.

He could admit to the swirling ebb of feelings inside and just—

Coward.

Just hold his—

Coward.

The train screeched to a halt, opening its doors with a loud whoosh. They were at the station and needed to board. The rest of the world moved on while one young man wrestled with his heart. Reigen strode forward, all confidence and grace. He looked back at Serizawa. “Are you coming?”

From over the blond’s shoulder, Dimple just smiled his simpering, terrible smile. He knew about Serizawa’s turmoil and silently gloated.

Serizawa, never feeling more like a boy than at that moment, stepped onto the train.

Chapter Text

Dimple was getting nowhere with Kageyama. The guy was arguably the most powerful ESPer in the world and he wanted nothing from the spirit. Dimple offered money, power, access to women (which, once Hanazawa came into the picture was a moot point) and the guy just shrugged them off. When bribery failed, Dimple had tried shame.

“Do you really want to spend the rest of your life in this crummy office having your day dictated by a pint-sized secretary?”

Said obnoxious fifteen-year old burst into the office holding his cell phone aloft and within five minutes shattered Dimple’s line of reasoning. “Oi, Mob!” Reigen Arataka, self-proclaimed 21st Century’s Greatest Personal Assistant, shouted across the room. “Your accounting software has a new update. We can get it running while we’re on the Hoshina job and it’ll be done when we get back.” The short blond teen manhandled his boss, chair and all, out of the way to get the program up.

Shigeo Kageyama, former shut in and now owner of a successful psychic consultation firm, glanced over at the floating green spirit and answered the question. “I’m content for the moment.”

The worst thing was, Dimple didn’t think he could fault him on that. In the spring of last year, Dimple had been the head of a successful cult. Then a nosy middle-schooler had poked his head in where it didn’t belong and blew the whistle on the whole operation. Now Dimple was without a body, had a fraction of his former power, and a world domination plan with zero chance of coming to fruition.

If he could just get Kageyama to agree to loan him his body for just a little while—

But no, Shigeo was content with his current lot in life. Reigen, on the other hand, although shrewd and ambitious had nothing but contempt for Dimple’s desire for worship. Whenever Dimple tried to bring Reigen in on his plots the boy would just glare and proclaim Dimple’s ambitions, “a waste of time.” To be fair, Reigen might have been more agreeable if Dimple hadn’t tried to murder him the first time they met.

That was also probably why Kageyama had gone nuts on Dimple and nearly extinguished him. The raw power on display that day, Dimple had never seen anything like it before or since. Hindsight was twenty/twenty, even for a creature as long-lived as Dimple. He made a note to himself: humans hold grudges, even the nice ones.

The long months spent in the company of the Spirits and Such crew had been an exercise in frustration. No matter what he did, Dimple never moved forward on his plans. Then Serizawa came into the picture; sweet, gentle, easy to manipulate Serizawa. The older teen was already primed for unquestioning loyalty and obedience by his old gang. All it would take was some pushing, the right bait to get what he wanted.

Though Serizawa shared Shigeo and Reigen’s lack interest in godhood, he had something they didn’t: a wish Dimple could pretend to grant. Shigeo’s desires were too vague for Dimple to latch onto and every suggestion Dimple made to Reigen about how to deal with his parents just horrified the kid.

But Serizawa, oh Serizawa only wanted one thing in the great, wide world: Reigen Arataka. The same annoying blond kid that had ruined his previous plans could be the key to setting a new one in motion. And after Serizawa’s heart-breaking Christmas the opportunity seemed ripe.

It was two days after the boys’ return to school from winter break that Dimple decided to strike. He followed Serizawa home, nothing too unusual. He usually split his time between hanging around either Shigeo, Reigen or Serizawa. Shigeo got the majority of his company but lately he had been hovering around the two high schoolers. Partially for his own amusement, but mostly for scheming.

Serizawa looked particularly miserable this afternoon. Dimple hadn’t observed anything specific that day but that didn’t mean nothing happened. After Serizawa stumbled his way to the privacy of his room, Dimple made his move. “What’s the matter, Serizawa?” he asked.

The teenager threw his backpack onto the ground and slumped onto his futon. “I promised myself at New Years that I would talk to Arataka. I even prayed for the courage.” He rubbed at his eyes. “But every time I try, I freeze up. I’ve asked him how he likes the school’s melon bread three times.” His tone reeked of teenage hormones. At that moment, asking about melon bread too often was the height of humiliating defeat.

“Oh, poor Seri-chan, it’s so hard being young.” Dimple floated down right next to Serizawa’s ear. He whispered as if there were others who could hear him: “What if I told you I could help?”

The teen opened one teary eye to stare at Dimple. “Why?” Not how, but why. Interesting, it seemed Serizawa was more concerned about Dimple’s motives than his methods.

Dimple pursed his lips. “Because seeing you all sad and pathetic is really just—” he couldn’t think of a better phrase, “sad and pathetic.”

Serizawa wasn’t buying it. He spoke with wary caution. “You didn’t care before.”

“That’s not true. I’m an evil spirit,” Dimple said, “being openly supportive isn’t in my nature.” His ghostly fingers patted the side of Serizawa’s cheek. “But I could talk to Reigen for you, let him know how you really feel.”

There was a short pause as Serizawa considered the offer. He swallowed his concern. “What do you get out of it?”

This was just what Dimple was waiting for. He couldn’t help the grin that crossed his face. “You would help me become a god.”

With a loud sigh Serizawa rolled over, turning his back to the spirit. “I can’t do that.”

The spirit shook in annoyance. “Why not?” He didn’t think he had come on that strong.

Serizawa kept his back firmly to Dimple. He muttered into his pillow, “I don’t think Kageyama-Shishou would like it.”

That was the lamest excuse ever. “Come on,” Dimple knew he was wheedling but he didn’t care, “Shige would never know.”

Now Serizawa looked back over his shoulder, short curly hair rumpled. “I think an ESPer of his caliber would know if his pet ghost became a god.”

“I’m not a pet!” Dimple shouted, his tiny arms pumped up and down with indignation. “I am a vanquished enemy who has joined his ranks in friendship.” Ugh, he had been watching too many shonen anime with Reigen.

Serizawa just stared at him. His eyes were filled with uncertainty. “I wouldn’t even know how to make you a god,” he admitted. “I’m a nobody.”

The fish was wriggling on the hook now. “It’s simple,” Dimple explained. “I possess your body for a while and perform some miracles.” Noticing the tense line of Serizawa’s shoulders Dimple tried a different tactic. “I know you don’t like the spotlight, so maybe you could pretend that you’re channeling me and that you’re just my vessel. Like an apostle, or a missionary.”

The teen bit his lower lip. “I don’t know.”

“Come on, we can figure out a plan for godhood later,” Dimple said. As long as he had Serizawa’s full cooperation, Dimple could do anything his evil little heart desired. “All you have to do is say ‘yes.’” If he had Serizawa’s consent then possession would be much, much easier. “And I’ll help you win Reigen over.” The teenager stared up at the ceiling, eyes focused on nothing. Dimple was not expecting that reaction. “Seri-chan?”

“If I don’t say something it’s going to happen,” Serizawa said, his voice small.

Dimple didn’t follow. “What will happen?”

“Girls like Arataka,” Serizawa continued, as if he didn’t hear Dimple. “He’s been confessed to before. I could lose him Dimple. Arai-chan, she wasn’t real but the next one—” His breath hitched into a sob. “She could be.” What started as a few shortened breaths descended into wet, painful tears. “I can’t, I can’t—” His heart ached, an agony so great that it manifested not only in the physical symptoms of his cries, but in how his very room reeled in his turmoil. Everything not nailed down floated, spinning with the rhythm of his sorrow.

Dimple knew of this kind of telekinetic tantrum but seeing the power of Serizawa’s in person filled with him with dread and anticipation. As much as Dimple pretended that he didn’t care about the humans he surrounded himself with, seeing Serizawa like this—

No, he could ignore it. The terrible buzzing discomfort he felt was temporary. Serizawa’s misery was temporary. Their relative weakness was temporary. His goal was reachable now, he could ascend to godhood. With Serizawa’s body and psychic energy, he could get the worship he craved. He could recover his own strength. And when he did, well he could make sure that Serizawa would never have to cry like this again.

“Just let me possess you, Seri,” Dimple cooed, soft and soothing. “And after school tomorrow I’ll confess to Reigen for you.”

Just a single yes and he could deliver on his promise. Reigen Arataka was just a fifteen-year old brat. Dimple was certain he would know the right words in the moment to win him over. Just a simple confession for a simple boy.

The backpack, the books and plastic models floated slowly back down into place. Serizawa’s breath still came too quickly, but the sobs were dry. He was almost cried out. He looked at Dimple with red, puffy eyes. “Dimple,” his voice croaked, hoarse from tears and mucus. “Help me. Please.”

The evil spirit grinned, his dimples red with pleased, terrible mirth. He had reeled in his prey. “You won’t regret this, Seri-chan.”

Those words would come back to haunt them in the day to come.

Chapter Text

The day had dragged on forever, each tortuous minute ticking into the next with careful slow precision. Serizawa had only slept the night before because of sheer exhaustion, but he did not feel rested. He was going to let Dimple take over his body today and that, even more than the anticipated confession, turned his bones to ice. He waited until the other students cleared the halls before ducking into the bathroom.

He was alone. The usual chatter of boys and the groans of bodily functions were silent. The cold walls would tell nothing of what happened in that room.

Reigen was upstairs in the library; he was tutoring today. Serizawa had large portions of Reigen’s routine memorized. Reigen overscheduled himself between kempo, Spirits and Such, and the tutoring job to keep from being dragged to work at his parents’ medical spa. Serizawa knew that once they got together he would have to convince the other teen to cut back if they were to go out on proper dates, but one hurdle at a time.

Serizawa turned on the facet and splashed some cool water in his face. He had to stop dreaming and just do it! His indecisiveness needed to stop now! He took a paper towel and gently patted his cheeks dry.

In the mirror’s reflection, he could see Dimple appear at his side. “You ready, Seri-chan?” the spirit asked.

No, but he who hesitates is lost. Serizawa closed his eyes and nodded, giving consent. He felt the electric buzz of Dimple’s presence move closer and closer. A strange fog slipping in through his skin, to his cells, to his mind--

Serizawa’s eyes opened, but it wasn’t him behind them. They flashed a sickly green before returning to their natural warm brown. Two red spots appeared high on Serizawa’s cheeks. Dimple checked out his new body in the mirror. His hair needed a little adjustment but his face was still smooth. It seemed that Serizawa had taken Reigen’s grooming tips to heart. When they first met the teen had been a bit of a slob but no he was definitely presentable.

He swept his hands through Serizawa’s hair, adjusting the short curls just right. There, perfect. Reigen’s tutoring sessions went anywhere from a half hour to an hour. If Dimple remembered correctly, Reigen had mentioned today’s session would be short. He didn’t have long to wait, but it was still enough time to get used to this body.

The last time he had possessed someone was the middle-aged man he had used as the face of Lord Dimple for his cult. That guy had some psychic ability but nowhere near on this scale. If wearing Serizawa’s body felt this good, he could only imagine what Kageyama’s would be like. Dimple licked his borrowed lips in greed. He had to tone it back; Shigeo wasn’t part of the plan anymore. Serizawa was more than enough.

Dimple just had to fulfill his half of the bargain. The spirit exited the bathroom and headed for the stairs in his new body. He had managed to suppress most of Serizawa behind a mental wall but he still had access to some basic information. Up the stairs and a few doors to the right was his goal. There were a few stragglers here and there, mostly kids dawdling on their way to their winter clubs. They were too wrapped up in their own worlds to notice a Serizawa walking with a more confident stride than usual.

Serizawa’s memory was accurate and Dimple found himself at the library without trouble. He opened the door. What luck, the place was practically deserted and his target was in sight. In a quiet corner along the back wall Reigen sat at one of the tables, a pretty black-haired girl next to him. It took Dimple a second to recognize her, this was the Arai-chan Reigen had been with Christmas Eve. They were in the middle of a conversation.

Dimple ducked out of their sight but not out of earshot. He peered at the students through a break in the books.

“So, he apologized?” Reigen prompted, leaning back in his chair.

“He was mad at first but when he realized he still liked me—” Arai brushed her long hair back behind her ear, “he got over it.”

Reigen shook his head, eyes rolled up in exasperation. “Dumb as a brick.”

“Yeah,” Arai agreed, “but I love him.” They laughed, just two friends sharing a naughty secret.

“I’m really glad.” Reigen said; then his face slipped into serious business mode. “But you still have to pay me.”

Arai gave him a playful side-eye, one that said she hadn’t expected anything else. She grabbed her adorable cat backpack and pulled out a box. It was filled with intricate looking New Years’ mochi. Reigen didn’t have a taste for the stuff but Serizawa certainly did. Dimple found that very interesting. Reigen took the box and slipped it into his own pack like they were participating in a drug deal.

Arai gathered herself together and took to her feet. “Thank you again, Reigen-kun.”

“Anytime!” Reigen waved her off. “Pleasure doing business with you.”

Dimple watched the girl depart with narrowed eyes. Once she was gone, he would be alone with Reigen. Even the volunteer librarian had stepped out. Dimple pointed a finger and locked it tight with a minor flex of power. No sense in the two of them being interrupted.

Reigen stood next to the table readjusting the contents of his backpack. He looked up at the sound of footsteps. At the sight of Serizawa, the boy’s face lit up. One of his favorite people in the world had just made an appearance. Dimple had never had that kind of pure affection centered on him. The rush was better than all of the false worship his hypnosis had generated. He could get used to this. Then Reigen’s eyes alighted on the red spots on Serizawa’s cheeks.

It all fell apart. Reigen’s face shuttered itself, closed off to all positive emotion. He let go of the backpack, his dander up. He glared at the intruder wearing Serizawa’s skin with utter revulsion. “Dimple, you get the hell out of him right now!”

The spirit was not one to take rejection lightly, especially not from one Reigen Arataka. “No.” He flexed a finger and pinned the little blond brat to the wall. With a few long-legged strides he brought himself up into Reigen’s personal space.

The shorter teen struggled against the aura holding him down. “Seri’s going to be pissed you’re in there,” Reigen said, he wasn’t intimidated in the least. “Get out before he kicks your ass!”

“Why would he kick me out?” Dimple asked, he leaned forward to whisper in Reigen’s ear, to really rub it in. “He invited me.”

Reigen froze in shock. “What? Why? Why would he possibly--”

Dimple grabbed the boy’s chin. “Because he spent all last night crying his little heart out over you. This little fool loves you so much he’s willing to make a deal with me.” He sneered at Reigen using Serizawa’s sweet face. “You spend so much time telling a grown man how to live his life that you can’t see the poor boy in front of you.”

“That’s not true.” Reigen shouted, desperate to reach the boy buried by the spirit. “Seri, you need to wake up!”

Strong fingers squeezed the boy’s cheeks. “Quiet,” Dimple said. “I’m not done.”

Reigen ignored the threat, he’d seen worse. “What kind of deal?”

The spirit grinned, lips too wide for comfort. “I help Serizawa get you and he helps me become a god."

Reigen stared at Dimple like he was nuts. “Are you kidding? He’s seventeen, how would that even work? Did you think any of this through or are you just so eager to get your ego-stroked?”

The spirit cut him off. “Of course, I thought this through.” He hadn’t; he hadn’t even thought through this stupid confession. He was Dimple, evil spirit, future god. Plans were for—planning things. Damnit, he couldn’t even think of a retort in his head. Fine, he’d follow Reigen’s lead and improvise. He’d seen the boy do it multiple times over the past year, how hard could it be?

Dimple let his aura drop Reigen, deciding to use Serizawa’s taller body to bully him instead. He braced those long arms on either side of Reigen’s head penning him in. He had seen this in one of the teenager’s wretched shows. It had seemed effective then and, judging from the look on Reigen’s face, it was effective now.

“It’s all so simple,” Dimple said, “we’ll start with your classmates. You already have grateful clients eager to listen to anything you say.” This was actually a pretty good start. “You could tell them Serizawa performs miracles by channeling the Great God Dimple. He’ll be my vessel and you—” it took Dimple a second, “could be my first priest.” For something he’d just thought up off the top of his head, the idea wasn’t half bad. Dimple got on a roll. “You two would spread my gospel to the city, the country, then the world. After a while I might not even need to borrow Serizawa.”

It was true. With enough love and worship, Dimple would be able to maintain his own body, his own appearance to the masses. This was just getting better and better.

“But until then,” he outright leered at Reigen now, “I might be gracious enough to let you two virgins have your privacy—” Pain exploded on the left side of his borrowed face. Dimple yelped in shock; his eyes watered with the impact. He hadn’t even seen the boy move.

Reigen just stared at him in contempt, not dropping his fighting stance. “You might want to put some ice on that.”

The worst part was, Dimple knew that it was just a tap. He had seen Reigen lay out other kids before in tournaments. He cradled the injured side of his face. “You hit Seri-chan!”

“I hit you,” Reigen clarified, lips tight in a grim frown. “Poor Katsu was in the way.”

Dimple snarled in righteous anger. How dare this, this child interfere with his plans again? “You little brat!” He raised his hand, he wouldn’t let Reigen get near him again without express permission. He would make the brat bow before him. He would grovel.

“Katsuya!” Reigen cried out, as the green aura wrapped around his legs, dragging him to the floor. His knees hit with a loud thud, hands braced against the floor to keep his torso up. “Katsu, please!”

That’s it, the boy looked so much better on his knees in supplication. If only he could do something about Reigen’s tongue—

White hot pain flashed through Dimple’s body. He felt himself become less substantial, less solid. Fingers grasped at the wispy tendrils of his head and yanked. Dimple was now outside of Serizawa’s body staring at the furious expression on the boy’s face.

“You hurt Reigen,” Serizawa accused, his aura a dark halo surrounding him. “I just wanted courage and you use my power to threaten him? What is wrong with you?”

The green spirit shrank to about the size of a tennis ball. “I—” Dimple had not meant for any of this to escalate. He was used to teasing and tormenting the two boys but this cruelty--

It was like after being on muted power for so long and then experiencing Serizawa’s untapped potential it made him power mad. He had always desired godhood but wanted to keep casualties to a minimum. Hell, his previous cult had really just been a twisted self-help pyramid scheme. Dimple’s plan wasn’t even really that destructive but the way that he had explained it to Reigen was wrong. He had done it again, he had lost his temper. Except this time instead of just losing his cult, he might lose some of the only friends he ever had.

He had to get away. He had to think. Dimple winked out of existence.

“Did you exorcise him?” Reigen whispered.

“No,” Serizawa admitted. He sucked his power back into his body. He was a little groggy from being out of control for so long and from the punch to the face. “He’s just teleported away.”

“Probably won’t see him for a few days,” Reigen joked, standing up to stretch his legs.

“Good.” Serizawa would be happy to never see Dimple again at that moment. He turned to look at Reigen. The blond’s face, oh it was painful to see. Guilt squeezed Serizawa’s heart. “Arataka, I—”

Reigen held up a hand. “Don’t. I don’t want to hear it.”

Serizawa winced at the harshness in his friend’s voice. That sort of venom was usually reserved for the worst of spirits. “I’m sorry.” He felt inadequate even saying it.

“I know.” Reigen stood up, cracking his neck. “But I’m pissed off at Dimple.” He glowered at Serizawa. “And I’m kind of pissed off at you.” Serizawa’s stomach dropped. “Here.” Reigen picked up his backpack and held it out in front of him. “Look inside.”

Serizawa stepped forward and rummaged through it as instructed. He found the box of New Years’ mochi. They were beautiful close up. Someone had taken a lot of care in making them. “Take it,” Reigen demanded. “It’s for you anyway.”

Memories of what Dimple had done while using his body were vague, but Serizawa knew how Reigen got this. “This is why you went out with Arai-chan?” he guessed. “To get me mochi?”

The blond sighed. “It’s supposed to be red bean paste but I didn’t get a chance to check.”

Red bean paste was Serizawa’s favorite. Reigen didn’t even like-- Oh. OH. He could feel scalding tears welling in his eyes. He had screwed this up so badly. Reigen hated him now. If he had just had the courage to do this himself, if he had never listened to Dimple—

“Hey, hey.” Reigen placed a warm hand on Serizawa’s shoulder. “Don’t do that. Please.” He was gentle now. “I said I don’t want to hear it today,” he said, “but I do want to hear it tomorrow.”

Serizawa choked back the tears and wiped at his eyes. He was so tired of crying. “Aren’t we going on the cockroach spirit job tomorrow?”

“Yes,” Reigen muttered, he hated bugs and especially hated cockroaches. He gave Serizawa a lop-sided grin. “So, I’m going to want something to look forward to.”

Serizawa swallowed. This wasn’t a rejection; he was being given a second chance. “Okay.” He would do as Reigen asked, he would wait before pressing his suit. He nodded his head and took his leave before he could embarrass himself any further.

Before bed Serizawa plucked one of the delicate mochi from its wrapping. It almost looked too beautiful to eat. Almost. He popped it into his mouth. Red bean paste exploded across his tongue. Delicious. Serizawa sighed; he could do this. If Reigen had gone through such stupid lengths to get him these, he could take the next step forward himself.

It was under the big cherry tree that next afternoon, that Serizawa finally found his courage. His words were clumsy and his hands clammy as they grasped Reigen’s but the blond didn’t seem to mind. He listened, letting Serizawa bare the secrets of his heart.

Reigen’s eyes were soft when he finally answered Serizawa’s confession. His words were short but they were sweet, as were their first shared kisses.

In the mad rush of teenage hormones that followed, sheltered underneath the dormant branches of the cherry tree, they nearly didn’t make it to the train.

Chapter Text

The restaurant was lovely, the sort of place that Shigeo would never have thought to go himself. Located at the top of one of the tallest buildings in Seasoning City, Restaurant Français Chic eschewed following the industrial trend to retain a plush atmosphere. The linens were crisp white, the chairs red velvet, but the most spectacular thing of all was the view. Shigeo could see far to the horizon from his table. The restaurant was also peaceful and quiet, unlike the eateries Shigeo would take the boys to after a job.

Teruki had even dressed in a more subdued fashion than usual. He wore a navy suit with a coordinating shirt and tie in colors that didn’t make your eyes bleed. Reigen would have approved; Shigeo certainly did. The dark haired ESPer didn’t feel that he looked quite as nice, but Teru didn’t seem to mind. He was a lucky man.

“Would you like something to drink, Shige?” Teru asked.

Shigeo had little familiarity with alcohol. His few experiments early into his isolation resulted in a trashed apartment and a worse hangover. He had abstained since then, but if was going to continue his journey into adulthood he should probably at least try. “Order what you recommend,” Shigeo said.

While Teru perused the wine options, Shigeo decided to look at the menu proper. He had been raised a mindful child; when invited out to dinner you never ordered the cheapest item on the menu, that might be considered an insult. Nor would you order the most expensive and be seen as greedy. Shigeo himself was used to rather inexpensive fare so this should be an experience.

He opened the leather-bound menu. Not only could he not read it but there were no prices. No prices.

Shigeo shut it with a snap. “Teru,” he whispered, “I don’t think I can eat here.”

“Why?” Teru asked, genuinely nervous he had miscalculated the restaurant. “Do you not like French cuisine?”

“That’s not the problem.” Shigeo felt embarrassed even bringing it up. “There aren’t any prices, I don’t know how to order.”

The other man looked almost like he was going to laugh. Almost. But Teru dialed back his own amusement to reassure his partner. “It’s alright, Shige. Growing up I spent most of my time alone,” he explained. “My parents were almost always out of town. They left me money and a place to live but not much else. After you defeated me and I lost my status and my so-called friends I realized that money doesn’t mean much if you don’t have someone to share it with.”

Shigeo hadn’t considered that side of things before. “Oh.”

“So please,” Teru took Shige’s hand in his. “Let me spoil you every once and a while. I promise not to do it often.”

Shigeo looked down at their entwined hands. There had been a time in his life where he thought he would never have such a thing, not for himself. Loneliness had been his destiny but the past few years changed all of that. He could be gracious and except the gift that was offered. He squeezed Teru’s hand. “Okay, since it’s Christmas.”

Teru took control of the ordering, asking Shigeo questions to ascertain the other man’s tastes. When dinner arrived, it was poultry with some sort of sauce drizzled on it with tiny vegetables as accompaniment. Shigeo was not used to such elegant plating on a Western-style meal. The takeout he favored was generally more slapdash. He felt a little guilty about disturbing it with his appetite.

The food was delicious. Shigeo didn’t realize how hungry he was until he took his first bite. The meat was gamier than he was used to but the citrus notes tempered it wonderfully. As they dined Teru and Shigeo engaged in small talk: how the exorcism business was doing, the humorous problems with running an ESPer school, Dimple’s latest attempts at tempting people to evil, etc. More wine flowed, a little dry for Shigeo’s taste, but it got better with each bite of rich food.

Perhaps it was the alcohol, but as dinner wound down, Shigeo found his thoughts drifting back to work and specifically the two children under his care. Something regarding their dynamic had changed and that worried Shigeo. He should have been concentrating on his companion, but the edge of melancholy would not go away.

HIs anxiety must have shown on his face because Teru asked: “Is there something wrong?”

Oh, he hadn’t meant to disturb their date. “It’s nothing here. Just the boys--”

Teru leaned forward. “Shige, I can’t help if you don’t tell me.”

Shigeo took a sip of wine, uncertain how to broach the subject. “I’m worried about Serizawa,” he said, the boy reminded him of himself when he was young. “I think he has a crush on Reigen.”

Teru chuckled. “Is that all?” He was visibly relieved. “I thought that you were worried about something serious.”

“It is serious.” Shigeo was surprised Teru didn’t see it that way. “Seri’s a very sensitive boy and Reigen—” He sighed; the kid was one of the best things that ever happened to him but still-- “He can be a bit much.”

“That’s like saying I’m a bit much,” Teru said, wiggling his eyebrows.

The other ESPer flushed, he didn’t mean to imply anything bad about his date. “I, uh—”

“I’m teasing you, Shige,” Teru reassured him. “Don’t worry about it. If they get together we can have The Talk then.”

Shigeo’s mind went blank. No, Teruki couldn’t possible mean what Shigeo thought he meant. “Why would they need The Talk?” he asked. “They’re just children.”

Teru gave his boyfriend a flat stare. “Serizawa’s seventeen,” he reminded the other man, “and Reigen’s fifteen. They are at the exact age where they are thinking about sex. Their parents probably told them the basics but you know how psychic powers complicate things.” It took exactly five seconds for the implication to sink in. Shigeo tried to bolt from the table. Teru grabbed onto his wrist, laughing in shock. “What are you doing?”

“We have to stop them,” Shigeo said, sounding slightly panicked. “Reigen’s just a kid.”

“He is not your son,” Teru reminded him, guiding his boyfriend back to his seat.

“No,” Shigeo argued, “he’s my manager.”

Now Shigeo was being ridiculous. “Well the only thing he’s managing today is himself,” Teru said, “and you should do the same.” Shigeo really did need to take his own needs into account more often.

“But—”

Teru gestured to the wait staff. “May we have a dessert menu please?”

Shigeo felt like his concerns were being brushed off. “But so many things could go wrong,” he said when the waiter was out of earshot. “What if Reigen’s not interested—” Shigeo pointedly ignored the incredulous expression on Teru’s face. “What if Seri gets overwhelmed? What if—”

“If you live your live in a constant state of ‘what if’ you’ll never do anything,” Teru said. “Your life is your own, Shige and so is theirs. We can guide them, we can teach them, but ultimately they will make their own decisions.”

The revelation hit Shigeo like a ton of bricks. The Five Part Plan was really just a guideline to lead to this. He had lived with fear and caution for so long that he had become a hikikomori. He had closed himself off rather than actually deal with his powers. His failure to mature was a failure to take risks. “That’s what it means to grow up,” he murmured.

“There’s more to it than that,” Teru said, letting his years of real-world wisdom speak for themselves, “but, yes.” He took the dessert menu from the waiter as he approached. “So, what do you want, Shige? I heard the pastries are to die for.”

Dessert did sound good. Shigeo would allow himself to push the boys out of his thoughts. He could deal with them later; tonight was for Teru and whatever decadence he wished.

Chapter Text

Reigen settled back on the couch, fidgeting his leg. He had changed out of his school uniform into some sweats and an old t-shirt. Serizawa was in the bathroom, doing the same. No sense in wrinkling their uniforms when all they were going to be doing was watching anime.

Reigen’s parents were still at work so Reigen and Serizawa were alone. They had hung out together without chaperones before but now they were dating. This was exciting; it was kind of naughty. Reigen felt like a rebel even though they were literally going to watch a giant mecha anime and eat snacks. The food was already laid out on the table, just waiting for consumption.

A lazy afternoon with just the two of them, without Mob and without Dimple. Dimple who had been missing for about a week now. It’s not like he hadn’t disappeared on his own before but never for this long. Reigen was still mad at him, but he was almost ready to grant forgiveness. Maybe. If they ever had the chance to talk it out.

What was taking Serizawa so long? Did he fall into the toilet? Was he primping? Seriously, was he primping? The older boy still had a bruise on his face but it had faded. Was he trying to cover it up? Reigen was about two seconds from getting off the couch and knocking on the door.

A familiar presence suddenly materialized somewhere in Reigen’s periphery. He turned his head to see a floating green blob. “What are you doing here?” Reigen asked. He had honestly expected for Dimple’s reappearance to be at the office, not his house. It wasn’t like he didn’t feel safe, but he thought Dimple would go for more neutral ground.

“It’s Wednesday, right?” Dimple said.

Reigen nodded, crossing his arms in front of his chest. He hadn’t realized apologies were date dependent. “Yes.”

“Triple Mecha Attack’s on in a few minutes,” Dimple said, as if this was relevant to anything. “I missed last week.”

Reigen sighed in exasperation. Just how long was Dimple going to delay? “I thought you hated this show.” The spirit was always complaining about it and pretty much any other show Reigen liked.

Dimple scoffed, trying to play it cool. “Yeah, it’s stupid.”

Reigen didn’t know how to respond. Shouldn’t Dimple be doing something more important, like explaining himself? “Don’t you have something better to talk about?”

“After the show Blondie,” Dimple said, settling onto the couch like he belonged there. “I don’t want any distractions.”

“You think I’ll be distracted by the show?” Reigen was actually offended.

“Not you, me.” Dimple reached a stubby arm out to pick up a snack baggie. “Serenity was going to be forced back into the mech after her head injury. I want to know what happened.”

Really? REALLY? “They cut to Pietro’s subplot for a whole episode but what does that have to do with—"

“I’m only going to say it once,” Dimple said, no longer teasing. “So, I’m waiting until after when you two are ready for it.”

“Ready for what?” Serizawa stood in the doorway, watching the both of them. There was the faint scent of cologne about him and he had combed his hair. He had been primping!

“Sit down, Seri-chan, the show’s about to start,” Dimple said.

Serizawa glanced to his boyfriend for guidance, obviously conflicted. Reigen nodded and patted the couch next to him. Whatever happened they’d do it together, but for right now Serizawa needed to get his butt on the couch. Serizawa settled down, his warm thigh pressing against Reigen’s.

The episode was more character-driven than usual, a build-up to the inevitable two or three chapter long drawn out battle to come. But it wasn’t Triple Mecha Attack that was causing all the tension in the room. Every once and a while Reigen would glance over at Dimple and the spirit was just watching the tv, occasionally munching on his ill-gotten snacks. It was like everything that had happened in the library was a lifetime ago.

Just what was going through the ghost’s mind? Or Serizawa’s for that matter? After the far more successful confession under the cherry tree, Serizawa had tried to explain himself. How his anxiety had led him to taking the deal with Dimple. How he doubted Dimple had any malicious intent that afternoon, but he was still angry about how things had turned out.

Reigen didn’t blame him. He was still pissed off at Dimple too but him disappearing for so long had him worried. The last time Reigen truly feared Dimple was at their first meeting. After Mob had dissolved the cult, Dimple degenerated into that friend who constantly came up with bad ideas that had to be shot down. Maybe he had gotten too lax in his relations with the spirit. How much did they know about Dimple anyway?

“Can’t get enough of my handsome face?” Dimple asked. He was grinning at the blond teenager with an expression Reigen would have loved to punch.

Reigen grimaced. “Just making sure you don’t steal all the shrimp rice crackers.” He had bought those specifically for this afternoon.

The spirit turned his attention back to the screen. “Can’t believe they put her back in the damn suit. Everything’s going to go to hell.”

If they didn’t talk it out, yes it probably was. Reigen felt a hand squeeze his left shoulder. He looked to his right. Apparently, Serizawa had successfully executed the “pretend to yawn and put your arm around your date” maneuver when he wasn’t looking. Now Reigen was a little annoyed that he had missed it.

They only had the second half of the show to go and they could work through this. Reigen could be patient. The rest of the show washed over them without incident. After Pietro’s voice actor implored them to watch the next exciting episode, Reigen flipped off the television. No more distractions, no more excuses. He was ready to interrogate Dimple when Serizawa beat him to the punch.

“Where have you been this past week?” Not exactly the first question Reigen would have asked.

“I floated around the city,” Dimple said, pursing his lips. “Just seeing how humanity was doing.” It seemed like there was more he wanted to say but didn’t know how. Dimple finally settled on: “It sucked.”

“Wow,” Reigen said, not impressed. “Is that all? Because if it is you can leave.” He was not going to sweep last week under the rug.

“No,” Dimple admitted. “Look, for as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to be a god. I don’t know why and I don’t know how but that’s been a part of me.” Serizawa and Reigen were listening. “That doesn’t mean much though,” Dimple said. “I acknowledge that I’ve existed for decades but I don’t recall most of it. This obsession could be recent for all I know.” He munched on one of his snacks, stalling to gather his thoughts.

“Shigeo destroyed my cult, destroyed the best chance I had to reach my goal. I thought that if I convinced Shigeo to let me possess him, I’d get all the worship I wanted. But he wasn’t interested.” Dimple gave Reigen a pointed look. “You weren’t either but I kept nagging. Then Serizawa came along and I pushed it all on him. It wasn’t until now that I realized why. If I had you guys in my plans then it meant you wouldn’t leave me. You three are connected; one of you goes along with me then the others follow. If I have the three of you, I’m no longer alone.”

Serizawa squeezed Reigen’s shoulder again. They had never heard anything like this from Dimple before. His whole body was slumped, revealing a vulnerability neither of them expected.

“I’m not good at this sappy, human stuff,” Dimple admitted. “I’ve never felt much of an attachment to the living but there’s something about you guys and Kageyama. The week I was away I felt lonely. I don’t ever remember feeling lonely before. In all my miserable long existence--” The spirit looked angry at the revelation. “I missed you dumb teenage meatbags!”

The spirit looked like he was on the verge of tears but Reigen was not going to cave. There was one thing he still needed to hear. “That’s nice,” Reigen said. Serizawa was shocked at Reigen’s coldness. “But you still haven’t apologized.”

“I’m getting to that!” Dimple snapped. “I shouldn’t have acted the way I did in the library. When you rejected me—” The green spirit screwed up his face, oh he did not want to talk about this. “You looked at Seri like the sun rose and set on him but then you looked at me like I was the lowest scum of the earth.”

Reigen was not going to be blamed for this. He leapt off the couch and pointed an accusing finger at the ghost. “You possessed the boy I like!”

“He asked me to!” Dimple yelled back, getting in Reigen’s face. “I’m never gonna apologize for that. We had a deal!”

“Yes, we did.” Serizawa’s quiet voice cut through the tension. He had sneaked up behind Reigen and had his hands on the shorter teen’s shoulders. “You didn’t follow through on it,” he pointed out. Dimple just shrugged, he wasn’t going to debate that point. He knew he screwed up and the deal was off. “But it was my fault in the first place.”

“He tricked you,” Reigen said, coming to Serizawa’s defense.

“I still let it happen.” Serizawa would not be assuaged. “It’s not like I have a history of making bad decisions.” He drew Reigen back into a tight hug. Serizawa let that that admission settle like a bomb.

Dimple nodded, he knew all about Serizawa’s past. “I can’t argue with that.”

Reigen groaned in disbelief. “I can’t either.”

“I accept my part in what happened,” Serizawa said, he stared at the ghost from over Reigen’s shoulder. “The question is do you, Dimple?”

The green spirit, even though he didn’t need to breathe, took in a dramatic breath. “Yes.” He turned his attention to Reigen. “I wasn’t going to kill you,” he confessed, “but I wanted to hurt you. If I had succeeded, I’d have never forgiven myself.” Dimple did his best approximation of a bow. “I’m sorry.”

Caught between Serizawa’s warm body and Dimple’s supplication, Reigen felt his anger dissolve. “Okay,” he said. There was probably more that needed to be worked out but for the moment Reigen was all right.

There was a tense moment before Dimple asked, “So, I can stay?”

Reigen let out a puff of annoyed air. “Fine, but don’t steal all my snacks.”

Dimple pumped his little green fists into the air before flying over to kiss Reigen on the cheek. The teen yelped and wiped at his face. “I still want to be a god,” Dimple said, before ruffling Serizawa’s hair.

Reigen rolled his eyes; this again? “That worked out so well last time.”

“Yeah,” Dimple said, “But I can wait another generation or so. I’ll just let myself enjoy my time with my boys.”

“Please don’t call us that again,” Serizawa said, shuddering a little.

“Meh.” Dimple picked at his non-existent fingernails. Everything appeared to be back to normal for him. He gave the two teenagers the side-eye. “So, are you two going to make out or were you really just going to watch cartoons all afternoon?”

Reigen wondered if it was too late to withdraw forgiveness.

Chapter Text

The first icy fingers of winter threatened Reigen’s ears as he walked briskly toward his destination. His mother’s birthday was coming up and he finally had an idea for a gift. A deeply practical woman, she had declared that she didn’t want any “things” for her birthday this year. Just a card would be fine. But Reigen was no fool, he couldn’t just turn up empty handed. He wasn’t falling into that trap.

He would never hear the end of it if he didn’t do something. It was bad enough that he wasn’t exactly a dutiful son, if he was a thoughtless one as well—ugh.

The little shop was in sight. Reigen quickened his pace to enter and leave the cold behind. He had settled on the idea of an ikebana arrangement. A small deference to tradition, important since he sure as hell wasn’t going the traditional route and taking over the family business.

He didn’t see any employees at first, just a small forest of potted plants and flowers. A large refrigerator with premade arrangements and cut flowers stood behind the counter. Reigen made his way to the cash register. “Hello?” he called out

In the corner of his eye he could spot a man with white-blond hair and an apron. His back was to the door. “Excuse me, can I get some help?” Reigen called out.

The man turned; he wasn’t a man at all but a teenager Reigen’s age, a specific teenager in fact. Reigen asked, “Hey, weren’t you part of that ESPer gang?”

The other teenager, Minegishi if he remembered right, just stared right back. “Hey, weren’t you that idiot who took on an ESPer gang with no plan?”

Reigen grinned, he wasn’t offended. He had won after all. “And look who’s still standing.” He let out an obnoxious chortle just to goad the other kid.

“Thanks to those cops,” Minegishi pointed out. He leaned against the counter. “So, what do you need? I want to go back to ignoring humanity.”

Reigen raised an eyebrow, this banter was actually kind of fun. “You talk to all of your customers this way?”

“Only the ones who are a nuisance.” There was no hostility in Minegishi’s tone, just a statement of fact.

Reigen had a feeling the owner of the shop was out. If they were there Minegishi would be singing a different tune. He might have to make a special trip later just to see how the other kid dealt with paying customers. Today though, Reigen would get to the point. “I was thinking about ikebana.”

Minegishi took out a pen and paper. “What’s the occasion?”

“My mom’s birthday,” Reigen told him.

The other teen stopped writing. “A little stuffy for a birthday.”

“Have you met my mom?” Reigen asked.

“No, but Serizawa’s mentioned a thing or two,” Minegishi said. That was interesting, Reigen didn’t know his friend still talked to the old gang. “I’d do something simple, it’d probably be more in your price range.”

Now Reigen’s dander was up. “I’m not that cheap.”

Minegishi shook his head. “I know how much you make at Spirits and Such. Trust me on this.”

Reigen was going to continue arguing the point but he was not stupid. Minegishi did have a point. He was saving up his money in case of emergency. Although Reigen had dropped many hints over the years, he had never formally told his parents that he wasn’t joining the business. He had no idea what the fallout would be.

Maybe spending less money on this arrangement wasn’t a bad idea. He could always go big with flowers when he was a successful adult. Use it to show off that he was doing all right. “Okay,” Reigen agreed. “What do you recommend?”

Once they started talking business the conversation went much more smoothly. Maybe Minegishi wasn’t a total failure as a salesman. A few scratched notes, some yen passed over a counter, and a receipt later Reigen had successfully completed his transaction. He’d pick the arrangement up after school on his mother’s birthday. No sense in paying the delivery fee.

As Reigen left the shop he wondered if he should tell Serizawa about his encounter with Minegishi and that he knew Serizawa still talked to members of Claw. But the chill wind dispelled any feeling of dread, replacing it with a simple desire to get home. Serizawa was seventeen years old; if he could still talk to his old friends and not slip back into old habits, more power to him. Reigen felt that he had a hard-enough time keeping ahold of the friends he had to criticize anyone else’s choices.

It had been seven months since the dissolution of Claw. Seven months since Suzuki had been sent away to a private high school and seven months since Serizawa had been suspended. He had never been more grateful.

By leaving Claw he had been forced to examine what he wanted out of life. He had to do more on his own and also learn how to rely on others in a more positive way. He now had more friends, higher grades, control over his powers and, by extension, his life.

So, he was a little surprised to see a message on his phone from Hatori. He wanted to see Serizawa after school, he said it was urgent. Serizawa still spoke to the other Super 5 on rare occasions, but this is the first time any of them had summoned him. It took him a few minutes to find his bearings; Serizawa never went to the computer lab without the rest of the class.

Hatori sat alone in the dark room, lit only by a pinkish light from the monitor. “Oi, Serizawa,” he called out, waving the older boy over. “What is this?” He turned the monitor to face Serizawa.

The sempai looked at the image. He sighed, he had walked all the way over here for this? It was a good thing he was patient. “It’s the Spirits and Such website.”

“It’s garbage,” Hatori complained. He pointed at all of its problems. “It’s like if ‘90s Geocities throw up all over the screen. It’s like a pastel nightmare of—”

Serizawa did have better things to do this afternoon, like clip his toenails. “What do you want, Hatori?”

The shorter teen flipped the screen back around. “I want to fix your boyfriend’s website.”

Serizawa flushed in embarrassment. He didn’t even talk to Hatori all that often. Was he really that obvious? “He’s not—it’s not his website and he’s not my boyfriend.” He hated how defensive he sounded.

Hatori snorted with derision. “Your almost boyfriend then. Your almost boyfriend who can’t program to save his life.”

Serizawa had to get Hatori off the topic of Reigen. “Why would you want to fix the Spirits and Such website?”

“Because he helped me,” Hatori said, suddenly serious. “I was mad at first but I didn’t realize how bad things were until I got away from Suzuki.” Hatori wasn’t looking at Serizawa anymore. “He just had that kind of personality. You know what I’m talking about.” Yes, Serizawa did. “So, I want to thank your—Reigen and this is the only way I know how.”

It was a sweet gesture and the website was truly terrible. “I’ll talk to him about it.”

Hatori’s smile was brighter than the monitor. “Great! I have some ideas—”

As Hatori prattled on Serizawa stood there letting the younger boy’s words wash over him. The minutes dragged on into tens of minutes, into half an hour. The chatter continued on and on and on. It was in that terrible moment that Serizawa realized that no amount of psychic powers could stand against the excited rambling of a nerd.

Chapter Text

The school year had finally come to an end after a week of plodding through finals and meetings. With the Closing Ceremony over, Serizawa and Reigen were free. “Come on,” Reigen said, running as fast as his legs could carry him. “Mob’s waiting!”

It was misery running in the cold, but Reigen’s enthusiasm would not be deterred. Parent/Counselor conferences were over, finals were over, all of it was over for almost two full weeks! Two weeks of not having to plan for the future or answer to anyone.

Serizawa had already told his parents that he had no intention of going to university. They said they understood but also didn’t plan on telling the school counselors just yet. His mother wanted to make sure they had a real blueprint for Serizawa’s future in place. No sense in getting ahead of themselves.

Serizawa also hadn’t discussed anything with Reigen yet because, quite frankly, Serizawa was just so happy to be dating that he didn’t want to rock the boat. There was always the chance that they wanted different things out of life. That all they would have was this year or maybe the next. Once Reigen graduated all bets were off.

Serizawa could not let fear temper the genuine feelings he had right here, right now. The two teenagers entered the Spirits and Such office. They were greeted by Dimple hanging a crude handmade banner saying “School’s Over/Adulting Party,” some cans of soda, and nothing else.

“Uh, Mob,” Reigen asked, looking around as if party grub was hidden somewhere he couldn’t see. “There’s no food.”

“Oh,” Kageyama said, not getting up from his desk. “I forgot the snacks.”

Reigen shot Mob an incredulous look. “Really? You invite us for a party and forget half of what makes a party?” He ran a hand through his hair in exasperation. “What am I teaching you to adult for?”

“I’m sorry, but that’s not covered by the list,” Kageyama said. He was getting sassy as he approached thirty. Kageyama rummaged in his pocket for some money. He held out the small wad to Reigen. “Why don’t you and Dimple go pick something up?”

Reigen took the money, eyeing his boss with suspicion. He and Dimple were never sent out alone together. “Okay.” Reigen glanced over at Serizawa. He was not stupid, Kageyama wanted to talk to Serizawa alone for some reason. Why didn’t he do it on a day when Reigen wouldn’t be there? Reigen leaned over and whispered into Serizawa’s ear. “Do not let him give you the Shovel Talk.” Serizawa choked back a snort of laughter. Reigen cocked his finger at Dimple. “Come on, we want to get back before it’s dark.”

Dimple hovered by Serizawa’s ear. “Good luck, kid.” He followed Reigen out the door.

Kageyama waved Serizawa over to a chair next to his desk. Oh, this was going to be a serious talk then. Serizawa took his seat and waited. Kageyama looked at Serizawa with a grave expression. He dropped a bombshell. “I’m leaving Spirits and Such.”

The floor went out from Serizawa. He had been worried this was coming ever since summer, but to hear this now, when he was still worried about his own future? What would he do if Spirits and Such was gone? Could he open his own business? Did he have the sense? He certainly didn’t have the capital. Serizawa gave voice to his greatest concern, trying to sound steadier than he felt: “You’re closing the agency?”

“No,” Kageyama said. “I need a new job in place or I’ll end up right back where I started.” This wasn’t just a rash decision. It appeared that Kageyama had though through at least some of the consequences.

Serizawa’s hope latched onto the single “no.” It wasn’t a “not yet.” It could imply that Kageyama wasn’t planning on shutting down Spirits and Such at all, but that could be wishful thinking. “What do you want to do?” Serizawa asked.

“I want to teach.”

Serizawa hadn’t expected that. Although, to be honest, he didn’t know what he had expected. Kageyama didn’t seem to have many interests. “Did Hanazawa-san influence your decision?” he asked.

“A little,” Kageyama said, “but I don’t want to teach at his school.” That was surprising, Serizawa would have thought-- “I’d like to teach elementary school or maybe middle school students,” Kageyama continued. “I want to help children when they’re young, give them guidance. High schoolers are a little too set in their ways.”

Something about Kageyama’s words struck Serizawa as odd. All of this talk about the agency and none about the other person who would be most affected. “What about Reigen?” Serizawa asked.

Kageyama’s stare burned straight into Serizawa’s soul. “What about him?”

Serizawa’s blood ran cold. He couldn’t believe his Master. “He loves this place, why not leave it to him?”

“You said it yourself,” Kageyama pointed out. “He doesn’t have powers like us.” Having his words thrown back at him felt like a slap in the face to Serizawa. He had been upset when he had said them. How could Kageyama--

“He’s vulnerable,” Kageyama finished. The image of Reigen sitting on the ground exhausted from last August came back unbidden. “I can’t leave Spirits and Such to him.”

Kageyama couldn’t just-- But Reigen--

“I can’t talk to customers!” Serizawa argued. “I’m terrible with other people.”

The older ESPer was not impressed with the excuse. “You can learn.”

“I don’t want to!” Serizawa realized how stupid that sounded once the words left his mouth. He wasn’t good at confrontation. His stomach twisted itself into knots, sweat beaded his brow.

“That’s not what you mean,” Kageyama said. He was stern. “Tell me what you mean.”

Serizawa could never do this alone. He had counted on Kageyama and Reigen being with him. Serizawa laid his cards out on the table. “I don’t know if I want to be here without Arataka.”

Kageyama was not moved. “Is this because of your relationship?”

Serizawa wanted it to be an unfair question but he had asked the same thing of Kageyama and teaching. He needed to articulate himself, to show his Master why Reigen mattered. “He’s put so much of himself into this place. It’s tied to him.” He could see the other boy’s influence everywhere: the décor, the furniture, the books on the shelves. How much of the office was Reigen and how much Kageyama? “Even though he isn’t psychic I can feel him here.”

“He’s poured his childhood into Spirits and Such,” Kageyama agreed. He strummed his fingers on the desk, his only visible sign of emotional turmoil. “Maybe I asked too much of him,” he said, voice quiet. “By giving you this place we can set him free.”

Serizawa shook his head. He couldn’t read his Master at all. “I don’t think he’d want that.”

Kageyama’s eyes were serious. “Do either of us know what he really wants?”

Why did Kageyama’s questions have to hurt so much? This was supposed to be a good day. A day to celebrate another school year done and Kageyama completing the Five Step Plan. What did either of them do to deserve this?

“I don’t know,” a familiar voice interrupted. “You could just ask me.”

Serizawa spun around. Guilt gnawed at him; he had been caught doing something he shouldn’t.

Reigen and Dimple were back, and Reigen did not look happy. “Great.” The blond dropped the bags of convenience store snacks onto Mob’s desk with a loud thud. “More people talking about my future without my input. Didn’t get enough of that at the Parent/Teacher conferences.” The smile on his face held bitterness rather than mirth.

Just how much had Reigen heard? Was Reigen mad at him now? Was he mad at Kageyama? Serizawa stood frozen with indecision. He knew about Reigen’s parents and their constant needling at him. How did any of this look to a boy who always had adults trying to force him into an occupation he didn’t want?

For the first time since making Serizawa’s acquaintance, Kageyama looked nervous. “Reigen-kun—"

“Congratulations Mob on completing the Five Step Plan,” Reigen said. The words should have been sincere but anger laced them with bitter sarcasm. With his usual flare for the dramatic, Reigen opened the door and glared at his boss. “You’ve become a shitty adult, just like all of the rest of them.” The door slammed shut with terrible finality.

Reigen was gone, Reigen was gone— Serizawa found his tongue. “I need--”

But Kageyama was on his feet and out the door before Serizawa could move. “Reigen-kun!” the older ESPer called out. He left Serizawa and Dimple behind without a second thought. The door slammed shut again.

Why was this happening? Serizawa couldn’t remain passive, he couldn’t just wait here like a good boy. He had to move, he had to stop this. Reigen--

Dimple floated into Serizawa’s face, holding out his tiny hands. “Let them go, Seri,” he said.

Serizawa couldn’t believe the spirit was interfering. “I can’t do that,” he said. “Arataka—"

“Look kid,” Dimple argued, “those two have been together for years. They’ve got history we can’t compete with.” Serizawa wished that Dimple would lie to him. “If Shigeo is going to screw this all up then he needs to fix it.”

“But I need to talk to Reigen,” Serizawa insisted.

“You will, don’t worry about it,” Dimple said.

“How can you say that?” Serizawa’s heart thudded in his chest. “He thinks I betrayed him!”

“I doubt that.” The spirit chuckled without humor. “Listen, if he didn’t dump you when you let a malicious spirit possess you, he won’t dump you over a conversation you weren’t expecting. Reigen may be petty, but he isn’t stupid.”

Dimple may be right but Serizawa still didn’t like it. Dimple rested on Serizawa’s shoulder. “Just sit back and relax until this is all over. You’ll get your chance at drama soon enough.”

Serizawa hated this helpless feeling but there was nothing he could do. Running after Reigen and Kageyama now would accomplish nothing. They had to talk it out themselves. So Serizawa grabbed a soda, popped the tab, and waited.

Chapter Text

This was not how this was supposed to end.  Serizawa was supposed to accept the business, then Shigeo could let it go, and then Reigen could enjoy the rest of his childhood unencumbered.  Yes, Serizawa was still technically in high school but he was almost a man.  It was the right time for him to consider his life’s plans.  Reigen though still had years left to go.  Shigeo had taken so much from him already, to take those last few precious years—

It hadn’t concerned him before just how much time Reigen had devoted to Shigeo.  But things changed last August with the farm spirit job.  Reigen and Shigeo had several close scrapes before but having Serizawa with them had put a different perspective on things.  That conversation with the younger ESPer had made Shigeo realize what he was doing to Reigen.

About how a child had dedicated years to helping a twenty-something year old shut-in get a life.  About how a child without powers was in danger every time he went out in the field.  That at any time Shigeo could fail him and that when he did Reigen could die.

He had to let go.  Shigeo could not be responsible for Reigen any longer, mostly because he never was.  He had allowed the boy to take control, to act the role of the adult when he was still so very, very young.  Reigen was already in high school, how long could he continue to let Shigeo leech off of his youth?  How long could Shigeo allow himself to let a child dictate his destiny?

In February, Shigeo made his decision.  Spirits and Such’s business had jumped up significantly, mostly revolving around lifting curses.  It seemed that someone out there was hexing otherwise happy couples.  The first few had seemed liked a coincidence but as more and more cases piled up it had been clear that the spells had been cast deliberately.

One particularly nasty curse had gotten out of Serizawa’s control and latched onto Reigen’s jacket.  The sleeve had almost dissolved before Reigen could throw the garment off.  His arm hair had been slightly singed but he was otherwise unharmed.  Still, one wrong move and the boy could have lost a limb or worse.

The number of curse cases had slowed down but they were still coming.  Shigeo feared that the culprit behind them was out there waiting for them.  Now was the time to get Reigen out of the exorcism business.

Even so, this wasn’t how this was supposed to happen.  Shigeo had to find Reigen.  He had to explain himself.   

Which is how, despite going to Murada’s gym for years, Shigeo discovered that he was no match for an angry fifteen-year old.  Where had Reigen even gone to?  He had been running for what felt like forever and there was no sign of the boy.  Shigeo stopped, sucking in deep gasping breaths.  This was stupid.  He patted himself down and felt a familiar bulge in his blazer pocket.  Thank god, he had his phone.

Shigeo dialed the most frequently used number on his cell.  Ring.  Ring.  Ring.  Nothing.  Shigeo hit the red button.  He should have expected this.  Reigen was mad at him, why would he answer?

Shigeo had to think, where would Reigen go?  The teen might go home but it wasn’t likely.  Was there any place he could hang out until dark?  And if Shigeo did find Reigen, would he even want to talk? 

Shigeo should have waited until next week before discussing transfering over Spirits and Such.  He knew that end of semester conferences always brought out the worst of Reigen’s temper.  Serizawa was mellower about them, but it was still unpleasant for the dark-haired teen.  To be honest, Shigeo had never been wacky about them either.  He couldn’t help but think that he could have avoided this mess with a little patience. 

That’s when he got the text.  It was graffiti of a suzumebachi, or giant hornet, and the address of a cross street.  Shigeo had seen this symbol before, usually in the areas where couples first felt the effect of their curses.  Who could have sent the text?

It was from Reigen.   

Shigeo’s heart thudded in his chest.  No.  Please tell him Reigen hadn’t found the Mad Hornet--   

Another text: “Heard voices.  Investigating.”

No. No.  No.  NO!

The streetlight above Shigeo exploded in a shower of glass.  He had to calm down, he had to calm-- He dialed Serizawa.  “I need you to meet me at,” Shigeo gave the address of the cross-streets, “now!”

He hung up before the boy could respond.  He had to go, he had to get to Reigen.  Shigeo typed the address into his phone.  It seemed that Reigen had made a turn somewhere several blocks from Spirits and Such.  No wonder Shigeo couldn’t find him.

Shigeo raced as fast as he could.  If something happened to that boy, he would never forgive himself.

So, Mob finishes the Five Step Plan and just throws him to the side?  What an asshole.  Reigen fumed as he ran away from the Spirits and Such office.  Fine, he’d find something else to do. 

It’s not like his own motives had been exactly pure the last few years.  Reigen had hoped to join the business full time when he had been old enough but that had just gone out the window.  He’d find another career.  He was smart, he was capable.  It could be anything; just as long as it kept him out of his parents’ medical spa and far away from their creepy clients.

He was also pissed that Mob had dragged Serizawa into all of this.  How dare Mob just put his boyfriend on the spot and-- That gave Reigen pause.  He reminded himself to call Katsuya later and let him know that Reigen was okay.  That they were okay.  Katsuya believed in him, had spoken up for him.  Reigen had no idea if Katsuya knew how much that was appreciated.  The blond would make it up to him later.  Right now, he was too angry to express his gratitude properly.

Reigen’s feet took him to a dark alleyway on an unfamiliar street.  Wow, he really had been annoyed not to pay attention to where he was going.  He scanned the area to get his bearings when his eyes landed on some strange graffiti.  It looked like a stylized giant hornet.

Oh, this was bad.

Some jerk had been cursing people for fun and profit and painting this symbol around town.  Rumor had it that if you went to one of these sites, you’d either trigger a curse already placed on you or meet the man who could curse a rival for a price.  Down the dark sour smelling alley, Reigen heard murmuring voices.

Mob needed to stop this guy but they had no idea what he looked like.  If that guy was in this alley Reigen could take a photo of the culprit.  The investigation could move forward and Reigen could prove his worth at the same time.  Foolproof.

Reigen wasn’t stupid enough to do this all on his own; he still resented throwing a perfectly good jacket in the trash over a curse.   He’d send a text to make sure Mob was there in case something went south. 

Once the text went out into the ether, Reigen made his way into the alley.  He kept quiet, knowing that revealing his presence too soon would lead to trouble.  At the far end of the alley were two men standing amongst some shipping boxes.

Reigen hid behind one, just within earshot.  He peered around the worn musty box to spy on the men.  One looked like a regular salaryman but the other guy had to be the Mad Hornet.  Average height and average build except for the pot belly.  The man’s stringy green hair was tied back in a ponytail and he had sharp piercing eyes.  Unlike the salaryman, he was shabbily dressed.  The sort of person you would skim over unless you caught the eyes.  They were arresting and not in a positive way.

Reigen looked at the settings on his phone, turning off the photo taking alert.  He leaned out, being careful to stay out of the men’s eyeline.  The shot wasn’t well-composed but the Mad Hornet’s face was easily identifiable.  A single button press and the only known photo of the Mad Hornet came into existence.  Step one complete.  

“That’s a lot of yen,” the salaryman said.

“Well,” the suspected Mad Hornet muttered, “it’s a big job.  Making someone have a bad day is one thing; killing is another.”

The teenager felt his heart skip a beat.  He had no powers, he couldn’t confront the Mad Hornet directly but Reigen couldn’t just let this guy buy a curse.  What could he do?  Throw a rock and hope that the salaryman freaks out and leaves?  Okay, it was a stupid idea but Reigen had nothing else.

He didn’t spot any rocks, but a soup can had fallen out of shipping container nearby.  Reigen picked it up and waited for an opportunity.

The salaryman sighed.  “I need him dead.  Saneda took a job that was meant for me.  I worked too hard for this.”  The man had let his resentment settle into his body and soul.  “I’ll do it.”

Okay, screw waiting.  Reigen chucked the can as hard as he could.  It rattled against the alley wall, startling the two conspirators.

“What was that?” Salaryman asked.  He was a jumpy one.   

Mad Hornet frowned, his eyes surveyed the area.  “Probably nothing,” he said.  Reigen could tell the man was lying; he suspected something was going on.  Mad Hornet turned his attention back to his client.  “Now what are the man’s details?”

Salaryman shook his head, sweat beading on his forehead.  “I can’t do this.  Someone may be watching.  I’m sorry.”  He took off, clutching his briefcase to his chest.

Good, at least an innocent person wouldn’t get cursed.  Now Reigen needed to make his own exit.  He saw Mad Hornet close his eyes as he muttered something Reigen couldn’t hear.  Whatever it was, Reigen didn’t really need to know, he just needed to go.

The teenager tried to push himself up from where he was crouched.  Nothing.  His limbs wouldn’t move.  Reigen peeked down at himself.  Dark yellow tendrils grasped at his arms and legs, holding him to the ground.  This was not good.  He looked back up to see a sinister yellow face appear before him.  “Hello, boy.”

Oh no.  The yellow spirit yanked Reigen into the air, suspending his feet above the ground.  Reigen struggled against the spiritual bonds but to no avail.  He was trapped.  “Look what I found,” the spirit cackled.   

The Mad Hornet ceased his mumbling and examined his new prisoner.  The man’s evil eyes wrinkled with pleasure.  “You’re one of Kageyama’s boys,” he said.

How did this guy know Mob?  Had he been following them while they had been investigating?  Reigen hid his fear with bravado.  “I guess our fame is spreading.”

“Your annoying persistence is spreading,” Mad Hornet snapped.  He grabbed Reigen’s face, callused fingers chaffed against boyish smooth cheeks.  “Do you know how many refunds I’ve had to give thanks to his interference?  He will ruin me.”

Reigen sneered as best he could.  “Get a new business model.”

The Mad Hornet just laughed.  “For a kid with no power you’ve got guts.  No wonder he keeps you around.”  He gave Reigen a condescending pat on the cheek.  “Maybe I could use one of you.”

It was a joke but once it left his mouth something on Mad Hornet’s face shifted from mocking to predatory.  “Actually, that’s not a bad idea.”  He pulled his lips back from his teeth in a parody of a smile.  “How about becoming my apprentice kid?  You’ll need a new Master once I’ve killed Kageyama.”

Reigen snorted.  This guy had no idea who he was dealing with.  The things he had seen Mob do were beyond most peoples’ comprehension.  Reigen almost felt sorry for the Mad Hornet.  “You’re no match for Mob.”

“We’ll see about that,” older man said.  “Akui and I here go way back.”  The yellow spirit made a sound like a purr if it had been run through a cement mixer.  “It wouldn’t be the first time we’ve killed the competition.”

Ring.  Ring.

The Mad Hornet’s eyes raked Reigen up and down.  He located the offending noise and reached into Reigen’s pocket for the cell.  He answered the phone, holding it out from his ear so Reigen could hear.

“Reigen, are you all right?”  It was Mob.

At Reigen’s start of recognition, the Mad Hornet’s lips curved into a sinister grin of teeth and gums.  “Kageyama, I presume,” he spoke into the phone.

“Who is this?” Mob asked.

“Really Kageyama, most psychics don’t even have one apprentice, let alone two.  Either you’re greedy or you like to collect young men,” Mad Hornet taunted.  He smacked the side of Reigen’s cheek.  “I hope you don’t mind me taking one.”

Mob’s voice was cold on the other end of the line.  “Let him go.”

“Meet me alone in three hours,” Mad Hornet said.  “I’ll send you the address.”  It was an abandoned warehouse on the other side of town, full of lots of dangerous debris that could be used to kill someone.  “If you behave, I might let the boy go.”

“Mob,” Reigen shouted, trying to warn his boss, “this guy has a spirit!”  Mad Hornet hung up before Reigen could finish.

“So loyal,” Mad Hornet mocked.  He glanced up at Akui.  “We’ve got to go.  Knock him out.”

The yellow spirit wrapped a tendril around Reigen’s temple, pushing its way into his ear.  Reigen’s eyes watered as he gasped from the sudden pain.  It lasted only a few seconds before Akui’s power took away Reigen’s consciousness.

Mad Hornet gathered up the limp body into his arms.  The boy was precious cargo for the moment.  Akui slid into his human host, leaving only glowing yellow eyes as an indication of his presence.  Mad Hornet, his power now combined with Akui’s, leapt up the alley walls to the rooftops to make his escape.

Mere moments later, Shigeo stumbled into the alley.  “Reigen!” he called out in a panic.  “Reigen!”  He could sense that someone with psychic energy had been there but was now gone.  Shigeo was too late.

“Master Kageyama!”  It was Serizawa.  He had gotten there faster than Shigeo since he hadn’t had to backtrack his steps.  He had Dimple with him, the ghost had refused to stay behind.  Serizawa looked up at his Master.  “Where’s Reigen?” he asked.

Shigeo told him.

Progress towards Mob’s Explosion:  87%

Chapter Text

“Wakey, wakey!”

Reigen choked at the rank smell that heaved him back into wakefulness. Akui had rubbed a thin tendril underneath Reigen’s nostrils like a spectral version of smelling salts. Reigen raised his hand to swat the spirit away but couldn’t. He jerked at his hands again, they were bound with some sort of material. It took another second or two to fully get his bearings.

Reigen had his back to something. He couldn’t tell if it was concrete or steel, and his arms were behind him around a pole or pillar or whatever. Something vaguely cylindrical. He was in a warehouse space lit only with a few oil-burning lamps and the moonlight streaming in through broken windows. Reigen wondered if Mad Hornet hoped to get the drop on Mob in the dark enclosed space.

Akui coiled a wisp of itself around Reigen’s chin, guiding the teen to look directly at it. “After tonight we’ll be spending the rest of your life together,” the spirit said gleefully. “We should get to know each other.”

Recon might not be a bad idea. “What’s the deal with you and the Mad Hornet?” Reigen asked. He needed to be judicious with his questions since Reigen couldn’t actually see where the Mad Hornet was. No sense in getting the psychic worked up before Mob appeared.

“It’s all rather boilerplate,” Akui said, tapping its semblance of a chin. “We engage in a little mutually beneficial possession to increase his power and I get his soul when we’re done.”

How was that boilerplate?! Reigen nodded, keeping a straight face. “Interesting.”

“And now I’ll have you to play with too,” Akui said. It batted at Reigen’s fringe like a cat. Reigen had no idea that some spirits could be so touchy. “You don’t have the spiritual energy he does but I bet your body has more stamina.”

Reigen frowned, biting his lower lip. That wasn’t the creepiest thing anyone had ever said to him, but it was up there. “How would this work exactly?”

Akui twirled in the air. It was not the type of spirit to stay still. “We’re still working out the details, but I’d be using both of you as host bodies on our jobs,” Akui said. “The Hornet still needs more time to observe you, figure out how best to use your skills.”

There was one part of this plan Reigen believed the spirit failed to consider. “Why would you think I’d cooperate?”

“Because,” the Mad Hornet said stepping into the light, “otherwise I’ll just kill you. And I think you’ve got enough sense not to die for a few measly principles.”

Reigen wasn’t sure if that was entirely true but he felt insulted either way. Thankfully, the impromptu philosophy session was interrupted by someone Reigen actually wanted to see. Mob’s steps were so quiet that they hadn’t even heard the man approach. “Where’s Reigen?” he asked, his soft voice echoing in the warehouse.

The Mad Hornet took a step to the side, waving his hand in Reigen’s direction. “He’s safe, as you can see. More than you are.” A yellow glow enveloped Mad Hornet as Akui merged with him. In the blink of an eye, his body launched at Mob, fists radiating psychic power. Mob’s aura activated, creating a barrier for the Mad Hornet to bounce off.

“You don’t have to do this,” Mob said. “You don’t have to hurt people for a living.”

“You’re right, I don’t have to,” the Mad Hornet replied. “I just like to.”

The two ESPers wailed at each other with auras, barriers and various debris left from lifetimes of manufacturing. With the adults distracted, Reigen focused on his own escape. He shifted his bonds up and down, hoping that the surface he was tied to was rough enough to saw through.

“What are you doing?”

Reigen jolted at the voice. He craned his neck to the side. Serizawa! And also Dimple. “Um, I’m trying to get these off,” Reigen told him, smile sheepish.

“Let me take care of that.” Serizawa moved behind Reigen out of his view. After a few seconds, the bonds holding Reigen loosened and fell off. The blond rubbed at his wrists. He hadn’t been tied up long enough for anything to go numb, but there was still some chaffing.

Serizawa knelt in front of Reigen, holding his kouhai’s hands. They were warm. “Are you all right?” The moonlight framed Serizawa’s face in ways that were very, very distracting.

Reigen swallowed, this was not the time. “Yes,” his voice cracked, “not too bad.”

The older boy leaned forward, their lips meeting. Apparently, Reigen wasn’t the only one who was taken by the moonlight. Reigen grasped at Serizawa’s shoulder and pushed. There was a fight still going on. “I was worried,” Serizawa said when they parted, getting the hint.

Embarrassed pink dusted Reigen’s cheeks. “I was going to call,” he muttered.

A loud boom and a ghost making kissy noises shattered their moment. One of the oil lamps exploded in a shower of fire and fuel. Mob and the possessed Mad Hornet fought head to head. “A life of violence will only end the same way,” Mob said as he summoned a ball of energy and sent the Mad Hornet flying across the room.

Unfortunately, the evil psychic regained his feet. “Then I say, bring it on!” The Mad Hornet used telekinesis to propel himself right back at Mob.

“What’s happening?” Reigen asked, attention back to the immediate danger. “Mob should have creamed the Mad Hornet by now.”

“He’s holding back,” Dimple said. “He’s probably trying not to hit you two by accident.”

“And Master Kageyama doesn’t like using his powers against other people,” Serizawa pointed out.

Reigen hadn’t considered that. Mob would be doing everything in his power not to hurt the Mad Hornet but the other psychic was not going to give the same courtesy. Ultimately, Reigen still thought that Mob would win but it might take a bigger toll than any of them would like. “Seri,” Reigen asked, “do you think we should tag team this guy? Keep Mob out of it?”

Serizawa considered the concept. “That’s not a bad idea.” He smiled down at Reigen. “If you’re up to it.”

It wasn’t often, but when Serizawa smiled like that Reigen got goosebumps and fell head over heels all over again. Katsuya was the best boyfriend ever. Reigen’s wrists hurt a little, but not enough to deter him. “Let’s get this sucker.”

Shigeo had everything under control. It wasn’t taking a lot of energy to keep the Mad Hornet at bay but emotionally, he was exhausted. Between the talk with Serizawa and Reigen walking out, he was walking on a thin line. Shigeo could usually deescalate a situation and get people to see reason. But this man was too infatuated with his own relationship with violence. The ESPer didn’t see a way out.

Shigeo was just so, so tired…

Progress to Mob’s Explosion: 98%

Then he heard his student Serizawa announce: “We’ll take care of this Master Kageyama.”

Could Shigeo really expect the boys to take care of this problem? Could he really pass off this duty? He looked to Serizawa, a boy teetering on manhood with the confidence of experience shining in his face. And there was Reigen, always willing to take on more responsibility than he should. Serizawa and Reigen were growing up; Shigeo would see what they could do.

Shigeo stopped fighting, sat on the ground and held up his barrier.

“Huh?” The Mad Hornet raged against the barrier, doing no damage. “What is this?” he shrieked. Angered that his prey wasn’t cooperating, he turned his attention to the two teenagers, just in time for Reigen to execute a Special Move.

“Salt Splash!” Reigen hurled table salt directly into Mad Hornet’s eyes. Although ineffective against spirits, straight table salt could still sting a normal human being’s mucus membranes. The Mad Hornet screamed as his eyes burned. Something so simple should not be able to cause so much pain. Reigen gripped the flailing psychic with both hands and yanked him forward, driving a knee straight into Mad Hornet’s gut. Brutal and short, the Knee Strike rendered the psychic unconscious. The Mad Hornet fell to the ground, defeated.

Akui flew out of his host’s body, furious that everything had gone south. “You little—” The yellow spirit writhed as Serizawa put him into an exorcism lock. The young ESPer created a small sphere of energy between his two hands, rolling them as if molding a ball of clay. Akui was trapped with nowhere to go.

“Don’t finish him off yet, Seri,” Dimple said, joining in. He floated down next to the young ESPer.

Serizawa raised an eyebrow. “Why not?” He could do it easily.

“I haven’t had anything to eat for a while,” Dimple said, his smile sinister, “and this little spirit looks so lonely.”

Akui bounced within Serizawa’s hold. “No! Don’t let him!” the spirit cried out. The creature who had been more than willing to kill and maim others for gain begged for mercy at the prospect of the end of its own existence.

Shigeo may have had enough compassion to stay his hand, but Serizawa didn’t. The teen had used violence against other humans before and, in his guilt, adopted a philosophy differing from his Master’s. Serizawa had determined he wouldn’t use his abilities against the powerless and weak. But those who would abuse power to cause purposeful harm--- he’d beat the crap out of them. He dropped the barrier. The end was quick.

“Wow,” Mob said as he approached the small group, “I can’t believe you let Dimple eat him.”

“I’ve eaten evil spirits for you before!” Dimple argued.

“True.” Mob looked more composed than before. “It’s still disturbing.”

“Well I needed to eat him to sever the contract with Mad Hornet.” Dimple crossed his arms in a huff. “If he was going to have any chance at redemption then Akui had to go.”

“Are you sure that isn’t just an excuse?” Mob toed at the fallen Mad Hornet. The evil psychic wasn’t waking up any time soon. “I wonder what we should do with him.”

Reigen wasn’t sure what the justice system would accomplish and they didn’t have the facilities to hold him. “Too bad we aren’t going to get any money for taking this guy in,” Reigen said in jest.

“Actually,” Serizawa was scrolling through his phone, “there’s a bounty up on the Sun Psychic Union website for him.”

“Are you kidding me?” Reigen grinned at his boyfriend. He threw an arm around Serizawa’s shoulders. “That’s great! Call them up!” Those guys would have a much better idea what to do. Two birds, one stone and all that.

“Psychic union?” Mob looked confused. “Should we be in the Psychic’s Union?”

Reigen waved a dismissive hand. “Nah, I looked into these guys when you first applied for the business license. A good union will offer benefits, protections against management disputes, that sort of thing,” he explained. “But these guys didn’t even offer malpractice insurance. I mean, what kind of psychic union wouldn’t offer that?” Reigen said this as if this was the most obvious thing in the world. “So, I didn’t bother to tell you.”

The ESPers stared at Reigen. The teen could be so baffling sometimes. “How do you even know all this stuff?” Mob asked. It had never occurred to him to really question his employee’s knowledge base before.

“My parents’ magazines,” Reigen said. “They get stuff like Entrepreneur and Med Spa Management.” He gave Mob a critical glare. “You don’t think I just winged all this, did you?”

From the way Mob scratched at the side of his face yes, yes, he had.

Serizawa stepped away to make the phone call, leaving Mob and Reigen in awkward silence. There was a lot that they needed to discuss; things that could not be put off until the morning. “They’ll be here in twenty minutes,” Serizawa said. “What should we do until then?”

Now was as good a time as any.

Chapter Text

The first order of business was securing the unconscious Mad Hornet. If he woke up to wreak havoc while the four of them had their talk Shigeo was going to be put out. They used the same rope that had bound Reigen and dragged the villain toward the entrance to the warehouse. The place was dark, strange and, quite frankly, making the psychic union guys stumble around trying to find them was not going to make the best impression. At least near the entrance they could gather all of the lanterns around to light up the environment. Now instead of dark and spooky, it was lit and spooky.

As Shigeo finalized the last knot, he glanced up at Reigen. “You know, I was trying to protect you from all this.”

“From crazy psychic kidnapping?” Reigen joked, setting a lantern into place.

“The work in general,” Shigeo said, not in the mood. “It’s dangerous. The things I’ve put you through.” From their first mystery together to now, Reigen had always been at risk. Shigeo sighed. “I’ve taken too much from you.”

Reigen just looked confused. “Taken what?”

Why was the boy so unbothered by this? He should be bothered. Shigeo’s guilt meant that Reigen had to feel something negative about working for him. Right? “Your youth,” Shigeo said, “your innocence. Time you could have spent doing anything else.”

Now Reigen’s expression shifted from confusion to a blank “Are you kidding me?” “Hate to break it to you Mob but I’ve been using you these past few years.” He puffed himself up, rolling his shoulders like a tough guy.

This was not how this was supposed to go. “What?” Shigeo asked.

“This job has been a great excuse to get away from my parents,” Reigen said, sitting on the cold ground. “Hell, I was going to it as an escape route completely once I graduated.” He looked at his nails like he was unconcerned with anything. “Do you think I helped you purely out of the goodness of my heart?” The younger boy laughed, loud and fake. “Please, I’m not a saint.”

Shigeo didn’t completely buy the act. He had known Reigen for too long. “You weren’t exactly plotting at the age of eleven.”

Reigen wrinkled his nose, he was caught. “No, but—”

“We didn’t even come up with the business until a few months after you wrote up the Five Part Plan,” Shigeo pointed out. It had taken numerous (paid) outings at the request of Reigen’s classmates before Reigen had suggested it. And even longer to get the loan approval, find an office location--

Reigen’s hard demeanor disintegrated by the second. “True.”

The older ESPer couldn’t believe it. The boy was trying to protect him even now. By making himself the bad guy, Shigeo would be able to move on. Reigen really was an incredible kid. “You’re a better person than you think, Arataka,” Shigeo said.

Reigen flushed and looked away, curling his arms around his knees. “I still used you.”

“That means I used you too,” Shigeo said, “willingly and with your permission.”

“I don’t think it’s really using,” Serizawa interrupted, he sat himself down next to Reigen. He was warm and he felt nice leaning up against Reigen’s body. “I think you were just being friends.” Leave it to Serizawa to cut to the heart of things.

But Reigen still had doubts. “If we’re friends then why do you want to kick me out?” Reigen asked.

Shigeo ignored the query to pose another: “How much did you hear of our conversation?”

The blond stared at his feet. “Just that you don’t want me around.”

It was as Shigeo thought, Reigen didn’t have the whole story. Not that the whole story still wasn’t damning. “That’s not what’s happening,” Shigeo said. He had to tell the boy sometime. “Reigen, I’m leaving the business.”

Reigen’s face fell in a kind of shocked horror. “But why?” he asked. “You started it; it’s your baby.”

“It’s your baby, Reigen,” Shigeo said. “I’m only now starting to realize that.”

The boy shook his head. “I don’t understand.”

“When we met, I was in a bad place.” That was an understatement. “The list that you gave me was the best chance I’ve ever had to make something of myself. I had just a high school degree and no job experience. We weren’t going to have a lot of luck getting myself a real job.” Shigeo still remembered the stack of job magazines Reigen would bring to the apartment after school. “Your idea of starting this business was,” Shigeo searched for the right word, “inspired. Without it, I don’t think I’d be where I am. I wouldn’t even know that I wanted to do something else.”

By this time, Serizawa had placed his arm around Reigen, just holding the other boy. Although Reigen’s expression kept moving with his emotions, his shoulders were loose. They really were good for each other. Shigeo should have had this conversation with both of them in the first place. He could see this now. “Reigen, I wouldn’t trade these last few years for anything,” Shigeo said. “But I need to move forward, for myself and I think for you too.”

Reigen swallowed his nerves. “What are you going to do?”

“I want to teach but it’s going to take time to get certification,” Shigeo said. He’d already been looking into degree programs and had made a decision. “I was going to leave the business to Serizawa when I had a new position.”

Reigen frowned. “And leave me out?”

“That was the original idea,” Shigeo admitted. It had seemed like the appropriate thing to do at the time.

“But I don’t want to run Spirits and Such without you,” Serizawa said, jumping into the conversation. “I know you love the place and I—” the young man licked his lips, nervous about what he was going to say. “You make me a braver person, ‘Taka. There’s a lot I feel I can do on my own, but I don’t want to. But what I want doesn’t matter if it’s not what you want. What do you want?”

Reigen stared at Serizawa like a deer in the headlights. He had never been asked that pointblank before. It took him a moment to answer. “You know, I’ve spent so long thinking about what I don’t want that I haven’t thought about what I do want.” He felt like such an idiot. All these plots and plans and none addressed the real problem. “At first I didn’t want my parents’ business because I was eleven. Why would I do anything they wanted? Then I actually worked for them and I hated it,” Reigen said, letting his loathing creep in. “Most of their clients are decent people, just taking care of pain or stress but some of them—”

He felt Serizawa squeeze his shoulder and it gave him the courage to continue. “Let’s just say that back when I was twelve some of the things they said sounded like a joke; at fifteen, it’s more like a threat.”

Shigeo’s hair floated above his head in agitation, his eyes dark. Reigen had rarely ever seen Mob genuinely angry before. He broke out of Serizawa’s embrace to grab at his boss’s arm. “It’s okay, Mob,” he said. “I’m not doing it, no matter what.” He squeezed. “I don’t care if they cut me off; I’m going to life my own life. Don’t worry.”

The older ESPer breathed out, his anxiety exiting with the bad air. “I didn’t know it was so bad,” Shigeo said, voice soft.

“I didn’t know you were so unhappy,” Reigen retorted.

They really were a pair. “Okay,” Shigeo smiled, “no more secrets.”

“Well,” Reigen gave him a lopsided grin. “I don’t know about that.” They were running out of time; the Sun Union would be there any minute.

“’Taka, do you want to run the business with me?” Serizawa asked. He sounded so hopeful.

Reigen looked at his boyfriend, he didn’t hesitate. “Yeah, I do,” he said. “But I don’t want to be a leech, I want to contribute something.”

Serizawa looked baffled. “What do you mean? You and Master Kageyama started Spirits and Such.”

“I don’t have powers,” Reigen said, laughing to himself that he had to remind them. “I don’t know what I’ll actually do.”

Once again, he had two powerful ESPers staring at him intently within less than a half hour, utterly mystified by the youngest member of the team. “You practically run the business,” Dimple told him bluntly.

“I do the exorcism work,” Shigeo pointed out, “but you taught me how to do invoices, speak to customers, pay the bills, obtain the lease—”

“Basically, just keep doing what you do now,” Serizawa cut in. They needed to wrap this up, no need to air dirty laundry in front of strangers.

“Is it really enough though?” Reigen asked. These weren’t his insecurities speaking but rather his practical side.

“I don’t know,” Serizawa said, scratching at his head. “Maybe take some business classes or something?”

From the enthusiastic way Reigen threw his arms around the older boy and kissed his cheek, it was the right answer. Serizawa turned beet red. They never did this in front of Master Kageyama; Reigen must be really excited. “That’s a great idea,” the blond said, releasing his hold, “there’s a school near the office. I don’t know if I’ll do full time or part time. Maybe full time to get done faster since Mob will still be working on his schooling—" Reigen babbled to himself, forgetting the others were even there.

A polite cough cut through the ramble. An old man wearing robes and prayer beads stood in the warehouse doorway surrounded by several younger men in suits. “You have the Mad Hornet?” The Psychic Sun Union had arrived.

Chapter Text

The old man looked over their ragtag group and, from the expression on his face, he was underwhelmed. To be fair, Shigeo wasn’t all that impressive to look at but Reigen resented that this stranger was underestimating Mob.

“This is Jodo Kirin,” one of Jodo’s lackeys, Beard Guy, introduced, “the President of the Psychic Sun Union.” From his tone he expected the Spirits and Such crew to kowtow.

“I am Kageyama Shigeo,” Shigeo introduced himself. “These are my assistants, Reigen Arataka and Serizawa Katsuya.” The boys respectfully bowed. If these Psychic Sun Union drips expected any more than that they weren’t going to get it.

Jodo walked up to the fallen Mad Hornet. The psychic’s mouth was open, tongue hanging out as he dozed. A pitiable sight. Jodo gazed at the hostage with a critical eye. “You expect us to believe this man is the Mad Hornet?” he asked. “What proof do you have?”

Reigen bristled at the man’s gall, but before he could say a word, Serizawa cut in. “He is the only bounty you have listed on the website. From the post it doesn’t seem like something your union usually does,” Serizawa said. He then clarified: “Trying to stop rogue psychics.”

“So, it’s possible,” Reigen chimed in, picking up on Serizawa’s train of thought, “that you suspected he was a union member. If it got out that a member of the illustrious Psychic Sun Union was cursing people for profit that would be very bad for your reputation.”

The old man huffed under his breath. “A scandalous accusation,” Jodo said. They had touched a nerve.

“But why post a bounty if you’ve never done that kind of thing before?” Reigen asked. “It just seems odd that now you’re concerned—”

“Reigen,” Shigeo’s tone was a warning. He was worried the boy was pushing too far.

“None of that has anything to do with proving this man is the Mad Hornet!” the Light-Haired Lackey insisted.

“True,” Reigen said, “but there is this photograph.” He pulled out his phone. It wasn’t a great picture, but it still showed the Mad Hornet and his would-be client in a dank alley. “This man was making a deal to kill off a business rival. I only stopped it by distracting them at the last minute.” He gave the older men his sweetest grin. “You could always find this guy and ask.”

Every once and a while, Serizawa would show his claws. This was one of those times. “Psychics such as yourselves shouldn’t have a problem doing that,” he said.

“Still not concrete proof,” Jodo insisted, unruffled by the two boys. “But it certainly does look like this man was involved in shady business.”

The third lackey, Thick Lips, tried a different tactic. “His aura doesn’t feel very powerful.”

“He was working with a spirit,” Shigeo explained, stepping up to bat. “It was exorcised before you got here.”

Now Jodo looked intrigued. He spoke directly to Shigeo. “What sort of spirit?”

“Yellow, gaseous,” Shigeo described. He had never had much of an imagination, even as a boy.

“Its name was Akui,” Reigen added. “They had some sort of deal where Akui would possess this guy—”

Jodo held up a hand. “I’ve heard enough.” He turned to his Light-Haired Lackey. “Pay them.” The intelligence about the spirit had convinced him of the truth.

The man fidgeted around in his suit pocket, flustered at this turn of events. “Will you take a check?” he asked, sounding meek.

Reigen wanted to yell “cash only” but there was no sense in antagonizing people about to give them money. He watched carefully as the man made out a check to Spirits and Such. Reigen planned to tell Mob to deposit it as soon as possible. He didn’t trust these guys are far as he could throw them.

While Shigeo and Light-Haired Lackey took care of the financials, Dimple took the liberty of floating around the other members of the Psychic Sun Union. Apparently, they couldn’t see him but Reigen and Serizawa still could. He sat right at Jodo’s shoulder and made terrible faces. Eating the evil spirit had put Dimple in a frisky mood.

Reigen dragged his teeth along the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. Serizawa was less successful and had to fake a coughing fit. Jodo looked at the two boys, suspicious of their behavior. It only made it more difficult for them to keep a straight face. Dimple just grinned, he was eating up the harmless mischief.

As Shigeo stowed the bounty check away, the remaining lackeys collected the Mad Hornet’s unconscious body. They took him away, hopefully to a place where the Spirits and Such crew would never have to deal with him again.

Now it was just Jodo and the Light-Haired Lackey. Jodo turned to Shigeo. “Kageyama-san, he asked, “would you have any interest in joining the Psychic Sun Union?”

Shigeo shook his head. “I have been advised not to.”

That was the last thing Jodo had expected. “Excuse me? Advised by whom?”

The ESPer turned to look at Reigen. The boy was a little surprised to be put back in the spotlight but quickly recovered. “You see,” Reigen said, “when I was researching your union I noticed that there was a hefty dues system that Mob—Master Kageyama,” he corrected himself, “could not afford at the time.”

“Ah,” Jodo said, “cost means little next to prestige. There are many benefits to joining us.”

“Like what?” Reigen asked flatly. “You don’t have insurance, health or malpractice. You don’t have any sort of retirement and as individual contract workers, psychics really need that kind of thing—” the boy was on a roll. He went on and on about what other unions would do for their members and how the Psychic Sun Union could improve.

The old man just stared at Reigen as the boy rambled. His eyes narrowed and his brow furrowed but Shigeo wasn’t certain if it was because the man was listening or because he wanted to murder the young assistant. The Light-Haired Lackey didn’t seem to even be able to process everything Reigen was talking about. His eyes glazed over in a stupor at the torrent of words.

“When you get down to it,” Reigen concluded after his spiel, “all you seem to offer is a name. It’s more of an extortion racket than a union.”

The Light-Haired Lackey was about to have a heart-attack. “How dare—"

“We’ve taken up enough of their time,” Jodo said, pretending to be gracious. “We have a bad actor to secure.” He nodded his head at Shigeo. “Perhaps we can speak another time when you’re not babysitting.”

Reigen tensed at the slight, but Serizawa squeezed his boyfriend’s shoulder. He would take care of this. “Speaking as one of the next generation of psychics,” Serizawa said, “you might want to take Reigen’s words into consideration. I think you’ll find that we’ll be less inclined to give away money for nothing.”

The old man pursed his lips and didn’t respond. Jodo and Light-Haired Lackey took their leave of the Spirits and Such crew. “The impertinence,” the Light-Haired Lackey muttered as they exited the decaying warehouse.

Jodo agreed. “We will need to keep an eye on them, especially that Reigen.”

The Light-Haired Lackey was confused. “But the boy didn’t even have an aura, not like the others. That Serizawa kid actually threatened us.”

“True,” Jodo said, as they made their way to the waiting car. “But one doesn’t need psychic powers to be dangerous.”

Once the Psychic Sun Union was gone, Reigen groaned in despair. “Now I really have to go to business school.”

Serizawa laughed. After all that it seemed like a strange conclusion to come to. “Why?”

“Because Mob doesn’t have any of that stuff either. I mean, when he starts teaching it’ll be taken care of but what about us?” Reigen asked. “We’ll need retirement and insurance.” He was working himself up. “I don’t know how to set any of that up yet!”

Shigeo ruffled his assistant’s hair. The boy could be a worrywart. “We have time,” he said. “You have time. Enjoy the rest of high school first; then worry about the rest.”

Reigen’s jaw loosened; he would take his boss’s advice to heart. “Okay,” he agreed.

Dimple draped himself across Reigen’s back, his ghostly presence slight but still felt. “We need to get home, Blondie,” he insisted. “That crappy show about the goblin princess has a new episode and we still need to get shrimp crackers.”

Was this the right time to think about that? Reigen was about to argue with the spirit when he felt Serizawa take his hand. “Can I come over?” Serizawa asked, picking up on Dimple’s intentions. “I want to see what Sakura’s next move will be.”

The blond sighed. Everyone was right. He was still young, and he wouldn’t be forever. He needed to enjoy this time he still had. In two years, he could freak out but for now, he should let things be. Reigen gave his boyfriend a sloppy grin. “Yeah, let’s go home.”

Chapter Text

Years later.....

Reigen’s hands were full with dual cups of hot coffee but he shifted them just enough to open the front door to Spirits and Such. The office was empty except for Serizawa who was doing some filing. Reigen had just seen him that morning, but it still felt like forever. He sighed at his boyfriend’s sartorial choices. The older man loved his comfortable cardigans and button front shirts but they drove Reigen nuts. Yes, they were adorable for everyday wear but they were not as professional as Reigen would have wanted.

Reigen was still a student so his shabby t-shirts and jeans were acceptable. But if he was working full time at Spirits and Such he’d been dressed much differently, a suit perhaps. Yeah, a nice suit sounded classy. Maybe a tie with a splash of color? He kissed Serizawa on the corner of his mouth before handing him a coffee. “How were the clients today?”

“Pretty calm, really,” Serizawa answered. He took the offered drink with gratitude.

“Where’s Mob and Dimple?” Reigen asked, taking a sip. He grimaced, still too hot. Someday he would learn to wait but it was just too tempting.

“Out on a job,” Serizawa said, closing the file drawer. It shut with a bang that was too loud for the space. One day he’d have to fix that.

“He didn’t want you with him?” Reigen asked. He thought that was odd.

“He wanted to spend some time with Dimple,” Serizawa said. He shot Reigen a pensive look. “He’s not doing this job for much longer.” Dimple had already told them that when Shigeo left, he would stay with them. That meant that Dimple and Shigeo’s time together was limited.

Reigen hesitated before his next question. “So, when do you take over officially?”

“We,” Serizawa insisted, “will be the owners of Spirits and Such in March.”

Reigen whistled between his teeth. “That’s sooner than I thought.”

“Kageyama’s new position starts in April,” Serizawa said. Shigeo had secured himself a job at Salt Elementary School as a homeroom teacher. He had been both nervous and excited when he had told his apprentices about it.

Reigen nodded. “Of course, that makes sense.” After waiting for so long, it seemed now that everything was moving too fast. “Are you going to be okay running this place by yourself? I still have a few years left in school.” He made the most drastic offer he could. “I could quit.”

“Don’t you dare,” Serizawa said. He nuzzled at Reigen’s cheek. His breath smelled faintly of coffee. “I’ll be fine. You can always help out when you can like you’ve been doing. I’m proud of you, ‘Taka.”

“I’m proud of you too.” Reigen meant it with every fiber of his being. Serizawa had really come into his own.

“There’s uh, something else,” Serizawa said. He moved over to his desk and opened his laptop. Curious, Reigen followed him. “I’ve been looking around and found this.” He pushed the monitor to Reigen’s eyeline. It was a webpage for an apartment: semi-open floorplan, simple décor with light wood details. It was lovely.

“What’s this?” Reigen asked.

“Well, if you want,” Serizawa said, “we can look next week and see if you like it.”

Reigen felt a pleasant chill up the back of his neck. “Are, are you serious?” He took the laptop from Serizawa to click through the pictures. “Can we afford this?”

Serizawa laughed, wrapping his arms around Reigen’s middle and pulling him onto his lap. “’Taka, I wouldn’t show it to you if we couldn’t afford it.”

“But are we ready for this?” Reigen asked, almost afraid of Serizawa’s answer. It represented the kind of stability he had wanted for so long.

“Babe, you can’t sleep on my parents’ couch forever,” Serizawa said.

For the past year, Reigen had been forced to couch surf once his family discovered that he wasn’t going to business school for them. They had unceremoniously kicked their “ungrateful child” out of the house hoping to teach him humility or some other nonsense. Reigen actually surviving on his own drove them to distraction. He still found it hilarious that they had only been mildly put out when they found out their son was dating Serizawa. No, the final straw had been the stupid business, as always.

Reigen had a scholarship so tuition wasn’t an issue, but a place to sleep was. Shigeo had let Reigen stay with him until Teruki had asked Shigeo to move in with him. Teruki offered to take Reigen in as well, but the young man only stayed for a few weeks until he could secure a different situation. He did not want to intrude on his mentor’s new happiness. That and looking at Teruki’s clothes everyday made Reigen’s eyes water.

The next futon was at Endo’s, one of his kempo senpai’s. Dark-haired and with a severe face, Serizawa never particularly liked Endo all that much. He especially didn’t like Endo when he kept coming home drunk after work and waking Reigen up in the middle in the night. It wrecked hell on Reigen’s sleep which started effecting his grades.

Finally, Serizawa’s parents took Reigen in. They adored Reigen, but he hadn’t wanted to impose. Serizawa had to literally throw Reigen over his shoulder and carry him out of Endo’s apartment to convince him how serious the offer was. Reigen slept on the old couch, mostly because the one stipulation that Serizawa’s folks had was that they did not share a room under their roof. They had to maintain some sense of propriety.

This meant that any physical intimacy had to wait until after Serizawa’s parents were out and that one ear always had to listen for the turn of a lock. Growing up, Serizawa had never thought that sexual frustration would be the primary motivator for striking out on his own but here he was.

“Have you told your parents?” Reigen asked.

“Yes,” Serizawa answered. “Mom said that she was going to have to speed up your cooking lessons.”

“Oh god,” Reigen groaned. Mama Serizawa had been teaching Reigen all of Serizawa’s favorite dishes to make sure her boy wouldn’t starve. Considering his own mother hadn’t subjected him to cooking lessons, he was doing all right. It wasn’t his favorite thing but Reigen would do whatever it took to make Mama Serizawa happy.

The front doorknob rattled. Reigen launched himself out of Serizawa’s lap. This was a place of business after all. “Welcome to Spirits—” Serizawa started his speech but trailed off when he saw who it was. “Hanazawa-san,” he said, “I’m afraid Master Kageyama isn’t here.”

“I know,” Teruki answered. “I’m taking him out to dinner after this last client.”

Reigen chuckled under his breath. “Of course, you are.” Despite the man’s terrible sense of taste, Reigen did genuinely like Teruki and appreciated how well he treated Mob.

“I actually came here to give you two this.” Teruki took an envelope out from his turquoise tracksuit jacket. He handed it over to Reigen.

The younger man opened the envelope. The thick cardstock was an elegant cream with beautiful calligraphy. It took Reigen a second to recognize what is was: a wedding invitation for March, in Hawaii. Reigen was stunned. He looked up at Teru. “I didn’t know you two were engaged.”

“We didn’t want to announce anything until we were sure it was possible,” Teru said. “It won’t be legal here but—” he changed the thread of conversation. “I want to spend my life with him. I want Shigeo to know how important he is to me. Can you and Serizawa come? We’d like you there.”

“Yes,” Reigen hugged the older man. “Of course. We’ll work something out.”

“I’ll be more than happy to pay for plane tickets,” Teru offered.

“Well,” Reigen smirked, “since you offered—”

“Taka.” Serizawa chided his boyfriend on his cheapness.

“I meant it,” Teruki said. “I know you have other things you’re saving up for. That and my parents are so ecstatic about me having a destination wedding that they’re paying for everything else. I can treat my favorite boys to plane fare.”

The older man really was too generous. Conspicuously generous sometimes, but if Reigen and Serizawa could benefit from it, then Reigen wasn’t going to complain. “We can go over details later,” Teruki said. “I just wanted to tell you about the wedding in person.”

“We appreciate that,” Serizawa answered.

They chatted for a few more moments before they said their polite goodbyes. Then Teruki left, carrying his hopes on his shoulders. Reigen shook his head. “I can’t believe it,” he said. “The two of them married, just wow.”

Serizawa snickered, he was imagining it. “I know, Hanazawa is going to be insufferable.”

The fond laughter was contagious. “It’s going to be amazing,” Reigen muttered, meaning the wedding. “What color do you think the tuxedoes will be?” Reigen asked, nearly breathless.

“You think they’re wearing tuxedoes?” Serizawa asked.

Reigen had to set his coffee down before he dropped it. March could not come soon enough. The door to the front door clicked open. The two young men frantically tried to get their act together before their prospective client saw them. It was a woman in her mid-thirties. “Is this Spirits and Such?” she asked.

Considering the huge sign outside of the building it should have been obvious but clients asked this all the time. “Yes,” Reigen said, having regained control of himself before Serizawa. “Can we help you?”

“My name is Kurata Tome,” she said, jerking a thumb dramatically at herself. “What do you guys know about aliens?”

Reigen and Serizawa looked at each other. Aliens, really? They had no one but themselves to blame for the life they chose but they wouldn’t have it any other way.