Work Text:
Jeez. What a pain, Reigen thought, clicking his tongue. He dragged his mouse carefully, eyes glued to the Photoshop document in front of him. He felt a slight chill behind him from the biting winter air seeping through the office window.
In front of him was a client photo from a few weeks ago, a woman and her two kids. Apparently, they were visiting the kids' grandmother at the cemetery, when they decided to snap a picture. When they looked at it, they noticed an unknown face in the middle of the photo, right in front of the mom. They had come to Reigen in hysterics, pleading with him to exorcise the picture. At the time, the office had been so backed up with requests, he wasn't able to get to it.
But today was different. It was slow, the cold probably deterring most potential clients. Reigen decided it was a perfect chance to catch up on some older cases.
Mob was off today, claiming he and Teru had a special day planned. They hadn’t been dating long enough for an anniversary yet, so Reigen was curious what the occasion was. Nevertheless, he hoped they were having fun, whatever they were doing.
To his left, Serizawa was busy erasing an answer to his math homework, groaning in frustration. He'd been at that same problem for awhile now. He must have felt Reigen's eyes on him, because he flicked his gaze up briefly. Reigen gave him a sympathetic smile. It was the least he could do, since he wasn’t really of much help in solving the equations. Math was always his worst subject.
Dimple hovered nearby, reading one of the cheap supernatural magazines Reigen kept lying around the office for clients to read. Though, whether he was actually reading it because it interested him or because he had nothing else to do, Reigen wasn’t sure.
Meanwhile, Ritsu and Shou occupied themselves on the office couch, one curled up on his side, napping, while the other tapped away mindlessly on his 3DS. Reigen was amazed the sounds from Shou's annoying wrestling game didn't manage to wake the other boy. He would've never taken Ritsu for a heavy sleeper.
As he struggled to erase the spirit from in front of the client without deleting her face entirely, the door burst open. After nearly jumping out of his chair, Reigen looked up and saw Teru, clothes as blinding as usual. The teen was panting, and had an eager grin spread wide across his face.
"They made it! They finally made it!" Teru yelled, visibly shaking. Reigen could feel the excitement roll off of him in waves.
Mob entered the office after him, considerably more calm. Reigen noticed that his student’s gaze lingered on Teru for a few moments before shifting his eyes to Reigen. Mob threw him a casual wave.
“Hey, Master.”
Ritsu stirred from his position on the couch, grunts of irritation escaping him as he woke from his nap.
“Made what, Hanazawa?” he yawned. Stretching his legs out, he laid them over Shou’s lap, who happily accepted them.
Teru held up a poster. “A sequel! The greatest movie in the world finally has a part two!”
The poster was...interesting, to say the least. There was a blonde woman giving an unconvincing scream, and next to her, a burly, shirtless man holding a machete.
Behind them was a giant pig with glowing red eyes and wings, razor-sharp teeth bared and foaming at the mouth.
In the middle of the action were the words, “FLYING DEAD PIG II: LIVE AND LET SWINE” in bold yellow font and below it, the tagline, “THIS TIME HE’S BRINGING HOME THE BACON!”
"Uh. I don’t really...get it?” Ritsu said, scratching his head.
“I like all the explosions,” Shou commented. “And the shirtless guy looks cool.”
“Right?!” Teru exclaimed.
Reigen recognized this franchise immediately. It was one he held dear to his own heart, one of the first horror movies he ever saw back when he was a kid. He had fond memories of scrounging up money to buy tickets by mowing his neighbor’s lawns for a week.
“The movie is already out in theaters,” Mob said, clearing his throat. “We were gonna go see it together, but we figured we’d stop here and see if you all wanted to go too.”
Hmm. It’ll be closing time in a few hours anyway, and it has been slow, Reigen reasoned. Eh, what the hell?
“Sure, I’m game. Serizawa?”
Serizawa put his pencil down and rubbed his head.
“Yeah, I think I’m due for a break. These problems are killing me.”
Reigen then turned his attention to the pair on the couch.
“What about you two? You wanna come with us?”
“Hell yeah! I already beat this guy anyway,” Shou said. He patted Ritsu’s legs and gave him a wink.
“You awake, old man?”
“Shut up, dude,” Ritsu poked the redhead's cheek and yawned. “Yeah, I’m good. Might as well get out and stretch a bit.”
“Anyone seen the first one before?” Teru asked as he rolled the poster back up.
The room was silent until Reigen spoke up. “Of course, it’s a classic! I was a mid-schooler when I saw it in theaters for the first time.”
“What, in the ‘40’s?” Ritsu snorted, though not unkindly. Reigen remembered a time when Ritsu would barely acknowledge him without a glare and an edge in his voice. But these days, the kid was less hostile, and even gave Reigen a genuine smile whenever he greeted him. Reigen was grateful to finally be on good terms with the spitfire 14-year-old.
“’90’s, thank you very much. I’m not that old,” Reigen chided.
“I don’t know, dude,” Shou rebutted. “29’s still pretty old.”
“Oh man,” Serizawa chimed in, standing up from his desk, “if you kids consider Reigen old, then I’m in trouble.” He chuckled softly, and put a hand on Reigen’s shoulder. Warm. Strong.
“Look, I’ve got both of you beat,” Dimple scoffed from behind the magazine he was reading. “But at least you don’t break your back after 10 squats, Serizawa.” He snickered and glanced at Reigen, who responded by pinching the bridge of his nose.
“Are we seeing a movie or are you guys just gonna make fun of me all day?”
Serizawa leaned in and murmured, “You say that like we can’t do both at the same time, Arataka.”
The taller man braced himself for the barrage of pokes and jabs in his gut and laughed heartily at Reigen’s pouty face.
“Ah, Master,” Mob’s voice, loud and confident. Reigen looked up and saw him zipping up his jacket, an eager Teru beside him, both practically out the door. “The movie is starting soon. Shouldn’t we get going?”
“Yeah! I want good seats!” Shou added, hopping up from the couch. He gave an exaggerated stretch before shoving his 3DS back into his coat pocket. Ritsu rolled his eyes.
“I doubt people are lined up around the block for this. We’ll probably be the only ones in the theater.”
Teru shook his head, “No way! People have been waiting years for this!”
“You’ve been waiting years, Teru.” Mob elbowed him with a soft smile.
As the group filed out, Reigen noticed Dimple staying firmly in place.
“Hm? Dimple, you coming?”
Dimple wrinkled his nose, “Why would I? Movies don’t really appeal to me much anymo—”
“Cut the existential crap and just come with us, edgelord,” Shou interrupted from behind Serizawa, who was helping him wrap his scarf around his neck.
Dimple narrowed his eyes and sighed.
“Fine. Not like I have anything better to do here, anyway.”
As the spirit followed Serizawa out the door, Reigen smiled to himself. He saw through Dimple’s act, but decided to keep his mouth shut. After all, it wasn’t often that the whole family was able to spend the day together like this.
Ritsu had been right. The theater was pretty empty, save for some random B-movie enthusiasts, most around Reigen’s age. There hadn’t even been a line for tickets.
As they made their way to the their theater, Teru threw his arms up in the air.
“Unbelievable!” he huffed. “There’s nobody here! The people in this town have no taste!”
Reigen couldn’t help but chuckle. He remembered a similar turn-out back when the original was in theaters, and he had reacted the same way.
“Most people don’t like paying to see cheap effects and bad acting, Hanazawa,” Ritsu supplied.
“You’d be surprised,” Reigen said. “Even a cheesy film like this has its crowd.”
“Are you part of that crowd, Master?” Mob asked, before taking a loud slurp of his slushy.
“Sure am. There’s something charming about films that don’t rely on big budgets. I always thought these movies were the coolest.”
“Yeah, they’re the best!” Teru shouted. A new light shone in Teru’s eyes, and his smile grew wider. It warmed Reigen’s heart.
Between Teru’s play-by-play commentary, Serizawa and Mob asking questions every 10 minutes, Shou’s loud, wheezing laughter, and Ritsu and Dimple’s constant bickering about whether or not the main character’s wife and daughter were actually dead, Reigen couldn’t really focus much on the movie. Not that he minded. In fact, he lived for this. After all, this was one of the reasons B-movies were his favorite: it was more than just casually watching a movie with friends, it was a whole experience.
“Seriously, does this guy ever wear a shirt?” Serizawa asked, voice muffled through all the popcorn. “I think I only saw him put one on like, once. And then it got blown right back off.”
“Hey, I’m not complaining,” Reigen said playfully, which earned him an elbow in the ribs.
“See how he twirls his machete before he kills the zombie piglets, Shige?” Teru asked Mob, who gave an eager nod. “Well, that’s a call-back to the first movie! His dad used to do that before he died, so now he does it too!”
“You’re kidding me, his dad died too?” Reigen heard Dimple’s voice loud and clear. Unlike the rest of the group, the green ghost didn’t really need to keep his voice down, considering nobody could see or hear him anyway.
“Well, first he was turned into a cyborg. But then he sacrificed himself for his son.”
“These movies are ridiculous,” Dimple concluded, shaking his head.
“Yep!”
Onscreen, the main character was now repeatedly dunking a thug in a large bucket of water. Cheers could be heard throughout the theater, most coming from Teru.
“That’s his thing! This is how he gets info outta the bad guys!” he leaned to Mob and whispered. Mob gave his shoulder a light pat.
Ah, so that’s where he learned that, Reigen mused. He'd figured as much. Teru likely learned a lot of questionable things from TV and movies and just thought they were okay, since he had no parental figures to tell him otherwise. Hm.
“I can’t believe his dad was alive this whole time!” Teru said, breath visible in the chilly night air as the group made their way back home. “I never saw that ending coming!”
Dimple hovered close to Ritsu. “I should’ve placed a bet. You’d be owing me money.”
Ritsu put a hand up and said, “Ah-ah-ah. Sure, you said his family was alive, but didn’t say anything about his dad. You were still wrong.”
“I liked the zombie cow,” Mob interjected. “I wish I had a T-shirt of that.”
“Do they even sell merch of this franchise?” Serizawa asked, blowing on his hands.
“Yeah! I’ve got tons of shirts from the first movie! That reminds me...” Teru’s face fell a little.
“Seeing this made me really wanna watch this first one again. It’s been a long time, you know?”
Mob squeezed his hand lightly. “That was the one we broke that one time, wasn’t it?”
“Yeah,” Teru said with a sigh. “Stupid VHS player...I’ve been trying to find another copy online, but I can’t find one anywhere! Nobody has it anymore!”
That’s not...entirely true, Reigen thought. He was almost certain he still had a copy of the film in his apartment.
“I might actually have one,” he said, and Teru whipped his head towards him.
“Really?!”
“I’d have to look, but I’m pretty sure it’s around there somewhere. I’ll try to find it tonight, so come by the office tomorrow morning.”
“Okay!” Teru responded with renewed vigor.
Eventually they went their separate ways, Ritsu, Shou and Dimple heading back to the Kageyama household, Teru and Mob crashing at Teru’s apartment, and Reigen and Serizawa walking back to Reigen’s place.
With the kids gone, Reigen pulled out a cigarette from his pocket and popped it in his mouth.
Serizawa’s finger was suddenly in front of his face.
“Need a light?”
Reigen nodded, and a small flame emitted from Serizawa’s fingertip.
“You’re smoking less these days,” he noted absently. “I like it.”
Reigen took a shallow drag and blew the smoke out, careful to aim it away from Serizawa.
“Not as stressed lately, I guess.”
“Good to hear,” Serizawa slung an arm over Reigen’s shoulder and pulled him close. Reigen was grateful to be enveloped in his boyfriend’s warmth. They walked the remainder of the way in comfortable silence, the only sound being the bustling of Seasoning City on a Friday night.
Reigen walked into Spirits and Such the following morning with a spring in his step and a vintage VHS tape in his hand. He couldn’t believe he found it! And in such good condition.
“Well, I know what we’re watching tomorrow night,” he had told a sated, half-dressed Serizawa the night before.
He couldn’t wait to see Teru’s reaction. This had been the first time Reigen found someone that actually shared his passion for these kinds of movies. Serizawa enjoyed them to an extent and supported Reigen’s nerdy obsession with them, but didn’t really have the same level of interest as he and Teru did.
“You think he forgot?” Serizawa asked, glancing at the clock. It was already eleven-thirty. They were expecting a client soon.
Reigen shook his head. “No way. He seemed really excited about it last night, I doubt he wouldn’t remember.”
Just as Serizawa began making tea, the door opened.
"Hiya!” Teru greeted. “Sorry if I’m a bit later than expected. Shige and I were talking about the movie over breakfast. He ended up liking it more than I thought he would!”
He scratched the back of his neck and sighed, a blush creeping over his face. “That guy can really talk your ear off when it comes to stuff he’s into, you know?”
“Don’t sweat it, Teru. Here,” Reigen said, holding up the VHS. “See? Told you I had it. You can borrow it for the day, if you’d like. Just drop it back off here later on tonight.”
Teru took the tape slowly, his eyes practically glistening with adoration.
“This is in mint condition, holy shit!”
Reigen quirked an eyebrow at Teru’s language, and the boy quickly composed himself.
“Ah, sorry. But this is just too cool! You still have the original casing and everything! It’s in such good shape! I can’t believe you’re letting me borrow this.”
Reigen took a moment to study Teru’s face as he gawked at the VHS. Somehow, Teru always managed to take Reigen back to his youth. Looking at the boy brought so many childhood memories to the foreground of his mind.
He remembered being a lonely middle schooler just trying to find people that gave a shit about what he had to say. How he felt.
He remembered wishing he could say “I love you” to his parents without it being awkward.
He remembered inviting his classmates out to see the original “Flying Dead Pig” and being promptly rejected, because those movies were “lame.” Reigen ended up going to see the movie alone. He always went to the movies alone.
Was he like that too, before he met Mob? Reigen wondered. How long did he live like that?
He remembered the day Mob stumbled into his office, young and hopeful. The day he was actually able to see Dimple. The first time Teru and Ritsu helped him with a case. The day Serizawa actually considered him a friend, a lover.
Reigen had connected to this rag-tag group of espers. Awkward teenagers, an awkward man, and a spirit. That was his family. He wondered if Teru considered them family too.
Reigen gave a low chuckle.
“Keep it.”
“Huh?” Teru looked at him incredulously.
“You can keep it, if you want.”
“No way...you’re...you’re giving this to me?”
Reigen waved his hand back and forth. “I won it in a contest years ago. It’s an extra copy, so you can have it.”
Teru beamed.
“Thanks, Mr. Reigen! You’re the coolest!”
The teen carefully put the film in his backpack and slung it over his shoulder.
“I can’t wait to watch this with Shige! He’s gonna love it! We still have to watch it as a group though, okay?”
So that’s a yes, then.
“You got it.” Reigen said confidently.
He watched as Teru gathered up his things and left, closing the door behind him.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Serizawa lean up against the desk, arms crossed.
“’Extra copy’, huh?” he asked, a knowing smirk on his face.
Reigen turned from him and coughed awkwardly against the back of his hand.
“What? The kid’s crazy about that movie.” He sniffed and gave a casual shrug, “Not like it really meant much to me anyway.”
Even with his back towards him, Reigen could practically feel Serizawa roll his eyes.
“Riiight. Like you didn’t save up three weeks’ worth of allowance to buy that.”
He really couldn’t get anything past Serizawa. Despite the other man’s anxious demeanor and rudimentary social skills, he was surprisingly perceptive. Reigen sighed, his cover blown.
“Four, actually,” he laughed, “It was pricey, even back then. But it’s fine.” Reigen smiled warmly as he remembered Teru’s face when he burst into the office the previous morning, how brightly his eyes were lit up throughout the entire film. “He actually reminds me a lot of myself when I was that age, you know? So passionate about stuff most people would think is stupid or lame.”
“Please tell me you never waterboarded anyone,” Serizawa half-joked as he came up behind Reigen and wrapped his arms around the smaller man’s waist. Reigen shuddered as Serizawa’s breath ghosted over his neck, splotches of deep red carefully hidden beneath his button-up. He leaned his head back into Serizawa’s chest, and let out a contented sigh.
“Mmm. Yeah, remind me to have a talk with him about that sometime.”