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The party was, to be honest, the best Reigen had ever attended. A good part of that impression had to do with the fact that it was a surprise party people he cherished had organized for his birthday; but even so, there was an indescriptible atmosphere to the party that made it so special. Everyone seemed to get along, even people who didn’t really know each other. No one was awkwardly sitting in a corner or seeming bored. No matter how odd the guests were, no one was here to make fun of them.
Ritsu was in charge of the music, and it turned out he was pretty good at choosing tracks that pleased most people and suited the ambiance. The party had started by eating the birthday cake Tome had baked- the advantage of having so much espers in one room was that even after said birthday cake had ended on Reigen’s face, it had been put back to his initial state, leaving Reigen’s face clean and the cake ready for everyone to enjoy. Afterwards, Shigeo and Shō had put the food and drinks everyone had brought on the coffee table.
It had been Takenaka’s idea to put some music on, thanks to the speakers Reigen had in a corner of his office, and Rei had been the first to dance, in the middle of the room. At first, the scene had been quite surreal; but she had quickly been joined by her friends from the Awakening Lab, and by most of the other guests. None of them really knew how to dance, save for Teru and, surprisingly, the Shiratori twins, but everyone seemed to have fun.
And so, Reigen found himself seated next to Serizawa, with Ekubo floating in front of them. Arataka was wearing a party hat labelled « BIRTHDAY BOY » Teru had managed to convince him to put on. Reigen was gorging himself on sweets, while Serizawa was only sipping soda from his plastic cup from time to time.
« Are you the one who organized everything? » Arataka asked between two mouthfuls of candy.
« Ah, um... » Serizawa hesitated. Everyone else had participated, and he didn’t feel like taking the credit for everything.
« He did. » Ekubo answered truthfully. « It was his idea, and he planned the whole thing. »
« Kattsun! » Reigen exclaimed, putting his hand on his boyfriend’s shoulder. « You should have said so immediately! That’s so adorable of you, thank you. »
The self-proclaimed medium kissed the corner of Katsuya’s mouth, making the latter blush. They had been dating for a few months, and it was certainly not the first kiss Reigen had given him, but Serizawa still felt shy when his lover gave him public displays of affection.
« Well, at least one of you has to be a good boyfriend. » Ekubo snickered, ignoring the daggers Reigen’s eyes threw at him. « I’ll be over there if you’re looking for me. Don’t wanna go into diabetic shock. »
Arataka rolled his eyes, and leaned his head on Serizawa’s shoulder. He actually wanted to climb on his lap and feed him some candy, but there were teenagers all around them and that could wait until they got home. Katsuya’s hand found its way to the side of Reigen’s head and stroked gently, making Reigen sigh in contentment.
The couple stayed in that position for a while. Around them, Ritsu had switched to slower music to go with the calmer atmosphere; after all, it was almost 9:00pm, which meant most of them would soon be expected home.
« You know. » Reigen spoke softly, almost startling Serizawa. « I don’t think I can thank you enough for this. »
« I’m glad you appreciate the surprise. » Katsuya answered, with a soft peck on the top of Reigen’s head, near his ridiculous hat. « Seeing your smile is enough, you know. »
« I mean it, Katsuya. » Reigen’s voice was suddenly serious, which troubled his boyfriend.
There was a pause. Serizawa was used to those kinds of silence, peppered amidst deeper conversations; they meant Arataka was about to talk about something difficult, and that he felt vulnerable. Serizawa did his best to try and convey he was there for Reigen, to listen to everything he had to say, wrapping an arm around his lover’s shoulder and pressing him closer.
« Last year, on the same day… I wasn’t in the most ideal of positions. I was pretty lonely, actually, and spent my birthday pretending to get drunk at a bar with people I didn’t even like pretending to be my friends. And now… »
Reigen’s voice trailed into silence, and the vague gesture of his hand spoke for him, showing the many people who had gathered here to celebrate his 29th birthday with him. Serizawa glanced down, and saw how mitsy Reigen’s dark eyes had gotten. He knew how tough it still was for his lover to show his emotions and share his fragility, and so he did what he found most appropriate: he wrapped both his arms around Arataka’s torso and lifted his thumb to rest on Reigen’s face, gently stroking the skin.
« I’m sorry. » Reigen half laughed, half cried. « Everyone’s here partying and I’m just- I don’t know, fuck, I’m so fucking happy yet I- »
« Shh, Taka, don’t be sorry. » Serizawa softly whispered. From the corner of his eye, the psychic saw Shigeo take a glance in their direction and promptly dim the lights down, pretexting he wanted to add to the already quieter atmosphere.
Relieved, Katsuya pressed a kiss on Reigen’s forehead. The music was more slow paced than before, but still loud enough to cover the sound of Arataka’s happy and moved sobs. Serizawa moved their bodies so his shielded Reigen’s cries from being seen by other people, all the while gently petting the blonde’s hair.
It was around 10:00 pm when the last guest left.
« Are you guys sure you’ll clean everything on your own? I can help, if you want. »
« Thanks, Hanazawa, but don’t worry, we got it. Go get some rest. » Reigen assured him with a smile.
After crying for a bit in Serizawa’s arms, Arataka had gone discreetly to the toilet and cleaned his face to try and hide any trace of his red eyes and of the dark splotches all over his cheeks. It hadn’t been quite a success, but thanks to the dim lights in the office, he had been able to dupe his guests as he had said goodbye to them, making sure to thank each and every one of them.
Teru waved at the two adults still in the office, and closed the door behind him. Ekubo had left with the Kageyama brothers, saying he would spent the night with Shigeo « just like in the good ol’ days ». But Reigen had caught his wink and his obscene gesture, and even though that had somewhat pissed him off, he was thankful for the green spirit giving him and Serizawa intimacy.
« Well. » the psychic yawned when Teru’s footsteps stopped being audible. « Should we start cleaning? »
« No, it can wait. » Reigen answered him, as he headed towards the speakers on his desk. « Besides, there’s one last thing we need to do. »
Serizawa eyed him with curiosity. Arataka plugged his phone on the speakers, digging through the hundreds of songs on the device until he found the one he was looking for.
Music started to fill the empty office. There was barely enough light for Serizawa and Reigen to see each other, but that was enough for them. Katsuya couldn’t help but be a bit confused; he had heard the song before, and recognized it as some forgein eighties music, but didn’t know why Reigen had decided to play it.
He got his answer when Arataka slowly walked towards him, stopping just before their chests touched, and the blonde wrapped his arms around Katsuya’s neck.
« What are you doing? » Serizawa whispered, his voice barely audible above the singer’s.
« Ever heard of slow dancing? » Reigen grinned, his face centimeters away from his boyfriend’s.
« Well, yes, but… I’ve never… »
« It’s okay, I can teach you. »
Arataka’s hands moved to rest on top of Serizawa’s, guiding them to rest on the small of Reigen’s back. With a satisfied smile, Reigen moved his arms again, letting them circle Serizawa’s neck. He let his head fall on his lover’s chest, and started swaying slowly, more or less to the beat of the song.
« And now? » Serizawa couldn’t help but feel a bit anxious; he didn’t want to mess anything up.
« Now, let’s just enjoy each other’s company. » Reigen whispered, his voice making Katsuya’s chest vibrate. « There aren’t any other moves. »
« I can do that. » Katsuya broke into a tender smile, his hands pressing a bit into Reigen’s back to draw him even closer.
Even though the song was a bit loud, they were close enough for Reigen to hear Serizawa’s breathing, a bit erratic at first but quickly slowing down and becoming steady. Having his head pressed against Katsuya’s broad chest allowed him to hear the heartbeat of his lover, every single « thump » beating in sync with his own heart. Arataka felt at peace, as if Serizawa’s embrace shielded him from everything nasty the world held, as if nothing and nobody could ever hurt him again. His right hand rose up from the nape of Serizawa’s neck and languidly caressed the back of his head, playing with the thick strands of dark hair.
Katsuya let himself enjoy the way Reigen was pressed against him. Reigen loved to be in charge, to be loud and have everyone’s attention on him, to let everyone rely on him, but Serizawa knew just how fragile the man behind that image could be sometimes. So he relished the way Arataka behaved, letting Katsuya hold him and caress the small of his back, he relished the unusual calmness that radiated from his lover.
Their bodies slowly turned, less to the rhtythm of the music and more to the cadence of their balance, of the unbreakable bond that resonated within them. The song ended fast, too fast, and Serizawa’s heart almost ached when Reigen pulled his head back to offer him a smile. Arataka’s hands slowly rose to the esper’s face, cupping his cheeks and pulling him in a slow, long kiss. Their tongues rested against each other the way their bodies had, swaying gently in the wet cavern created by their hungry mouths.
The two lovers parted their lips only when they were both out of air; and with a pant and a grin, Reigen playfully asked:
« Do you want to spend the night? »