Chapter Text
Arataka Reigen was cursed. Truly, inexplicably cursed.
At least, that’s what the townsfolk said. The rumors were endless and scalding. When asked what the “deal” was with Arataka Reigen, the answer was quick; The god of the weather must really have it out for him.
Most days the other townsfolk would beg Reigen to not leave his house, for fear of the rains that followed him. He was great to have when the late summer droughts came, but besides that, he was simply seen as somewhat of a chatterbox who brought on monsoons. Nothing more.
It wasn’t always like this, Reigen knew. He had vivid memories of his childhood, playing out in the sunshine with his sisters and having skinned hands and knees, calluses on his palms from climbing trees. Of course there was rain occasionally, but never like this. And yeah, the townsfolk were right; when it got rainier and rainier, it really did seem to target Reigen himself, which he found strange.
Though he missed the sun, he couldn’t find it in himself to hate the rain. He adapted. He wore raincoats and carried umbrellas. He triple-checked how waterproof his house was, and most days he only went outside to walk around his garden and farmland, happy to not have to irrigate, though he couldn’t stay out for very long unless he wanted to drown his produce.
Reigen knew what his neighbors said. If some weather god had it out for him, then he was going to make the most of it. Gods could be wrathful things, he knew; he didn’t have much hope for it ever going away, and found he didn’t really want it to.
The day his favorite umbrella got pulled straight from his hands had really sucked.
It had already been a bit of a rough day; none of his flowers were selling, and he had gotten chewed out by the grocer for tracking rainwater in on his new linoleum floors. He was sulking a little, umbrella above his head, when the sky had cracked open, dumping rain onto him like it wanted to wash him away. He heard thunder, saw lightning, and suddenly the wind picked up and his umbrella was a lost cause, yanked from his grasp like it was nothing. He covered his eyes and looked up, but the umbrella was bound for the atmosphere, it seemed. Yeah, that thing was not coming back.
He wiped the water from his eyes, and hoofed it back home, trying to keep from being completely drenched. He made it onto his porch, kicking off his rain boots and shaking off his raincoat before ducking into his entryway, panting. His hair was soaked, and he ran a hand down his face. His eldest sister had gotten him that umbrella. He should write her an apology for losing it.
An apology was never needed. He found the umbrella on his porch the next day, closed up neatly and in pristine condition, leaning against his house like it belonged there.
Reigen gave a small incredulous laugh, and went off his porch, looking up at the sky. Cloudy, as usual.
“Knew you weren’t so bad, huh?” He said to the air. If he hadn’t have been looking for it, he wouldn’t have seen the way the sky brightened, just a little, like the clouds had let the sun out a tad more than usual.
That wasn’t the last time his umbrella was stolen from him like that. It happened a few more times, each time returning to his porch the next day. Reigen always said thank you upon seeing its return.
He then found himself talking. Talking to nothing, to everything, to the potential god who was keeping an eye on him, no matter the rain. He’d talk about what he was growing: mostly vegetables, rice and wheat, potatoes, a little bit of everything. The flowers he grew were specifically for selling to others and giving to those special to him, when he saw them. Then he’d talk about his family: two older sisters and two doting parents. His sisters were both married, and his parents wanted him to follow suit.
“No matter how strappingly handsome I am, I don’t think anyone is interested in someone who is followed by literal rainclouds,” He said loudly into the sky, water dumping around him. “Not that I mind, you know. I think it’s nice!” He heard a clap of thunder in reply and gave a grin. He never really knew what the replies meant, but he enjoyed the fact that they were there anyway.
One day, the entire day, the rain poured like nothing could ever stop it. Thunder and lightning, wind, everything but cats and dogs.
Reigen still went outside to check on his plants, and shouted up to the heavens, “You’re really making it pour today! Great job!” The reply he got was a loud crack of thunder, and then his umbrella was torn from his hands, up into the sky before he could blink.
“Hey, c’mon, don’t be like that! It was a compliment!” He hollered, giving a good-spirited laugh before ducking under the hood of his raincoat and returning to the shelter of his home. He dried himself off and kicked off his boots, starting up a pot of tea. He could hear his house groaning under the pressure from the wind. The thunder grumbled every five minutes, then every two minutes, then every thirty seconds. The storm was really upon him now.
His teapot whistled, and he hastily returned to what he was doing, pouring himself a cup of tea. He paused, then poured another. A rational part of his brain knew the tea wouldn’t stay warm for long, but he brought it out to his porch and set it by his front door nonetheless, watching the steam from it get thrown about by the harsh winds. He then went back inside and shut the door.
Night had rolled around, but the storm hadn’t let up. He usually was able to sleep through it - ear plugs helped - but tonight he felt restless, wondering about his umbrella, about the tea, about this god and the storm pounding away on his roof. He looked at his clock, seeing that it was well past midnight, and he groaned, rubbing his eyes before sitting up. It was apparent he wasn’t going to get any sleep tonight.
He climbed out of bed in boxers and a worn shirt, yawning and going into his kitchen to get some water. Here, the sounds of the weather were enormous, as if the thunder was in his attic. The rumbling wasn’t faint; it had never seemed faint, not to Reigen.
“Never seem to quit, do you?” He teased quietly, words barely he himself could hear.
The wind danced, swelled, reached a final crescendo, and then all sounds stopped as he heard a knock at his door.
“Well,” Reigen said, trying to sound casual, “wonder who that could be?”
As he turned to look at his entryway, he could see someone standing on the other side of the glass-paned door. They were huge, shrouded in darkness and fairly imposing. Reigen decided he didn’t want to delay the inevitable. He walked to the door and opened it.
Standing outside was… a man. Well, not quite. He obviously was humanoid, but he looked tense and strained, as if it was rough for him to be contained in such a body, such a form. Even while hunched into himself, he stood taller than Reigen, almost taller than the doorframe, which was already fairly tall to begin with. His curly, dark hair floated around his head like a low hanging cloud, and his eyes were full of static- unkempt, uncontrollable energy showing in the dark rings around them. He had stubble, and his thick brows were furrowed. He was dressed in elegant looking robes, though they seemed a bit wrinkled, as if he had been wearing them for a while. In one hand, he held Reigen’s folded umbrella, and in the other, he held the cup of tea, now cold. He made eye contact with Reigen for a second that felt like an eternity, before looking down at the cup of tea.
“Hello,” he finally said. His voice was deep and rumbled like the thunder itself. “May I come in?”
They stood for a moment as Reigen took in the god in front of him. He may not have many guests, but he certainly knew his manners, even when in the presence of someone who probably didn’t understand most of them.
“I suppose so,” Reigen answered, opening his door wider and allowing the god in. “Make yourself at home. What can I do for you?”
The god was at a loss of words. He stepped inside, having to duck under the doorway. He set the umbrella to the side, both of his hands now engulfing the cup he had been offered.
“What? Can’t speak?” Reigen asked, and the god glanced at him before looking away.
“F-forgive me, I haven’t had a physical conversation with someone in quite some time. My speaking may be a little rusty.”
“Hey, no worries.” They stopped talking as the god followed Reigen into his home, looking at everything as if he had never seen the inside of a house before. He eyed the towels next to Reigen’s shoe rack. “Uh, those are for when it gets really rainy. I don’t like dripping water all through my house and all that.”
“Oh,” the god mumbled, looking a little sheepish.
“No! No, it’s not that I mind or anything,” Reigen said, waving his hands around frantically. “I’ve gotten used to it, it’s nothing bad.” He looked up, up, up to meet the god’s gaze, trying to give him a reassuring smile. It felt a little muggy inside his house, as if he had taken a very long shower with the bathroom door open. The god took to following Reigen into the kitchen. “Here, would you like me to make you some tea?” Reigen gestured towards the cup in the other’s hands. “I left that out for you, but I’m sure it’s cold now.”
“Y-yes, please,” he said, giving Reigen the cup. Reigen turned to his counter and saw that the window over his sink was starting to fog up.
It smelled like warm summer rain.
He nonchalantly opened the window, praying that mold wouldn’t begin to grow.
“So…” Reigen started, putting water into his pot and turning on the stove. “I know you aren’t mortal. Obviously.”
“What gave it away?”
“You just came from a seemingly unending downpour and there’s not a drop of water on you,” Reigen answered as if that was obvious. “It doesn’t help that you’re ginormous and look like a model, even under all that scruff.”
“O-oh.” Reigen turned to face the god, seeing him turn a little red. The humidity got a little worse.
“You got a name?”
“Yes,” The god replied. They stood in silence for a few moments.
“Well, what is it?”
“Oh! It’s-” The teapot started to whistle, and Reigen clicked his tongue.
“Hold that thought,” he said as he went back to the stove, pulling the pot off of the burner and pouring the water into two mugs. “Would you like any sugar or milk?”
“N-no, thank you.”
“You sure? It doesn’t taste too good on its own. Do you have tea up in the stratosphere?”
That got Reigen a little laugh, deep and low to the point that Reigen felt like his house was shaking. “Yes, we do, and yes, I’m sure.”
“Well, alright then,” Reigen grabbed both cups and moved towards his back door. The god didn’t move. “Could we sit outside?” He thought about adding something about how he loves the post-rain smell of the earth, or be a little more condescending and say that the guy was making his house a sauna, but he bit his tongue. The god nodded and they moved to an old bench Reigen had, overlooking his farm. The porchlight flickered, illuminating the two of them in dim yellow light.
“Harvest has been good,” Reigen started.
“Yes, I know.”
“I suppose you do, don’t you?” Reigen laughed it off, a little sheepishly. “I was wondering if you could hear me.”
“Of course I could. You didn’t even have to yell.”
“Well, I’ll remember that next time.” They sat in silence. Reigen watched the god take a sip from the cup of tea.
“You wanted to know my name, right?” He asked, turning his gaze towards Reigen for a moment. He looked very, very tired.
“Uh, yeah- unless I’m not supposed to know it?” Reigen hid his mouth behind his cup, taking a drink before wincing at the heat.
“No, it’s just… been a while since I said it to anyone.” He fumbled with his cup before offering his hand. “Katsuya Serizawa. It’s… nice to finally meet you.”
Reigen took Serizawa's hand, which easily engulfed his own. The hand felt very warm, and a little damp, but then again, so was Reigen’s.
He didn’t expect the dull thrum of electricity to trickle up his arm, causing his hair to flare with static electricity. From the surprise in Serizawa’s eyes, neither did he. He yanked his hand back as if he had burnt Reigen.
“Heh,” Reigen snorted. “Shocking, huh?” Serizawa gave a weak laugh.
“Yes, I suppose so.”
“So, Serizawa-”
“Katsuya,” Katsuya interrupted, looking away. “Please.”
“Katsuya,” Reigen tried again, “What brings you to the mortal realm?”
“I… wanted to apologize. For taking your umbrella all those times.” At first, Katsuya’s voice sounded strained, but once the dam burst he just kept going. “I never intended to; my powers are tied to my emotions, and they can get out of control. I hope you can forgive me.”
Reigen heard a crack of thunder, and it started to rain again.
“It’s all forgiven,” Reigen said with a wave of his hand, looking out to watch the rain. It was hard to see in the darkness; the moonlight barely shone through the clouds. “I’m relieved, actually. I’m sure you’ve heard what others say about you having it out for me.”
“Having it out for you?” Katsuya repeated.
“As in… They think I’ve angered you, or something. Wherever I go, the rains follow.”
“T-that’s definitely not the case!” Katsuya stammered. “Quite the opposite, in fact.” Reigen glanced over at Katsuya to see his face bright red. Reigen didn’t think of himself as the self-absorbed type, but he knew a crush when he saw one.
“Ah. I see.” Reigen nodded. “That’s good to hear, then. I’m glad you don’t hate me. I’m sure that hatred from a god would surely get me killed.”
“I don’t think anyone could hate you, Arataka.”
“Jeez, laying it on thick, aren’t you?” Reigen teased, clapping Katsuya on the shoulder to show he wasn’t against any of it.
“W-well, I was told being forward was a good idea.” Katsuya rubbed the back of his neck. “I-if I misread the situation and you aren’t, uh, into this, I can leave you be, though.”
“I said I didn’t mind the rain, didn’t I?” Reigen turned to look at Katsuya, who just looked back at him, dumbfounded. They stared at each other for a few seconds, before Katsuya took the initiative, leaning his face down to Reigen’s as his eyes drifted shut.
Reigen put his fingers up to Katsuya’s lips.
His eyes snapped back open, and this close, Reigen could tell his eyes were cloudy, foggy, as if the sky was in his eyes. “Now hold on.”
“Mmf?” Katsuya mumbled, focused on Reigen. His lips felt soft against the pads of Reigen’s fingers. Reigen found that very distracting, so he moved his hand to rest against the stubble on Katsuya’s cheek, which he found to be equally distracting.
He didn’t move his hand. Katsuya leaned into the touch.
“I’m sure you’ve heard a lot from other gods and goddesses and had your own…” Reigen paused, thinking, “ other experiences, with mortals, but… if it’s alright, I’d like to do this the right way.”
“The… right way?” Katsuya’s brows furrowed.
“As in… dating. Unless you just want to… You know...” Serizawa looked a little meek and shook his head. “I didn’t think so. You seem like a lovesick fool.”
“What can I say, you’re… nice to talk to,” Katsuya paused, and then added, “and very handsome.”
Reigen felt himself turn a little red, and nodded, trying to keep his composure. “So, we should go on a date. Well, probably not actually going out. Your mortal disguise isn’t exactly believable. You’re built like a brick shithouse.”
“Thank you?” Katsuya responded, making Reigen laugh a little.
“Yes, that was a compliment. You’re pretty handsome yourself, big guy.” Katsuya turned his face into Reigen’s hand, as if trying to hide his blush. A corner of Reigen’s mouth quirked upward at the endearing sight. He turned Katsuya’s face back towards him. “At least let me make you dinner sometime. Do you eat?”
“I’m able to, yes.” Katsuya cracked a small smile, eyes crinkling around the edges.
“Good to hear.” Reigen returned the smile, patting Katsuya’s cheek before moving his hand away and standing up. “Let’s go back inside. This chill’s gonna kill me if I’m out here any longer.”