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A dark sky accented with beautiful pinks, oranges, and yellows welcomed Serizawa and Reigen in their apartment. The apartment was just the right size, perhaps slightly bigger than both of their old ones, and had a fantastic view of the sunset. Space for things was an issue, but it was either the view or more space, and the view won out. They sat at their dining/living room table, legs crossed as they ate their dinner. Instant ramen, the both of them too exhausted to make much effort besides that. Serizawa had stopped eating a while ago, the leftover ramen in the cup getting cold.
Noodles didn't matter when he had someone as beautiful as his husband to look at. Reigen looked gorgeous as always, especially his hair in the current lighting, but he noticed some parts of his hair were getting longer, a little less neat. Reigen shaved his face every morning, but ever since quarantine had started, Serizawa didn’t notice if he actually cut the hair on his head or not.
That, plus the fact that he had never seen Reigen without anything but trimmed hair, made him wonder. Would his ‘Taka like him to return the favor? Of all the years together, they both cut their own hair. The only time one had cut the other's hair was Serizawa's first day. It would be new territory, but one that Serizawa wanted to pass in to, one that was so simple yet so complicated. Or maybe he was making it complicated.
Serizawa reached out, his hand finding Reigen’s nape to thread his fingers through the growing hair there. Reigen visibly shivered, nearly dropping his cup ramen.
“Oi!” Reigen protested with his mouth full. He barely had time to swallow the food before he choked. A loud gulp followed, then an equally loud gasp of air. Once he was right again, Reigen fixed his husband with a glare.
Serizawa took his hand away, chuckling as he did so. “I’m sorry, your hair is just...pretty long. It’s nice to play with.”
"You can play with my hair after I'm done eating." Reigen griped, turning his attention back to the TV.
Serizawa hummed in confirmation. Okay, maybe that was a bit too strong. Use your words, Katsuya.
“Can I… cut your hair? Return the favor?”
Reigen blinked at the question. He wasn’t exactly expecting that. The only other person who cut his hair was his mother, otherwise he deigned to do it himself. Serizawa cuddling with him was enough to overwhelm him sometimes with just the sheer amount of love, would this do the same? Part of him craved it, needed it to breathe. He wanted human touch, he wanted connection. Admitting that was terrifying. He couldn’t just say yes, he had to think of something, anything.
Then, he smirked. There it was, the plan that surely would work. Reigen grabbed the remote, switching the TV off. He turned to get a full view of Serizawa, his signature smirk on full display. He put a hand on his chin in a check mark position. "If you think you can do better than I can, then sure."
A slow, adoring smile spread across Serizawa's face. Reigen wouldn't let him take care of him that easy, he knew. It was what made him hesitant in the first place, but this was cute. "I didn't know it was a competition."
Reigen had to compose himself and forget the red tint on his cheeks from his husband's smile. They were together for years, yet he would blush at the tiniest of things. He blurted out, a little rocky at first, "Of course it is, Katsuya! I gave you one and now you give me one. Classic starting ground for a competition."
"I guess you're right...seems a bit late, though."
Reigen waved a hand in a 'forget about it' gesture. "A couple years doesn't matter, what matters is who wins.”
It was definitely more than a few years, but Serizawa nodded, getting up to grab the haircutting scissors they shared along with a towel. By the time he came back into the main room, Reigen was already sitting in a chair, looking ready as he'd ever be. Wasting no time himself, Serizawa draped the towel in front of Reigen, then tied it together in a crude approximation of what a barber may use to keep their client clean.
"Ready, 'Taka?"
Reigen got comfortable in the seat then said, "Cut away Katsuya."
Serizawa did as told, lining up the scissors at the bottom of Reigen's neck. That was the area with the most growth. His first cut was within seconds of happening right before stopping at the first almost-snip. A little, but significant, thought popped into his head.
'He trusts me. He trusts me more than I trust myself.'
It was as if time stopped upon learning such a thing. Acting out of instinct, Serizawa leaned down to kiss the top of Reigen's head. Serizawa knew Reigen was smiling before he could even get a good view of his face. That gave him the confidence, along with the trust, to do his best.
Before he moved away to start again, he spotted little hairs, all that needed to be cut to make Reigen look professional again.
He had his work cut out for him.
______
It was a slow 20 minutes, but Serizawa and Reigen got through the haircut. A few times Serizawa's hands shook from all the effort but he stayed focused. Reigen didn't say much, or ask to see his hair. A few times he would remind Serizawa that he had to look professional and clean, but not in a bossy way. Serizawa would label it as teasing if he knew that somewhere in there Reigen was being serious. He didn't blame him, the way he presented himself was a part of getting business.
The pair were in the tiny bathroom now, Reigen looking over what Serizawa had done.
"Hm…" Reigen picked at his hair like a child who didn't want to eat something on their plate.
"What do you think?" Serizawa asked earnestly.
Then after a beat, he added: "Did I win?"
Reigen looked up to him through the mirror, a hint of a smile on his face. "I wouldn't say you won, but it is pretty good. Nice job, Katsuya."
Serizawa was weak to even the simplest of praises. But, he had a competition to win. "But isn't it a little unfair for us to decide the winner? Shouldn't we get an outside opinion?"
Reigen turned around to face his husband. He gave him an incredulous look. "Like who?"
"Shigeo-kun. He was there my first day. He'd be a good judge."
Reigen thought about it. He worried about Mob picking him just to please him (not that he would necessarily mind that), but Mob was older, vocal in his opinions and thoughts. Maybe an eleven year old Mob would cater to Reigen, but not a twenty-two year old. A few wise cracks at his expense over ramen before quarantine all started was proof of that.
"Fine, call him. But don't be surprised when he says I won."
A glint of competitiveness lit over Serizawa's eyes. "Sure."
______
The call was answered after a few bloops of the FaceTime ring.
Mob greeted with a small wave and an enthusiastic: "Hi, Serizawa-san!" And then a little less enthusiastic: "And Shishou."
His voice was somehow getting deeper the last time they saw him along with some patchy facial hair. He was growing fast. Too fast in Reigen's opinion.
"Don't sound so disappointed to see your old Shishou, Mob!"
"You know I'm only joking, Shishou. It's good to see you too." A bright smile was on his face. "Are you both okay?"
"We're fine! Sorry to call you so late, but we have something for you to judge. If you want to." Reigen announced.
Mob was amused, used to his Shishou's antics by now. Serizawa was as well by how he looked over at Reigen just then. They knew it was best to just go along with it most of the time.
"I'm taking that as a yes. So!" Reigen clapped his hands together to begin the explanation. "Serizawa cut my hair. We want you to judge if he did a better job than I did with his."
"You cut each other's hair? I can't tell much difference…"
"Shigeo-kun, he means on my first day. Remember?"
Mob took a moment, then they saw recognition flash over his face. "Ah. Was the competition part Shishou’s idea?”
Serizawa snorted, confirming Mob’s suspicion. Reigen crossed his arms. "Are you gonna judge or not, Mob?"
"Okay. Hold o-"
"Serizawa won by a longshot." A certain spirit had joined the call.
"Your opinion doesn't count, Dimple." Reigen waved a dismissive hand.
"Heh, not like Shigeo wasn't gonna say the same thing, Reigen." Dimple patted Mob's head, leaning against his head like one would against a wall.
"Sorry, Shishou." Mob said in a tone that wasn't sorry at all.
"What?!" Reigen was offended, outraged.
Mob laughed and laughed. It was a sound that they needed to hear. Reigen tried to explain what Serizawa had done, minimizing the work to get Mob on his side, but neither Dimple nor Mob would budge on the issue.
As the call went on, conversation returned to normal, Reigen stopping the act to check in on his student. The conversation had divulged into friends talking to friends, sharing laughs, and right under it all the feeling of missing each other. Dimple and Reigen were up to their usual of teasing each other, goading each other on. Serizawa and Mob being the reasonable ones of the four, but spitting out spectacular digs at just the right moment. Though, Dimple had most of the sass.
"Yeah, and, anyway, Reigen, all you had to do was buzz his head and shave his face, that's easy. From the looks of it, he gave you a trim, and made you look somewhat decent. That's talent." Dimple slung at him.
"Yeah, yeah, stupid spirit. Think what you want." Reigen crossed his arms over his chest, a classic defense gesture.
"I can travel through phones, you know." Dimple was lying and they all knew it.
The call lasted for another hour. By the end of it Serizawa's arm was tired from holding up his phone for so long. His phone battery wasn't doing so well either, but it was worth it indeed. Mob sounded so happy, so mature, so right with himself. Even though he had to move back into his parents’ house for quarantine, he was still on his life track and doing okay. Serizawa could tell how pleased Reigen was, almost like a proud dad. Dimple seemed to be doing okay too, telling a story of how he had been annoying Ritsu all day followed by a half-serious scolding from Mob.
Now with the call ended and the TV back on, it left Serizawa to revel in the trust Reigen gave him. Serizawa knew that the competition was just a cover up, he knew Reigen too well by now to not notice. Even so, Reigen put his trust in him. His husband had done so many other times, but this one was new. Serizawa felt on top of the world. He was even more confident in Reigen’s love and trust.
Reigen, on the other hand, felt like an exposed nerve in a way that only his husband could bring out in him. For the most part he had been unlearning being so secretive, so guarded, but old habits never really seemed to go away for him. The pack of cigarettes under their bed was proof of that. He hadn’t smoked one, but it was a reminder he could go back there at any time, to safety. Would he take it knowing how scary but exhilarating it felt to be honest and open with someone he loved?
“Hey, ‘Tsuya?”
“Hm?”
“Thanks. It felt really...nice.” Reigen said quietly.
The sweet kiss from the man he trusted and loved was answer enough.