Chapter Text
It was coming quick and
Reigen didn’t know what to do about it.
In fact, there was absolutely positively nothing he COULD do to prevent it from coming.
It was just something that was fated to happen ever since Serizawa had enrolled to night school.
Graduation.
There was nothing particularly wrong with Serizawa graduating, in fact, it was something to be celebrated.
And it would be.
Just… the implications of that would happen AFTER he graduated was something that Reigen Arataka could not bear to think about.
He had tried time and time again to think about it.
To think about a life without Katsuya Serizawa sitting in his little office, the desk diagonal from his own. But he just couldn’t.
Reigen thought about the possibility that he was forcing to keep his co-worker in the same place when he was truly unhappy or uninterested.
He worried about things like this, sometimes.
His parents were mainly to blame for that anxiety.
It was unusual for Reigen to have someone around his age for this long that actually tolerated—and in this case— more than that.
Sometimes he felt like Serizawa was too good for him.
It wasn’t like they were dating…or anything. It was just that genuinely, his presence lit up any room that he went into; Reigen felt like he does the complete opposite.
The blonde had his chin resting in the center of his palm with his arm propping up and holding it all together stably. He was spacing out. His employee must’ve caught onto this because he cleared his throat softly but loud enough to feel like it was out of place.
Reigen blinked a couple times, sitting back straight now, turning to look at Serizawa.
Katsuya was holding a pencil, his hand resting on top of some homework. His deep brown eyes were filled with mild concern as he bounced his leg up and down. “Are you alright? You’ve been…acting off.”
“I’m fine.” Was all the man said, almost a bit too fast as if it were a response he was very used to giving.
Serizawa knew he was lying. But he wasn’t going to prod his boss for more answers he wasn’t willing to give or talk about. Besides, that might be a bit unprofessional anyhow. “…If you say so…”
Reigen bit his lip, debating whether or not if he should keep up some sort of conversation to fill the emptiness of the room— Whether that was something completely random or, god forbid it, his feelings. It sent chills up his arms and made his heart race a little bit, just thinking about that last option.
He cleared his throat.
“So, Serizawa, have you got any plans once you graduate?”
Reigen froze as he felt the words leave his mouth.
Fucking stupid.
That was too obvious.
Too personal.
Why the fuck would he say that?
It wasn’t anything about himself, but it clearly was something that Reigen was trying to find out for a non…specific reason.
It’s fine.
It’s fine.
Maybe he won’t notice.
Please, god, don’t notice.
Katsuya, who had started to work on his paper again after his feeble attempt at trying to get Arataka to talk about his feelings, paused as he laid the pencil down on the desk.
“You know. I’m not quite sure yet.”
He didn’t notice.
Reigen felt a weight lift off his chest that had momentarily been placed the second he asked his question. “Ah, well, i’m sure you’ll find something that suits you. No need to worry about it.” He replied, waving his hand around.
Serizawa smiled for a second and nodded in response. “I sure hope so.”
The blonde man thought it would be best if he didn’t try to continue the conversation because he knew how badly he had slipped up, even though it felt like his associate didn’t notice.
It left Reigen’s face extremely hot as he opened his laptop and buried his face inside of it so that it was no longer visible.
Luckily it was almost time to pack up and head home. Er…well. Sort of lucky.
Reigen would be able to escape the incredibly awkward environment he made for himself the second he left the office, but…it also meant that he would be leaving Serizawa until tomorrow.
It was something he always hated. Seeing him walk the opposite way.
The blonde stared at his laptop screen and watched as the clock hit 5pm. With Serizawa graduating in a couple days, it meant that he was able to stay later than usual.
It was a small detail that Reigen noticed and was happy about. Getting the extra hour.
Katsuya stood up and stretched before neatly starting to pack his paperwork and belongings into his bag.
Arataka closed his laptop then plugged it into it’s charger so it would be fully ready for the next day. He then stood up and took a deep breath in before giving a heavy exhale, pushing in his chair.
Reigen twirled his keychain (that only had two singular keys on it) around his index finger before heading to the door, which Serizawa was already waiting at politely.
“You know you don’t have to wait for me.” The blonde said as he approached.
“I know.” Serizawa replied as he opened the door, holding it open for his boss to walk through. “I don’t mind.”
Arataka felt his face momentarily flush up. He quickly cleared his throat, closing and locking the door behind the two. He glanced down to look at his (business) partner’s tan and blocky hand as the both of them started to walk to the exit together.
It looked so easy to grab. Like if he did it, if he really grabbed Serizawa’s hand, that they would fit together like two perfect puzzle pieces.
It was so easy. Yet…so complicated.
Reigen wished so badly that these thoughts he had been having more recently would just leave. It would make his life so much easier if they did. He liked liking Serizawa…but he didn’t want to drag his best friend into his whole thing of confusing and messy feelings.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Reigen.”
The blonde man looked up quickly to see he was outside. And Serizawa was in front of him, waving goodbye.
Shit, had he really spaced out the entire walk out of the building? It was getting worse each day.
“Right—I’ll see you then, Serizawa. Walk safely.”
“You as well.”
Reigen stood on the sidewalk, watching as his co-worker went further until he was completely out of sight. It had become part of his routine.
Before, he had waited and hoped that Serizawa would come running back for some ridiculous reason, but it never happened.
So, he gave up on that.
Arataka gave a deep inhale then exhale, watching his breath leave his mouth from the cold air.
It didn’t take long for him to start walking towards his apartment.
He didn’t do well in the cold.