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To say that Serizawa was shy would be an understatement. He was polite and reserved with most strangers, afraid to say the wrong thing and accidentally offend someone, but that part wasn't too strange. The thing that confused you was how timid he was around you.
The two of you had been friends for a few months now and while he had always been quiet for the most part, he had grown even more so recently. As a friend of Reigen’s it hadn't been hard for you to get to know Serizawa what with how often you saw him, but over time he had somehow turned more reclusive. The strange thing was that Serizawa only seemed to treat you differently than before.
You weren't sure what to think. Did he dislike you? You hoped that wasn't the case, considering how big of a crush you had on him. Or maybe it was something you had done or said? But as much as you wracked your brain, you couldn't think of anything that might've triggered his change in behavior.
You had even asked Reigen and Mob about it, but they couldn't really help you either. They too had noticed Serizawa’s changed attitude towards you, but they had no idea how it had come about either. Reigen didn't really seem to care all that much either way, and Mob tried his best to come up with theories, but he also wasn't the most sociable person, so he gave up pretty quickly.
So you just kept on wondering what had gone wrong in the relationship between you and Serizawa, and no matter how much you tried to encourage him to be less shy, he just seemed to retreat more and more from you.
A few weeks into this, you had finally had enough. Serizawa was going to stay behind after work to sort some files, so when you got to the office to meet up with Reigen and Mob to grab dinner together, you told them to go on ahead. With a stern expression you made your way across the office to where Serizawa was standing by a cabinet.
“We need to talk.” You decided that getting straight to the point would be the best course of action.
Serizawa turned around to face you with a confused expression, and you immediately regretted your approach when you saw the flicker of fear in his eyes. You did your best to relax your furrowed brow in an attempt to ease the tension before you continued.
“You've been treating me differently.” You muttered, casting your eyes to the ground to avoid his shocked look. “You don't really talk to me anymore, you don't make an effort to carry a conversation, and you haven't laughed at any of my dumb jokes in weeks. It's like you don't want to be friends anymore… did I do something wrong? Please tell me.”
There was a short silence that felt much too long, before Serizawa finally spoke.
“That's not-- You didn't d-do anything wrong.” He stammered, and you looked up at him once again. Was he blushing?
“Then why are you avoiding me? Do you not like me? It's alright if you don't, just be honest ab-”
“No! I mean, I- what I'm s-saying is, that I do like you! A lot.” He was scratching the back of his head nervously and now he was definitely blushing. You couldn't suppress the sharp intake of air as you watched him stumble through his sentences.
“You're amazing, and… and a very good friend. But you see,” He paused, then finally his eyes returned to yours and now it was your turn to blush. “I don't w-want you to be my friend. I want you to be more than that.”
You stared at him dumbfounded. Was he saying what you thought he was saying, or was that just wishful thinking on your part?
His fingers fidgeted, fumbling with the hem of his cardigan as he took a deep breath. There was no reason for him to be this nervous if this wasn't at least somewhat serious.
“I like you. I like like you.” He looked at you then, expression open, cheeks flushed and eyes twinkling with what you could only describe as adoration.
It took you a moment to get your bearings, but when you did, you gave him a gentle smile.
“And you didn't know how to deal with it.” You added, making him nod and flush even brighter. “You big doofus, I like like you too.”
As soon as the words were out of your mouth, a pair of warm arms wrapped around your back and enthusiastically pulled you against Serizawa’s chest. You sighed into his shirt happily, and returned the hug with just as much vigor.
“I didn't think-” He mumbled into your hair, making you hum to encourage him to keep going. “I was convinced you'd be grossed out by my feelings.”
That made you pull back from the comfortable embrace to look at his face once more. His eyes were watering, so you reached up to place a gentle hand on his cheek.
“How could I not like you, Serizawa? You're the sweetest person I have ever met in my life, and I could never be grossed out by the way you feel. Even if I didn't like you back, that wouldn't invalidate your feelings.”
He just looked at you for a moment, leaning into your touch, and digging his palms harder into your back. Finally, he let out a soft chuckle.
“Can I kiss you?” He asked quietly. Your throat suddenly felt like sandpaper, so you only nodded in reply, and then his lips were on yours. They were soft and gentle, barely a press of lips against lips, but you felt your stomach do an excited flip. After a few seconds you pulled back and gave him a sweet smile.
“You're the cutest, you know that?” You mumbled and he laughed. The sight and sound were quite lovely, so as soon as he was done, you kissed him again.
He grew a bit more confident this time around, and tilted his head to the side as he moved his lips against yours. You reciprocated happily, trying to nudge him in the right direction and teach him at least a little bit. He quickly picked up on what you were doing and copied you, leaving you breathless when you pulled back.
“You're a quick learner.” You told him with a satisfied smirk and he puffed out his chest proudly.
“I try my best. Please be patient with me.” He squeezed your back and you reached up with both hands to tangle your fingers in his hair. He immediately leaned into your touch, making you chuckle.
“I am, I will be. Just tell me if I move too fast for you, yeah, Serizawa?” You pressed a small kiss against his still-red cheek.
“... Katsuya.” He almost whispered, but it was impossible to miss with how focused you were on him. Another flush overcame you at the thought of using his first name, but you still tried it out quietly.
“Katsuya… Katsuya. I like you, Katsuya.” You mumbled, and watched his face turn pink again. “Please be my boyfriend, Katsuya.”
Feeling bold and invigorated, he replied: “You don't need to ask. If you'll have me, I'm already yours.”
You leaned in again with a big smile on your lips and kissed him until you were both breathless. When you eventually pulled back, he hugged you closer and dropped his head onto your shoulder with a sigh.
“You wanna go catch up to Reigen and Mob? I'm kinda hungry…” You mumbled against the side of his neck, brushing your lips against his skin while speaking. A shudder ran through him at the sensation and his grip on you tightened once more.
“Yes, let's go.” He replied, before letting go of you reluctantly. “S-should we… tell them? About us, I mean?”
You considered your options for a moment as you watched Katsuya pull on his coat and sling his bag over his shoulder.
“Hm, well, would you like to? If you want to wait for a while that's fine, but I'm not sure if I can hold back on giving you adoring looks during dinner.” You smiled gently as his cheeks reddened.
“Let's tell them, then.” He nodded to himself. “I think, I'd like everyone to know.”
By the time you reached the restaurant, holding hands and smiling happily at each other, Reigen and Mob were already half-way through their bowls of ramen. Reigen didn't look up for even a second when he greeted you between hungry bites, but Mob’s eyes landed on your joined hands. His expression remained blank for a few moments, until it seemed to click and a small smile appeared on his face.
“Ah, congrats!” He told the two of you, which finally made Reigen turn away from his food and towards you. He watched as Serizawa arranged himself in the booth, before shyly putting an arm around you with a bashful smile. Reigen sighed and turned back to gulping down noodles.
“Took you long enough.” He said after a moment, making the two of you blush.