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Sweat is something Reigen is used to. The sensation of heat flooding every part of his body and being an inevitable sign of his insecurity and discomfort.
It’s in the most tense moments when he sweats the most, when his mind has to process everything quickly and give an almost immediate response to the situation that was taking place. That damn traitorous body of his that since he was born condemned him to hate it.
Now is one of those moments, everyone around him is tense and slumped, concentrating on the terrifying events that are taking place right before their eyes.
Tome is more serious than ever, she always had a sudden and volatile temperament, it isn’t unusual to see her worried and thoughtful either. Teru is the most relaxed of all of them but he’s thinking about his next move. The brothers frown forward, one more intensely and making his tension much clearer than the other. Serizawa shifts uncomfortably to Ritsu's right, giving Teruki sidelong glances for some hope. Reigen is praying to all the gods he knows and even the ones he doesn’t for this torture to end, but in his favor.
Then, Teru breaks the tension.
"I change the color to red." Teru extends his hand, leaving the card in the pile.
"I HATE YOU."
"Thank God." He listens from somewhere to his right, probably Ritsu.
There's a group sigh of relief and Reigen almost cries with joy.
Tome grabs a card wrinkling her nose in annoyance as she sits back down, "Next. I'm beginning to suspect that you all use your powers to ruin my games."
Teru scoffs, "We can't do that."
"You should start to question yourself that maybe you just suck at this game." Reigen joins in the taunt as he puts a Skip card for Ritsu, who growls.
"You can't stink at playing UNO." Tome counterattacks.
"In what position does that leave you then?"
Serizawa puts a card while they’re discussing.
"A moment ago, you were about to jump out the window because I was about to win."
"I trust my abilities... and Teruki's, you seem to underestimate us."
"It's not my fault the fucking luck lady is on your side."
"Hey, hey, what if we stop fighting? It's only the second game." As always, Serizawa is the go-between with that soft awkward smile. He's probably tired of always witnessing these discussions.
"UNO."
"We got careless and Kageyama is already about to win too!" Teru groans as he runs a hand over his face. He places a card on the pile.
Reigen suddenly brings out his serious tone. "Serizawa, I trust you."
"Uh, I don't know if..."
"I don't care, you don't have to let Mob win."
"That's what you get for conspiring against me! You're so focused on ruining my game that you haven't even noticed Mob."
"He always goes unnoticed," Ritsu complains.
"It's because Serizawa sits next to him, he's too soft." Tome takes another card. "Next."
"Hey."
"That’s right," Reigen concludes, " I change my bet: Hanazawa, I trust you." He then puts a Reverse card in the pile.
"DON'T CHANGE THE DIRECTION YOU IDIOT!" Tome complains
"It's our only chance that Mob doesn't win."
Tome grabs another card, almost furious, "But this is considered harm to civilians. Next."
"You always have to make sacrifices." Teru smiles as he leaves a Draw Two on the stack.
Shigeo scratches his neck uncomfortably, "Wow." He mutters as he grabs two cards, just with a slight hint of annoyance.
Serizawa heaves a sigh of relief, "I thought it was going to be a shorter game,"
"Hey, switch directions again, I don't want to have Reigen drop all his Skips on me every turn."
"I don't drop that many Skips cards."
"Tell that to our poor Ritsu, who hasn't played for three turns."
"It's not my fault that I get these cards."
"Don't reverse the direction again, please." Ritsu asks, changing color to blue.
Reigen frowns and grabs a card, "Next."
Tome raises her eyebrows as she leans forward to put down a card, "Wow, the end of the world."
"What do you mean?"
"I don't think in all the games we've played, I've ever seen you run out of cards to drop."
Reigen frowns in confusion at that comment. "Why do you pay attention to those details?"
"It’s essential to know the strengths of my enemies."
"I think you're taking this to the extreme."
"It’s never extreme when it comes to beating you."
Teru skips Mob, who just makes a sad face.
"There's no need to take this game so seriously," Serizawa tries to reassure as he stacks a Reverse card.
"I just said don't change direction!" Ritsu groans dramatically. Shigeo just smiles as he drops a card.
"Serizawa, have I ever told you that you are the best coworker I have?" Tome tries to flatter.
"Uh, I guess there's no need for that… honor just for changing the direction." Serizawa looks uncomfortable. But above all, he’s very confused. They really take this very seriously.
"Besides, you don't offend me with that." Reigen blurts out.
"I plan to ruin the game for you." Tome declares.
"Try it."
"I think we should switch places in the next game." Serizawa offers.
"We should get Tome and Reigen as far away from each other as possible." Supports Teru, more amused than annoyed by the whole situation.
Reigen drops a Skip card.
"Or maybe Reigen just shouldn't play." Ritsu growls again desperately.
"It's not my fault!"
"Do you think he's shuffling the cards in his favor?" asks Tome mischievously.
"Knowing him, it's more than likely." Ritsu agrees.
"That's not true,I'm not that vile to cheat at UNO. Right, Serizawa?" He looks for support in his beloved Serizawa.
"Uh, I guess." He grabs a card, "Next."
"What was that?" Reigen glares in Serizawa's direction.
"I mean, when we were playing Crazy Eights I'm sure you made up some rules."
"We're over."
"We don't want love dramas, thank you."
"I see where you got the dramatic side from, Tome."
"You are having too much fun, Hanazawa."
"UNO." Shigeo mutters.
"AGAIN?"
"As long as Reigen doesn't win." Ritsu sighs.
"Neither Tome."
"Why are you espers plotting against non-espers? This can’t be a coincidence."
"No one is plotting against anyone." Serizawa sounded exhausted.
"I’ve been betrayed by my own boyfriend." Reigen agrees, ignoring Serizawa.
"That’s not true." Serizawa defends himself with a small smile, obviously indicating that deep down he’s indeed enjoying all the sincere drama of the two non-espers. "Besides, didn't you just break up with me?"
"Ex-boyfriend." Reigen quickly corrects himself, earning laughter from Serizawa and Teru and a hidden smile from Shigeo.
"Can we focus? Mob is about to win." Tome declares.
"At this point, I just want him to win. It would save me from this torture." Ritsu mutters.
"How uncompetitive, Ritsu." Hanazawa teases.
"He's my brother." Ritsu defends.
"For that reason you should be more competitive."
"This is the worst game of all we have done."
"I agree." Teru says.
"Katsuya,” Reigen interrupts, “you can get my love back if you sabotage Mob again."
"That's blackmail?" Tome raises an eyebrow.
"It's not in the rules that I can't play with the feelings of you all."
"It’s not in the rules, but it just shows how despicable you are." Ritsu responds.
"Wow, we have strong adjectives, huh?" Reigen puts a Skip card on the pile.
"HOW MANY SKIPS DO YOU HAVE?!"
"Actually, I don't have any more."
"Don't let Reigen shuffle anymore. And I demand a change of places in the next game."
"You could have released all the Skips at once instead of releasing them one by one, you know?" Tome accuses.
"It's not funny that way."
"For me it sure isn't fun this way."
"Um," Serizawa coughs as he puts a Wild Draw Four on the stack, "Sorry. Color changes to yellow."
"Love you. That’s my boyfriend."
"Serizawa, you are the best."
"You’re being unfair to him." Ritsu defends.
"It’s ok, Ritsu," Shigeo smirks as he grabs the four cards.
"Well, sorry, Kurata, this is the only card I can drop." Hanazawa leaves a yellow Draw Two on the table. "UNO."
"Uh? Be sorry for Reigen." Tome smirks as she leaves another Draw Two on the stack.
"Hey! That's against the rules." Reigen complains.
"Since when?"
"Since ever."
"It’s not fair changing the rules for convenience, assume the consequences and take all the karma you deserve."
"That's sinister, Ritsu." Shigeo says.
"But it’s the truth."
"But, Master, we've always played like this."
Reigen chokes on his saliva hearing Mob go against him. "Raise a child to stab you in the back while you play UNO."
"Don't make him feel bad." Serizawa complains. He turns to Shigeo. "He's just being dramatic."
Shigeo nods. "I know, he also got like that when we played Tetris."
"How can someone be competitive in Tetris?" Teru scoffs.
"That boy is better than you think." declares Reigen.
"Can you Reigen already take the four cards? I want to start playing." Ritsu complains.
"I want to put a claim sheet, they just made up this rule. You cannot put a Draw Two after another Draw Two."
"Don’t start again with this." Teruki sighs.
"Every week you change the rules!"
"I'm on that with Tome, sorry Arataka."
"You're going to be single twice in the same day."
"I agree with them." Declares Mob.
That hits Reigen like a kick to the stomach. Twice in the same day!
"We are all with Tome." Ritsu snaps.
“Thank you guys.” She smiles.
"Fine! But this is against my will."
"Thanks god." Teruki sighs in relief.
"It's humiliating to be the only one with all seven cards in hand."
"That's Reigen's fault." Teruki insists.
"I keep stating that it's not my fault."
"Of course." Ritsu says as he places a card on the pile.
"I’m not going to have this discussion again, in the next game you’ll see that I have nothing to do with it."
"If it's not you, it's Serizawa using his powers in some way to your advantage."
"I can’t do that?"
"That is a serious statement, young lady."
"Don't call me that again in your life."
"Don't listen to her, Katsuya, she's upset that we didn't let her win."
"Well, I guess that's understandable."
"It is not?"
"Can you please stop flirting in front of children? It's gross." Tome makes a disgusted face.
"We're not doing it." Both declare at the same time.
"Hm. Sure,"
"Anyway," Teruki smiles triumphantly. "I win." He declares leaving the card on the table.
"Oh, come on!"
"How we didn't realize he had one card left?"
"That's because you were too busy arguing and going against my brother."
"It doesn't matter, Ritsu."
“Mob, it's okay to be a little naughty in this game. You know, you don't have to let yourself be humiliated."
"You're the first to go against him."
"That's because I want him to learn."
"I don't think it works."
"Anyways," Tome smiles again, laying down a Wild Draw Four. "Change the color to green."
"No one has green except you!" Ritsu complains.
"Well, I'll be the only one playing then,"
"Not if I can help it," Reigen says as he puts down a blue Draw Two.
"Hey! Didn't you say we couldn't do this?"
"I never said you couldn't with a Draw Four"
"That makes no sense."
"I just follow your made-up rules."
"Well... I'm sorry Serizawa." but Ritsu smiles as he places another Draw Two on the stack.
"Not this time," Serizawa replies as she puts down another. "UNO."
Reigen sees Mob smile.
"This gets interesting."
"It can’t be."
"I'm sorry Tome." And Shigeo leaves another Draw Two, this time red.
"What is the probability that you all have a Draw Two now!"
"Assume your defeat."
"It's definitely a conspiracy."
"You're just bad at losing."
"I haven't lost yet."
"Yet."
"Drop a card already, Reigen." Asks Ritsu, desperate.
"Oh right." Reigen frowns at his cards and scratches his chin. "Hmmmm, wow."
And then he places a Skip card.
"OH COME ON! Do you have all the Skips in the deck of cards just to annoy me?"
Serizawa and Mob laugh to the right of Ritsu, who has dramatically fallen backwards.
"That's what you get for making me draw cards."
"Well, I'm done, thanks Arataka."
"Again we neglected!" Kurata rubs his face.
"These two always help each other." growls Ritsu.
"They're in cahoots."
"Have you forgotten the part where he turned on me?" Reigen defends himself.
"That's not true at all." Serizawa laughs as he sits on the sofa, watching the game from afar.
"The winner and the runner-up get a free dinner from the loser, right?" Teru interrupts, smiling at Serizawa for complicity.
"No. I would be the one paying for your dinners, regardless of who loses."
In the end, Tome loses that game. And the next three.
In the end, Reigen orders food delivery and ends up paying for it himself.
"This has been mentally exhausting. Remind me that we will never play in our apartment again. I was afraid for my physical integrity." Reigen says as he yawns and walks out of the bathroom freshly showered.
"Tome really looked like she was about to choke you the third time she lost." Serizawa agrees.
"At least Mob won his first game, he's always so calm it was rare to see him excited."
"He put in the effort just because you promised him ramen if he didn't let Hanazawa win again." Scoffs Serizawa.
"I would have bought him ramen anyway, he knows that."
Serizawa doesn't say anything as he floats some sheets and pillows.
They both leave the room and look in the direction where the children are drooling on the sofas and on the floor.
"It would be a touching and even adorable scene if those little leeches hadn't spent my entire day's salary." Reigen yawns with a smile as he leans against the door frame.
"You were the one who proposed it in the first place."
"It doesn't change the fact that they are spoiled."
"It's also your fault."
"Today you are too much against me, is it the way to get revenge because I didn't make the bed yesterday?" Reigen complains childishly.
"Maybe."
"Hey."
The look Reigen gives him makes the entire small theater of Serizawa fall apart and chuckle as he shakes the blonde's hair, gives him a small kiss on the forehead, and drops the blankets over the children with his powers.
"Come on, it's time to sleep."
"I should make you sleep with them, you know." Reigen scoffs.
"Are you still up to your drama?"
"It's not a drama if my boyfriend conspires against me."
"Here we go again." Serizawa turns around and heads back towards the room.
"You could at least try to pretend you care."
"It's just that I really don't."
"The UNO has changed you, this is not the Serizawa I know."
Serizawa smiles. "Oh yeah?"
"Can you shut up for once?" Ritsu's sleepy voice silences them.
"And stop flirting in our presence.”
Serizawa closes the door with his powers, perhaps a little harder than he intended out of embarrassment.
Playing UNO is banned for a month, due to the mental health of all of them.