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Reigen was the one who insisted on taking them out for drinks, clamoring about how successful the job had gone. Serizawa would disagree; Reigen’s definition of a “successful job” included nearly getting himself crushed to death by a possessed piano. Tomayto, tomahto, then. Still, Serizawa would never turn down a night out with Reigen and miss out on the sight of his boyfriend’s flushed cheeks and easy laughter.
“Oi, Serizawa,” Reigen says, a subtle slur to his words as a knowing smile crawls onto his face, “you looked really good out there today, ya know?”
And then there’s the unabashed flirting that feels as though it’s more uncommon than a blue moon. Serizawa has found he enjoys it quite a bit.
They’ve been dating for a few weeks now. It’s been a learning process for them both—Reigen says he’s been rusty but didn’t specify how long it’s been, and Serizawa is diving in blind when it comes to romantic relationships—so they’ve been trying to take it slow. Outside the office, Reigen is only a touch more sentimental; he’ll swing his hands out in Serizawa’s direction, throwing quick glances to him, and it took Serizawa a few times to realize he could ask if it’s alright to hold his hand. Serizawa likes complimenting Reigen and the cute flush on his face when he stammers out a “Thank you.” He also really likes kissing Reigen and how quickly he gets flustered after making out for just a minute or two. To be fair to Reigen, Serizawa finds he ends up in a similar state.
Serizawa really likes Reigen in general. Reigen’s kindness, his patience, his…well, everything about Reigen, if he’s being honest with himself. He knows “really likes” doesn’t cut it anymore, is too small of a descriptor to encapsulate how he feels about Reigen. But they’ve only just started dating, they’ve only visited each other’s apartments a handful of times for dinner, and Serizawa doesn’t think it’s normal to feel this way so soon. Then again, he’s been working with Reigen for months now, and over the course of that time, Serizawa has become powerless to control the feeling of his heart melting when Reigen looks at him the way he does.
“Thank you, Reigen,” Serizawa says, smiling as he watches the blond giggle to himself.
Reigen’s only on his first drink, his signature lemon sour half-full, yet his tie is already loosened, the sleeves of his dress shirt rolled up to his elbows, and his suit jacket tied around his waist. To Serizawa’s surprise, the younger man is a light weight. The first time they went out to a bar, Serizawa had to half-carry half-walk Reigen back to his apartment after trying to impress him by doing as many shots as he could in a minute. Reigen was lifting the fourth glass to his lips when shots one through three came rushing back out. Some of it got on Serizawa’s shoes. The memory of Reigen loosening up for the first time outside the office is a little bizarre, a bit gross, but there’s something endearing about it.
“Heyyyy, how’s your drink, Serizawa-kun?” Reigen leans over, pointing at Serizawa’s jacket, lying on the counter beside his glass. “The whiskey here is good for what we paid, not like at other places. Last week? That bar? It cost double, no, almost TRIPLE this.”
This is the sixth bar they’ve gone out to together since they started dating. Serizawa has been trying out various drinks now that he’s got the chance. Sure, there were times the Super 5 went out drinking, but Shimazaki once thought it would be funny for Serizawa to try a concoction consisting of what he knew now as some of the strongest alcohols in existence. After that, Serizawa stuck to water or club soda whenever he was dragged to a bar with his coworkers.
But drinking with Reigen was relaxing after a long day at the office. They’d get tipsy enough to laugh at nothing at all and giggle at each other when they walked to the bus stop for Reigen or train station for Serizawa. Sometimes it left Serizawa breathless—admiring Reigen’s lazy smile, holding Reigen’s slender hand in his own, breaking away for a breath of air before continuing to kiss Reigen.
Serizawa thinks, as Reigen’s eyes stare pointedly at his lips, that he wants this time to end up in that third option.
He raises his glass of whiskey to his lips and takes a long sip. There’s a surprising sweetness that makes the sharp burn worthwhile for Serizawa, though it’s too faint for him to distinguish what it is. Better than the last time they’d gone out; beer had been the drink of the night, which Serizawa decided after a couple of sips wasn’t his cup of tea. He’d told Reigen so, and Reigen replied by saying he didn’t know if he should roll his eyes or kiss him.
Serizawa puts the glass down, pretends to take a few moments to think about it as Reigen leans his head on his hand, waiting intently.
“It’s good,” Serizawa agrees. A sip or two more is left and he downs the remaining whiskey in the next minute. He considers what his next move should be as the drink begins to work its magic. Serizawa is as much of a lightweight as Reigen, and this much alcohol is enough for him to do something bold. “But I’ve been wondering…”
He eyes Reigen’s lemon sour. Reigen hasn’t touched it for a while, seemingly too entranced by the sight of Serizawa. Some of the ice cubes have melted, two slices of lemon floating at the top and bottom of the drink, condensation rolling down the glass intermittently. The light yellow color reminds Serizawa of lemonade.
“I’ve been wondering what a lemon sour tastes like,” Serizawa finishes, almost as if it’s a confession.
“Oh?” Reigen’s lips break into a grin. “My drink?” He chuckles, picking up his glass and taking a dramatic gulp, throwing his head back to give Serizawa an unobstructed view of his Adam’s apple, bopping prominently as he drinks. Heat rushes up to Serizawa’s cheeks, and a number of thoughts float around in his head that turn his mouth dry.
Reigen releases a satisfied sigh when he’s done. He moves his head back down to look at Serizawa, lemon sour still in hand. “I need to warn you, Serizawa,” Reigen says, his expression dark all of a sudden as he leans in, “once you try a lemon sour, there’s no going back. All other drinks will be ruined for you. You’re only gonna want this every time you want a drink.”
Serizawa leans in, close enough to feel Reigen’s breath on his skin. “That sounds fine to me,” he says, voice low and what he hopes sounds seductive.
Reigen licks his lips. He lifts his glass, gesturing with it. “Help yourself,” he says plainly.
As Reigen moves to pass Serizawa the lemon sour, Serizawa grabs hold of his hand and the glass, stops them in their place so he can meet Reigen halfway in a kiss.
They’ve kissed after drinking before, but the flavor is stronger now after Reigen has just had some. It tastes more like lemon water than alcohol, though Serizawa isn’t complaining. He feels Reigen let go of the glass and Serizawa puts it back on the counter.
Reigen tilts his head ever so slightly and their kiss deepens, pulling a soft moan from Serizawa’s lips. He can feel Reigen smiling. Serizawa can’t help but smile back. It’s a little sloppy, as Serizawa’s teeth mash with Reigen’s twice, but that doesn’t stop them from enjoying it.
Reigen pulls back by a millimeter, his lips grazing Serizawa’s. “I love you soooooooooooo much,” he mumbles, so softly Serizawa almost doesn’t hear him over the clinking glasses and drifting conversations around them.
But he does.
Serizawa tries to be as graceful as he can in addressing what’s just happened while his face is on fire and his brain freezes up, failing to process this latest development. He pulls away from Reigen, who’s already gone back to puckering his lips for more. “Y-you—w-what?”
Reigen raises an eyebrow, likely annoyed and wanting to get back to the newest event of the night. “What?” he asks sharply despite his tipsiness. Definitely annoyed.
“Y-you just. You just said you love me.” That’s the first time you’ve said it.
“Huh?” Reigen narrows his eyes at him, leaning in and staring at something on Serizawa’s face. Serizawa passes his hand over the spot and it comes back clean.
“You said you love me, Reigen.” He says it slower, a little louder this time. He wonders if the pounding of his heart is just in his ears or if everyone else can hear it, too.
Serizawa can see the gears in Reigen’s head shifting through the fog of the half-glass of lemon sour. His pupils shrink, and that’s the only indication Serizawa gets that lets him know Reigen has understood him.
“Ah.” Reigen presses his lips into a thin line. He hones his gaze on his shoes, his feet shifting on the bar stool’s support beam. The scarlet blush extends from his cheeks to the tips of his ears. He suddenly whips out his wallet, slaps a handful of bills onto the counter, and stretches his arms over his head, stepping down from the stool. “W-well, it’s getting really late, don’t you think? I’ve got a lot of plans for tomorrow and I’m sure you’ve got an important test coming up soon, you’ll need to study hard for that so let’s call it a night, get home safe and I’ll see you in the office on Monday, alright?” He pats Serizawa’s shoulder twice and starts rushing for the door.
“W-wait, Reigen!” Serizawa unfreezes, grabs his jacket and practically leaps out of his seat.
Reigen is walking quickly, already halfway down the block but is slowed down as he simultaneously tries sliding his jacket on and rolling his sleeves down. Serizawa is thankful for his long legs at this moment, striding over to Reigen in seconds. He steps in front of the blond, blocking his way.
“Please move, Serizawa,” Reigen says, refusing to meet Serizawa’s gaze. He gives up on his sleeves and wrestles his jacket on with difficulty.
Serizawa takes a shaky breath. “I need to say something first.”
“I didn’t mean to say it—”
“I love you.” Serizawa grabs Reigen’s hands, now cold and clammy, and wraps them in his own. He holds them against his chest. “I love you, too, Arataka.”
Reigen looks at him now. Something like hope flashes on his face before turning into disbelief. “I…” He shakes his head. “You don’t have to do that, you know,” he mumbles, looking miserable. “You don’t have to say it if you don’t mean it—”
Serizawa lets go to cup Reigen’s face in his hands and crushes his lips against Reigen’s. “I love you,” he says before kissing him again. “I love you so much, Arataka.” Another kiss. “You mean so much to me.” And another. “I’m so happy to be with you.” And another.
A choked sound comes from Reigen. Serizawa feels something wet on his fingers, and he moves back to see tears falling down Reigen’s cheeks.
His immediate reaction is to panic. “What’s wrong?” Serizawa brushes the tears away uselessly as more follow. Scans him up and down. Anxiety builds in his chest, and his voice trembles when he asks, “Did I do something bad?”
“No!” Reigen yelps, his hands flying frantically. He sniffles. Takes a step back, Serizawa allowing his hands to fall, and Reigen rubs his eyes with the sleeve of his jacket. “I-It’s just…I…” He laughs. His arm drops. There’s a wobbly smile on his face. “I’m glad you feel the same way.”
Serizawa breathes a sigh of relief, his shoulders relaxing. He beams back at Reigen. “It’s true,” he says. “I’ve felt it for a while now.”
“A while?” Reigen raises his eyebrows, incredulous. “What do you mean ‘a while’?” His clever attitude has bounced back already even as his eyes are puffy and red in the glow of a nearby streetlamp. “How long are we talking?”
“A while,” Serizawa replies vaguely, earning him an exasperated groan from Reigen.
“Come on, you can tell me,” Reigen says, a smirk on his face as he steps forward, his chest bumping against Serizawa’s. “I won’t tell anyone.”
Serizawa laughs, wrapping his arms around the smaller man. Reigen matches his movement, reaching up and slinging his arms across Serizawa’s shoulders. “I’ll tell you if you tell me,” he says.
“Ah.” Reigen’s smile is frozen on his face. He’s red again, and Serizawa’s heart flutters. “H-how ‘bout I tell you some other time? I can’t remember too well right now, you see, because of the drinks, so I don’t think I can tell you exactly when I knew. That sound good, Katsuya?”
A wheezy, out-of-breath laugh leaves Serizawa’s mouth. If Reigen’s reaction is any clue, Serizawa thinks they have similar answers in mind to each other’s question. “Sure,” he says, pitch a little too high. They’ve taken a big step today and they’re going to need some time to get ready for the next. He’s grinning madly, though, and he’s elated that Reigen knows he loves him and that Reigen loves him, too. For now, Serizawa decides to return to familiar territory.
“Can I kiss you again?” he asks.
Reigen laughs, and if it isn’t the most adorable sound Serizawa has ever heard. “Go ahead, big guy,” he says.
Serizawa can still taste the lemon sour.