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Reigen wonders at what point life began to change so quickly. At the beginning of the month, he found himself running head-first into the heart of a tornado created by Mob, who’d lost control of his powers and needed Reigen’s guidance one last time. Reigen nearly died trying and succeeding at reaching Mob—it’s not easy chasing down the most powerful teenage esper in existence when they’re hell-bent on destroying you—but if Reigen hadn’t done everything he possibly could in helping Mob, the guilt would have killed him instead.
Now, one mostly-healed concussion, several healing ribs, a pair of asphalt-burnt feet that still stung when he stood for too long and two weeks later, Reigen leans against the trunk of the sakura they’ve taken a picture under, watching his student talk and laugh with his friends.
“They look happy,” Serizawa says. The older man is standing at Reigen’s side, observing the students with him. There’s a fond look on Serizawa’s face. Reigen wonders if he’s wearing the same expression.
“They deserve it,” Reigen says. “It’s been a long few months for them.”
Serizawa nods. They both study Mob for a moment, who’s sharing a word with Tsubomi. The two students exchange a kind of smile Reigen would think would be shared between two reunited friends. There’s no hard feelings on either of their faces, but Reigen imagines it isn’t easy for Mob to be around the girl who kindly declined his confession. Nonetheless, Mob’s smile lights up his face.
“Kageyama-kun has grown a lot,” Serizawa says. “I’ve only known him for a few months, but he seems more mature lately.”
“You’re right about that,” Reigen says. He can’t quite wrap his head around it. He remembers the day the 10-year-old boy walked into his office for the first time, afraid of powers he couldn’t control and didn’t understand, alone and looking for someone like him for guidance. And somehow, he wound up with Reigen for a mentor, a conman who saw that boy as a means of continuing his charade of a business, the person least qualified to help Mob out.
They’ve had their rough patches. Reigen isn’t going to forget the pain he’s caused Mob, intentional or not.
But here Mob was, after being put through the ringer over and over again—from training for a marathon to stopping a terrorist takeover—one with his powers and himself, surrounded by a fraction of the friends he’s made. He’s even found some esper friends along the way. Mob is guaranteed never to be alone again.
“Are you alright, Reigen-san?” Serizawa’s voice shakes Reigen from his thoughts. “Your eyes look a little red.”
“Huh?” Reigen registers the buildup of tears in his eyes. “No, no, I’m fine,” he says, turning to the side for a moment to rub away the evidence into the crook of his elbow. “Allergies, you see, Serizawa-san. Forgot to take my medication this morning.”
“Oh, I see.”
Reigen clears his throat, and a brief but sharp pain shoots off in his rib. He hisses, his hand hovering over the spot.
“Reigen-san?” Serizawa takes a step forward. He puts his comically large bouquet down and hovers at Reigen’s shoulder.
“It’s nothing to worry about,” Reigen says. “Should be fine in a few days.”
Serizawa frowns. “How about your concussion? You were complaining about a headache in the office the other day.”
“Also fine. No need to fret over me, you know,” Reigen says. “I could run a marathon right now if I wanted to.”
His joke only causes Serizawa’s frown to deepen. “Please don’t,” he says. Something about the heavy way he says it makes Reigen falter.
That day, Serizawa had been waiting for them near the spot Reigen had torn away from him. Worry was etched into the creases on his face, his aura ebbing and flowing around him. When Reigen called out to Serizawa, the older man whipped his head around to look at him. In seconds, Serizawa had him in a tight embrace, trembling as he ran a hand through his hair.
The memory makes Reigen’s cheeks flush.
“I’m fine,” he says. “Really, I promise.”
That seems to do the trick, he thinks as he watches Serizawa’s shoulders relax. “Alright,” he says. “But if anything does change, please let me know.”
“You got it, big guy,” Reigen says. Serizawa cracks a smile.
So Reigen somehow managed to fall for his employee. It happens, right? And the best thing to do would be to push those feelings as far down as possible. Ignore them. Burn them. Do anything but indulge in them. That’s been Reigen’s plan, and he’s never seen a plan of his fail so miserably.
It started innocently enough. The cliche butterflies in the stomach, acting weird around Serizawa when they stood too close, the “Serizawa Arataka”s written on random bits of paper and promptly thrown out. Typical ways one would act when they have a crush, surely.
Reigen doesn’t know when it changed. When he found himself in the grocery store and saw a tub of mint chocolate chip ice cream, and he wondered if Serizawa’s ever tried it before. When being around Serizawa made the world a little brighter, colors crisper.
When he began imagining what it would be like to one day wake up in Serizawa’s arms. What they’d cook for breakfast. Help Serizawa do his tie. Kiss him before they walked out the door of their apartment together, ready to open the office.
That’s why Reigen needs to leave the park at this very moment. This is too domestic for Reigen to handle: standing with Serizawa and watching Mob and his friends, like they’re a married couple looking after their kids and reminiscing about the past, wondering where all the time had gone. The graduation pictures are done, the kids are probably hungry, and if Reigen stands around any longer, he might explode. Or worse, burst into tears.
“Well, we should probably head to the bus stop. I’m starting to get hungry,” Reigen says. “Are you ready to go?”
Serizawa is quiet for a moment, eyebrows furrowing as he thinks. Reigen finds it cute when his eyebrows do that.
The esper lifts his head as a breeze rocks the branches hanging over their heads. “Not yet,” he says, turning to face the park in front of them. “I want to admire it for a little longer.”
Great. More time for Reigen to be with his thoughts. An excellent combination. Nothing could go wrong with that.
So Reigen stands at Serizawa’s side. He crosses his arms, stares into the sky and tries not to think about how nice it feels to be near Serizawa. Looks out at the park. People point and gasp in awe at the sakuras. Other students lounge around, enjoying their weekend. Couples walk hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder, sharing a smile. Reigen looks away.
“I never saw these kinds of things while working for the President,” Serizawa says suddenly, his tone thoughtful. “He might have helped me leave my room, but you helped me learn about the world. That’s why I’m happy I met you. You’ve done so much for me. I’m so thankful for everything. I wouldn’t be the person I’ve become if I weren’t working at Spirits and Such.”
Reigen wants to say it’s no big deal, but that would be an insult to Serizawa’s monumental progress. “It’s my pleasure,” he says, and he means it. Then he laughs. “Sounds like you’re really attached to the office, huh?”
Serizawa nods. “Yes. It’s very rewarding work, and I like all my coworkers,” he says, a hint of humor in his tone.
“Is that so?” Reigen tries to match his energy. “I bet you’ll miss us when you graduate. Even if your coworkers are lame, you’ll do a great job, no matter where you go.” The tight pain in his chest is difficult to ignore.
Graduation. It’s a fact that Serizawa will graduate from night school in the near future. It’s not too far away—Mob’s own graduation will be a year from now. Reigen can’t stop remembering that little boy. And when Serizawa graduates, he’ll leave Spirits and Such. Serizawa will be ready for bigger and better opportunities. He won’t need to stay stuck in the office with a meager salary. He won’t be stuck with Reigen anymore.
The cold truth is that Reigen wasn’t going to amount to anything. It didn’t matter if at the end of the day, Reigen is the only one locking the office door. He started out alone. He can do it again. He will do it again. He swears he won’t mind. So long as he wasn’t dragging others down with him, everything would turn out okay. He’ll be okay. He has to be.
A pensive gaze remains on Serizawa’s face. “Actually, I think I’d like to stay at the office,” he says, like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. Like there’s no doubt in his mind that he’ll be working at Spirits and Suchs for years to come. Like he can picture himself in a decade and see he’s in the middle of exorcizing a cursed doll or catching a fish when he was supposed to be searching for a kappa or helping close up the office after a day full of assisting clients.
Serizawa raises his hand. Another gust of wind sends a wave of pastel pink petals dancing into the air. Serizawa lets out a sigh of awe, an equally fascinated smile inching onto his face. His gaze is focused on the sight before him, yet there’s a million-miles-away look in his eyes.
“It’s beautiful, don’t you think, Reigen-san?”
The swaying sakuras are no doubt a nice view, doubly so on a warm spring afternoon such as today. The cerulean sky is spotless, sun shining brightly on Seasoning City. It really is a nice view—but Reigen’s gaze hasn’t moved from Serizawa. It’s been frozen on the older man for the past few minutes. Reigen doesn’t remember when he started smiling or at what point his cheeks got so warm.
“It really is.”
Serizawa turns to look at Reigen over his shoulder. And for a moment, Reigen remembers how unrealistic those cheesy romance movies and books his mother loves are. People don’t lock eyes with someone across a crowded room and feel an immediate connection. When people kiss, fireworks don’t go off, figuratively or literally. There’s no gut feeling or anything when they know they’ve found “the one.”
And yet Serizawa turns, and Reigen is so stunned he stops breathing. His mouth is suspended in a silent gasp. He can feel his heartbeat thumping against his ribcage, trying to leap out of him.
He needs a distraction. Thankfully, there's one that's already in his hand.
“Ah, before I forget.” Reigen extends his hand to show off his pink carnation. “Thank you for letting me borrow the flower for the photo.” Lucky for him that Serizawa’s friend, Minigeshi, from Claw’s Super Five, if Reigen was remembering correctly, gave Serizawa such a large bouquet. It slipped Reigen’s mind this morning when he woke up late, and he was already on the bus when he remembered. Serizawa offered it to him just as the camera was getting set up.
“Oh.” Serizawa wears an expression Reigen hasn’t seen on the older man before. He’s thinking intently about something, but Reigen can’t tell if it’s something good or bad. It’s gone in a moment, replaced by a small smile. “That’s alright, Reigen. You can keep it. It’s a gift.”
No honorifics? Something knots in Reigen’s throat. “Nah, it’s fine,” he says, waving the thought away. “It probably won’t last long if I’m the one taking care of it.”
“I’m not sure about that,” Serizawa says. “You’re a very caring person.”
Reigen has difficulty swallowing. “That’s nice of you to say,” he manages to get out. “Still, it’s yours.”
There’s the expression again, but Serizawa relaxes after just a moment. “You’re right. It is mine.” He takes the carnation from Reigen, and Reigen doesn’t like how his insides are twisting in on themselves. Serizawa stares at it for a moment, then takes Reigen’s hand, placing the flower back in his grasp. The unpleasant feeling simultaneously worsens and relaxes. The esper closes his hands around him, and he squeezes gently. “And I’ve decided to give it to you.”
“I see.” Serizawa’s clasp, the warmth radiating from his skin, is almost nauseating. Reigen risks a glance down and almost keels over. So he looks up, tries to play it off. Moves his hands out of Serizawa’s reach, holds the carnation in one hand and gestures with the other. “You know, Serizawa-san, you need to think about what you say and do more carefully.”
Serizawa blinks, confusion evident on his face as he raises both eyebrows. He tilts his head ever so slightly, like a dog would look if he heard a strange noise. “I don’t understand. What’s wrong with what I’ve been saying?’
“Well, for one,” Reigen says, holding up his index finger in front of Serizawa, “you can’t stay at the office forever. You’ll be graduating sooner than you think. You’ll only learn so much if you’re stuck with me. You could find your dream job somewhere else and find new friends you never would have met.”
Serizawa’s perplexed look doesn’t falter. “I’m aware of that, Reigen—”
“Second,” Reigen interrupts, his middle finger joining the count, “you must understand what could happen if you give someone a flower. All flowers symbolize certain feelings and emotions. I’m sure you know, or at least your plant friend should have told you something about them. For example, this carnation that you’ve decided to give me.” Reigen turns it in his hand. “They usually represent love.”
Serizawa opens his mouth to say something, then closes it. His eyebrows are narrowing. He opens his mouth again. “I—”
“Third.” Reigen ignores the discomfort in his hand when raising his ring finger. “It’s not very appropriate for an employee to hold their boss’s hand the way you just did. I’ll let it slide this time because you’ve been so insistent—”
“I love you.”
It comes out hushed but steady, without hesitation. Reigen doesn’t know what to do other than stare dumbfoundedly. He doesn’t trust himself to speak when there’s not one thought he can form in his head.
“I love you, Reigen.” Serizawa’s aura activates, and his bouquet floats into his grasp. There’s a mix of terror and determination in his eyes, unwavering as he continues to look at Reigen. At the same time, the esper turns the bouquet in his hands, fidgeting with the blue wrapping paper. “I wasn’t sure about my feelings. All the admiration and appreciation I had for you…I thought it was normal to feel that way, because you’ve done so much for me. You’ve changed my life. I’m sure I wouldn’t be the person I am without you.
“But it was more than that. I started looking forward to seeing you at the office. It was the first thing I’d think about when I woke up. And when work was over, I was disappointed because I wouldn’t see you until the next day. I know it’s only for a few hours, but I couldn’t help it. And…” Serizawa swallows. “Seeing you. Hearing you talk. Hearing you laugh. Seeing you smile. It makes my heart full.”
His eyes turn dark. “And when you ran into the tornado that day…” Reigen hears the wrapping paper crinkle. His eyes turn downwards to see Serizawa’s hands gripping the stems like he would with his umbrella. “I was terrified of losing you. If you’d died, a part of me would have gone, too.”
He laughs, tension subsiding but not disappearing. “I know you’re my boss, but you’re also my friend, Reigen. And I’m certain about my feelings for you. I want to be a part of your life in a different way, if you’ll let me.”
Serizawa holds out his bouquet to Reigen. The realization hits that the flowers are meant for Reigen—why else would Minigeshi have given Serizawa so many?
The urge to run away is overwhelming. So is the urge to wrap himself around Serizawa. It’s like he’s being torn in two. “I…”
There’s an eagerness to Serizawa’s expression. He’s waiting patiently for Reigen’s response, and Reigen wonders what he's ever done for someone like Serizawa to look at him this way.
He could lie. He could let him down easy, tell him he doesn’t feel that way but appreciates the sentiment. But in the distance, Reigen hears Mob’s laughter—the sound of a boy who’s accepted himself, flaws and powers and all, a boy who’s experienced countless changes and is all the more whole for it—and he thinks it might be time to heed his own words.
“I love you, too.”
Everything Reigen has been denying for the past few months, since Serizawa’s first day at Spirits and Such—the stolen glances when he thought Serizawa wasn’t looking, the casual but electrifying touches on Serizawa’s shoulders, back, and arms, a warmth that filled his heart when he so much as thought about Serizawa—flows freely, released from a dam that’d been suffocating him.
It’s worth it to see Serizawa’s smile, stretching to his ears, and the look in his eyes, sparkling with utter joy. Reigen feels like he’s gonna melt on the spot.
“I don’t think I can follow up that impressive speech you just gave.” Reigen hasn’t experienced anything like this before, a fact he’s decided he needs time to admit. It’s difficult to put into words, and Reigen doesn’t want to bullshit this—Serizawa deserves more than that. Reigen thinks Serizawa deserves more than him. But dammit if he didn’t want Serizawa so badly.
“But ‘I love you’ is the best way to explain how I feel about you right now. I’m sorry if it isn’t enough. However!” Reigen presses his hand to his chest, trying to use his usual bravado. For what, he isn’t sure. Might be the nerves again. “Rest assured, I want to be with you, Serizawa. And I…I really do love you.”
Reigen moves first, but Serizawa moves faster. Reigen was reaching for the bouquet—a large, beautiful bouquet of flowers meant for him—but Serizawa throws his arms around him, pulls him close, and kisses him.
Reigen lets out a surprised noise. He doesn’t try to move away, though, and instead focuses on fixing the kiss. Pulls back slightly so his nose isn’t crushed against Serizawa’s. Tilts his head so he can get that much closer to Serizawa.
Serizawa is his first kiss. He’s never felt more alive.
“Could you two love birds make out somewhere else, there are children here!”
Reigen and Serizawa break apart to look at Dimple, floating above Mob’s shoulder. Ritsu, meanwhile, attempts to cover Mob’s eyes and ears. If looks could kill, Ritsu would be putting Reigen six feet under right about now. Teru’s smiling and clapping politely, as if he’s expected this. Tsubomi holds a hand over her mouth, maybe surprised at the sudden turn of events. Tome mimics her, only she’s failing to hide maniacal giggling.
Reigen pivots on one foot, hoping his glare melts the offending green fart spirit as he points fiercely at Dimple. “Shut up, you good-for-nothing waste of space! Why are you even looking?!”
“Believe me, I’d rather die again than watch you two,” Dimple says, sneering down at him. “You’re in a public park! Anyone can see you, dumbass!”
Reigen grits his teeth. “You didn’t have to announce it to the whole world, shithead! I’m gonna exorcize you for good!”
“I’d like to see you try!”
Reigen spends the next few minutes trading insults with Dimple as the students watch, some in bewilderment. From somewhere behind Reigen, he can hear Serizawa laugh.
Eventually, Reigen huffs. “Let’s just go get dinner already,” he says. “I’ll treat everyone to ramen. Sound good?”
“Hooray, free dinner!” Tome throws her hands into the air. “I’m gonna order the most expensive thing on the menu!”
Serizawa laughs harder.
Reigen’s been through it all—he’s fought spirits, espers, the media, and has nearly lost his life on multiple occasions—yet he’s still surprised to walk out the park with a boyfriend. It’s another change, out of the blue, and it’s as frightening as it is exciting. The fear of the future that sets his heart racing is still there. Maybe it will always be there, lingering in a dark corner in his mind. But as Reigen feels Serizawa’s shoulder bump against his, the older man beaming at him, he reaches for Serizawa’s hand and he reminds himself that not every new change in his life will be so bad.
And he won’t have to go through it alone.