Chapter Text
Just kill me now.
Serizawa was never a huge ‘Group Project’ guy. In fact, he’d rather dig himself a six-feet hole, crawl into it, and suffocate. Sometimes, when his teacher would utter those fateful words, he’d imagine himself somewhere else, preferably being stoned to death or burned at the stake. Anything, anything, was better than a group project. There was just so much to hate.
Talking to people is bad enough, but it’s ten times worse when they’re mooching off of your work to get an easy A. (Unless they’re paying you. Then it’s okay.) Unfortunately, though, Serizawa isn’t usually paid for his efforts, so it just pisses him off and makes him resent the whole concept even more.
‘Group Project’ my ass.
He stifled a groan. Maybe he should try looking on the bright side for once- at least it wasn’t really a group project, he supposed. The groups only comprised of two people, so it would be more accurate to call it a ‘Partner Project’. Serizawa liked those a little better. Less people. Less talking. If he was lucky, no talking.
He took a look around, making sure he didn’t look too eager and attract somebody he didn’t want. There were the usual groups- Large, stocky boys who tried too hard to be men- Girls on the cheerleading team, always conveniently leaving one poor soul to fend for herself- the… rest of the class. He’d have to find somebody. He could feel himself heating up a little at the thought of asking - How embarrassing.
Serizawa sighed, steeling himself. He would have to face his fears sometime, so why not now? It seemed daunting when he looked around, but maybe if he just closed his eyes…
“Hey.”
He whipped around at the sound, eyes widening. The whiplash from spinning made it hard to focus- he looked straight ahead, darting his eyes back and forth to find the culprit. Left and right were unsuccessful- Maybe up and down would work. Well, not up. Just down. He was overthinking this already.
There was a girl in front of him. She was taller than average, and skinny, with a long torso and long legs. Her hair was shoulder length, pulled back in a headband, two thin strands framing her face. She was blonde. He absently wondered if that was her natural color. Her eyebrows and eyelashes were the same color, so it was possible. You didn’t see many natural blondes.
”Helloooo…”
Oh! Yes. Talking. She was talking. He had to talk. Respond. “Uh, hi. Hello.”
”Let’s partner up, ‘Kay? You’re not stupid, are you?” The girl crossed her arms, slanting her hips to the side. Serizawa’s eyes followed the movement.
”I don’t… no. I’m not stupid.” He swallowed nervously. She was a little mean- Could have at least introduced herself with a smile. It made him kind of upset. “Are you?”
Her mouth morphed into a frown, eyes giving him a onceover. “No.” She locked eyes with Serizawa again, looking up at him from under her lashes. “Do I look stupid? Think I’m some kind of idiot blonde?”
”No…” Serizawa furrowed his eyebrows, crossing his arms to mirror her. “I think you’re kind of a mean blonde, though.”
For a moment, Serizawa was convinced she was going to slap him- Her eyebrows furrowed further, body tensing up a slight. But instead, she looked up, breaking into a grin. “Perfect. You’re not actually a loser.” She uncrossed her arms, opting to place them on her hips. “I’m Reigen. Partner with me?” She held out her hand expectantly.
Serizawa, still reeling a little from the change in attitude, extended a shaky hand towards her. “Um, I… sure. Serizawa.” He rubbed a hand across the back of his neck, smearing the nervous sweat into his hair. “I’m Serizawa.”
”Coolio,” Reigen beamed. She had great teeth.
——
Serizawa was so stunned by the interaction that he hadn’t listened to the project instructions at all- Instead, he stole sideways glances at the way Reigen held her pen, or the way her hair fell, or her handwriting. It was almost as bad as his.
She was odd. Not in a bad way, Serizawa thought. Just in a… weird way. She was just weird.
He’d never seen her around- which was odd, seeing as she was actually quite pretty. He and his casual friends would sometimes chat about who the cutest girl was or who they’d be willing to take home for a night. Classic games of ‘Kiss, Marry, Kill’. Serizawa wondered why nobody had ever mentioned Reigen. Maybe his friends did know her, and just thought she was a jerk. That would make sense.
At the end of class, Reigen slid Serizawa a piece of paper to write down his phone number. She said something about houses and work, and then she scooped up her bag and walked out the door.
Oh, man. Serizawa really hoped that Reigen had been paying attention to the instructions.