Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

When Reigen stirred awake, the first thing he noticed was how warm it was, which was surprising considering how cold the last few days have been. He knew he had paid the heating bill but even still he typically kept it low and instead bundled up to save on expenses. So, when he woke up feeling like he was laid out in a sauna he was a little taken aback. Even more so when said sauna stirred beneath him and he opened his eyes to see a still asleep Serizawa.

Reigen shot up and fell to the side and off the bed with a thump. Thankfully, Serizawa seemed to be a heavy sleeper and in the absence of Reigen’s warmth seemed to just curl into the blanket more. Just what had happened to lead to this? The last he remembered was throwing a Halloween party for Mob and his friends.

He scrambled to the mirror by the closet, taking quiet steps as to not wake Serizawa and make this situation any worse. As he looked in the mirror he noticed a choker and chain around his neck, wolf ears in place atop his head, and as he patted his chest, found that his shirt and pants were nowhere to be seen. Great, he couldn’t remember anything, and he was half naked dressed as a wolf.

He knew having a Halloween party at the office was a bad idea. The kid’s had all pitched the idea to him, wanting an excuse to break out their costumes and have fun. Reigen honestly didn’t like the idea of having a mess to clean up and he wasn’t big on the whole holiday either. However, the sight of Mob and the other kids excited at the prospect had weakened Reigen’s resolve, and hey, he wasn’t heartless, so he let them have one.

He planned on being pretty hands off with the whole thing until he had heard Serizawa mention never having celebrated the holiday with anyone before. Upon hearing that, Reigen threw himself into planning the party, shooing away Mob and Tome when they had tried to help and admittedly buying more candy and food than necessary under the guise of it being Mob’s bonus. He decorated the place to look festive, throwing up bats and cobwebs, you know, for the kids.

He should’ve stopped it there; the party was a success, the kids had a blast and ate the majority of the candy Reigen had bought, putting on some scary movie even Reigen had to look away from at parts. Serizawa had seemed to enjoy himself as well, Reigen had took him out to pick up a pair of wings and horns to wear to the party (and no, Reigen was not buying them just to see Serizawa dressed up) and the man had excitedly shown up about a half hour before the party was even supposed to start. After the kids went home, Reigen was happy to find that Serizawa had offered to stay behind and help clean up. He ended doing most of the work as his psychic powers allowed him to telekinetically move the trash into bags so the job was done fairly quickly.

Logically, Reigen knew that’s where he should’ve ended it. He should’ve thanked Serizawa for his help and sent him home. But something about getting to hang out with him outside office hours, and more truthfully, seeing him in the Halloween outfit he had bought him, made Reigen not want the night to end. So, stupidly, he had invited Serizawa out for drinks, and that’s where his memory of the night ended. Anything could’ve happened after that and seeing as he was missing a good half of his clothes, he could only imagine what he had done.

He liked Serizawa. He knew that much, but if he had drunkenly confessed to him like that last night and done god knows what, where would that leave them? It wasn’t how he had pictured telling the man and he could only hope that he didn’t cross any lines that would make Serizawa rightfully hate him.

From behind him Serizawa made a noise, drawing Reigen out of his thoughts. He decided then and there to employ one of his special moves: in which in an attempt to escape and prolong a dire situation, he runs away. He could apologize to Serizawa about this later and make some excuse about sleeping on the floor and not wanting to wake him. And if he asked, no, he definitely did not remember anything that may or may not have happened, like waking up on Serizawa’s, frankly put, broad chest (which technically in this case, was only half a lie).

So, for now, he just needed to get the hell out of there. Gathering up any sense of self-respect he had for himself, he hoisted himself up, making a move to grab a hoodie laid on the floor and turning to dash out of the apartment.

Unfortunately, whether from his groggy hungover clumsiness, or newly cleaned floors, the second his foot contacted the floor Reigen felt his body slip and fall directly into the floor with a deep, resounding thud. Laying sprawled out on the floor groaning, Reigen could pray the man behind him would have slept through it, but when he heard shuffling sheets and a muffled yawn, he knew he was done for.

“Reigen sir?’ Serizawa asked. Reigen slowly extracted his face from its place on the floor and turned to him with a plastered smile hoping he didn’t come off as the world’s biggest idiot. “Serizawa! Glad to see you’re awake I was just, uh, doing some morning stretches! You know, to keep the blood flowing and my powers in tune with me” Reigen mimicked a yoga pose he had recommended to a client before for effect, ignoring the fact that it likely looked goofier with the wolf ears still on his head.

For what it was worth, Serizawa looked mostly convinced, “Right” he paused. “I think maybe we should talk about last night...” he trailed off looking down at himself fiddling with the sheet in his hands. Reigen couldn’t help but be a little disappointed to notice he wasn’t wearing the horns he had bought him and was instead in the t-shirt he had worn underneath the costume. Reigen shook his head clear, now was not the time for that.

He instead cleared his throat, “Right, look I know it was probably just a one night stand, and I’m sorry to do that to you, I promise that I won’t let it affect our work-life balance and all-“. He was cut off by Serizawa spluttering out a series of coughs. “A one-night stand? We didn’t- I mean it didn’t go-“, Serizawa talked over himself, blushing, trying to get a semblance of a sentence out. “We didn’t?” Reigen inquired. The dark-haired man shook his head, “No, we didn’t. I mean, you kissed me, but it never went that far”.

It was Reigen’s turn to then go red at this. Oh god, he was making this worse. Even if he hadn't gone that far with Serizawa, he had still done more than enough to make Serizawa uncomfortable. He sat for a moment, mentally kicking himself for ever picking up a glass to drink, and picturing all of the ways Serizawa was probably going to storm out of the office, box of things in hand, flipping off Reigen as he left. Serizawa was a kind man, but Reigen had still crossed a line, and he wouldn’t blame him if he left the Spirits and Such Consultation office and stopped speaking to him entirely over this. So Reigen panicked and went full PR mode. “I am so sorry, if I made you uncomfortable in any way I can help set you up with another job, I have connections with other spirit professionals if you’d rather make a switch or even if-“ he continued rambling anxiously waving his hands about before getting cut off by Serizawa grabbing them.

“Wait- Reigen It’s not entirely your fault. I did kiss you back”.

A beat passed.

Reigen looked up from where he was sitting across from Serizawa to see the man looking at his hands, refusing to make eye contact. “You did?” he asked, praying the hope in his voice wasn’t making him look as pathetic as he felt. Serizawa nodded. “I mean, you had asked before you did it, and it’s not like I haven’t thought about kissing you before”.

The reddish-blonde haired man blinked, staring at Serizawa for a moment before moving to sit closer on the bed next to him, leaning forward to get a better look at his face. If there were ever a moment to bite the bullet, Reigen figured it was now.

“Could I kiss you again then?”

Serizawa’s eyes shot up to meet Reigen’s. There was only a moment of thought before Reigen was pulled forward by the collar around his neck and Serizawa’s lips met his own. It was a surprise to Reigen, the way the shy man had pulled him forward. If you were to tell him any other day that he would have been as bold as that Reigen would’ve considered it to be fabricated. The darker part of him was glad that the collar was left on him from the previous night, even if his neck felt sore. Either way he wasn’t complaining, as he could taste the drinks from the night before in the man’s breath, knowing his was likely the same. Reigen spent his time drinking in every part of him that he could.

Eventually, Serizawa’s hands made their way up Reigen’s back, with a certain hesitance that reminded Reigen that the man had been a loner up till joining Spirits and Such, and it hit him that last night must have been his first kiss. He would have to kick himself later for taking it in such a crass way. When the warm hands contacted his skin, Reigen let out a gasp and was reminded that he was in fact still shirtless. They broke apart, Serizawa sending Reigen a look of concern before Reigen waved him off. “If we didn’t, you know, then what happened to my shirt?” He was still confused as to exactly how everything went down the night before.

At this Serizawa cringed a bit, “Well, you were a bit over the edge last night, after you kissed me, you got a little…” he paused seemingly considering how he wanted to phrase what he was saying. “You weren’t in the condition to walk back home and got sick all over your clothes” he gestured towards the pile of clothes in the corner that appeared to have both the top layers of Serizawa’s and Reigen’s costumes. “Ah…” Reigen leaned away putting his hand to his face thinking of anything he could scrape up to say to save face here. It was embarrassing enough that he let himself get drunk enough to stage a confession to his coworker, but now that he also knows he nearly got sick all over the man? The embarrassment could kill him.

“So, you brought me home after that?” Reigen settled for asking, dragging a hand down his face. Serizawa nodded. “Didn’t think it was right to leave you there all things considered so…” Reigen placed a hand on the man’s shoulder and turned to face him. “Thank you, Serizawa. I really appreciate having you by my side” he smiled. Despite his anxious demeanor, Serizawa confidently smiled back. “And I as well sir”.

Reigen moved to sit more comfortably on the mattress, tucking his legs underneath him. “You know you can drop the whole sir thing; I think we’re well beyond that point” he laughed, Serizawa putting a bashful hand behind his neck. “Anyways what happened to the devil horns of yours? I was starting to like them on you” he crossed his arms and looked up at the taller man’s head who seemed to perk up at the mention of the horns. “Oh, well I didn’t realize we would still be wearing the costumes the next day; I took mine off before I fell asleep, but you seemed to be really attached to yours” Serizawa noted, with a glance to the top of Reigen’s head.

He suddenly remembered the costume he fell asleep in and reached up to find the ears still somehow firmly in place on his head. Without another word Reigen took them off and tossed them as far away from the two as he could, blush creeping up the sides of his neck and face.

“They… were helping me with my spiritual connections! To, spirits… and stuff… like as antennas?” Reigen knew even Serizawa wouldn’t be fooled by this one, but even as the man gave him a confused look, he didn’t question him further. “Anyways, definitely will not be needing them again” Reigen huffed. “Halloween is over after today and seeing as I’m not doing anything for it, I won’t need to bother with them again”.

Serizawa blinked and bashfully looked away, “Oh, that’s a shame”. Reigen froze. “I thought they were kind of cute”.

So, If Reigen invited Serizawa to stay the night again to watch horror movies together in costume, ears firmly perched atop his head again, no one needed to be any the wiser. And if in the office the next week Mob walked in to see the two of them much closer together than need be? Well, that was something he would keep to himself.

Chapter Text

“You know, those horns really do look good on you”.

It was the night before Halloween, and Serizawa had taken Reigen up on his offer to go get drinks together. But now that they were actually there and a few drinks in, Reigen seemed completely gone. He really didn’t think they had that much to drink, but every time Serizawa had stared for just a second too long Reigen would down the rest of his drink and ask for another, so maybe he hadn’t been keeping good enough track of how many they each had, and admittedly Serizawa probably had the better tolerance of the two.

So, when Reigen started laying on the compliments, Serizawa did not know how to handle it.

“Well, you picked them out Reigen sir” he had replied. It was true, his boss was kind enough to supply Serizawa with a Halloween costume when he didn’t know where to even start looking for one. Reigen had dragged him out of the office that week under the pretense of "finding something suitable to wear for the season" and had ended up at some local Halloween store. Upon Serizawa trying on the first costume he was handed, some sort of devil costume, Reigen had covered his face up and given him a thumbs up. He even offered to buy it for him, calling it a "work expense".

“I only picked it cause I knew you would look good in ‘em” Reigen said matter of factly. “You could make anything look good, even that old bathrobe of yours” Reigen snorted. “And you’re a good person too, I imagine if you put yourself out there you could be an all-around heartbreaker”.

The compliments made Serizawa burn, and all he could do was take on Reigen’s method of avoiding conversation by downing the rest of his drink. After collecting himself, Serizawa figured he should respond. “You’re being a lot friendlier than usual” he supplied. He wasn’t used to this, Reigen was always kind, but he usually went about it in a more roundabout way. To be complimented directly by him like this felt too personal.

Reigen sat in thought for a moment. “Really? I guess I don’t really tell you how much you mean to me enough then” he pondered. “You know you’re really a great guy, I’m lucky to have you working with me”.

Again, Serizawa was left reeling. “I really don’t get why you would think that, I mean I’m just a shut in nobody that you took in” he paused to fiddle with the horns on his head. Mostly everyone at the bar was wearing costumes for the holiday but he was suddenly feeling a little self-conscious.

“Serizawa” Reigen was suddenly staring at him with an intensity that he found hard to make eye contact with. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I haven’t exactly always had a lot of friends”.

“I mean, hell, even today a lot of the people I hang out with are middle schoolers, and I’d be more embarrassed to admit that if I didn’t also have you” Reigen clumsily scootched forward a bit to place a hand on Serizawa’s shoulder. “I know we're just coworkers and all, but I consider you to be a close friend of mine as well. You’re kind, thoughtful, and even though you’re just about the most awkward guy I’ve ever met you’ve put your all into becoming a better person, and that’s something that I just can’t help but admire about you” .

Reigen looked up to meet Serizawa’s eyes. “Honestly it's also probably one of the reasons I’m in love with you”.

Serizawa blinked.

In love?

Reigen suddenly stood up, nearly tripping over the barstool as he muttered something to the bartender about putting it on his tab. And before Serizawa could fully process what happened his boss was halfway out the door, bumping into a woman dressed as a witch, mumbling apologies, and rushing out.

Serizawa was after him soon enough, also running into the witch and grabbing from her the clip-on tail Reigen had on that had gotten caught in the door on his way out. If Serizawa had more time to think about it, he probably would’ve laughed at the absurdity of it all, but he was too focused on catching up before Reigen would stumble into the wrong person and get himself in trouble.

Which proved to not be hard. When he stepped out of the bar, he spotted Reigen who seemed to have fallen flat on his ass after drunkenly tripping on an uneven bit of pavement. Crouching down to be eye level with him, Serizawa offered him a hand, which Reigen begrudgingly accepted.

“This is what I meant about the kind thing, you’re good even to people who don’t deserve it” Reigen grumbled. Serizawa was taken aback at Reigen’s admission. “Who says you don’t deserve it?” The man stood up and leaned against the wall behind them gesturing his hands wildly, a movement that Serizawa was starting to understand was a nervous tic.

“I just mean like, I’m not the greatest guy. You and Mob look up to me but what happens if I’m just a fraud?” Serizawa took a moment to look over Reigen and move next to him. He wasn’t great at comforting people, but he’d be damned if he let Reigen of all people feel this way.

“Reigen, no matter the kind of guy you are, you've helped countless people. You’ve treated me and Kageyama and everyone who’s come into your office with a level of kindness that I can’t help but admire. That alone should be testament to the kind of person you lead your life to be”. Taking his hand, Serizawa ignored the anxiety that flared up and looked Reigen in the eyes “I mean, I don’t even know if I would be half of the man I am now if you hadn’t been there for me”. Serizawa hoped his hands weren’t shaking as bad as he thought they were.

After a moment, Reigen looked up at him and inhaled sharply. “Forgive me if I’m reading this wrong, but can I kiss you?”

With a nervous nod from Serizawa, Reigen hastily pulled him close. It was a clumsy kiss, driven mainly by Reigen’s drunken stupor, not aided by Serizawa’s own drinks catching up to him, the heat rising to the tips of his ears. To Serizawa though, who didn’t really have much experience to go by, it was perfect. Reigen tasted like whiskey and clung to Serizawa just a little bit too much to keep himself standing straight. He didn’t mind though, the warmth from Reigen was more than welcome on the chilly October night.

However the moment was cut short as Reigen quickly pulled away to vomit on the floor next to them. Serizawa offered a hand to Reigen’s back and nodded for him to hop on him so he could carry the shorter man to his apartment. When Reigen relented and allowed himself to be carried he muttered out apologies as Serizawa waved them away and brought him home.

After cleaning up, Reigen had managed to stumble into bed. He had forgotten to take off the ears and accessories but at this point Serizawa wasn’t going to correct him, he wasn’t even sure if he knew how to take off that complicated looking collar and wasn't about to try. Reigen had all but thrown himself on the bed and looked comfortable enough that disturbing him felt wrong.

Afterwards, Serizawa found himself stood awkwardly only about halfway into the room not sure what to do with himself or whether he should leave or stay. Thankfully Reigen, still being perceptive even in a less than graceful state, picked up on this. “You can stay you know; the beds kinda small but theres enough room for the two of us”. He mumbled and gestured half-heartedly with his hands for the man to just hop in with him. Serizawa considered saying no, he didn’t know how proper it was to sleep in the same bed as a guy he just kissed for the first time not even an hour ago, though he figured it couldn’t hurt to make sure Reigen didn’t choke in his sleep, and a good part of him didn’t want to leave. He took a second too long to decide though, and after about a minute of silence Reigen must’ve had enough and reached out and yanked him down on the bed next to him. So, unable to argue with the man, there he stayed, pulled close by Reigen the two of them fell fast asleep, legs and arms intertwined with each other.

In the coming weeks Reigen would slowly remember bits and pieces of what happened that night and cringe, but when he saw Serizawa smile at him, he wasn’t about to regret any of it at all.