Chapter Text
Serizawa wakes to find himself the little spoon, Reigen pressed warm against his back, one arm holding onto his chest like a vice. He smiles and closes his eyes again, already drifting back to sleep. It’s a Saturday morning, so there’s no reason to get up quite yet.
Then he hears three more knocks at his door, and realizes that that’s what woke him a few seconds ago. Reigen stirs behind him too, but only to hold him tighter and nestle his face between his shoulder blades.
Reluctant, but too polite to ignore someone who might need help, Serizawa begins to wiggle free of his boyfriend’s grasp, swinging his legs over the side of the bed as he sits up.
“No…” Reigen protests, eyes still closed. “Where are you going?”
“It might be a neighbor or something,” Serizawa says as he quickly dresses. He throws the blanket over Reigen for some semblance of privacy; the bed is visible from the door in his tiny studio apartment.
Serizawa doesn’t check the peephole before unlocking and opening the door, and when he sees the man on the other side, his stomach drops.
“Serizawa,” the man greets him, dressed in the same suit and tie as always. Or the same brand, more likely, not the same individual suit. It was wrecked, along with half the city. “Your aura is quite distinctive.”
Serizawa bites his tongue before he can say ‘president,’ having never called him by any other name. So he doesn’t say anything right away, just closes the door halfway, to block Suzuki’s view in, as well as Reigen’s view out. When he does speak, his words don’t come out half as venomous as he hoped: “What do you want?”
“Nothing,” Suzuki says, giving a dismissive wave. “I thought I should tell you that I’ll be in Seasoning City off and on now. I’m trying to be a better father, and Shou has friends here. Including you… I didn’t want to catch you off-guard. Better this than running into each other at the grocery store. I saw Minegishi the other week and, well…” He chuckles darkly.
Serizawa would like to argue with his logic. Wouldn’t it have been better to call him, or just have Shou pass on the message? He feels very caught off-guard, in his pajamas and un-washed hair and un-shaven face. Not that that’s a state Suzuki has never seen him in, quite the opposite. If Serizawa was going to see him again, he’d rather be in his tailored work suit, out and about. He tightens his grip on the door. “Okay. Well.”
Before he has to negotiate his way out of the conversation—he was considering just easing the door shut without another word—he’s shouldered to the side as Reigen flings the door open.
Serizawa only gets out the first syllable of his name before Reigen’s fist is flying, landing a punch square in Suzuki’s face. Following his momentum, Reigen stumbles into the hallway and continues to rain down messy blows on his back, as Suzuki tries to dodge, and shields his head with his arms.
Watching all this unfold, in the hallway of his apartment building, Serizawa can’t help but laugh in disbelief. Reigen is shirtless, wearing only pajama pants, wild-eyed, and spouting some expletive-laced nonsense. He leans heavily on the phrase ‘piece of shit.’
Finally, Suzuki, hands raised to his ears, manages to get away. He shoots Serizawa a chagrined look. “Okay, okay, I’m leaving. I’m sorry.”
Reigen gives him another rough shove down the hallway—“And don’t come back.”—before returning into the apartment. He closes and locks the door behind him and shakes out his right hand, wincing. His chest is heaving and his face is flushed from exertion. Raising an arm to his face, he brushes his sweaty bangs away from his eyes.
Serizawa stares, his jaw slack, until Reigen meets his eye. Reigen gives him a sheepish smile and says, “I never got to land a punch last time, so.”
“That was really hot,” Serizawa blurts, cheeks reddening.
Reigen’s expression falters for a moment before slipping into a mask of confidence. He takes a few steps toward Serizawa, backing him up to the wall. “Yeah?”
Serizawa nods as he bumps into the wall. He gulps. “Yeah.”
Reigen winds his arms around Serizawa’s waist and presses his hips against his. Then he pauses, dropping the act as he looks up at Serizawa’s face, eyes searching. “Are you okay? The nerve of that guy, showing up here…”
“I’m okay,” Serizawa says, his tone firm. “I wish I could have said something, though. Told him off. I’ve thought about it enough, the things I wanted to say. But I just… froze up.”
Reigen gives him a half-smile, sad and sympathetic. “He’s not worth it. But, hey— you might get another chance, if he’s in town. Maybe you can give him a piece of your mind at the grocery store sometime.”
Serizawa smirks. “I’m sure he’s gonna give me a wide berth now. In case you’re with me.”
“That’s true.” Reigen gets back into the act now, his voice dropping as he nudges Serizawa’s knees apart with his own. “I think he’s learned his lesson that esper powers aren’t the only thing to be afraid of.”
Serizawa hums and rests his arms around Reigen’s neck. “What else?”
“Brute strength.” Reigen hooks his hands around Serizawa’s thighs and lifts the larger man so that his legs are wrapped around Reigen’s waist, back pressed against the wall. Serizawa doesn’t miss the glimmer of surprise crossing Reigen’s eyes—and Reigen doesn’t miss the tendrils of aura that support some of Serizawa’s weight. “Kind of you to help me pull that off.”
“Happy to do it,” Serizawa says before kissing him.