Work Text:
Three days before New Years Eve, Reigen had already ruined his prospects for the following year.
The fuck-up in question came in the form of an ever-so-earnest Serizawa approaching his desk at the end of the workday with a nervous expression that Reigen hadn’t seen in a while. These days, Serizawa’s outings with classmates and interactions with clients seemed to have made him rather comfortable with starting conversations in the office. Today, however, Reigen watched his coworker hesitate a couple of times before standing up, and wiping his hands off on his pants before he approached. His curiosity peaked.
“Reigen.. I’ve been invited to a New Year’s Party again, I was wondering if you’d like to join me this time?”
His desire to ease Serizawa’s anxiety was cut off abruptly by his pride. Before his mind had time to catch up to his mouth, a lie rolled off his tongue with practiced ease.
“Sorry big guy, I’ve already got plans for the night. Maybe next year!”
What the hell.
Reigen’s long-unfulfilled dream of Serizawa initiating something (even just to hang out) had finally come true and this is what he did with it? What the hell was wrong with him? He could feel his stomach twist with self-disgust, but he kept a smile on his face. There was no backing down now.
Serizawa didn’t respond for a couple of seconds. He almost seemed to be scrutinizing his expression, making the blonde sweat. It struck him that he was probably making his default customer-service smile, which Serizawa was getting increasingly good at seeing through. This is what he got for being vulnerable in front of his coworker too many times. He pressed on, arms waving frantically.
“They’re actually quite riveting holiday plans if I do say so myself. In fact, don’t expect to work at all on New Year’s Day, I’m sure we’ll both be plenty busy recovering from hangovers!”
There, now he’d let Serizawa enjoy his night fully and gain a day to brainstorm a story to cover up the depressing night he was about to have. It’s not like there’d be much business on New Year’s Day anyway.
“Ah, thank you. Enjoy your weekend and the New Year then! I’ll be heading off to class.” Serizawa said.
He looked less skeptical and more disappointed, which wasn’t much of a win in Reigen’s book. What a mess.
“Same to you, and thanks for the invite anyway! I would’ve loved to come if I wasn’t already booked.”
A soft smile finally lit up the taller man’s features as he packed up his books from the desk. Much better . He turned to wave once more before he left the room, a subtle smirk on his lips.
“See you next year!”
Reigen’s eyebrow twitched.
“Serizawa! Please tell me you haven’t been waiting to say that overused line to me. That’s awful.”
He simply chuckled on his way out, leaving Reigen to sarcastically sigh. The sigh descended into something real and guttural as he heard the door close. He let his head drop to the desk with a bang. Lie enough and you forget how to tell the truth, I guess.
At around 9:00 pm on New Year's Eve, Serizawa stood facing his reflection in the mirror. His outfit was a bit more adventurous than usual, black slacks paired with a somewhat silky, red button-up that his mother had gifted him for Christmas. She’d insisted it would be a good choice for holiday parties, but he couldn’t help but feel that the material strained against his chest was a bit too showy. Oh well, he wouldn’t want to put his mother's generosity to waste.
With one last tug at the front of his shirt, Serizawa grabbed his puffy black winter jacket and beanie to brave the cold outside. A triple-check of the address had revealed that the party was just a street away from Spirits and Such, meaning he’d have a bit of a painful walk in the cold, but also much less anxiety about reaching the right location.
The train ride took about 25 minutes, as usual. The path from there was familiar, if slightly off-putting to see so late at night. The fluorescent lights of the convenience store where Reigen bought “exorcism” supplies brought harsh life to the otherwise dark streets. Every other business was closed, the ramen restaurant and flower shop included. It was only natural, given the whole of Seasoning City was busy with festivities.
All in all, nothing out of the ordinary in this portion of the business district. Well, except for the lights on the second-floor office space of Spirits and Such. As Serizawa drew closer, he could clearly make out warm lighting seeping from behind the drawn curtains of his workplace. What in the world?
Maybe Reigen forgot to turn them off in a rush to get to his “riveting holiday plans?” Well, whatever the case, Serizawa was on track to arrive 15 minutes early, so he might as well stop by and turn them off. He hadn’t brought his keys to get in, but psychic powers would be more than enough.
At around 9pm on New Year's Eve, Reigen whipped out a bottle of champagne from under his desk. Last year’s alien adventures had prevented his usual holiday ritual, but this was tradition. Getting tipsy made New Year's performances and talk shows significantly more tolerable. The loneliness also faded in the haze of alcohol. And though he'd usually save this pathetic behavior for his apartment, these days, Spirits and Such felt much more like a home to him. The apartment was stifling, almost unbearable.
Perhaps it was a bit irresponsible, but it's not like anyone would see him. He didn’t plan on stumbling home drunk. He’d just take the few sips he could handle, watch the news, and fall asleep peacefully on the couch. Happy new year.
Well, ideally.
In truth, his usual methods to push away holiday despair were failing terribly. All he could think about was that god-awful interaction with Serizawa from two days ago that landed him on this very couch.
Ending the year with a dose of self-sabotage. Sounds about right.
His thoughts floated in an inebriated cloud as his eyes glazed over the TV screen. The brightness left them stinging. Somewhere he could distantly register the host discussing family traditions. Just about the last thing Reigen wanted to hear right now. He turned off the TV and let his gaze drift to the ceiling as he laid back.
He could just imagine the tense air if he were to actually accept his parent’s yearly invitation to come back home. His father’s condescending stare and sleazy politician mannerisms. His mother’s passive-aggressive concern. His sister’s disgust.
No, this office was much better. Though he wouldn’t admit it any other day, his family was here. Mob, Teru, Tome, he’d probably enjoy ringing in the New Year with them, but fortunately, they had better places to be.
Reigen’s eyes grew heavy as they traced the outlines of the room, blinking slowly as his thoughts winded down. The incessant buzz of dingy fluorescent lights, the peeling wallpaper, the faint smell of gaudy essential oils… yes it was a relief to know they were enjoying nights outside this cheap office.
Serizawa arrived silently at the small hallway entrance of Spirits and Such with a degree of stealth only an esper could manage. While it’s not his intention to be silent, he’s thankful he was as he catches the slight sound of snoring before he turns off the lights. It’s barely perceptible from the corridor, but enough to worry the man. Did somebody wander in?
Approaching with caution, a purple aura stretching around him protectively, he found the source rolled up in a red blanket, his back teetering on the edge of the couch. Reigen is sleeping here. Serizawa’s mind slowly pieces together a scene, from the barely touched bottle of champagne on the coffee table to the red splotches on Reigen’s cheeks. He can’t help but feel his initial confusion turn to anger because what the hell kind of New Year’s Plan was this? Was he really so desperate to reject Serizawa’s offer that he’d rather get drunk alone at the office? He thought they’d grown past the stage of Reigen spewing off bare-faced lies, but apparently that wasn’t the case. It was time to make an exit.
As Serizawa glared down in betrayal one last time, Reigen rolled in his sleep, the red blanket becoming undone around him. Upon closer inspection, his tie was loose but still draped across his chest, hair mussed up in the early stages of bed head, and his shirt was untucked, riding up his stomach. All in all, he would’ve looked quite comfortable (and unfairly attractive) if it weren’t for the way his brows furrowed in his sleep. He looked almost pained.
Serizawa should probably just leave. Pretend he didn’t see anything. Then again, he didn’t think he'd be able to lie to Reigen on Tuesday morning and pretend like everything was fine. Plus.. considering their awkward interaction a few days ago… perhaps something else was going on here. Didn’t he deserve an explanation, as a coworker and a friend? Maybe somebody canceled on him.
Could he really just leave knowing Reigen would sleep on this couch all night?
Gentle whispers awoke Reigen from a half-formed dream. Within the dreamscape, his mother’s face had begun contorting in confusion as her reprimands shifted into soft repetitions of his name.
“Reigen.”
Why was she being so nice all of a sudden? Was she buttering him up to offer him yet another job application?
“Reigen. You’re going to be very sore tomorrow if you sleep like that all night.”
He sat up with a jolt, vision swirling while he regained stability. Blinking slowly, his vision zeroed in on black buttons straining to hold together a red shirt against a broad chest. Blood rushed to his cheeks as he shifted his gaze upward, making eye contact with a rather unimpressed Serizawa. Memories of the night came flooding back to him.
“Serizawa! What the hell are you doing here?”
“I hoped to ask you the same question. Do you really find sleeping at the office ‘riveting’? Or did I make you so uncomfortable with my invite that you had to lie?”
A year ago he would have been shocked by his forwardness, but now Reigen knew better. Serizawa had no problem being blunt when he was upset. His jaw hung open in search of any lie that could remedy the situation, but all that came to mind was the embarrassing truth. He owed that much to Serizawa.
“I- you absolutely didn’t make me uncomfortable with the invite! Don’t think that that has anything to do with uh… this.” He gestured wildly around him, vaguely pointing at the bottle on the table. “I guess I lied about the ‘riveting’ part, but this was quite honestly my holiday plan before you asked.”
He cringed at the last statement. Honesty was digging him a deeper, more humiliating hole.
“This doesn’t seem like much of a plan at all. Don’t tell me you’d prefer this to a party. That doesn’t seem like you.” Serizawa pressed on.
“It isn’t! I just… ” Reigen trailed off once again. Figures the only time he couldn’t run his mouth was when he needed to most. Then again, how could he possibly admit to Serizawa (and himself) that he had no one to turn to, no other place to go?
Reigen’s rare bout of silence was making Serizawa nervous now.
“We’ve gone out for drinks before so I didn’t think I was being too forward, but if you think I overstepped some professional boundary or-”
Reigen stood up abruptly, cutting off Serizawa’s rambling. If his lies were going to make Serizawa spiral into a stream of self-doubt, he’d simply have to own up to them. He’d been down that road before and he couldn’t repeat the cycle once more.
“No! God no! You did absolutely nothing wrong. I swear I wasn’t lying when I said I wanted to join you! I was just panicking. And ashamed. Okay?”
The room was still as Reigen took a deep breath to continue. Serizawa was staring at him like a man piecing together a puzzle.
“I’m always asking you to hang out after work and half the time you’re busy. That’s fine, and in fact, I’m really glad you’ve got so many friends outside this place. But I don’t. So when you finally initiated, I kinda acted on instinct, out of pride. Maybe I thought it’d impress you if I actually had other plans. Obviously, it didn’t and I regretted it immediately! But I really couldn’t back down once the lie slipped out.”
He stared at the poster of himself on the wall as he finished, refusing to make eye contact.
“But why couldn’t you just back down? Why does it take me finding you like this for you to tell me the truth?”
And that was the biggest question, wasn’t it? Despite all the time they’d spent together and all the progress he’d made with being more vulnerable, Reigen was still fundamentally a liar. Too caught up in his pride to be truthful, too caught up in his persona to form real relationships.
He smiled crookedly.
“I’m Reigen Arataka, Rising Star of the 21st Century. I never backtrack, I double down. It’s not in my brand to make or admit mistakes like that.”
“No, it’s actually very on-brand.” Serizawa deadpanned.
Reigen’s sarcastic smile dropped.
“I spend time with you all day, Arataka. Do you think I don’t see through your image? I know you’re fallible, and I don’t mind it at all. Frankly, I find the more vulnerable side of you quite charming. So it’s fine if you find yourself having to backtrack. I won’t judge you if you admit you’re a bit lonely. In fact, I’d much prefer that to you sleeping in this office on New Year’s Eve.”
Reigen could feel the tips of his ears burning red. The tense air had dissipated, alongside all the defensive walls the blonde had put up. Serizawa often had that effect on him.
Why did he have to be so forgiving, so sweet? What did Reigen do to deserve this type of unconditional support? Regardless, the blonde couldn’t argue with his words. He met Serizawa’s eyes, eyes full of fond exasperation.
“You’re right. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have lied from the start, much less later on. I mean, being honest is probably a better route than wallowing in self-pity.”
Serizawa scoffed.
“You think?”
Their gazes were fixed upon each other now. Reigen was hyper-aware of the silky texture of Serizawa’s button-up, faintly brushing against his arm. He couldn’t recall at what moment they’d reached such close proximity. He could see the gentle slope of his smile lines, his tan skin, his warm lips.
“Depends. What if I told you that I’d honestly like to kiss you right now?”
Serizawa’s cheeks turned rosy at the suggestion, eyes glancing down Reigen's face as he processed the words. He recovered quickly with a shy smile, leaning closer.
“I’d say you should stay honest so we can do that more often.”