Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Have you seen a commoner run by here? If so, what did they look like? ” The guard questioned, looking at the citizen whom is running the fruit stand.

“Oh! Yes, he was about your height, possibly a little shorter. His gown covered his face so I’m afraid I won’t be able to tell you what he looks like. Though, I apologize for being rude, he did have a little hunch on his shoulders.” The citizen answered. Pointing in advance to where they last saw the person in question.

—

“He had a hunch back.”

“Shouldn’t be hard to find, his shoulders had a hunch, quite big i’d say so myself.”

“I’m deeply sorry for saying this, I don’t judge people on their looks! But… they did have a hefty hunch near the shoulders.”

—

Reigen is hiding out at some old shack, with dimple in tow.

Speaking of- dimple came fazing through a wall, holding what seemed to be a wanted poster. He spoke, “Oi, doofus. Looks like they already made you a wanted poster.”

Reigen looked over to the floating blob, getting up to grab the paper. Now that it was in his hand it was much easier to see the description.

It read ‘Man in a cloak wanted for stealing. Possibly has blonde hair and is medium length wise. Most noticeable feature: hunch near the shoulders.’

“HUNCH NEAR THE SHOULDERS?” He gasped, meeting eyes with dimple, who only smirked in response.

“Dimple… do I have a hunch back?” He asked, disbelief clouding his face. Dimple rolled his eyes and started picking at his nose, “No, you idiot. I didn’t have anywhere else to go, so, I hid on your back! I didn’t think it was that noticeable.”

Reigen crumbled the paper, “You bastard! Now everyone thinks I’m some ugly fool!” He whined. His reputation was his entire reason for living.

He grit his teeth, mumbling, “why do you even need to hide?” 

“Geez, calm down. You have worse problems… speaking of which, yeah, you do. That guard-“

“His name is Serizawa.” Reigen interjected. Earning yet another eye roll from dimple.

“That guard, Serizawa, is looking for you!”

Reigen sighed, turning his back against dimple. He looked over at the thing he’s now on posters for, sitting propped up against the wall was Serizawa’s sword. He never meant to steal it! It was just… he wanted to see why Serizawa cared so much for it.

He wanted to see what it felt like to be so loved by Serizawa, so that meant experiencing his love through the sword.

That’s silly.

Even he himself didn’t know the actual meaning behind him stealing the sword. Maybe to catch Serizawa’s eye? No, he wouldn’t want Serizawa to finally notice him in these conditions.

Closing his eyes and bringing a hand to his temple, he rubbed the slight headache away. I’m thinking too much about this , he thought.

There’s no use in trying to figure out the meaning of what’s already been done.

Reigen gave a brief huff before turning around to face dimple once again, hand still massaging his temple, he began, “I’ll stay here for now, keep it low and stuff. But.. you must stay watch.”, Reigen finished with his finger pointed straight at dimple.

A groan echoed through the shack, “Fine, I’ll keep watch, you slimy lizard.” Dimple ended with a grin. Reigen rolled his eyes at the insult and started looking around the shack.

It was an old, dusty, forgotten home. There was a bed made of straw tucked in the far right corner and some rubbish in the other. At least I have something to sleep on, Reigen thought as he sat on the bed.

“How long do you think I could last here?” Reigen blurted.

Dimple hummed in response, almost as he needed time to think. “I don’t know, how long do you plan on keeping that sword?” He nudged his head in the direction of which the so called sword laid propped up against the wall.

The blonde looked over at the sword, remembering the look Serizawa had when he grabbed it from his belt. Disbelief and confusion.

“I don’t know..” he answered.

Dimple moved closer, eyebrows raised. “How do you even know the dude?”

Reigen stood up and stretched his arms above his head. Avoiding eye contact as he continued, “I don’t know. I just- I just saw him one day.. that’s it. I don’t know why I’m acting like this, dimple.” It all came out a little too honest for his liking but it was getting harder and harder to hide the blush on his cheeks.

“Ah, so you got a crush on him from just glances alone? You’re pathetic.” the green blob gave a belly laugh, earning a glare from Reigen.

“Whatever. Go stand guard, I’m going to sleep.” He demanded. Dimple gave a shrug before he zoomed outside.

God, why did I even tell him that. He wondered as he climbed onto the straw bed, slowly inching toward a dreamless night before his body finally slumped as all tension had been forgotten.

—

“Remind me again, Serizawa, on how you got your sword stolen by some.. thief?” Suzuki said coldly as he reclined further into his throne.

“A-ah, well, you see.. I was helping this fellow citizen with their horse and-“

“So you’re telling me you can’t even do your job properly?” He cut Serizawa off. “Your job is to protect me— to stand outside this castle and protect. Who told you that you could leave your post?” Suzuki bellowed, fists clenched.

“My king, I- I am deeply sorry for leaving my post without permission. If I had been doing m-my job more efficiently this wouldn’t have happened. I’m so sorry.” Serizawa pleaded, bowing deep to show his sincerity.

Suzuki sighed, unclenching his fists and waving towards the door. “Don’t let it happen again. Go and get a replacement, you’ll have a regular sword from now on since you can’t stay concentrated enough to keep a custom one.”

Serizawa flashed a nervous smile before speed walking his way to the door, leaving swiftly with urgency. Outside stood Hatori, his job in the kingdom was to find worthy people to work for their King Suzuki, but as if now, he looks like he realized he made a mistake.

“Oh, h-hello Hatori.” The taller one said, surprised to see a familiar face at this moment. Hatori didn’t greet him back, just gave a once over and turned on his heel to walk away.

“Can’t believe he got his sword stolen. Who can trust a guy like that to protect King Suzuki?” He muttered, unknowing that Serizawa heard what he said.

Can this day be any more cruel to me? He weakly wondered as he made his way down the long halls to his bedroom. Once he made it to his room he quickly changed into some more comfortable clothes and plopped down on the bed- which was made of soft feathers.

Lying down flat on his back, he stared at the dark ceiling above him. Only one thought occupied his mind.

“Why in the world would somebody steal my sword..?” He said in a whisper, almost as if he didn’t believe what he was saying himself. Why would they? He was sure he didn’t wrong anyone, so why would someone steal his sword?

With a heavy sigh, he closed his eyes. Today had been draining enough for Serizawa, a deep slumber would put his mind to rest.

Which it did, as his mind quieted and vision faded.

Chapter Text

Reigen awoke to a green fart cloud shaking him violently.

“—Reigen! Reigen! Are you awake?!” Dimple said between glances towards the door, seemingly anxious about something. Reigen peeled his eyes open and managed a dry “Dimple?”

“Hey dumbass, get up! The guards are near, they’re searching abandoned houses too.” Dimple retracted his hands back to himself and floated away from Reigen to give him space.

“Crap! Really?” Reigen was wide awake now, scrambling to get off the bed.

“Yeah, I saw them start searching the first abandoned house up the street. Do you know if that guard- I mean, Serizawa, is an Esper? He looked this way and I had to duck in here before he saw me. If he could see me.” Dimple spoke fast as Reigen got up and grabbed the sword, starting to sprint to the back door as dimple finished his rambling.

“I never really thought about him being an Esper like Mob and them.. let’s think about that later.” He said as dimple matched his pace, exiting the house and sprinting towards town.

One of the guards must’ve seen him because right before he could make it around the corner he heard someone shout “Hey, stop!” from behind him.

“Dimple, put my hood on for me, would you? This sword is so damn heavy!” Reigen said through gritted teeth, wheezing as dimple surprisingly complied.

He heard the green blob next to him suck in his teeth and mutter a “You’re so weak.” but he really didn’t have the time to respond at the moment.

The pair quickly made it into town as they heard shouts from behind them. There were a lot of people in town right now which made things a lot more easier. Reigen saw an unoccupied fruit stand and decided to duck there, shout whispering at dimple to follow him.

As soon as they crouched behind the stand the voices became more clear, multiple guards flooded into the already crowded area looking for a suspicious person. One of them was Serizawa, whom was staring right at the exact stand they were ducking behind.

“Yo, Reigen, I think he really is an Esper! He’s looking right at my aura!” Dimple whispered to Reigen, earning a concerned look.

“You really think so?” Reigen asked. Dimple nodded in response, looking a little too smug for the moment.

Reigen took a deep breath in and looked directly at dimple, “Go to Mob as fast as you can. I’ll try and get out of here.”

The floating fart smiled and gave a quick: “Don’t get caught!” before zooming off.

That jerk. He cursed dimple in his mind before coming back to reality, some of the guards had gotten a tad too close for comfort. He really had to go.

Grabbing the sword extra tight, he bolted out from under the stand and made a move to an alley. Only one guard had seen him so he was sure he could lose them.

After taking multiple twists and turns down different directions, his wrists started to hurt from holding Serizawa’s sword. The guard was still high on his tail, though he hadn’t looked back to confirm it, he could still hear their footsteps.

Reigen was starting to sweat. He might actually get caught.

Damn you dimple!

He cursed dimple once more in his mind as he made a sharp turn into a dead end.

He ran all the way to where it was blocked off, desperate to escape. The guard was still behind him, footsteps slowing down as they approached Reigen’s back.

The blonde turned around hesitantly as he heard the guard make their last movement.

The sight in front of him shocked him for at least a decade.

It was Serizawa.

And he was.. glaring at him?

Oh, right. I stole his sword. Reigen remembered dumbly.

Giving an awkward smile he started to speak, “Haha, heyy.. how are you doing?” He dragged out, trying to hide the sword behind himself.

Serizawa didn’t hesitate to answer for once. “Why did you steal my sword?” He asked, tone unreadable.

“Oh, well, I don’t really-“

“-Reigen!”

A voice interrupted his speech, and it was.. dimple? Reigen’s eyes widened as dimple zoomed toward him, shouting, “relax for a bit!”

Serizawa froze, seeing the same aura he saw in the main part of town. He threw up his hand as quickly as he could but by the time he did Reigen was already gone.

“Goddamnit, I did it again.” He whispered under his breath, pulling a hand down his face. He stayed still for a moment, reminiscing what just happened, until something clicked.

“Wait.. it called him Reigen?”

—

Dimple! You’re my savior! Reigen thought. Feeling his body move on its own has already become his new norm.

“Hell yeah I am. You almost got your ass caught! And by your crush!” Dimple said, using Reigen’s mouth to talk. He felt his chest move so dimple most likely laughed at his own remark.

Whatever. I thought you went to Mob? Why did you come back? He questioned, genuine curiosity about dimples change of heart.

“Well.. I got to little Shige’s house pretty quickly, I had enough time to tell him what happened and he said to come back and help you.” Dimple shrugged Reigen’s shoulders.

That kid is too nice—wait, how much did you tell him?! Shigeo could NOT know what his master has been doing these past few days. It’s depressing.

Reigen felt his face smile, most likely a grin. “Hah, you’ll have to see when we get there. And what do you know? We’re just around the street!”

I take back what I said, I hope you get exorcised. Reigen thought half jokingly.

When they got to where Shigeo lived he was standing right outside, seemingly already sensing dimple was near.

Dimple took his leave and left Reigen’s body, leaving the man a little disoriented from gaining consciousness again. Shigeo helped him inside and commented on how his master should sit down for now.

So they did. The two sat at the dining room table while one floated near. “Master, why did you steal a sword?” Shigeo asked bluntly.

“Oh Mob… let’s not talk about this right now!” Reigen deflected, forgetting that the very said sword was resting against his chair.

“That’s a very bad thing to do, master. You could’ve been in prison by now if you got caught.” Shigeo added on, making a slight gesture towards the sword while dimple snickered.

“Yeah, Reigen, why did you steal it?” Dimple added on, earning a glare from Reigen.

The man sighed, “like I said before, I don’t know.” He rubbed his hands together. “Do you guys know any way I could return it without getting caught?”

Shigeo gave a small smile and suggested that he could just leave it by the castle at night. Dimple suggested that he should just turn himself in.

“Hmm.. thanks Mob, that seems like the most reasonable option.” He smiled, waving his hands around as he talked. Ignoring dimple and his very being.

Time passed as the three all talked about random things, occasionally circling back to comment on how detailed the sword looked, but it all came to an end once Shigeo realized his parents might be home soon.

“Are you coming to work tomorrow, Mob?” Reigen asked as he stepped out of the house.

“Yeah, I will. See you soon Master Reigen!” Shigeo gave a warm wave as Reigen made his way home.

Dimple would stay with Shigeo for the night and then go back with Reigen in the morning, it seemed like a good plan, Reigen needed time to sleep without any distractions.

He made the way home without any problems, only taking back ways in case he got spotted. Once he got home it was already dark out so he lit a candle and got changed into more comfortable clothes.

The day was very eventful and by now he was as ready as ever to go to sleep. He closed his eyes and drifted off.

—

Serizawa made it back to the castle unharmed, after he left empty handed from the chase he got assigned to stand guard next to King Suzuki while he had a meeting with a King from another kingdom.

The day was easy if he could say so himself, but the part he was stuck up on was that he didn’t even know the guy who stole his sword!

I’ve never even interacted with someone named Reigen… he concluded. Though, it did sound familiar. Serizawa sat up more straighter at his desk and took out a piece of paper, noting things he might think Reigen is connected to.

1. ‘Reigen: familiar but I don’t know why.’
2. ‘Might’ve heard something similar from King Suzuki?’
3. ‘I think I’ve seen him around town.’
4. ‘He’s handsom-‘

He felt his cheeks warm up. What am I doing? He wondered. Quickly getting up from his chair and blowing out the candle, he hopped in bed with a face as red as a tomato.

Wait. No.

That is a stranger, Katsuya. He stole your sword. Don’t think he’s in the right just because he’s good looking. His face slowly faded back to normal as the blush was replaced with a more natural shade.

I really need to get a grip. He closed his eyes and focused on not having any more thoughts of this so called ‘Reigen’.

Chapter Text

“Okay Mob, we need to settle down somewhere less crowded— even though that means we’ll get less customers.” Reigen grumbled as he pushed his own stand which held his potions and wonders.

Shigeo glanced towards him, “Is it because you’re on wanted posters?” he asked casually, walking beside Reigen and their rolling stand.

Reigen took a sharp inhale, taken aback by his apprentices remark. “I’ll take care of that soon, Mob, I will! Now, help me look for a spot to settle.” Reigen diverted Shigeo’s attention to helping him set up near other barely known vendors.

The pair set up their sketchy stand and began making sales, which were mostly made by Reigen. They sold many things like ‘healing potions’ and actual exorcisms, which is where Shigeo stepped in.

Their kingdom was bombarded with spirits, most from the previous wars or just simple deaths. But nonetheless, it was how they made money.

The day was going smoothly for the area they were in, just a few people looking for explanations on why their homes kept creaking, and Reigen gave them the answers they wanted to hear.

He’d just gotten done saying goodbye to a customer when a guard came strolling by, crap! I didn’t know there would be a guard over here today. He thought to himself. Considering on what to do in the heat of the moment, he chose to hide. “Psh, Mob!” He hurriedly whispered, gaining Shigeo’s attention.

“What is it, master Reigen?” The younger one questioned, inching closer to hear his master whisper once more, “Take over the stall for a little bit, there’s a guard over there and I can’t risk this.” Reigen concluded.

Shigeo nodded as he acknowledged that there was a high possibility of Reigen getting in trouble, “Okay, I will. Hurry and go hide somewhere, Master Reigen.”

Reigen flashed a thankful grin and mouthed ‘thank you’ to Shigeo as he quickly walked to hide in an alleyway near the market.

Reigen recognized the knight, he was often hanging around Serizawa and this other dude. He had slick brown hair and a scar on his right cheek, I believe I’ve heard Serizawa call him Sakurai.. Reigen remembered.

The knight walked up to Reigen’s vendor stand where mob stood, barely audible from where Reigen was, he heard their conversation.

“What kind of stuff are you selling?” Sakurai quizzed.

Shigeo avoided eye contact for a few seconds until replying, “Things that help people.” He said genuinely.

The guard raised an eyebrow. “How so?”, he looked around the stand, seemingly unfazed.

“O-oh, well, what we sell puts people’s minds to rest. If they’re up sick worrying about their future we have advice and guidance to reassure them,” he made a gesture to everything that was displayed.“and also books!” Shigeo said, still very genuine.

Sakurai gave a short hum, “Hmm, seems so. If I catch you lying then you’ll be in big trouble, boy.” He ended off with a warning and made his way out of the market, glancing around at other vendors on his way.

When he was gone Reigen emerged from the alleyway and gave Shigeo a clap on the back, “Great job Mob!” He said. The younger one gave an embarrassed small smile and thanked his teacher.

—

Sakurai had just gotten back to the kingdom form his scavenging for the wanted thief when Serizawa approached him.

“Oh, hey Sakurai!” Serizawa waved as he walked up to the other. “Did you find him?”, he asked.

“No, sorry.” Sakurai answered, making a gesture to tell Serizawa to follow him, which he did. “We can talk until I get to the changing room, you’re out on duty next.” He stated.

“R-right, that sounds good” the taller man replied with a smile, matching the other’s pace. “Did you see anything suspicious, at least?”.

Sakurai put a finger on his chin as he mentally checked his brain. “I did, actually. This weird vendor stand.” He said, chuckling a bit after. “What do you mean?” Serizawa curiously asked. Sakurai opened his mouth, “this kid was running this.. sketchy stall and he was very genuine about how it helps people. It looked like something a scam artist would run.”.

“That does sound a little weird..” Serizawa replied as Sakurai opened the changing room door, holding it open for him to enter too. The taller man gave a quiet thanks as his friend went off to go change, giving him time to change as well.

Once the two were done they went their separate ways, Serizawa heading outside to go guard the front and Sakurai heading to the kitchen.

But before Serizawa could reach the front Shimazaki approached him. His job was a lot more important than Serizawa’s, since he was the first person recruited and trusted by their king he was given the role of being the royal council, he was able to give his insights on affairs and make orders when the king couldn’t. “Hey, King Suzuki gave you new orders.” He said casually.

“O-oh, what are they?” Serizawa asked, surprised at the sudden change. “I don’t know,” Shimazaki replied, “follow me, he’s in the dining room.”

The pair made their way to the dining room where King Suzuki sat. Shimazaki took his side while Serizawa bowed in respect of being near the king. “My King, may I as what my n-new orders are?” The knight asked.

“I changed my mind, you’re going to go look for your sword and that thief.” King Suzuki stated, stern as ever. “It’s embarrassing having one of my best- one of my knights without their personalized weapon.” He changed how he thought about Serizawa at the very last minute.

It stung like a punch to the gut for Serizawa to hear that him having his sword stolen made him value less. Especially to his King.

Why am I being shamed for something I didn’t expect? If only that guy.. Reigen, didn’t steal my sword then maybe I’d still have some value to King Suzuki. Serizawa thought about Reigen in the back of his mind as King Suzuki lectured him about staying focused while he’s out on his job today.

Hatred boiled in his blood as he made his way outside.

He couldn’t figure out if the hatred was directed at himself or Reigen, though.

Chapter Text

By the time Serizawa finished saying hello to all the friendly old vendors and shoppers it was already late into the day. He was trying to shake away the cruel thoughts by distracting himself with life, and it was working.

While he was talking to a regular who visited the market everyday, he got some clues on where Reigen might be!

They said he was a very suspicious man, loud and proud about what he does, and that he should be nearby because he never missed a day of business. Should be easy to spot a loud, suspicious, blonde guy , he thought. Serizawa said his thanks and soon left to scout the area for any.. interesting beings.

While he was wondering he made a sharp turn into a not very known vender market, most of the people had their children with them and all looked too kind to even shoo away a fly.

He was about to venture deeper until an old lady grabbed his attention—literally. She grabbed his arm and pulled Serizawa to face her.

“Oh, my! Young man, what are you doing here?” She asked with an almost toothless smile.

“H-haha, hello! What- how is your day going, miss?” He stumbled over his words, letting out anxious laughs at the sudden encounter. She still hadn’t let go of his arm.

The old lady began talking about how her son was also a knight for the last king they had, only letting Serizawa talk when she wanted him to.

—

“Alrighty, Mobster, I think it’s time we head home for today. Do you mind putting everything up for me?” Reigen asked as he pulled out the money from his pocket, planning on counting it. Shigeo gave a small nod and made his way to the front of the stand, putting everything securely away.

Reigen made his calculations and waited till Shigeo was done putting everything up to give him his earnings, handing them over the stand like he was giving a buyer their extra change.

“Here you go, Mob!” He handed the teen 1 pence. Shigeo looked at his hand and thanked his teacher, shoving the penny in his pocket.

Reigen was about to go on a rant how it’s been so hot these days until he saw Serizawa far in the distance, freezing mid speech. Shigeo looked at his master with uncertainty, Reigen freezing mid sentence was a little weird. “Master Reigen? Are you alright?” He asked.

“Y-yeah, I’m fine Mob.” He stuttered, pulling out their earnings and giving mob one more pence before whispering to his apprentice, “Mob, here’s some extra. Don’t look behind you, I don’t want you to be caught in my own business.”

Shigeo interrupted, “Oh, what’s this for-“ Reigen put a finger over his mouth, shushing Shigeo for the moment.

“Do you think you could take the stand for tonight?” The older man questioned, growing more antsy as Serizawa unglued himself from the old lady.

Shigeo nodded, still confused. “Yeah, I can.”

“Great, now go on, hurry.” Reigen pushed, putting the carts handles in his apprentices hands and guiding him away. “See you tomorrow.” He ended with a grin. Shigeo gave an unsure smile and walked away with the stand.

Just as the teen made his way out of the market Serizawa got the old lady off his back and looked to where Reigen was, far in the distance, stood a blonde man staring back at him like a deer caught in a stampede.

Serizawa’s eyes widened as he recognized Reigen. He started running after him when the blonde turned fast on his heel and bolted down a street.

“Hey, you, Reigen, stop right there!” The taller man yelled.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean… to steal.. your sword!” Reigen shouted back. The burning in his lungs started to affect his running.

“What do you mean you ‘didn’t mean to’?” Serizawa questioned as he ran, having a more steady breathing cycle than the other, whom was wheezing.

“Listen, Seri—man, I’ll give it back.. tomorrow!” Reigen was sprinting down different streets, waking up the elderly who went to sleep early.

“How do you know my name?!” Serizawa squeaked, surprised the blonde knew his name. His legs moved steadily as he chased the younger one.

Reigen laughed, breathless but still managing to get a chuckle out, “How do you know mine !?”

Ah, right. I said his name just now. Serizawa’s feet became unbalanced, but he regained his pace easily. This man liked to run a lot even though he couldn’t.

“You don’t seem like you can last long!” Serizawa stated, truth be told, Reigen looked like this was the first time he has ever ran. It was kind of silly to watch.

“Well, how long do you.. want this chase to.. go on?” Reigen shot back between breaths, his lungs burning even more. He needed to find a way to escape, there’s no way he’d win this race— Serizawa was trained unlike him!

Reigen started to look around, switching from taking breaths with his mouth to nose, inhaling air like there was no tomorrow. Me and him actually kind of get along..? Reigen questioned himself. Did they? Serizawa would never want to form a friendship after this, though.

He pushed the extra thought aside and began focusing on his surroundings. It seemed like Serizawa had gotten focused too because he stopped talking all together. Just the two of them sprinting down streets, Serizawa’s armor clanking together with each step he took.

Up came an abandoned house that Reigen had seen before, it was old and practically collapsing by every waking day, but it could be his escape route. It had a basement window he could slide through, Serizawa would probably get stalled with his armor before fully sliding through so that would buy him enough time to figure out how to get out of the house and run back home.

Serizawa was still high on his trail, inching closer towards Reigen with every faulty step the blonde took. They were both getting closer to an abandoned house but the knight thought nothing of it. By now, Serizawa was probably an arm away from Reigen, hearing his ragged breaths exit from his nostrils.

The house was right in front of them. Serizawa decided to reach out, to try and grab Reigen to finally put an end to this chase, but the thief had other plans.

Just as Serizawa’s fingertips glossed over Reigen’s shoulder, the blonde ran to the crumbling house, ducked down, and slid through a basement window.

The knights eyes widened, for a second he thought about just giving up, however, he tried copying Reigen’s actions.

Only his legs and half his torso made it through successfully. The other half was screaming for help as his armor slowly scraped the brick, making what Reigen did seem almost like nothing.

Serizawa heard the blonde shout whisper a proud “Yes!” before the crunching of wood and glass soon faded.

Leaving Serizawa with the screeching of his metal armor as the top half of his body made it through the window. Slow as a sloth.

Chapter Text

White lines stayed unmoving on Serizawa’s armor as he tried scrubbing it off. First, it was my sword. Now, it’s my armor? Why is this guy ruining everything , he thought to himself.

King Suzuki had yet to know Serizawa messed up his armor trying to catch the thief. The knight had snuck in the palace without anyone noticing, not wanting the scolding after being an inch away from capturing their wanted criminal.

Serizawa sighed and put down his armor, getting up to put it on its stand.

There it stood, white streaks of ruined metal covering his chest plate. Serizawa’s fists felt heavy as he clenched them, anger creasing his eyebrows.

Did the universe hate him or something—did the universe want to see his reputation crumble? For Serizawa to lose all value to their king.. to be deemed as unworthy.

That couldn’t happen, he’s worked so hard to be here to this day. He wouldn’t let it happen.

Serizawa stormed out of the changing room, taking a turn into the cafeteria where all the people who worked under King Suzuki ate. It was super late by the time Serizawa got back, meaning everyone has ate and went to bed already. Which is what he thought until he saw Koyama sitting at one of the tables.

The light brown haired man looked up as Serizawa entered, giving a slight nod. Serizawa nodded back and went to get the leftovers of dinner before sitting down in front of the other. All anger Serizawa held was now forgotten as he spoke to his friend.

“How come you came back so late?” Koyama asked between bites of his bread.

Serizawa awkwardly avoided eye contact, “Well, I-I was busy chasing the thief that stole my sword.” He replied as he picked up his spoon and took a sip of his cold soup.

Koyama raised an eyebrow, surprised at the answer. “Really? You found him?” The man said with a lopsided grin. “Did you teach him not to mess with royal guards?”, koyama laughed at his own question.

“No, almost, though.” Serizawa smiled, looking back at Koyama as he explained: “I was so close, an arm away, until that—he ducked into some basement window! And when I tried to follow.. my armor got stuck before my legs could even get through.” He ended with a grim look.

“Wow, tough luck.” The other replied, “I take it that your armor is all messed up?” Koyama asked with a grimace. Serizawa nodded, copying Koyamas facial expression.

“Hopefully King Suzuki goes a tad less hard on you, I heard from Hatori how harsh he was when you got your sword stolen.” He added on, eating the crumbs of his bread with his fingers.

Serizawa gave a breathless “Yeah, I hope so too.” as the pair finished their meals in silence, Koyama getting up to leave first before Serizawa put his dish up and left as well.

He made it to his room in just a few minutes, changing quickly before huddling in his soft bed.

There was no time for extra thinking tonight.

—

Getting out of the abandoned house was like a maze to Reigen, glass and wood covered everything. But eventually, he found the way out.

The sun was already halfway done setting as he made his way home, breathing going back to normal as he walked at a casual pace. The whole chase gave him the reminder to start getting in shape, this was probably going to happen again if he didn’t return that sword back.

Oh yeah, the sword! He remembered, kicking rocks as he walked. He didn’t know why he hasn’t tried returning it yet, nor why he stole it in the first place! What Shigeo said to do was a perfectly reasonable plan, yet Reigen couldn’t let go for some reason.

He pulled a hand over his face as he recognized the houses that passed by, he was nearing his own house. Well, it wasn’t really his own house, it was shared.

What could the man do?! It was cheaper that way!

The only struggle as for right now was hiding from his neighbors every time he left, since he’s a criminal now.

It was pretty easy to do so anyway, so he didn’t mind. As the blonde made his way inside he took off his shoes and cloak, putting them in their reserved places before walking towards the kitchen to grab a snack. It was late now and he was starving.

He finished eating and made his way to his room.

While he was changing into more comfortable clothes, he risked a glance at the sword on his desk. It was a beautiful, shiny, sword. Clearly made for the best of the best.

Reigen felt a twinge of guilt in his stomach, he sighed and looked away. He wasn’t ready for the questions he couldn’t answer.

Hopping in bed, he shut his eyes, not wanting to be awake to question himself longer.

Chapter Text

Reigen awoke pretty early, surprisingly. The sun was barely rising as he pushed himself out of bed. Many things went through his mind as he got dressed for the day, when was he going to return the sword? Serizawa looked very upset about not being able to catch him.

Reigen shook his head lightly, shooing away the thought of Serizawa— what he did in order to escape the knight was extraordinary! Reigen only ran like that when angry customers were after him.

That reminded him.. Shigeo still has his cart! The boy probably wasn’t awake right now, so Reigen compromised.

He needed to go shopping anyway, he was running low on food and supplies for his ‘spiritual’ stuff. Though, he needed to be extra cautious today. Serizawa must be furious about what he did.

Pulling on a cloak, he made his way outside, “Let’s go to the market!” He said, a fist pumping into the air for extra emphasis. The day felt nice already and it showed in Reigen’s mood.

The man soon made it into town and began shopping, occasionally slipping by a guard that was nearby. It was still early so not many people were out but that only made Reigen look more suspicious.

As his hand reached for a salt bag that was set steadily on a vendors stand, he heard someone call from behind him.

The blonde turned quick, the voice wasn’t Serizawa’s but it sounded familiar. His guess was correct as he recognized the features the man in front of him had.

Sakurai was standing a few feet away with a hand on his scabbard, prepared for the actions Reigen might commit.

“You’re the thief that stole Serizawa’s sword, yes?” He spat out. Glaring daggers at Reigen.

Reigen took a step backward, bumping into the stand. Sakurai was very intimidating, he almost wondered how Shigeo didn’t break out into a cold sweat when he was approached by the man in question.

“Well, it’s complicated.” He replied with a sorry smile. Breaking eye contact with Sakurai for a spit second, he realized that another knight was approaching quite quickly. He glanced back at the man in front of him, “listen, I’ll get back to you later.”

Reigen’s foot bumped into the vendors stand once more as he made a run for it, knocking down the salt he intended to grab just a few minutes ago. He yelled a rapid apology as he caught sight of the two knights behind him.

Sakurai had a nasty expression on his face, most likely mad that the guy who stole his friend’s beloved sword was getting away. The other knight was unfamiliar to Reigen, probably not related to Serizawa but understanding of the urgency Sakurai had to catch Reigen.

Reigen’s breathing started to get uneven, man, I’m not even 30 yet I’m out of shape! He thought to himself. Turning a corner with a slight wheeze as he tried to control his breathing.

The burning in his lungs came back, more hurtful than it was last night. Okay, he really did need to start working out.

As Reigen was lost in his thoughts worrying about his health he felt a sharp pull on his shoulder, stunning his breathing and making him tumble against a wall.

He gasped hard as his back hit the wall, making the last breaths he had in his lungs exit quickly. He shot his head up to see Sakurai panting heavily through his nose, not as worse as Reigen, though, just from running. He was in better shape so that was to be expected.

The blonde looked over at the other knight who was further away from the pair, he must’ve stopped when he saw Sakurai grab ahold of Reigen.

Through Reigen’s rapid breaths, he made his decision to escape by knocking down the man in front of him. Sakurai was already gaining his composure, opening his mouth to speak, “You can’t run, thief. It’s time you served your time in prison. What you did is a very offensive-“

He couldn’t finish his scolding because something kicked violently at his legs, causing him to fall over. The armor made an impact sound with the ground, rattling as it screamed for help against the floor.

Sakurai caught a glimpse of Reigen’s smirk as he dashed off. The knight ordered the other man to go after him as he got up. Dusting himself off, he began at a steady pace towards the two, “Embarrassing.” He muttered.

Reigen was long gone. Successfully, he managed to escape his doom again.

—

Serizawa woke up at his usual time, getting up to go eat breakfast with the others. Koyama was there but Sakurai wasn’t. He got his serving and sat down next to Koyama.

“Hey,” Koyama said through a mouthful of food.

“Hello,” Serizawa greeted back. “Good morning. Sakurai is out right now, right? What time do y-you go back?” He asked. Koyama was a very busy man, his job in the kingdom was to fix anything wooden and occasionally help with building houses when he’s ordered to. He’s a carpenter.

“Yeah, he’s out on duty right now. I got to go help build this new house after I’m done eating. King Suzuki is running me dry, man.” He answered Serizawa’s question, bringing a spoonful of soup to his mouth before asking, “I suppose you’re on duty when Sakurai gets back?”

He nodded, swallowing his food before answering. “Yeah, I hope today is good… oh god.” Registering last night, Serizawa remembered the state his armor got left in.

Serizawa burrowed his face into his hands. “King Suzuki is going to be so mad at me!” He ended with muffled words. Koyama seemed to remember what the other was referring to because he gave a loud “Yikes” and went back to eating, a slight furrow of concern in his eyebrows but nothing more.

Serizawa sat there sulking until Koyama gathered his things and stood up, shaking his shoulder to gain his attention. “Hey, I hope he isn’t too hard on you, if he is then you can tell me all about it when we both get back but, uh, I got to go.” He gave a nod to the exit.

“Oh, of course. I-I’ll see you later, Koyama.” He waved goodbye as his friend left, looking down at the now cold food. His appetite was spoiled, and he barely even touched his food! He took in a big breath and slowly let it out, standing up to put his things away and leave.

Serizawa was now bowing deeply in front of King Suzuki as he bellowed, “First, it was the sword, now it’s your armor? Serizawa, you are disappointing me by the day.” He risked a glance up, Shimazaki stood still next to King Suzuki. Ignoring whatever was happening and looking down at the paper in his hand. His king though, had a completely different expression. His eyebrows were knitted with anger as his eyes pierced through Serizawa.

“Go. I better not see you again today, Serizawa. You will keep your armor as it is, wear it with shame.” He ordered. Serizawa took his leave with a dark face, this time, nobody was peeping in through the door when he opened it.

With his mouth shut tight, he made his way to the changing room and out, leaving quickly to get to the fresh air faster. The sun felt nice on his skin, refreshing almost. He looked around, feeling a small smile form on his face as he saw Sakurai approaching.

Oddly, Sakurai was still out on duty by the time it was Serizawa’s turn to scout and stand watch. When his friend got closer, he opened his mouth, “Hey Sakurai, what are you doing out so late?” He asked innocently.

“I found your guy, but he got away.” Sakurai said with a scowl.

Now that Serizawa was looking at him, some of his armor was banged up like his. “What happened?” He questioned, eyebrows raised in shock.

“Me and some other person were right on his trail— I even brought him down! He was sitting against the wall and all of the sudden I’m on the ground!” It was clear his friend was agitated from the encounter so Serizawa made his reply light, “Hey, a-at least you’re not hurt? I’m glad you aren’t.”

He offered a smile, earning a tiny one from Sakurai. “Yeah.. yeah you’re right. But let me tell you, I saw him last over near the town’s lake.” He pointed in the distance.

“Really? Wait, really?! How far did you guys go?” Serizawa asked with genuine surprise, the towns lake was kind of far from the kingdom, just nearing most of the houses the kingdom had. Sakurai nodded and pat his friend’s shoulder, “Yeah, the chase went on for a while, I’ll see you later.” He concluded, disappearing into the castle.

Serizawa stood dumbfounded until he gained his composure, heading off to the place Sakurai suggested he’d look.

Chapter Text

Reigen stood behind a tree, catching his breath. He was sure he lost the two knights that were chasing after him but he wasn’t taking any chances. He glanced to the left, water shimmered in the sun, looking tempting to be in. He ran a long way, the lake was nowhere near the castle— in fact, it was near Shigeo’s house… wait, Shigeo!

It was already noon and he told his apprentice yesterday that they would work today! Man, he really had some explaining to do.

He let his back hit the log, sliding down slowly until he hit the bottom. After all that running the least he could do was take a rest. He looked back over at the water, smiling fondly as he remembered the first time he took Shigeo here for a job.

“Now listen, Mob. We have to stay on guard!” Reigen claimed, Shigeo’s attention stayed locked on the water below them. It was a breezy day, not chilly but also not hot.

“Our client said that there has been a poor fishing performance over here and that there’s a spirit haunting this lake!” The water did look mesmerizing… but Reigen would not give in. He has to be a good role model! “So that means we have to exercise it.”

He looked over at Shigeo, whose fingertips lightly ran through the water, leaving small waves. The older man sighed, seeking defeat. He doubted that there was a spirit, anyway. The client was most likely just mad about the less fish this lake had.

A splash caught Shigeo’s attention. The boy looked over to see his master sitting comfortably in the water, a slight smile became visible on his lips as he also sat down.

“Good thing we wore the proper clothes for this, right Mob?” Reigen said with a grin, looking up at the clouds as they slowly passed by.

“Yeah.” Shigeo answered, still playing with the water that surrounded them.

The blonde looked over at the younger one, “Do you know any tricks?” He asked as he pointed at Shigeo’s hand. The boy nodded enthusiastically as he pulled his hand out of the water. “Ritsu likes this trick I can do!”

Shigeo pointed his pointer finger at the water as a little fountain of water sprouted from the current around them and made circles as he made his hand follow the motion.

Reigen’s eyes became wide with amusement as he watched, his grin turning into a genuine smile. When his apprentice was done he clapped him on the back with a laugh, “That was so cool Mobbu!”.

Reigen misses lazy days like that. Shigeo was so little! Oh, right. He should probably go see how Shigeo is doing though. Reigen not showing up for work was not a usual thing. Taking a deep breath, he stood up.

He and Shigeo would have to come back here soon, maybe bring Ritsu along if he isn’t glaring daggers at him. Why does that kid hate me so much? Reigen wondered.

He’d never know. With a shrug, he pulled his foot in front of him. Oh, that’s weird. I’m not walking yet I hear footsteps… it all clicked. He scrambled to get his foot back behind the tree. Were they still after him? Reigen was sure he’d lost them!

The man risked a glance, mouth dropping at the sight. What is Serizawa doing here? He looked… a little pale, and he was sweating. What was he doing right before this?

Concern clawed at Reigen’s heart, he won’t say why. While he was busy thinking about possibilities on why Serizawa looked so sickly, the taller man looked over and locked eyes with Reigen. He gasped, stepping back to prepare to run.

Serizawa shouted at him, “Hey! Don’t- don’t go!” It sounded a little hoarse, did he have strep throat? Reigen hesitated. What is he supposed to do?

The blonde took a step back, making the other hurry to close the gap. “Wait.. I..” Serizawa swayed side to side, losing balance until he lost all of it, falling onto the ground. Reigen felt his heart pound against his chest as he raced to the man’s side, checking his vitals and feeling his forehead.

Had Serizawa eaten today? What about water? Why did he faint? Thoughts raced his mind, he looked around at the surroundings. The lake caught his attention as he realized the man might desperately need water. He got up quickly, setting Serizawa’s head down gently as he went to cup some water in his hands.

Reigen yelled his name until the taller one stirred awake, glaring— well, trying to glare at Reigen when his eyesight became less foggy. “H-hey, can you sit up a little? You seem dehydrated.” He replied to the glare, putting his hands in the other’s eyesight to show the offered water.

Serizawa reluctantly sat up. His hands shook where he held himself up but he said nothing of it. Reigen held his hands to Serizawa’s mouth, letting him drink all of the water until there was none. “Okay, let me get more— hold on.” The blonde said as he stood up.

They repeated this process until Serizawa stated it was enough. Reigen poured the leftover water in the grass and put a hand on the others back, which was the wrong move because he swatted it off.

“Don’t touch me.” He hissed, surprising Reigen. “Did you.. eat today?” The younger one asked shallowly, inching away little by little.

Something must’ve clicked in Serizawa’s mind because he let out a soft groan. “I- I didn’t eat that much.” He looked over at Reigen, sitting up more properly. “Thanks for.. helping me, somewhat.”

Reigen gave an awkward laugh before standing up quickly. “It was no problem, you fainted, after all.” He stated, moving away more.

Serizawa’s eyes tracked his movements before looking him straight in the eye, “C-can you help me up?” He said, innocence displayed all over his face. Reigen couldn’t help but reach his hand out at the request. The black haired man took his hand in a tight grasp as he pulled himself up with Reigen’s help.

When he was standing Reigen tried to take his hand back but it stayed put. Looking up curiously, he was met with Serizawa staring at him. The knight pulled him in close, “Say, you don’t think you could give me back my sword?” He said, almost threateningly.

Reigen yanked his hand back, erratic hand movements following his speech, “Oh, of course! Yes, yes, I could definitely get that back to you!” He took a step back, which wasn’t much because Serizawa was looming over him. “A-as long as you don’t take me in…”

The taller man hummed, “I trust you won’t run— try to run away?” He questioned. Uncertainty clouding his eyes.

“I won’t.” Reigen swore. He noticed that Serizawa was still sweating, moving a hand to hold the man’s shoulder, which he took off immediately once he realized this isn’t his apprentice. He asked, “are you okay? You’re still sweating.”

Serizawa looked at Reigen’s hand that was now floating idly, almost as if trying to understand what was happening to him. The taller man shook his head as he looked down at his own hands, “My.. my hands feel.. weird. And my face.” He answered.

Reigen decided then that putting a supporting hand on the knights shoulder wouldn’t do any mind, “Let’s get you some more water,” he guided Serizawa to the edge of the lake, holding him steady as he drank water from his own hands this time.

After a while of doing that he asked Serizawa how he was feeling again, “I think I feel fine now, I can probably make it to the castle..” He seemed to remember something as he finished his sentence. Snapping his head towards Reigen, he opened his mouth, but Reigen beat him to it.

“Listen, let’s meet up here tomorrow. I’ll give you the sword. Swear.” The blonde put a hand to his chest as an oath, letting a genuine smile overtake his concerns.

Serizawa studied his face before sighing, “Fine, you’re lucky I’m ill t-today. If you’re not here tomorrow then I will hunt you down.” He said the last part with full seriousness, making Reigen shiver.

“Yeah, yeah, big guy. Go get some rest.” He helped Serizawa stand until he realized he was still holding onto him. A light blush covered his face as he took his hands off quickly.

Serizawa gave him a glare before walking towards the kingdom. Reigen took a glance at the trail that led to where Shigeo lived but decided to follow Serizawa instead— just to make sure the man got home safe. His house was on the opposite side anyway.

The blonde witnessed Serizawa make it to the castle. It was his turn to make it his marry way home.

As he was changing, he took a long look at the sword he stole. He’d be meeting the owner tomorrow, though, he didn’t know what time… maybe he’d just wait until he saw Serizawa leave the castle to meet up with him.

Yeah, that sounded like a good plan.

Chapter Text

Reigen didn’t know what to do with himself as he made his way to the castle. His hands were itching to move around but he was holding on tight to the sword. He shifted his attention to the sky, it was the afternoon so no pretty colors occupied the sky, only a light blue. It was still pretty to look at.

Oh, one of the clouds looked like a dog!

While he was looking up at the sky he bumped into something, looking down to see what it was, a hand grabbed his collar. “Woah—“ His vision was blurry as he felt his body spin around with force, guiding him in a different direction. He caught a look at the person dragging him forward, it was Serizawa. The taller man glanced back.

“What are you doing over here?” He questioned, breaking eye contact to look around them.

“I didn’t know what time you wanted to meet up.” Reigen admitted, shrugging as he did so. He looked down into his hands and pushed them forward, showcasing Serizawa’s sword. “I got your sword!” He said smugly.

That seemed to make something in Serizawa pause because he turned his head sharply and stared at the sword in Reigen’s hands, expression softening slightly. Reigen didn’t question the change. He wouldn’t dare. The man already felt his face heating up with blush!

Reigen cleared his throat, snapping Serizawa’s attention to his face. The knight turned quickly and began walking again, his grip on Reigen collar tightening. The blonde could swear he saw an embarrassed look on the other’s face but before he could give himself the luxury of overthinking he was shoved under a tree.

Seems like we already made it to the lake, he thought lamely as he glanced around. That was fast.

Trees overcasted around them, making the spot cool as the sun shined through the leaves. He felt the sword get yanked out of his hands, looking at Serizawa as he cradled it like a baby, looking for any scratches. Reigen let himself smile.

Serizawa glanced up at the man, a curious look on his face as he asked, “Why did you steal my sword only for you to give it back?” He really liked to ask questions. Reigen mentally noted that down as he let himself get lost in thought, putting a finger to his chin to show he was pondering.

Serizawa patiently waited for his reply, looking at the glowing water as minutes passed. The man threw Reigen an annoyed look before sighing heavily, “So? Are you going to tell me?” He demanded, putting his sword in his scabbard before crossing his arms.

Truth be told, Reigen was put on the spot. He doesn’t know why he stole it! Like he’s said many times, there’s no answer. Well.. there might be one.. but that’s way too weird to say! The man couldn’t just outright say he wanted to see why Serizawa loved it, and that if him just having the sword could transfer the love— okay he needs to stop thinking.

Reigen gave a sheepish smile, “listen.. I don’t know why I stole it. You got it back though, let’s just focus on that part!” He moved his hands around erratically, only stopping when Serizawa opened his mouth.

“You.. you’re one of a kind.” He scoffed, shifting his weight to one foot. Reigen took notice of his body language and offered that the two sit down. Serizawa reluctantly agreed, sitting a few inches away from the blonde.

“So, what is it like being a knight?” Reigen asked, looking off into the distance as he did. Strangely enough, Reigen felt as if he didn’t need to put up a flare. Serizawa looked over at the man, sarcasm lacing his tone as he stated, “What do you do for work, steal?”

Reigen barked a laugh, turning to Serizawa. “I swear, I’ve never stolen before. I have my own vendor stand!” He said with pride. The other raised an eyebrow as he went on, “I have an apprentice too— oh, I should probably go see how he’s doing after this. But as I was saying, I exorcize spirits!”.

Serizawa choked on his own spit. “Wh-what?!” He yelled, voice sounding like he hasn’t drank water in days. His eyebrows were shot up as he looked Reigen up and down. The other man gave an awkward smile, “Yeah.. didn’t expect that. You okay?” He put a hand on Serizawa’s back, softly patting so he could get the cough out of his system, waiting for the man to shoo it away but it never happened. He took it off willingly, though. Not wanting to invade his personal space.

Serizawa coughed into his fist before continuing. “I- I don’t sense your aura.” It was Reigen’s turn to be shocked, well, just a little shocked. Dimple did have his suspicions about Serizawa being an esper.

Reigen moved his hands in a spur, talking nonsense about his role as an esper. “Yep! That’s just how strong I am! I am able to hide my aura away from almost everybody, and when I use it, I have to be extremely careful because it’s so strong! That why I have my apprentice, he helps me so that I don’t harm anyone.”.

Serizawa looked at him with stars in his eyes, mouth slightly agape as he listened to Reigen ramble. The knight was about to comment on what Reigen said but before he could a voice called out.

“Master Reigen, is that you?” A soft voice echoed from the path which leads to the main housing area. The blonde snapped his head towards the sound, quickly standing up and taking a few steps forward, “Mob! What are you doing over here?” A gentle smile replaced his winning grin.

He seemed to remember that Serizawa was still sitting near the water because he turned around and pointed a thumb in the direction of where Shigeo stood.

“Yo, Serizawa, I think I have to go.”

Serizawa followed his thumb until he saw a boy with black hair waiting patiently. He looks kind , he found himself thinking. Turning his attention to Reigen, he nodded.

“Right, I think I have to head back too.” He stood up, armor making noise as he did. Reigen gave an acknowledging nod and started making his way to the kid.

Serizawa yelled out to his back, “Don’t steal anything e-ever again! Like I said, I will find you!” He warned, stuttering a bit as he did. He heard the blonde stifle a chuckle and state that even if he did that Serizawa would never catch him. The knight rolled his eyes and started walking to the exit which led to the castle.

Risking one last look, he saw Reigen put a hand on the younger persons shoulder and laugh loudly.

And for some reason, the hate in his heart hasn’t made a sound.

Chapter Text

“Dimple,” the boy said, trying to get a look at the green blob that was resting on his head.

“What?” Dimple asked, slowly getting up from Shigeo’s head and floating down to meet his face.

“Do you know if master Reigen is okay? It’s been a few days since I saw him..” A worrying look was plastered on his face. Dimple diverted his eyes, looking through a window the room had. It was very hard for the spirit to not feel guilty when his friend has such a sad expression.

“Listen, kid. How about we go look for him?” He said, putting on a cheery act. Dimple had his bets that Reigen was already in King Suzuki’s dungeon by now but he mustn’t tell the younger one in front of him.

Shigeo perked up the slightest bit, nodding along with what the other said. He stood up from his desk and made his way out of the house, goodbyes echoing from the kitchen as he closed the door. Dimple floated casually near him, picking his nose as he did.

“Do you think he’s anywhere near?” Shigeo thought out loud, walking on a random path.

Dimple hummed in response. Tiny legs popped out of his ghostly body as he float-walked near Shigeo. It was already late into the afternoon and Dimple had no clue if Reigen was actually caught or not—he just had to keep Shigeo calm about the situation.

He didn’t really care about Reigen’s whereabouts.

Okay well, maybe a little.

The boy abruptly stopped, eyebrows furrowing just the slightest as he concentrated.

“Wait, Dimple, I can feel someone’s aura just up ahead.” He stated, looking at the blob for his input.

Dimple looked forward, trying to understand how Shigeo felt such a weak aura. “Really?” He asked in disbelief.

Shigeo nodded, continuing at a faster pace. They were still a walk away from the lake entrance but Shigeo was too eager to take his time. As the two got closer Dimple began to feel the familiar static of someone’s psychic energy, it was weak enough that you couldn’t feel it from at least a mile away but still strong enough to cover the entire area of land.

“Holy crap kid, I think I know who this might be.” The green blob mused, a cheeky grin forming on his face as he put two and two together.

It was Serizawa’s aura.

Shigeo gave a sideways glance at Dimple, “are they dangerous?” He cautiously asked, still walking towards whoever this may be.

Dimple let out a chuckle. “Nope.” He stated, putting his tiny arms behind his head as he followed the middle schooler.

It was a little weird though, Dimple could’ve sworn that Serizawa’s psychic aura was much stronger the last time he saw him. Maybe he used it too much? He wondered, not really paying any mind about the ordeal.

Upon walking past the brick wall that separated the shady area a loud voice echoed from across the land: “—so strong! That why I have my apprentice, he helps me so that I don’t harm anyone.”

There’s that obnoxious voice. Dimple rolled his eyes as Shigeo hurriedly made his way to Reigen, eyes lit up even though he was fully covered from the sun by overhead trees.

“Master Reigen, is that you?” The boy interrupted, standing awkwardly behind the pair of men.

Reigen’s head immediately turned to face Shigeo, a real smile making his eyes crease as he ran up to him. “Mob! What are you doing over here?”

The blonde placed a fond hand on Shigeo’s shoulder as he briefly acknowledged the floating blob right behind him.

“You had to bring Dimple?” He muttered under his breath in annoyance. Dimple sucked in his teeth at the comment.

Shigeo let a small smile creep onto his face as he glanced at the knight Reigen was previously sitting with. The man looked proper for the most of it, other than his scratched up armor, he was put together. Shigeo assumed that’s a firm rule when you’re a knight.

The swirly aura around him didn’t feel threatening, in fact, it felt comforting. It strayed away from his body and covered everything around him, like goo oozing, it stuck to every surface.

Reigen seemed to remember the person he was just talking to as he turned around to look at Serizawa, “Yo, Serizawa, I got to go.”

The man made eye contact with Shigeo, eyes widening just a tad before giving a hesitant smile. He nodded in agreement as he stood up, brushing dirt off his armor as he did so.

“Right, I think I have to head back too.”

Reigen turned to face his apprentice as he clapped a hand on his shoulder, reeling the kid in closer with a fond expression.

“Look who’s back.” Dimple snarked as he floated in front of the two. Reigen let himself laugh.

Serizawa shouted something at him and he stifled a chuckle, bringing a hand up to his mouth and clearing his throat.

The trio followed the path back to Shigeo’s house, letting comfortable silence take up the space until Shigeo piped up.

“How come you haven’t contacted me in two days?” He pointedly asked Reigen.

Reigen groaned, tilting his head back as he took his hand off the boys shoulder and ran it down his face. “You just reminded me that I need to start getting into shape.”

Shigeo and Dimple waited curiously for him to answer.

The conman gave a rub to his temple, concluding, “a lot happened. Why do you want to know?” He looked over at the other two, eyebrow hiking up.

“Master Reigen, I haven’t heard from you in two days.” Shigeo deadpanned. “Of course I’m going to worry.”

Reigen paused mid step, eyes becoming wide and glossy. Hearing Shigeo say that he cared for Reigen out loud always made the blonde emotional.. I mean, how could he not be? This kid was practically his family. Ever since Shigeo stopped at his stall to ask if  exorcising ghosts really did help people—it’s been history since.

The two surprisingly balance each other out. One talkative, one who’s not and willing to listen. Reigen doesn’t know how Shigeo feels about him, though. The man sees the kid as his nephew. Hell, sometimes he even comes over for dinner because his parents like to invite him!

Ritsu always dreads those days.

Reigen chokes out a reply as he snaps back to reality, “oh, well, okay I’ll tell you all about it.”

He earns a small smile from one person and an eye roll from a spirit. He places his hand back on the boys shoulder, talking animatedly about what happened during the two days he went no contact.

Serizawa didn’t head straight to the castle, no, he still had a job to do.

And it was pretty damn boring.

It had been almost three hours since he met up with Reigen. The only thing he has done since arriving to his post is help an old lady up the stairs.

Talking to that thief was more interesting than this. He bluntly thought, letting his back hit a wall as he scanned for anything to do.

He’s glad he got his sword back. King Suzuki will most certainly be pleased.. maybe a little pissed that Serizawa ‘didn’t catch the thief’ while he retrieved it but it’s alright. Possibly.

He might get an earful about it.

He lets out a long, breathy sigh. Armor bumps into each other as he moves off the wall and starts walking to nowhere in particular.

Who says he’s not already used to being yelled at by the King?

It’s a depressing remark but it’s a fact, he’s gotten in trouble so much this month. Serizawa doesn’t have the heart to pin that boiling hatred and guilt to Reigen right now— talking to him made him feel.. nice? It’s a strange feeling.

Before he even notices, he’s in front of the castle.

He looks up at the fortress scanning it with lazy intensity, must be muscle memory, I guess.

He lets out one last shaky sigh before making his way inside.

Chapter Text

“And then he told me that getting my sword back was pointless if I wasn’t going to catch that thief!” Serizawa practically sobbed into his soup, taking a big gulp of it once he takes a breath.

“Yikes,” Koyama said, crumbs of bread falling from his mouth. “Tough luck, man.” He gave a firm pat on Serizawa’s back and then took a big bite from the bread in his hand.

Sakurai sucked his teeth in annoyance as he put his elbows on the table to prop his head up. “That thief is so insufferable,” he muttered.

It was one of those rare nights where Sakurai was with the other two, joining to eat dinner. He’s always busy or sleeping, always hard to get without an appointment.

Sakurai looked at Serizawa, eyebrows turning up slightly as he curiously emphasized, “at least you got your sword back?”

Serizawa met his gaze, a grateful expression on his face. “Yeah, I guess so.”

“How come you didn’t kick his ass,” Koyama lazily said, no real harm behind it. Just a reminder.

“Uh, I—“ Serizawa started.

“Yeah, how come? That dude deserves a reality check.” Sakurai added, leaning more on the table.

Serizawa diverted his attention to Sakurai’s jacket that was hanging on the chair next to him, “you see… I didn’t really.. want to..?” He murmured awkwardly, eyes never leaving the jacket.

There was a moment of silence before laughter broke through it like a knife.

Koyama was hunched over laughing—face almost in his food. It echoed through the silent cafeteria, much too loud for the time it was. Serizawa’s face scrunched as he tried to figure out what was so funny, was it what he said?

He looked over at the other, surprised to see him looking to the side with a sour expression, arms crossed over his chest as he muttered something incoherent.

Serizawa felt lost.

“What’s going on?” He worriedly asked, anxiety already churning in his gut at the thought that they were making fun of him.

Sakurai looked over at him with a glare, lips in a slight pout, way unrealistic for the usually strict man, as he grouched, “we made a bet on whether you would actually imprison the guy… or become friends.”

Become friends?

Serizawa felt his face heat with embarrassment, hands shooting up to shoo the thought away.

“We’re not friends!” He assured.

That just made Koyama laugh even more.

“So you casually talk to him?” He wheezed out, wiping tears from his eyes.

It took Serizawa trying to convince the pair to shutting up so Koyama can regain his composure. Once he did, he explained that him and Sakurai made a bet on whether Serizawa would become friends with the guy who stole his sword or take him straight to the dungeon.

Sakurai thought Serizawa would try to fix up his newly damaged reputation and Koyama thought otherwise.

Guess you can tell who knows who.

“Wow,” Serizawa said. He stared at his friends blankly as he thought:

Am I really that predictable?

The next day came too fast. Too quick. Serizawa was up all night thinking about what steps and precautions to make with Reigen. I mean, he doesn’t even know why he didn’t arrest the guy on the spot.

Who doesn’t put a thief in their deserved dungeon?

Serizawa got up slowly, too tired to move at his regular pace as he unglued himself from the bed.

It took him about 15 minutes to get ready for the day, which was, unbelievably slow. But he can’t help it when his blinking halts for 10 seconds, trying to soak up any energy he can. Little cat naps in between putting on clothes.

His feet slide hesitantly across the floor as he drags himself to the cafeteria for breakfast. The usual noise wakes him up quite a bit.

He can’t decide if he hates all the noise and everyone being in the same room or if he likes it.

Probably the former, but he won’t go into details about it.

Once he finishes breakfast he heads out to go train with other knights who aren’t on duty right now. They practice with weapons and he helps keep the horses tame while some practice in full armor.

By the time he’s done it’s already time to head out for his shift.

The sun is warm on his face when he steps outside again, armor glistening in the light, sword hanging securely in his scabbard. He sets off for the middle of town, eyeing the few posters of Reigen the blonde yet to take down. Most of them were already torn.

As soon as he steps foot into vender territory he spots Reigen and his apprentice. They’re an odd pair, by all means.

The kid—an Esper like Serizawa—is quite familiar with Reigen from what he’s seen. It shocked Serizawa to see the smile Reigen was just showing off to turn into something so... fond. So caring.

The kid is one of a kind. Strong, like King Suzuki.

Their powers are both overwhelming for some reason, King Suzuki seemed so powerful the other day, and the black haired boy.. well, he seemed stronger than Serizawa the first time he saw him.

But that can’t be, can it?

Serizawa approached Reigen’s stand, taking a hearty look at what was on it.

This must be the stand Sakurai was talking about! It clicked, the boy was Reigen’s apprentice. He felt a smile twitch at the corner of his mouth but kept a cool face.

“Welcome,” Reigen gives a sly look before continuing, “I’m Reigen Arataka, greatest psychic there is! How may I help you today?” His hand moves erratically as it makes its final move to point at himself.

Shigeo stands next to him, watching Serizawa with focused intensity. It isn’t a harsh glare, more like a gentle, curious, one.

Serizawa doesn’t mind.

He ignores Reigen and opens his mouth to greet Shigeo, “hello.” He gives a curt smile.

The blonde glances at Shigeo before putting a hand on his back. Smiling as he introduces him, “this is my apprentice, Mob!”

Shigeo gives a tiny bow before giving his real name. “Hello,” he adds on, "I’m Shigeo Kageyama.”

“Serizawa Katsuya.” He replies back. Looking back at Reigen and taking in the situation. The guy in front of him stole his sword. His beloved, precious, sword. But, he gave it back. Does he belong in a dungeon? Locked away for possibly his whole life?Serizawa has absolutely no clue.

A voice cuts through his thoughts: “listen, I know I’m handsome but you don’t have to stare like that.” Reigen jokes, a grin on his face as he does so.

Serizawa flinched, caught off guard, and realizes that he’s been staring at Reigen this whole time. A hot embarrassed blush flushes his face as he coughs nervously, trying to distract the other.

“What-whatever, I was just checking to see if you were keeping your promise.” He sputters out, catching the way Shigeo has a barely noticeable grimace on his face as he pleads with Reigen, “Master Reigen!” He says through gritted teeth, not trying to make it obvious.

Reigen’s smile only got wider as his apprentice scolded him for hitting on a royal knight.

Serizawa turned sharply, speed walking away from the two.

Distantly, he heard Reigen shout “come again soon!”

Chapter Text

“Serizawa seems happy lately.” King Suzuki mused, looking at the food on his plate.

He eats separately from everyone else in the kingdom, at his own large table, with nobody to join him. Shimazaki finds it depressing but the King likes it so he doesn’t say much.

Some days though, the King’s son joins him. It’s very rare—but it happens. Sho is a very bright kid, much different from his father. He mostly spends time with his mother.

Shimazaki hummed, “I suppose that’s right, King Suzuki.” He stepped away from his side to look out the window. It was a nice, sunny day. Maybe a few dark clouds here and there. Everyone moved in a blur down below, too focused with their own lives. He turned around to face the King, not surprised to see him already staring. “Does that interest you?” He questioned.

There was a slight quirk of a grin on his face, barely noticeable, but Shimazaki was used to picking apart his King’s expressions. It was a strange thing he needed to learn in order to properly understand him. To properly help in ruling the kingdom.

King Suzuki stood up, stretching as he did so, before walking towards the window Shimazaki was occupying. The man was blind, but he wasn’t dumb. The max he can use his ESP is predicting what is about to happen next and teleporting, which was, very important for his role. He stepped aside, clutching the to-do list to his chest.

“A little bit.” He answered, leaning on the edge of the window.

Reigen smiled, opening his arms to emphasize his greeting, “welcome back! I didn’t know you’d be back here so soon, you know?” Serizawa jokingly scowled as he walked up to the stand, rolling his eyes as he did so.

“I didn’t think I would either.” He confessed, looking at Reigen and then the empty space next to him. “Hey, where’s the kid—Shigeo?” Even though he had just met the kid, he had already grown fond of him. He was a calming presence that Serizawa enjoyed. A totally different person from the loud, eccentric Reigen.

Serizawa didn’t mind, surprisingly.

The blonde shrugged as he put a hand under his chin, making a loud sound as he plopped onto the stand for support.

“Mob is busy today, he’s out with his training group.” He affirmed, looking around lazily. A piece of his hair fell into his eye but it seemed like he didn’t notice.

Serizawa felt his hands itch to move the strand. Before he did, he distracted himself with replying. “Oh, I see.”

“Yeah, it’s been really boring today. The kid asked me to not take on any cases.” He said, shaking the stand as he stood up straight.

He looked up at the sky, grey clouds absorbed the blue as they made their presence known. It had just been a clear sky a minute ago, hadn’t it?

A raindrop hit him square in the eye. Reigen yelped in surprise, pulling a hand up to wipe it from his eye. “Darn, it’s going to rain.” He grumbled, blinking his eye open to look at Serizawa.

The man was curiously looking at the other, surprised at the shout.

“Hey, big guy, help me move my stall.” Reigen ordered, walking a few steps in front of Serizawa to put away his things.

“Uh, what?” The knight blankly asked, eyebrows knitted. His hands floated near his sides.

Reigen rolled his head to look at him. “You heard me.” He said, grinning as he did so, and then turned to continue putting the things away.

Serizawa blinked at him. More raindrops started to fall onto the ground, leaving behind dark dots on the concrete. He shook his head slightly in disbelief at Reigen ordering a royal knight to help him. Still, he stepped forward and helped him put away all his little potions and books.

By the time they were done the rain was already sprinkling over the kingdom.

Reigen walked ahead, making a gesture at Serizawa to follow him. “Since you decided to visit me, you get to carry the stall.” He said without even looking back at Serizawa

who sighed in annoyance.

“Why me?” Serizawa groaned in protest, yet grabbed the handles of the stand and started following behind Reigen.

“Well, you’re stronger than me, and I don’t want to do it,” he moved his hands around as he talked.

The rain started to pick up, the drizzle of rain started to get more heavy. “Hurry along!” He ushered, sparing a quick look at the man behind him.

Serizawa sucked in his teeth but picked up his pace, trailing Reigen at his heels.

The pair quickly made it to Reigen’s house, leaving the vendor stand under a tarp on the side of the house before making their way inside.

Upon entering the house Serizawa froze up.  He had never done this before. He had never just—forgotten about his duty.

I shouldn’t be here. He thought as he watched Reigen take off his coat, shaking the droplets of rain from it. The blonde looked up at him, offering a smile.

“Do you want some tea?”

Serizawa left right after having tea with Reigen. How could he say no? I mean, he could, but he didn’t want to, oddly enough. Even after worrying about his job he still stuck around for a while longer.

They didn’t talk about much, mostly only  about Shigeo and Serizawa’s friends. Reigen had mentioned he’d seen Serizawa hang around them before turning pink, embarrassed at his shocked reaction to Reigen knowing about them.

It was nice. But now he had to get back to work.

He can think about Reigen later.

Chapter Text

To make it short—Serizawa is a hardworking man. He does his job, follows orders, and is there when anyone needs him.

But damn, he is extremely exhausted. Drained, even.

He was fine when Reigen was on the run with his sword, but now that he has it back, he’s been so tired since.

Wait.

Maybe Reigen transferred some type of infection to him?

No, that’s unrealistic, he quickly thought, but it could happen.

Maybe he is just coming down with something, maybe he’s overworking himself. That must be it.

With a long sigh, Serizawa sat up from his bed and went to the changing room. The armor was heavy as he put it on, but he had no choice. At least it was a nice day to patrol.

King Suzukis shoes echoed through the palace as he made his way to his throne, sitting down elegantly as he looked at Shibata standing to the side.

“My King,” The blacksmith ushered, standing tall, unsure of the sudden summon. He had been given a notice the day prior to visit the King in the afternoon, which was nerve wracking. He’d only been here once, where he had been given the job of being a blacksmith.

“Welcome, Shibata. I’m glad you could join us today.” King Suzuki announced, leaning on the armrest of his throne. His demeanor was casual. It was frightening, almost. The King always had something to be mad about. Even Shibata knew that.

There was this sort of unease in the air—staticky. It was familiar, Shibata shared the same psychic powers as the King, that’s why he was immediately chosen by him when he got elected, yet this felt different.

King Suzuki smiled at the buff man, eyes empty.

“I have a task for you.”

Shigeo was with Reigen this time. Serizawa quietly approached as he saw that the two were conspiring with each other, does he know what? Not yet.

“What do you mean you don’t think I could be a knight?!” Reigen said, exasperation in his voice. He had his hands on his hips in a defensive manner, facing Shigeo and paying no mind to the actual royal knight approaching his stand.

“I don’t mean to sound rude, but you asked for my honest opinion, Master Reigen.” Shigeo reminded, staring at Reigen through his bangs.

The blonde stuck his bottom lip out, turning fast to face Serizawa. “Serizawa, do you think I could be a knight?” He crossed his arms, “I think I could.”

Serizawa hummed at his question, already knowing the answer as he pretended to think. He’s seen Reigen run before—and it was not the best. The man, in fact, wouldn’t even pass any of the tests.

“Probably not.” He admitted, smiling the slightest as Reigen gasped at his answer.

“You wound me.” He put a hand to his heart, making his eyes wide as he played into the hurt act.

Serizawa rolled his eyes before shifting on his feet, letting the weight shift as he let out a quiet sigh. Reigen noticed immediately. The blonde reached under the vendor stand and pulled out a folding stool, ushering Serizawa to sit in it.

“Here, sit down,” he said, “you seem tired.”

The knight hesitated, looking around to see if there was anyone watching. He came up empty handed as he walked behind the stand and sat down, letting out a ‘thank you’ as he did so.

Reigen looked at him attentively, then his gaze traveled to look at his scabbard. His eyes glossed over with a mischievous tint, eyebrows shooting up as his hands began to float in front of him. Serizawa looked at him for a long moment, wondering what he wanted until he followed his eyes down to his sword.

He choked on a laugh as he made eye contact with Reigen, eyebrow raised. “You want my sword, don’t you?”

Reigen looked guilty for about two seconds before he grinned at the man, fingers moving expectantly as they floated.

“Can I?”

“What if you run off with it again?”

Reigen scoffed like what Serizawa suggested was absurd.

“I won’t, I promise.”

Serizawa looked at the boy behind Reigen, wanting his input. Shigeo had a small smile as he shook his head dismissively, letting Serizawa see his thumbs up at the question. The knight looked back at Reigen who had sparkles in his eyes as he took out the sword and carefully gave it to him.

Before Reigen could injure himself a purple aura engulfed the sword, sliding onto the sharp parts of it like a protective layer. Reigen snapped his head back at his apprentice, giving a wide smile at the action before stepping away from the two and throwing the sword around like it was a toy.

“Sorry about him.” Shigeo stepped forward, apologizing for Reigen’s inappropriate behavior towards a royal knight. “You’re psychic, right?”

Right, Serizawa is an Esper. A strong, well appreciated, Esper. And knight, of course.

Serizawa let his gaze fall to Reigen—who is now trying to imitate the proper form of a knight while letting out war cries like his family is on the line.

“Yeah. I haven’t been feeling that well recently, however.”

“Oh, I see. So that’s why you can’t feel the presence of that Esper over there?” Shigeo nodded his head in the direction front from the pair, where multiple other vendor stalls occupied the street.

Serizawa felt his heart stutter. He jerked his to face the boy, eyes wide.

“What?”

Chapter Text

Shibata was expecting to be sentenced to death when he got invited to King Suzuki’s palace—I mean, who wouldn’t have anxiety in his situation? As soon as the King smiled at him, he knew his life was over.

But surprisingly, he’d just been ordered to follow someone around.

The man has heard about Serizawa before, just some information from some acquaintances, that he’d been getting into some trouble recently. The King ordering him to follow the knight didn’t seem that weird, it was suspected. Some knight has the nerve to burden the King with unnecessary stress, which results in this. Shibata tailing him.

He didn’t know why King Suzuki chose him, although. To be fair, Shibata was a large man. Not great at hiding. And his powers were pretty weak, but his muscles made up for it. He hoped.

Why did it have to be me? He wondered as he followed Serizawa down to the main marketplace, tailgating him loosely from behind.

Shibata froze in place as he watched Serizawa approach Reigen.

Wait a minute, that guy looks familiar?

His mind exploded with memories as he tried to figure out who the blonde man was, until he remembered the poster they passed.

It was the thief.

The thief that’s wanted by King Suzuki.

The thief that stole Serizawa’s sword.

And he’s just… talking to him so casually? Serizawa is actively talking to the guy who stole his sword with a smile on his face?

This is absurd.

He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. From a distance, he saw Reigen usher Serizawa to sit down, and then grab the sword Serizawa gave so easily. The very sword he took. There was a boy—about in his teens—who took a step closer to Serizawa and started talking, with Serizawa replying tiredly, before he froze.

And looked right at Shibata.

The blacksmith watched the color drain from the knights face, turning fast on his heel as the other quickly stood up.

Shibata was out of breath as he stood in front of King Suzuki, once again.

Bearing news this time.

“King Suzuki, I must tell you, Serizawa is hanging around that thief! He even gave his sword to him, so willingly!” He warned, looking at his King’s face for any hit of surprise.

King Suzuki started with a huff, “huh, what a surprise.”

He stood up slowly from his throne, letting Shibata and Shimazaki take in his words before letting a sly smile take place on his cold, emotionless face.

He walked forward, meeting Shibata face to face even though the blacksmith was taller. “Thank you for your help, I really appreciate it.” He put a collected hand on Shibata’s shoulder, patting it twice, precisely.

“I’ll make sure to send you some new tools, as a thank you.” He took his hand off, wiping it off on his cloak as he turned around slowly, sitting down in his throne with ease.

“Dismissed.”

Serizawa was internally freaking out. His limbs couldn’t move, as much as he wanted to. He just.. froze in place as he watched the familiar Esper run away.

His breath started coming in short, hot and breathy, as he felt his hands start to quiver. This couldn’t be happening.

He knew the guy, he was a talented blacksmith, and also an Esper like himself. He didn’t know why Shibata was following him, yet, he had a clue.

Serizawa could feel his heart pounding against his chest, the sweat dripping down his temple, the churning in his stomach, and worst of all, the feeling of tears threatening to fall from his eyes.

If King Suzuki finds out that Serizawa has been disobeying his orders, it’s over. His career, his life, his friends, his reputation. All tarnished. Just because of a stupid decision.

He’d have to move back in with his mother,  tell her that it’s okay and that he’d be back on his feet soon and that he just needed a place to stay for a while. That no, he wouldn’t go back to his old self. He wouldn’t succumb to the dark corners of his room, locked away from civilization. He wouldn’t get bad again. He wouldn’t let it happen. But what if it did? What if being labeled as disloyal, a coward, and outcasted once again… made him go back to his old self. His old, depressed, self. He’d hear his mother sobbing outside his door, telling him that it’s okay to be different—to have psychic powers. That it’s okay he accidentally hurt her, it was only an accident. To see the light from under his door peek in when she woke up in the morning, the shadow from her kneeling in front of it, pleading for him to come out, to her turning off all the lights for the night.

A hand was placed on his shoulder, light and hesitant. It made a sound as it connected with his armor. He didn’t bother looking to see who it was.

He could already feel his face getting hot.

He didn’t want to do that to her again. He spent 15 years locked away from society, he’s seen how beautiful it is outside, but what if he can’t take their judgmental stares anymore?

His breaths were coming in rapid bursts. His hands felt numb as he dimly felt them trembling. He couldn’t hear anything, like the world finally quieted.

Just like being back in his room.

A sob left his mouth, faintly leaving an echo in his mind as everything blurred.

A voice cut through, just barely, “Serizawa, hey, listen to me. Take deep breaths. Do you hear me?” Reigen announced, concern lacing his voice.

“I’m going to hold your hand, okay?” Serizawa could see a blurry hand take his, slow and tentative. Like he was a scared animal to be wary of.

He tried to listen to Reigen, he tried slowing down his breathing but it made him sob again as his breathing became irregular.

The hand in his squeezed twice in acknowledgment. A finger came to hover over his, and he distantly wondered what for.

“Each time I tap you, you take in, and let out a breath. Okay?” He explained.

Serizawa could feel his head move. It felt like he was underwater, or in a totally different state of mind.

Tap.

He sucked in a breath.

Tap.

He let it out with a choked huff.

Tap.

He took in a deep breath, lip shaking.

Tap.

He let it out.

Tap.

He slowly took a breath, letting it sit.

Tap.

He slowly let it out, becoming aware of the surroundings that were blurred.

Reigen tapped his hand one last time before letting it clasp over the other two, holding his hand dearly.

Serizawa looked up from the ground. Reigen’s eyebrows were arched in worry as he gave a small genuine smile, the boy next to him looked relieved.

Serizawa’s face still felt hot but he didn’t care about that, as long as he didn’t have to think about the past. He carefully unlinked his hand from Reigen’s and wiped the ghost of tears from his eyes, looking up at the pair once he was done.

“I’m… sorry, about that.” He mumbled, putting a hand to the back of his neck. An unbreakable habit.

“Don’t be, it’s okay.” Reigen quickly said.

“I used to have those, it’s normal.” Shigeo chimed in, trying to make Serizawa feel better about the situation.

The three stood in awkward silence as Serizawa digested what just happened.

He needed to go. To leave. To go plead with the King to not throw him out like trash.

He needed to stay away from Reigen and Shigeo.

Serizawa looked at the pair. I mean, really looked. Reigen was pale, his face was smooth other than a tiny scar on his left cheek, barely noticeable with the rosiness of it. His jagged bangs weirdly complimented his appearance, letting his eyes stick out. They were a nice dark brown, in the light, they turned into this sort of chocolate color. They were pretty. Reigen was pretty, overall.

Shigeo was tan, his bowl cut covering his eyebrows. He had a round face but that’s because he’s still a teenager, Serizawa’s sure that as he grows it’ll fit his face more. His eyes were kind, they spoke his true feelings from just a glance. He’s a good kid. Serizawa sees some similarities in both him and Shigeo.

He didn’t mull over his thoughts about Reigen. He doesn’t have time.

He stepped back, scanning the place for his sword. Reigen noticed and ran behind him, picking up the sword from the ground. He walked back and gave it to Serizawa with a sheepish smile, “sorry, I was in a hurry to see if you were okay.” He admitted, giving the sword to the knight.

Serizawa nodded, not wanting to stare at Reigen’s suspiciously more red cheeks, or for him to notice his.

“Thank you,” He said, putting the sword back in its rightful spot.

“I should go now.” He avoided Reigen’s chocolate brown eyes, looking at the castle instead.

“Oh,” Reigen said, and Serizawa could swear that there was a twinge of disappointment in his voice. “Alright. Get back safe, okay?” He pat Serizawa’s arm, earning the rattling sound of armor in return.

“Right,” the knight replied, hesitating before taking a step from the two.

He heard Shigeo say something along the lines of ‘bye’ and ‘be careful’ from behind him. The kid was nice. They were both nice.

It’s a shame Serizawa can’t stick around them anymore.