Archive of Our Own ^beta

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Just a simple job, just one job made Reigen’s life hell. It was a simple job given the context too, yet here he was, panting and bruised, trying to dodge death as if peered over every corner he turned.

Sitting in the office, it was your casual day of helping clients, the usual Reigen Arataka package deal you bought for 2000 yen. The phone began to ring, notifying Reigen of another job opportunity. The client specified something about a spirit haunting an abandoned building, the usual place they were spotted. It seemed like an easy one to deal with and be over, so Reigen and his employee, Serizawa Katsuya went on their way for a short trip. As expected, the spirit was dealt with quickly thanks to Serizawa. “Great work.” Reigen charmingly nodded, patting a firm hand onto his shoulder before sliding it off. As they walked out of the one story building, Reigen whirled his head around to face Serizawa. “Want to go grab something to eat?” Serizawa tensed up before nodding. “I wouldn’t mind sir, but we should probably leave the building quickly.” Reigen tilted his head as he watched Serizawa walk past him and out of the way of the building, he seemed really eager to leave. “Got somewhere to be?” Reigen slid a hand into his pocket, watching as Serizawa paused before turning his direction. “Ah well—“ his sentence ended abruptly as his eyes widened. “Sir watch out!” Yet before Reigen could react, the building began to collapse, its rubble falling onto a shield Serizawa had surrounded Reigen in. “That.. was a close one huh?” Reigen chuckled breathlessly, removing his arms from his head as he turned to look at the now destroyed building. “You should be more careful sir.” Serizawa sighed out of relief, making Reigen turn his head back towards him. “I’m always—“ his sentence was caught by a final piece of rubble falling onto a pipe that was holding the building together. “..careful.” Reigen nervously smiled, hopefully no one saw that. “Sir!” Serizawa suddenly shouted, making Reigen look up, but before he could speak, the snapped pipe broke, forcing itself into Reigen’s chest: piercing him fatally.

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Gasping in a cold sweat, Reigen leaned forward in his.. chair? He was back in the office, sitting in his chair. “I.. must’ve fallen asleep.” He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. Suddenly the phone rang, snapping Reigen out of his train of thought. Then it hit him, this clients voice, it sounded so familiar. Brushing it off, he allowed the client to explain their problem, accepting the job. “Hey Serizawa, we got a job.” He shouted to gain his employees attention. Lifting his head from his homework, Serizawa’s face seemed more tense than usual. “You okay there?” He chuckled nervously, walking over to the door as Serizawa eventually followed. “..sir, did you get a sense of Deja vu?” Serizawa softly spoke as they walked to the location. “Not really, why?” but once they reached the building, Reigen did get Deja vu, almost like he’d seen this building before. “…well let’s not keep the client waiting.” He spoke after hesitation, walking into the building, Serizawa stared before taking a step, following after.

Exorcising the spirit, Reigen went to go pat Serizawa on the shoulder before shuddering. “You know, about what you said earlier, I did get a sense of Deja vu.” Serizawa’s body twitched with anxiety, making Reigen glance over. “We have to leave.” He quickly spoke before Reigen could ask, grabbing his hand and walking at a fast pace out the building.

“What’s gotten you into a rush so suddenly, Serizawa?” He nervously grinned, looking back at the building, until he heard the sound of rumbling. The building collapsed just in time that the pair escaped. “…well that’s just.” Reigen looked at the smoke that began to clear, revealing the now broken building. “..sir I have something to confess.” Serizawa stared at the building, his eyes narrow with shame as he lowered his head to look at the ground. “Huh, what is it?” Reigen turned towards Serizawa, trying to ignore the sound of the last piece of rubble falling. Serizawa looked up suddenly, holding his hand out to pull Reigen close to him. “Woah Seri—“ suddenly a pipe flew past the two, hitting a nearby tree.

“..how.. did you know that was going to happen?” He pushed himself away so he could stare at Serizawa, who didn’t bother to meet his gaze. “Because sir.. I-“ suddenly the nearby tree broke in half, falling onto Reigen resulting in fatality.

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Gasping in a cold sweat, Reigen leaned forward in his chair yet again. He was back in the office, sitting in his chair. “..okay that definitely was a nightmare.” Yet the sound of the phone ringing made him tense up, this had to be a dream right?

Once the client spoke, everything sounded too familiar. “Hey.. we uh.. got a job.” He spoke up to Serizawa who didn’t bother to lift his head up. “..hey you okay?” He spoke, walking over to his desk, he could hear sniffling coming from the man. “Serizawa?” He reached out but serizawa lifted his head up, revealing a stream of tears. “I’m sorry sir.” Reigen’s mouth stayed parted, his eyes cautiously watching as Serizawa wiped his face with his sleeve. “I.. I don’t know how this happened. I.. I didn’t even know I was capable of doing this.” His voice was stammering in between breaths. Reigen placed a reassuring hand on Serizawa’s shoulder, clearing his throat to speak. “You didn’t do anything, Serizawa. I don’t see any reason for you to be-“ being cut off, Serizawa stood up, grabbing Reigen’s arm that was placed onto Serizawa’s, his face seemed panicked. “I caused a time loop.” Reigen’s nervous smile faltered, he was going to laugh if it weren’t for Serizawa’s distressed face. “What?” He uttered, as Serizawa lowered his head. “I.. I didn’t know what to do, I panicked and I…” his hands began to tremble against Reigen’s stiff body. “So.. we’re stuck in a loop?” He chuckled uneasy, his body remaining stiff as Serizawa continue sniffling. “I..I’m afraid so.” He nodded slightly before Reigen placed his free hand on Serizawa’s hand that was placed onto his shoulder. “Can’t.. I just cancel the appointment?” He smiled awkwardly, I mean it sounded as easy as that. “Sir.” Serizawa hesitated, looking to the side in thought as he let go of Reigen. “I mean this is only happening because of that building right?” Reigen slid his hands into his pockets, walking to the window to look out of it. Suddenly the glass shattered, seems the screws for that stupid sign had become faulty, and so had Reigen, the sign collided into him, resulting in fatality.

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Gasping in a cold sweat, Reigen leaned forward in his chair.. again, back inside the same office. “..sir, you weren’t.. meant to survive it.” Serizawa’s voice was hushed, making Reigen stare in silence. “The.. timeline is trying to remove the problem to remain normal.. that’s.. why we’re looping.”
Oh.. so that’s what was happening. They’re in a timeloop all because Serizawa couldn’t accept the fact Reigen was meant to die that day. 
Reigen sat up in his chair, pushing himself upwards to brush his suit off. “Then let’s cheat death.” He chuckled, making Serizawa tense up. “WHAT??” He hollered out of surprise, his eyes carefully watching Reigen pace around the room in thought. “Sir, you want to ..” serizawa repeated, trying to see where his bosses mind was before the sound of Reigen thinking abruptly ended with the sound of his hands clasping together. “How about I don’t stay in the office!” Reigen had a casual grin on his face, walking back to his desk to update his website to inform any clients he wasn’t going to be available for the day. Hastily walking out of the office, Serizawa was stumbling to his feet, trying to collect his things before eventually giving up and following Reigen. Walking down the street, Reigen already had a head start compared to Serizawa, who began to start running down the stairs in a hurry. “Oh, it’s Tome.” His posture changed once seeing Tome start to head for the office. “Reigen? Are you going on another job without me?!” 
She yelled across the street, beginning to cross without hesitation. “Hey! look—“ the sound of a car crashing and rolling across the road forced Reigen’s sentence to a halt, his body moving to tackle tome out of the way of the vehicle. Shoving her out of the way, the car collided into Reigen, taking him with it as it tumbled more. His bones crushing as it finally came to a stop. Reigen’s vision began to blur as he heard the sound of multiple voices screaming. With that, Reigen succumbed to his injuries, leaving to fatality.

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Gasping in a cold sweat, Reigen leaned forward in his chair. Yup, same old office. Groaning and leaning back, he pinched the bridge of his nose. “This is around the time she arrives huh.” Serizawa slowly sat up, his eyebrows were furrowed with heavy concern. “Ugmm…. I got a headache.” Reigen muttered through a moan, making Serizawa tense up. “It’s been that many times?” His voice trembled with worrisome, making Reigen himself tense up. “…what’s that supposed to mean?” He chuckled nervously, leaning forward to sit up straight. “You’re starting to—“ but the sound of glass shattering muffled Serizawa’s sentence, shaking the building along with the pair. The sign groaned as it awkwardly leaned into the building, the creaking of its unsteady support hinting at it falling more. Serizawa lifted up his hand, holding the sign so it would lightly hover. “…you’re starting to get the effects from the loops, sir.” He sighed, moving closer to the window to properly spot where he could settle the sign down.“Effects?” Reigen watched Serizawa, his fingers beginning to tremble before he hid them in his lap. “Yes sir. We may be looping psychically, but your body is still trying to process that.” Serizawa’s voice was hushed, the creaking sound becoming muffled as Serizawa lowered it to a safe position on the ground. “Wait so, how—“ the loud noise of Reigen’s stomach growling made him pause, his eyes darting to look down at himself. “You’re hungry already?” Serizawa looked at Reigen, his voice having a slight tremble. “I.. guess?” Reigen slumped back into his chair, the stress growing on his shoulders. “…let’s see if we can last long to get food then sir.” Serizawa nodded, heading towards the door, Reigen eventually following behind. Walking down the stairs and out of the building, Serizawa had pulled Reigen to be close to him, his eyes darting everywhere as they walked. Reigen glanced at the sidewalk, hell, he even caught himself taking a look at Serizawa every now and then. Serizawa’s hand was a bit too close to Reigen’s waist for comfort, yet knowing the context it was probably best that it was that way. Serizawa looked like a mess, anxiously looking around as if he were being hunted. “We uh.. can stop by that ramen shop.” Reigen pointed at the nearby building, its familiar brightness catching both Reigen and Serizawa’s eyes. They usually would head here on occasion after jobs. Serizawa sighed out of relief, his pace quickening as Reigen stumbled to follow his lead. Suddenly the rumble of a car crashing nearby caught the pair’s attention. Putting up his free hand, Serizawa caught the car in mid air before it could bounce and tumble. “So that’s the car from the last loop.” Reigen chuckled nervously, watching as Serizawa lowered it to be still against the road. “Hopefully tome is far.” He continued, sighing before running into the shop. “Two bowls please!” Reigen sat down rushed, doing the best he can to seem casual. Serizawa sat beside him, placing a shield around them as they waited. “Sorry for not doing this easier sir, I thought it would be best to conserve my energy.” Serizawa sighed, lowering his head before Reigen placed a firm hand on his shoulder. “Don’t sweat it, I get it.” Reigen smiled softly, a soft yet reassuring expression settled on his face. The hot ramen slid towards the pair, each grabbing their own bowl and eating away. “Man it’s felt like forever since I’ve had this.” Reigen grinned in between bites, making Serizawa glance over with a soft chuckle. Suddenly a huff came from Reigen, making Serizawa tilt his head. Reigen’s hands trembled, dropping his chopsticks as his hands moved to his neck. Serizawa stood up, immediately moving to wrap his arms around Reigen’s waist. Reigen’s hacking became worse, the painful sounds of him coughing making Serizawa shake with overwhelming anxiety as he continued to do the Heimlich maneuver. Wheezing continued to come from Reigen as he tried to speak. Suddenly broth spilt and splattered from Reigen’s throat, allowing him to gasp heavily. “Are you okay sir?” Serizawa leaned over, his hands straying in the same position as they continued to tremble. “Now that’s just…. Playing dirty.” Reigen gasped, making Serizawa loosen his arms that were laid around Reigen. “Are you at least full?” Serizawa backed up from Reigen, allowing Reigen to take a glance at him. “Yeah I should be fine.” Reigen sat up straight, eventually looking back to the owner to apologize.

Walking out of the ramen shop, Serizawa was back to being extremely close to Reigen, which man.. was awkward as hell. Suddenly a familiar and will Reigen add “agitating” voice shouted to them, catching their attention. “What are you two doing?” Dimple chuckled as he lowered himself to get a good look at the sight. “You two look like a couple.” He continued, making Reigen tense up with irritation. “Don’t even start with that!” Reigen bickered back, making the spirit laugh even more. “Seriously, what are you two doing?” Dimples snarky voice lowered into curiosity as he followed the two. “We just were eating thank you very much.” Reigen hushed away the spirit, his day was already ruined by a time-loop, what next? “Uh huh.“ Dimple had a dry response, it was obvious he wasn’t going to be convinced that easily. “How’s Kurata?” Serizawa spoke up, catching the spirits attention. “Good, she’s heading here now, in fact we both were. I just had to check what was going on between you for myself.”

He chuckled once finishing his sentence. “Hm.” Reigen hummed, his mind being clouded instantly with thoughts. “Great thing you stopped the car earlier.” Reigen took a glance at Serizawa, who parted his mouth to speak before another familiar voice interrupted. “Are you going on another job without me?!” Tome shouted, beginning to cross without hesitation. “We just went out to eat, Kurata.” Serizawa nodded once Tome came close enough. “Wait.. so you’re saying?” She stuttered, being cut off by Reigen who clarified. “The office is closed for the time being.” Tome groaned but sighed in defeat before she could bicker. “Think of this as a vacation day.” Reigen nodded, making tomes frown grow. “No one booked for a spirit to be exorcised?  No one?” She repeated in disbelief, making the pair nod. “..fine” she sighed yet again, man she really was disappointed about this huh?

“The sun is setting. Serizawa nudged Reigen to look, the settling realization hitting the two. “Hey we might actually do this!” Reigen shook Serizawa slightly, a smile being placed on their faces.

Meanwhile tome and dimple stared at the two with equal confusion. “Do what?” Tome spoke up, making the pair glance at her. “Ah, it’s nothing Kurata.” Serizawa muttered, trying to hide tears from forming. “You should head home for the day, Tome.” Reigen had a casual grin, pointing his usual finger gesture at her as he spoke. “Are we at least going to exorcise a spirit tomorrow?” She tilted her head, making Reigen slide his hand back into his pocket. “I’ll have to see if any clients have that problem.” Serizawa nudged Reigen, the growing anxiety he had removing his ease. “Ah, we should probably get going.” He waved, making tome wave back with confusion. Hastily walking, Serizawa’s grip on Reigen tightened ever so slightly. “I can walk you home sir..?” He glanced over at Reigen. “That would be best to you know, assure this loop ends and all.” He smiled at the thought, the loop was going to end early after all. Serizawa’s hands twitched with anxiety as they continued walking to Reigen’s apartment, he definitely was stressed about this. “Well, this is where I live.”

He lazily held a hand out to the apartment complex, making Serizawa hesitant on releasing his grip. “Are you sure you’re going to be okay, sir?” His voice trembled as Reigen placed a foot on the first step. “I should be fine, I’m the greatest psychic of the 21ST century after all!” Serizawa had a soft yet trusting smile, watching as Reigen continued up the stairs. Quickly removing his clothing into his comfortable pajamas, he laid flat on his bed, taking a breather of the realization. “I’ll shower when I wake up.” He muttered to himself, getting comfortable in bed as he sighed, his eyes falling closed. Reigen Arataka fell asleep, he was finally fr—

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Gasping in a cold sweat, Reigen leaned forward in his chair… wait. He was back in his office..? That’s impossible, he fell asleep! The time loop should’ve ended right there!

“Sir..?” Serizawa had a fearful glare, looking at Reigen with confusion. “I… think I died in my sleep.” Serizawa’s body shook with growing anxiety, his breath hitching and trembling as nearby objects floated. Reigen who began to notice, tried to call out but his voice croaked, his throat was terribly dry suddenly. “Swer!!” Reigen could only cough out, jumping from his seat to the floor. The wind pressure in the room began to intensify, Serizawa only crying out in the process. The muffled sound of glass breaking, the struggle Reigen had just to reach his employee that was only a few feet away, everything was falling apart quickly. A circle of wind began to swirl around Serizawa, a hue of purple growing brighter along with it. Reigen slowly became a mess the closer he got to Serizawa, his hair becoming messy and flowing with the intense wind.

Reigen’s hand sloppily pressed against Serizawa’s shoulder, allowing him to pull himself closer to Serizawa. “Hugh.. he-hey! Zeri…!” Reigen choked through his dry throat, trying to gain his employees attention. Wrapping his other arm around to reach Serizawa’s other shoulder, he held onto him firmly. “It’s… rgh.. going to be… okay!” He struggled to form a sentence in the cloud of wind, yet he still continued after noticing a pause within the wind, Serizawa could hear his voice. “We… still haven’t.. mgh.. tried some things!” Reigen ducked after a book almost hit his head, yet he wasn’t worried, the wind was slowing the more he spoke. “We can… get through this!” Reigen was slowly able to normally speak, the wind dying down as the two can now be able to hear the sound of their own breathing colliding with each other. Reigen’s finger ran circles around Serizawa’s shoulder, trying to relax him as he continued speaking. “Look, Serizawa.. we still have things to try.. let’s not lose hope yet.”

Now Reigen was able to slow his words down, the sound of Serizawa’s fast breathing slowing as he shut his eyes closed. The circle of items suddenly fell, startling Reigen, but now wasn’t the time to focus on those. Reigen paused, his eyes narrowing to focus on Serizawa’s expression, he felt Serizawa’s shoulder lose some of their tension against his hands, meaning he was starting to calm down. Continuing to rub his tumb in circles, he got comfortable, beginning to lightly message Serizawa to ease him to fully calm down. “I’m sure we can figure something out, Serizawa. We have as much time to anyways now that we’re in a time-loop right?” He tilted his head forward, continuing to check Serizawa’s expression. Serizawa swallowed hard, nodding slightly as his eyes stayed shut closed, his own grip loosening on his pants. “Besides, you’re with the Greatest Psychic of the 21ST Century!” He grinned, making Serizawa open his eyes to stare at Reigen, his expression being unreadable. “There you go.”

Reigen smiled more sincerely, seeing his little gag getting Serizawa to finally look at him. Serizawa exhaled through his nose, softly closing his eyes again. Continuing to lightly massage Serizawa, Reigen took a step closer, allowing his palms to fit neatly on his shoulders. “..thank you.. mmf.. sir.” Serizawa winced in return at the massaging as Reigen applied more pressure. Reigen paused, allowing Serizawa to breathe for himself, his hands staying placed onto his shoulders, as if it were grounding him almost. “You doing better?” He lowered himself slightly, allowing himself to seem equal to Serizawa. Serizawa softly breathed through his mouth, taking a pause before lightly nodding. The sound of the sign collapsing finally into the building made the two flinch, the realization that they had forgotten about it hitting. “We should get out of here.” Reigen quickly began to move, removing his hands from Serizawa’s shoulders to grab his hand, pulling him up from his seat and around his small table to head out the door.

Serizawa stumbled to get up; his hand slipping from Reigen’s. Reigen noticing, turned around, his foot almost twisting from how sudden he turned, running to his aid and pulling Serizawa into a hug. “Next time.” Reigen muttered softly into Serizawa’s ear. Serizawa parted his mouth to speak before the crushing sound of the building blocked it. The sign collided further into the building, slamming Reigen and Serizawa into the wall; Serizawa getting injured and Reigen’s body getting crushed against the wall, he almost felt like a landing cushion in the moment. Reigen’s wheezing now was the only thing left that was audible, as he slowly drifted into a fatal slumber.

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Awakening from his sleep, Reigen leaned forward in his chair, yup, great office he was in once again. Stretching his arms out Reigen winced. “Ow that made me sore as—“ he paused once he heard a loud yelp, making him pause. “Serizawa?” Reigen lowered his arms, sitting half up from his chair as he studied him. Serizawa was hovered over, his arms wrapped around his torso as his body trembled. “Hey, you okay there?” Reigen took a step away from his chair, his hand lingering in the air as he waited for a response. Serizawa continued to shake as a whimper only replied. Reigen began to quickly move to Serizawa’s aid, hunching slightly to try and see what was wrong. “Mghm… I..m.. sorry..s..sir.” Serizawa’s voice quivered, making Reigen’s hands tremble slightly. “For what?” He lightly laughed in confusion, making Serizawa tilt his head up to get a slight glance at him. “The….l-loops.. they work differently….for us both.” Serizawa could barely speak, making Reigen lightly rub his back for reassurance, to let him know he wasn’t going anywhere. “I’m.. only trying to stop you from dying..  so injuries with me.. work differently.”

Reigen paused, it felt as if time had frozen around him. Did Serizawa just admit he was willing to sacrifice himself for someone as undeserving as him? Serizawa twitched in his seat, making Reigen tense up. “I.. I’ll be right back!” Reigen suddenly shouted, running out the door as Serizawa perked his head up. “Sir!” Was the sound Reigen heard before closing the door, dashing down the stairs. If Reigen could make it, he knew what he was about to do was a crime, but they’re in a loop, it wouldn’t matter that much. Running into the nearby store, he began searching like a lunatic, grabbing the nearest bottle and running out. The sound of the alarm beeping as he ran away, the distant shouting at him, labeling him a “thief”. It all didn’t matter, if he didn’t hurry then this would’ve all been for nothing.

The sound of a car crashing behind him as he continued running only motivated his legs, as he reached the stairs of his building. Stumbling over steps in hurry, he slammed his body against the door, it and him coming crashing down in the process. Serizawa flinched, sitting up with his arms still wrapped around himself. “Take these.” Reigen tossed over messily a bottle of pills, its bright red label reading “pain reliever”. Serizawa paused before looking back up from the bottle. “How—“ yet before Serizawa could speak he saw Reigen searching frantically, drawers were now open, shelves wiped clean of their own possessions. Reigen sent a sigh of relief, an unopened bottle of water in hand. “Here.” Reigen hastily replied, not allowing Serizawa to get a word out, placing the bottle on Serizawa’s small desk. Serizawa gently opened the bottle with ease, his eyes focusing on his boss who was sitting lazily on his chair and panting. Cracking open the bottle, Serizawa took a sip of water, after following two pills. Exhaling as a result from swallowing, he closed the cap of both items, Reigen watching as he done so. “Feeling better?” He leaned forward, trying to seem composed. “Yes sir.” Serizawa nodded, looking at the bottle. “Don’t worry about that.”

Reigen added on, making Serizawa look up from the bottle of pills. “Actually, can I see those?” Reigen held out his arm, making Serizawa look from him to the bottle of pills, slowly grabbing them. Reaching his arm out, Reigen softly grabbed the bottle from Serizawa’s grasp, studying the contents. “May I ask sir—“ suddenly before Serizawa could speak, his eyes widened at Reigen taking the bottle and slowly shaking the pills into his mouth as if they were gummies. One by one they all slid down his throat. “What are you doing?!” Serizawa stood up, the bottle of now half empty pills hitting the floor in response. “Trying something.” Reigen replied through a choke.

Reigen held an arm out, trying to hint he didn’t need Serizawa’s assistance. Serizawa sighed, sifting down hesitantly in his seat. Reigen began gasping, growing into wheezing as he hunched over. Serizawa could only shut his eyes and turn the other way, his hands gripping at his pants as he continued to listen to the painful sounds of his boss dying. Just there, Reigen had overdosed fatally.

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Waking up, he sat back in his chair in the same old business office, no longer in a cold sweat. Reigen was starting to hate seeing his own office, the bland yet pops of colors were close to giving him a migraine. Serizawa sat back in his chair, unfinished homework laid in front of him as he stared blankly at it. “…so. That didn’t work.” He sighed, leaning back into his chair lazily. Suddenly the phone rang, making Reigen jump, I guess he managed to block out the phone until now. The obnoxious ringing continued, its blaring being the only sound in the room. “Hey uh.. Serizawa.” Reigen softly spoke, gaining a hum from Serizawa in response. “You mind if I try something out?” He continued, making Serizawa glance at him finally. “Like what sir?” Serizawa replied quickly, the sound of his pencil tapping against his paper becoming audible. “Yeah that’s the thing.” Reigen chuckled nervously, the sound of his drawer opening making Serizawa confused yet concerned.

Reigen kept his eyes on Serizawa as he dug in the opened drawer, objects being pushed around as he struggled. “Might as well experiment while we’re here right?” He added on, his fingers intertwining and wrapping around his desired object. “Sir?” Serizawa placed his pencil down on his now written over math homework with notes, sitting up straight. “No hard feelings, Serizawa.” The object now came into view, making Serizawa gasp. It was a kitchen knife, it seemed fresh and unused surprisingly. Suddenly before Serizawa could shout a word, Reigen stabbed into his shoulder, digging the blade deep as he began to saw off his arm. Wincing and grunting in agony, he managed to form a sentence through his gritted teeth, “okay, I thought this was going to be easier.” Now Reigen’s arm was hanging by a thread, begging to fall off. Serizawa held his arm out, grabbing Reigen’s arm that he was using to be irrational. “What are you testing for exactly?!” He shouted, making Reigen glance at him.

“If I can push the loops limits.” Rotating the knife in hand, it was a good thing Serizawa only paused his arm. He pushed himself, stabbing the knife into him. Serizawa now had a worried yet offended expression, was Reigen.. breaking? “I need to loop to fix this, sorry.” He had a guilty yet written completely with shame grin, pulling the knife out as he continued to bleed out, resulting in fatality.

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Waking up— “What is wrong with you?!” Reigen immediately was grabbed by Serizawa, tears forming in his eyes as he gripped onto him. Reigen’s eyes widened, yet narrowed with more guilt, yeah that was messed up to do huh. “You’re… treating yourself like an experiment!”

Reigen sighed, finally looking up at Serizawa. Serizawa loosened his grip, lowering his head into Reigen’s chest. “you’re still human.” He whispered, making Reigen pause as his hands lingered in the air. Slowly moving his hands, he laid them onto Serizawa’s back, one of his hands softly rubbing against his clothes. “Thanks.. for the reminder.” Serizawa stayed still, soft sniffling coming from him as he slowly lost the tension in his shoulders. “hey.. you know what this reminds me of.” Reigen broke the silence, making Serizawa hum. “Like a dog.” He continued, “a big.. fluffy..” his voice began to become gentle, his hand reaching to slowly touch Serizawa’s hair before flinching. “A big fluffy dog. That’s what.” He lowered his hand, feeling ashamed for what he was about to do. “I remind you of a dog sir?” Serizawa sheepishly replied, softly lifting his head up. Just as Reigen was about to reply, Serizawa moved himself closer, lifting his head to fully look at Reigen, his eyes wondering yet watching Reigen’s expression. They stared at each other, the silence being suffocating as Serizawa began to speak. “Do.. you mind sir?” Reigen’s mouth stayed apart, only to close it to nod. Serizawa softly smiled, pushing himself to sit in Reigen’s lap, pulling him into an embrace. There the two were, Reigen sat in his chair, hands left lingering in the air as Serizawa sat on him to hug him. Reigen paused, his breath hitching as he hesitantly guided his arms to wrap around Serizawa.

Serizawa felt like a heavy blanket on Reigen, all of his weight falling onto him out of exhaustion. Reigen stayed silent for once, not knowing what to say. Suddenly a shield had surrounded the two as Serizawa began to mumble, “I… need a nap.” There was soft breathing from the other man, Reigen could feel him relaxing against him in the process. Reigen looked to the side, sheepishly replying, “sleep well.” He lifted up his hand again, brushing it against the back of Serizawa’s hair. Reigen hummed softly, enjoying the warmth of Serizawa. “When was the last time I was held like this?” He murmured, allowing his other hand to softly massage Serizawa’s back. “…his hair is surprisingly soft.” His thoughts were all over the place once he continued intertwining his fingers with Serizawa’s cut hair, he remembered when Serizawa first came into the office, he was a nervous wreck and yet, here he was now.. it’s almost.. adorable.

Reigen had an unusual gentle smile, the world sounding muffled around the two, it almost felt like he wanted to cherish this moment forever. “…maybe I could get a dog once this is over.” He mumbled again, his smile fading into a frown at the realization of the moment. He really wanted to distract himself from the idea that someone was this close to him, despite him showing a side of him he hated the most. Serizawa was here, not giving up on him despite all that he’s put him through, it was an odd feeling. The sound of Serizawa softly sleeping snapped Reigen out of his thoughts, a helpless smile appearing at the noise. “I could use a nap too.” He thought to himself, resting his eyes closed.

“Sir, wake up” A distant voice shouted to him, making him open his eyes. “I did it.” Serizawa was no longer sitting on him, in fact he seemed calm and refreshed. “Hm? Did what?” He stretched as he yawned, making Serizawa smile. “I was thinking earlier, while you were asleep. I think I found a solution on how to stop the loops.” Reigen’s eyes widened, making him stop rubbing the rubbing he was doing to his eyes. “You..have? That’s amazing!” A grin appeared as he jumped out of his chair, yet the gentle smile on Serizawa made the grin fade. “There’s one problem however sir.” He continued, making Reigen furrow his eyebrows with confusion. Closing the small distance they had, Serizawa placed his hand onto Reigen’s shoulder, leaning to whisper in Reigen’s ear. Reigen shuttered at the feeling of Serizawa’s breathing, his mouth being apart as he looked for words to speak. “You.” Serizawa hastily replied, not bothering to hide the malicious intention in his voice. “What?” Reigen only managed to mutter before feeling the pressure and sting of something puncturing his stomach. Looking down, Serizawa had stabbed his folded umbrella into Reigen, the cold sounds of Reigen’s blood dripping being the only thing left audible. “These loops helped me think..” Serizawa paused, tilting his head so he could look at the betrayal on his boss’s face. “You aren’t worth the time to be doing, this aren’t you?” He scoffed, making Reigen glance at him. “I’m being put through the torture of watching someone die over and over, for no good reason.” Serizawa’s words stung more than the umbrella, despite the fact Serizawa was twisting and pushing it further. “And then it hit me, I could just end this.” Reigen just stared, he felt vulnerable yet, like he deserved this. “I’m ending this, Arataka.” Was the last words Reigen heard before Serizawa ripped the umbrella from him, falling backwards onto his chair to succumb to his injuries, leaving to fatal—

“Sir!” Reigen woke up in a cold sweat, Serizawa was still lying on his lap, shaking the living hell out of him in a panic. Serizawa paused at Reigen opening his eyes, tears now flowing uncontrollably as he smiled. “You.. wouldn’t wake up. I thought I accidentally killed you permanently.” Serizawa sobbed, making Reigen pat his back awkwardly. “H-Ahey! I’m fine now aren’t I?” Serizawa just continued to sniffle, Reigen meanwhile just awkwardly smiled, man Serizawa was really giving his legs a workout. Reigen hesitated, but moved his hand to cup Serizawa’s face, the other flinching at the touch by its suddenness. Using his finger, Reigen brushed off some of Serizawa’s tears, a sheepish smile covering the man as he stared at Serizawa. “Did you uh.. at least sleep well?” Serizawa’s face was a light red color, nodding almost instantly. “D…Did you?” He was stumbling over his words from how quickly he was trying to speak, making Reigen chuckle. “Yeah I slept fine.” A lie, yet also strangely the truth, it’s been a while since either of them slept even. Realization hit Serizawa, making him squirm out of embarrassment. “I’m sorry sir, I.. I just was so exhausted that I—“ he was cut off from finishing, once Reigen’s other hand had cupped his bare side. “Relax, it helped me sleep.” Reigen shrugged, while Serizawa on the other hand just became a mess. Reigen hesitated, his mouth opened before closing as he thought carefully, why did he dream that. Was it a sign? No it couldn’t have been, taking one glance at Serizawa at the moment gave him a clear answer, he wasn’t like that. Reigen smiled softly, making Serizawa pause. “I’m.. surprised I’m not dead yet.” He chucked lightly, in fact, everything was no longer happening in sequence, they hadn’t heard the sign, the phone hadn’t rung in a while, was Reigen messing up the timeline the more loops they did? “Sir?” Serizawa’s voice brought Reigen’s thoughts out, allowing him to realize what he was doing. Quickly returning his hands to himself, he awkwardly smiled. “Sorry about that!” He rubbed the back of his neck as he tried to avoid Serizawa’s eye contact. Suddenly Reigen felt something press against his cheek, making him glance back. Serizawa was awkwardly pressed up against his cheek, his face flushed with a now noticeable red. Pulling away quickly, he fiddled with his hands, looking away from Reigen. “Thank you.” He mumbled, making Reigen stare at him, speechless yet again. “What was that about? I didn’t do anything” he nervously chuckled, trying to bury the hidden shame that was boiling up. “For everything sir.” That told Reigen everything, Serizawa didn’t need to elaborate further on what he meant; his face told him instead. Taking a deep breath, Reigen cleared his mind, shutting his eyes and preparing himself. Serizawa, tilted his head slightly, trying to guess what Reigen was up to next. Reopening his eyes, he quickly spoke, “hey Serizawa.” Serizawa tensed up, replying quickly with confusion, “yes?”. Closing the gap in between the two, Reigen leaned forward, quickly using his hands to hold against the back of Serizawa’s head to connect their lips together. Serizawa could only muster a gasp as his breath was stolen, trying to process the situation. Slowly, Serizawa closed his eyes, embracing the moment as he leaned into it, pushing Reigen into his chair. Emotions began swirling in the two, surprise, fear, guilt, but the most intense one was desperation. Parting slightly, the two breathed heavily, staring at each other as they paused. “Does this…. Count as a confession?” Reigen chuckled breathlessly, making Serizawa snort, a giddy expression appearing in the process. If Reigen was going to die now, this might as well have been the best way to.

Reigen pulled Serizawa back into a kiss, this time it was sloppy and filled with desperation to continue the moment. “Sorry.” He managed to say in between a kiss, Serizawa only hummed and Reigen just assumed he said something along the lines of “it’s okay.” Suddenly Serizawa had pushed up against Reigen, making the chair lean back. Parting away, Reigen screamed at the chair rocking backwards with the two in it, collapsing on the floor. Serizawa landed fine; Reigen on the other hand had landed on his neck, a cracking sound giving the realization that Reigen fatally broke his neck.