Business Cards
i was possessed by s3ep2 and had to bang this out. haven't edited it, might clean it up for ao3 later. kinda pre-ship stuff. little over 1K long.
enjoy?
In the glow of the sunset, Serizawa felt at peace. He wondered if it was because the long shadows and warm light reminded him of the youkai’s lair. The world seemed smaller than usual. It was a novel feeling – not completely unlike the comfort he felt in enclosed spaces, but invigorating in the exact opposite way his room had made him feel.
He sighed as he watched Kageyama walk away. Another difference – unlike the relentless monotony of isolation first and blind obedience second, this third life of his was full of change, and full of fleeting moments as a result.
Reigen clapped his hand on his shoulder.
“So, Serizawa,” he spoke up, “How about ramen?”
Serizawa startled.
“Uh, yes?”
It was all Reigen needed to promptly spirit him away into a small ramen shop. The menu was simple, but the way Reigen chattered about the different dishes made Serizawa’s head spin. He ended up getting the same order as Reigen.
“The right decision,” Reigen said with a snap of his fingers. “Next time you should try something else. Always do your own research – then you’ll truly know which one is the superior dish here.”
The ramen was delicious. When the large bowls were served to their table, Serizawa realized that he’d gotten hungry from exorcising all the youkais. None of them had been a big deal, but he’d gotten pretty good exercise just from dealing with so many of them.
He was two thirds through his food when he realized that this was the first time he’d had dinner with Reigen without Kageyama. He hadn’t even thought about that – hadn’t even thought twice that he was having dinner with his boss. And even after thinking that, he didn’t feel anxious.
Reigen stopped inhaling his food like a vacuum cleaner and fixed his eyes on him.
“What’s so funny?”
Serizawa didn’t have his talent of speaking while chewing, so he had to finish his mouthful before answering.
“Er, nothing, really. Or well,” he paused, smiling down to his ramen, “I’m just glad today went well.”
Reigen made a nasal noise of agreement. He washed down the last of his noodles with tea.
“A sense of accomplishment, huh?” he sighed and leaned back on his chair. “Well, you’ve earned it. You pulled some pretty good moves back there.”
Serizawa felt warmth rush through his body. He nodded, making an empathetic noise, and dig into his food with renewed enthusiasm.
“Hmm, there’s one thing I was wondering about, though;” Reigen said after watching him in silence for a moment. “What was the sword about?”
Serizawa raised up his head. He furrowed his eyebrows. The youkai hunter had a sword that had broken on the first swing. He didn’t know what it had been about – other than it probably being a fake.
“No, no, no,” Reigen said, as if reading his mind. “The sword you used, you know, slicing and dicing like so.”
He pantomimed swinging a sword, mimicking his hold on the cards. It got a youngster from the next table to get up and start cussing at them after Reigen accidentally flung his middle finger right into their face. Luckily they were no match to Reigen as he talked them down in under a minute.
“Um, so, what about it?” Serizawa asked him after they had settled back. “It’s not really a sword, more like a bat? I’m used to conducting my power through an – implement, like –“
“Like your umbrella,” Reigen interrupted him. “But what was it, this time? A bunch of talismans? It was dark, I couldn’t see them properly.”
Suddenly Serizawa felt nervous.
“I didn’t steal supplies!”
“What – I didn’t even think you stole anything before now!
“Good, because I didn’t;” he declared, trying his best not to fidget in his seat and to hold eye contact with Reigen. “I – here, I was just using these!”
He took the stack of business cards from his pocket and smacked them on the table in front of Reigen.
“It’s – they just felt right for it? I appreciate that you made them for me, and I know they’re not meant to be used to wreck evil spirits, but – it’s just very easy to channel my power when I’m using them!”
He didn’t notice how loud his voice had gotten before the silence after ringed in his ears. He had screwed his eyes shut and pushed his shoulders up to his ears. It was a familiar feeling – waiting for his boss to deliver his judgment.
“Serizawa, loosen up.”
He opened one eye to peek at Reigen. He was staring at the cards thoughtfully. He pressed his hand over his mouth and with a sigh dragged it down. He picked up the cards and slipped them to his pocket.
“You finished your food? Good, let’s go then.” He got up and tapped his shoulder on his way out. “Just relax as best as you can, ok?”
Once they were outside, ambling slowly towards the station, and Serizawa had calmed down, Reigen pulled the cards out of his pocket.
“I didn’t mean to give these to you as a replacement to your umbrella.”
Serizawa winced. He hadn’t anticipated him to be this blunt.
“To be fair, I didn’t either.”
“I don’t know the whole story, but I meant what I said back in the train. You’re your own man now.” Reigen stopped, and turned to look at Serizawa. He waved the cards. “Shouldn’t you use something personally meaningful as your focus, instead of relying in something handed to you?”
“If I may,” Serizawa said, and cleared his throat. “The business cards do hold special meaning to me.”
Instead of grand promises and false reassurances, they were concrete. They stated to the world that he was an apprentice at Spirits and Such Consultation Office. He didn’t need them, didn’t depend on them to function. Instead they had been a welcoming gift to his new life as a full staff member.
“It may seem silly, but… they help me to remember that I should reach out into the world as myself.”
He looked at the cards, the simple design, the green accents, his name the most prominent thing on it. Then, he looked at Reigen, met his quiet stare and puzzled expression.
“I don’t think it’s a bad thing that something like that was given to me by someone I look up to.”
Reigen huffed a half voiced word. He tapped the stack of cards to Serizawa’s chest, and then slid them to his breast pocket. He gave them a pat, and then turned to continue walking.
“Fair enough,” he sniffed, his voice unusually flat. “But don’t expect to get free replacements if they get shredded up, okay? Printing them isn’t free, and I have a business to run.”
Serizawa pressed his hand over the cards in his pocket. He dropped into a bow.
“I won’t! They won’t get damaged, because I’m going to treasure them!”
