][ Previously: Mob has a mental breakdown. But don't worry, he gets better!... Sort of. ][

     "Deserae! Look at this!!" I -- but a young girl -- shouted across the yard to my sister in the kitchen. The window was cracked open, so I knew my older sister could hear me. The teen glanced up from cleaning the dishes as I built up some speed. Using my newly awakened quirk, I sped across the yard and jumped over a stack of tires, landing in the dust with a sweet roll. "I did it!!" I exclaimed. Excitedly, I turned back to the eldest, who was looking down again.

     Deserae had the same quirk me, only she used it for menial chores around the house. She often felt so distant from us younger ones. The nine year age gap didn't exactly make it any easier for us sisters to bond. The eldest was often away in her own inner world, only interacting with people when absolutely necessary.

     "Do that again, Elyse!" At least my brother was always there, excited and happy to support his older sister. He didn't have a quirk, so it was kind of natural he take such an interest in the quirks of others, especially family members.

     "Oh, alright. Help me set up an even cooler obstacle course, Davie!" I jumped back into the hype. Our backyard was a literal junk yard; plenty of stuff to play with.

     "Yeah!!"

     Deserae was always so distant... But... At least us kids knew she had our backs...

     Right?

----------

     Us two pre teens sat on the couch watching TV. The eldest sat at her desk, busing herself with studies involving foreign languages. We were a mixed family with a Japanese dad and American mom. However, Deserae was the only one of us three who showed any interest in the Japanese half of our heritage. That's what led her to learning Japanese as a second language and later other languages on top of that just for the fun of it. That was pretty much all I knew about my older sister.. other than that she liked watching Anime in her free time.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

     "Guhh, one of you guys get it.." Deserae groaned. I zoomed down the hall and opened said door. It was raining outside, the occasional thunder clap shaking the house a little. I froze when three strange, shadowy figures stood at the door. I jumped from the doorway, a silent scream parting my lips.

     "Don't be alarmed.." One of the men spoke solemnly.

     "Is there a guardian in here we can speak to?" A lady spoke. There was a certain hesitation even my young self picked up on which the I didn't yet understand.

     "That would be me." Deserae stood at the other end of the dark hallway. Thunder rumbled just outside as the young woman approached. It was uncanny how much older she looked compared to her younger siblings. Like she could be our aunt or something. "What's the matter?" She picked up on the somber attitude of the trio immediately, hurrying down the hall toward them. Without saying a word, she motioned for me to step behind her. I did so. They didn't seem like criminals, but, they weren't friends either.

     "We are sorry to inform you... Hhh, how am I even supposed to say this..?" The man up front let his head drop, the collected rain atop his hat spilling through the threshold. "This is the Taylor household, correct?"

     "Yeeaah?" Deserae was uneasy.

     "Well.. Thing is... We're terribly sorry to inform you, but.."

     "They're dead... Aren't they?" Deserae was quick to assume the worst. Her voice was so void of emotion, as if she had been preparing for this all along. I gasped at my sister's side. They better not be!

     "Yes... They are... We found them dead in an alleyway along Parksford Avenue... We don't know exactly what happened, but from what we've gathered they were both intoxicated and had a run-in with a thief of some kind. At the very least.. we know based on their wounds that their deaths were quick and painless."

     "Understood." Deserae slammed the front door on the three. Her hand remained pressed against the door, leaning on it for some time. I already felt tears prick through my eyes. I began to choke on tears as the shock of it all quickly wore off. "Oh, quit it with the crocodile tears." The older woman snapped. In the darkness of the night, the older sister's hair-covered-face was more reminiscent of a terrifying monster than a sister. "We all know those two never cared about us anyway. Now go and tell your brother about it while I talk to these guys." She commanded sternly. I stumbled away in a hurry. It was hard to convey why I was crying to my younger brother, but, soon the two of us were sobbing bitterly and hugging each other closely.

     Deserae appeared about ten minutes later looking like a zombie in a scary movie. She slumped down at her desk and shoved everything aside. Leaning her elbows on the desk, forehead held up by her hands, the young woman just breathed. Every breath a little shaker than the last. Right when I thought she may just cry, Deserae pushed herself up and stomped up the stairs away from us.

     Davie and I ended up sleeping together in the living room, a terrible dread in not knowing what would happen next hanging over us. And, just faintly, we could hear our older sister crying from her room. It was terribly muffled and didn't last long...but it meant a lot.

     We were all a little broken...

----------

     Through the next week, I and my little brother had to do most of the chores Deserae usually did, since she spent nearly all of her time over a pile of legal documents at her desk. All these things about wills, money and taxes. She was a mumbling mess through most of it.

     There was no funeral for our parents. Or, at least if there was one, our big sister never informed us about it.

     Life tried to continue as before. Our parents were never super involved in our lives, but the places in which they were were quickly highlighted once they were gone. Now, it was Deserae who had to take up a second and third job, Deserae who sat down with our teachers at meetings, and Deserae who had to drive us everywhere.

     Three months had gone by, and, at least for me.. life started to feel a little normal again. The pain was still there, but at least I had hope to move on.

     But that's when she left.

     "De-deserae, where are you going?!" I bolted through the front door, racing at top speeds. Deserae used her quirk to meet me in speed and stop me from jumping into the car she was loading up.

     "No-o! Listen, I ca-an't anymore, okay?!" She tossed me onto the grass and shouted. I panted, shocked and terrified. "You're staying HERE! O-or wherever!!"

     "Where are you going?!" Our little brother shouted from the front door. Even as a ten year old, he knew the amount of luggage Deserae had loaded into her car was a troubling sign. "Deserae, don't GO!" Davie sprung from the door after us. I stood again and stomped in place repeatedly, crying my eyes out already. It was impossible to express the depths of my terror of being left alone. The thought of losing her soon after our parents was unbearable!

     "DON'T LEAVE US!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. My older sister had to cover her ears.

     "You guys will never understand, okay?! I can't stay here anymore and that's it!!" The eldest shouted back, her expression pained, eyes swelling with tears.

     "No, don't gooo!" The youngest ran up to the young woman and gripped ahold of her shirt.

     "Let GO!" She tore him off of herself, tearing a piece of her shirt in the process. Davie was pushed onto the ground.

     "You guys are going to be taken care of by Mrs. Crouger, happy?!" Mrs. Crouger was the kind old lady living next door. "She'll take much better care of you than I ever could! So just SHUT UP!" While the two of us were too caught up in our own grief to move, Deserae swiped the tears out of her eyes and jumped into her car. Before she could leave, however, Davie and I jumped in front of the car. She honked at us, backed up in a hurry, and turned the other way down the road and sped off. I and my brother fell to our knees.

     There was no feeling of abandonment quite like that...

     How could we ever hope to forgive her?

----------

     I was sixteen when I next heard of her...and it wasn't good news.

     She died in a car crash. In a foreign country. Far away from anyone else she knew.

     At least...because she was mindful to write a will at her age, my older sister was kind enough to include my brother and I in it. This included everything in her apartment, so long as we took good care of the heir to the little wealth she had been saving up. Whoever that was. Maybe a friend or something...

     My brother and I were only teenagers when we entered the dusty old place. Though it had only been empty for a month, the desolation made it feel more like decades. The halls mourned for their previous owner. The furniture and items all sat, lonely and sad.

     The light pouring in through a few sparse windows was a bleak gray. Davie, who was fourteen now, turned on the lights. It didn't help too much. The place was clearly lower to middle class. Our sister had been barely scraping by these last few years.

     "...Well this is depressing..." My brother commented, following in after me.

      "No kidding..." The two of us made our way through slowly. "I guess... we could sell the stuff in here? Pay off whatever debts our sister owed?" I thought.

     "It just feels wrong."

     "I know, but.. heh, isn't that what she did right after our parents died?"

     Davie chuckled. "So true." As we passed by the kitchen slowly, Davie stopped dead in his tracks.

     "What is it?" I turned to him. He appeared to be in shock.

     "Um.... Elyse..?" I stepped back so I could peer behind the corner. I had completely overlooked the small details decorating the fridge.

     "The...heck??" Cute little drawings stuck to the refrigerator door by magnets. Some were of animals, others of what I assumed were local heroes in this country, and on top of them all...

     One picture of a little girl with silver hair holding hands with her brown haired mother read " 'I <3 Mom' " Both of them in the picture were smiling and happy. Our jaws dropped.

     "No way.." He breathed. I silently stepped forward, taking in all the detail now of the crude crayon-work. This kid couldn't have been any older than three or four.

      "I wonder who the father is..." I knelt down and brushed my hand over the paper and wax texture. There were no drawings of a dad, so maybe there was no known father. "Wait, where is she now!?" I stood suddenly. Immediately, I searched for as many clues as possible. I was an aunt?! And my new niece was missing?! Davie helped me search, but we came across little more than a small handful of drawings. So we searched the rest of the apartment complex as well. "Ohh-no-no-no-no. That little girl better have not died in the car crash with her!.. O-or here alone in the house!"

     "Elyse!-"

     "What?!"

     In the living room, Davie held up a single photograph. It was a small printed one, nothing of incredible quality or anything. I rushed over to it. Staring at the image, my eyes began to water.

     My older sister, who I never expected to do as much as smirk, was smiling her widest, most joyous smile yet. In her tight side hug was a young three to four year old girl with shimmering silver hair and the biggest smile as well.

     I covered my mouth as tears dropped down my cheeks. Brows trembling.

     ...Why wasn't I here for this?... Why wasn't I here for this smile? The hand holding up the picture for me started to tremble as Davie cried a little too.

     Our big sister...

---------------

     It was the present day. Elyse sat at her desk and chair, busy with filling out paperwork only the leader of a small hero agency could do. Filing cabinets and such were stacked high on her desk. A shame... Every now and then she'd get a peek through the mess at the discarded tack-board on the wall where the case of her missing niece had drawn to a stand-still. She was the furthest along in this forgotten case and even she was missing so much!

     Her strongest theory was that the girl's father returned and claimed custody of his daughter again. However, if that were the case, then it would have played out more like a kidnapping, since there were no legal documents or anything relating to any man being her father. And there was nothing on the record about someone claiming custody of the girl. It was like she just...vanished. Literally. All eye witnesses claimed she had been involved in the car crash and had survived, but then.. she just.. poof! No one had a clue what happened to her after that!

     Everyone else had given up already, even Elyse to an extent. In the records, the girl was declared dead despite her body never having been found. It was assumed that some terrible rando must have just taken the child and killed her elsewhere. That was all anyone could come up with...

     Elyse was numb to the theories by this point. She had heard them all, none any better than the others.

     But she still held onto hope. Yes, it had been close to thirteen years since her niece went missing, but.. she just couldn't help but still hope...even as the case went cold.

     -Elyse really needed to get her head out of that case! She had more pressing matters to think about, after all.

     Though...this case was what started her whole career in the first place!--

      "Ughh!" Elyse fell back in her chair, gripping her forehead in agony. She could still see the picture of that little girl and her big sister so clearly in her mind. A picture tacked to the board the things on her desk mostly covered. What...an annoyance.

     Perhaps another case would distract her?!

     Reigen's face was the first thing to pop up, with it came a wave of mixed emotions. Ugghhh, why did she tell Mob she liked the guy?! What the heck was wrong with her?! Of course she didn't! She just got caught up in the moment is all! Something about seeing him trying to take such fine care of the boy must have triggered it!

     Elyse stood abruptly and made her way downstairs. She unloaded some snacks from the fridge, hoping to distract herself from the previous distraction.

     Her feelings were full of annoyance and regret, mixed with being flustered over even having such lovey-dovey thoughts in the first place! She's just getting desperate for romance after years of focusing on nothing but work. That's all! Noo-no-no! She'd never actually fall for a con man! The type she hated the most for their lying, deceitful nature! He-he must have just used one of his tricks to get under her skin- yeah! That must be it! Ohh, that naughty con man. He must have thought using his charm would protect him from being put out of business!

     But wait... What did he even DO to charm her in the first place?

     Elyse sat in a kitchen bar chair and wracked her brain over the question for a moment. No one memory came to mind. Tapping her head, the woman could only think of all the little moments. Watching him get all flustered from her teasing. The way he bantered so easily with just about anyone he met. The goofy expressions that always made him entertaining to watch. ... And then the big things too. Like, going through all that effort to save his student, Mob. Using his witt and charm to somehow convince a whole group he was a god! As well as his surprising skill at leading people, and even more impressively, teenagers of all people!

     ...How the heck does he do it...?

      Crap! Now she was just complimenting him! Ew. She needed to remember his negative traits as well! A terrible man with terrible habits fooling and taking advantage of SO many people!--

     Wait... If he was taking advantage of everyone, then, surely...he was taking advantage of his own employees too.. The hero stood herself up, had a final chug of milk, and set the empty cup aside as she left the kitchen entirely.

     She picked up her phone by the desk and cleverly used that little phone number she remembered from Mob himself. Texting him, she sent three questions.

1. How much are you getting paid?
2. How old were you when you got the job?
3. Would you consider your work environment safe? Example being: could someone without your power be expected to feel safe while on the job?

     Of course she sugarcoated these questions to make it sound like she was just starting up conversation, but, either way... If this man was the terrible manipulator she feared he was, then Mob's answers would be all she needed to take him down~

*casually manipulates the manipulated to get back at the manipulator*

----------

    It was~ Plenty enough.

     Elyse invited Reigen and Serizawa to the local bar for her grand reveal. She claimed to have invited a few of her friends as well. It would be a fun, get-together among adults for once. At least, that's what she advertised it as. In reality, it was a trap. For an entire stack of paperwork had been filed over the weekend, which when turned in would be certain to run those con men out of business! And ohhh, Elyse couldn't wait to see their faces when she told them what she was gunna do.

     No more naughty con men in her district...and no more of Reigen's stupid smile.

----------

     Elyse waited at the bar with her untouched drink in hand. She wasn't much of a drinker, but, she was no stranger to this place either. Everyone knew her in this part of the city. She could recognize a few faces, but that was about it... Heh, she was like a celebrity here. Everyone knew her but she knew...no one.

     "...Hhhh..."

Click

     "Sorry I'm late." Reigen spilled through the door. For the first time Elyse could remember, he was in casual wear. White v-neck shirt, army green pants, red scarf, tan coat. A whole disjointed fit. A real big shift from how he was usually dressed. Elyse wore her typical attire, a little dressier of the two. "Uh.. Sorry, this was the only casual outfit that was....clean." Blushing faintly. The woman chuckled, internally slapping herself for it. What an idiot. It would forever remain a mystery why she HAD liked him...

     "Where's your buddy?"

    "Oh- he's busy taking care of Hanazawa; cleaning up a space for him." Reigen scooted into a chair beside the woman. "Where are your friends? -- Lemon Sour, please."

     "Ugh... Late." Elyse leaned her chin on her palm. This was obviously a lie, but that wouldn't matter in the end. Too bad the other guy couldn't be here, but at LEAST she had Reigen to scare.

     The two sat there awkwardly for a little bit, unsure how to start up conversation with the other. After Reigen received his drink, Elyse thought up a sly way to bring up his financial doom.

     "You remember how we first met?" She rocked the half empty cup between her fingers, side eyeing the man with a sly smile.

     "Yeah..? Hic- ..Oh no." Reigen eyed his drink, expression shifting to mild worry/amusement.

     "So you then remember the reason for my-- Wait, why are you crying?"

     Beside her, Reigen's face was tomato red. His sickly eyes leaked large tears unprovoked. Oh no..

     "I'm such a ###### up man.." Reigen wiped away the tears with his sleeve, sniffing. Elyse rolled her eyes... Oh lord...

     He must have known what was coming and is merely trying to make her pity him into backing down. ...But how'd he know???

     "Alright, give up the act, man. I know you're just messing with me."

     "I wish I could..." The man groaned, crossing his arms and resting his head in them. "Wait...does this have alcohol in it..?" He asked after emptying the glass."

    "....This is a bar, Reigen." Elyse reminded him. He hid his face again and moaned. Elyse rolled her eyes. Totally an act... But what if it wasn't?

     Out of nowhere, he started to giggle. Elyse stared as his shoulders shook more and more, disturbed by the sight of him losing his absolute ####! "HAHAHA!" His head rose from his arms, cheeks still cherry red.

     "What are you laughing about?"

     "I don't KNOW!" Reigen's head pivoted, such a conflicted smile aimed her way.

     "Tff..." Elyse turned away from the man desperately trying to catch his breath between laughs. Finally, she had to just break it to him. "I'm ending your business, Reigen Arataka. You're done. No more lying and deception from you, sir." Frowning at him. She watched as his smile completely vanish, replaced with the most sincere, almost childlike pouty face.

     "Why would you... Why would you DO that..??" This wasn't the satisfying reaction she had hoped from him. Felt more like stealing a kid's favorite teddy bear. He was a mess.

     ...Why would he humiliate himself so badly just to try to convince her otherwise?

     Wait... Was this an act..?

     Reigen tried to form an intelligible argument for her not to shut him down, but in this state he just kept self sabotaging himself. That led Elyse on to believe he really WAS drunk!... From one drink???

     "Then I'd sue the whole government n' you'd lose y'r job too!" Reigen really was fast tracking his way through the five stages of grief here.

     "Alright, buddy, just calm down... Let's wait until you're sober."

     "Nou!. Imma-imma get m' rob n' bank!"

     "Pssh! No you're not!" Elyse laughed at him. But then Reigen pushed himself from the bar seat and stumbled toward the door.

     "J'ss watch me.."

     "Oh no.." Rubbing her forehead, Elyse stood and followed the blond drunk out the door.

     It was actually really pretty outside. Just a little chilly. All the street lights and shops along the road lit the night city beautifully. Elyse followed at a distance behind the wandering Reigen to ensure he didn't get into any trouble. The blond swayed with every step, sight seeing like a small child at the grocery store. He made a full stop at a large, glass window and gawked at the sight. Elyse rose a brow and shuffled a little faster to see for herself what had caught his eye. Alas, she came upon the window he was still staring through. Displayed so beautifully was a large, wine red poofy dress. Like an elegant ball gown.

      The woman smirked at the man who could barely hold his balance. "Psh. Wanna try it on?"

      "Nah.. but you'd look pretty in it." That caught Elyse off guard. Her eyes darted away, a light blush gracing her cheeks. She crossed her arms and hummed.

     "Hm. Never really looked good in dresses."

     "R'lly???" Reigen turned to her in utter shock, this new revelation shaking him to his very foundation. Elyse couldn't hide the smile that crawled onto her lips. What a stupid yet adorable expression.

      "Well I.." clearing her throat, mouth against her fist. "Guess I haven't tried on too many dresses. I was..really poor as a kid. And I wasn't all too interested in them by the time I started to make some actual money." Elyse tried to ignore the man, but his attentiveness to every single word she said was..really attentive.

      Though she knew this was because of his drunkenness, she realized that he had always been like this to some extent. Always listening to what she had to say, genuinely interested and engaged. Always hearing her out. Even when she was just teasing him about his decor. If her comment had been on something he realized looked a little silly too.. it was always changed up a little by the time she returned.

     It was...weird.. to have someone around who cared about the little things like that. She was seen as the hero of the district by all, no more than that... Just as she liked it. Made it easier to avoid getting overly attached to anyone.

     And inevitably lose them...

     "Hey!- heyyy, where are you going?" Elyse interrogated the man as he turned away from her back down the sidewalk. He was still looking for the bank, wasn't he? "Listen, I'm a hero, so if you try to rob the bank I will arrest you." She threatened.

     "No." Reigen answered giddily. "Trust me, I've planned this since I w's twelve." He smiled cheekily over his shoulder at her. Elyse rolled her eyes.

     "Alright, you need to just sleep. Where's your apartment again?"

     "Dunno."

      "You sure?"

      "...Yah!"

     "Uugh, Can I use your phone?"

      "Nou!"

     "Why??"

     "Y'll steal it!"

     "Uugghh, follow me." Elyse ran up beside Reigen and tugged on his hand to follow her to the right down the other sidewalk.

     "Woah! Where w' goin'?" Not struggling but still curious.

     "My place. I left my phone at home, so we'll have to call Serizawa from there to come and pick you up." Thankfully Reigen was too flustered to tease the woman for having left her phone behind.

     It was a long walk, but at the edge of the district was found a grand, modern house walled off by hedges and an iron gate. Reigen marveled like a kid at the museum as he was allowed inside. It wasn't a mansion, but was still a massive leap from where he lived.

     "You live here???" He asked for the fifth time when they reached the front door.

    "Yes. Now just wait on the couch for a moment. I need to find my phone."

    After they entered, "Which one???"

     "Any one is fine!" Elyse called from the other room. She rummaged through her messy office: the one place she failed to keep clean. She found her phone and stopped at the door. In the corner of her eye, she caught a brief glimpse of that old picture; the one of her sister and niece. Her goal oriented mood plummeted.

     Elyse dragged her feet out of that room and into the kitchen, where she had view of the open living room, which was big with a tall ceiling, and beyond, a couple steps up, was a large but empty dinner table. Beyond that, visible through the large wall of glass, was a pool with a hot tub beside it which she often relaxed in after a long day of work. The whole space had a very modern aesthetic to it, with the high slanted ceiling and every wall being a shade of white. Reigen sat criss-cross on the smallest of the couches, bright pink socks out in the open, just staring at the wonders around him. His mouth hung open, he was so amazed. On the wall in front of him was a MASSIVE, unlit fireplace and powered off flat screen TV above it.

     Elyse sat down at the opposite end of the couch with her phone. "Alright, what's Serizawa's number again?"

     "You have a brother??" Pointing to a picture on the wall behind them.

     "Yeah. He just visited a couple weeks ago."

     "Really??? Aww, I wanted to meet him..."

     "Pfft! You just found out about him THREE seconds ago!"

     "He looks like a really nice guy. What about your parents?"

     "They're.. um... dead."

     "Oh... I'm sorry-"

     "Let's just get this call over with, alright? Serizawa's number? Remember??"

     "O-oh, right...Three?"

        "Three."

     "Two.."

        "Two."

     "Four?"

        "Fo-" The frick?! Reigen plopped onto his side, head landing on the woman's lap. He rolled onto his back and gave Elyse the stupidest grin.

     "I love you."

     Dryly, "Heh. No you don't. You're drunk." Shoving his head off of herself. Knowing him though, she wouldn't have to worry about using her quir--

     ...Knowing him...?

     Why did...after everything she told herself in order to hate him..did she still feel at ease; like she still cared for, trusted, and, maybe even liked him?

     Guess in the end she couldn't really trick herself. She could tell herself he was the worst of the worst, a con man, a cheat, liar, and thief all she wanted... But, in the end her feelings would remain the same. She would still remember him as the guy who genuinely cared for and liked her; the man who fought so hard to save his employee/student.

    The more time she took to consider this, the more she realized what she was really feeling deep down... She was jealous.

     Mob had it better than he'd probably ever know. Two loving parents.. and.. well, a mentor figure who genuinely loved, cared for, and was willing to give it all up for him.

     Whereas Elyse, well... All she had were two dead parents, a brother who lived an ocean away, and an older sister who abandoned her. And that abandonment, she began to realized just then, had its roots deep in her psyche. So deep she didn't even notice them until this moment of reflection.

     ...Reigen wasn't the first man to catch her interest. No, but.. After their love to her was made clear...

    ...she got scared...

     ...and she pushed them away...

     All because she was scared, deep down, of feeling that same pain; that same rejection again.

     Reigen laid on the couch, head at the other end, resting on a pillow. He was dozing off, half asleep already.

     "Hey...Reigen..?" Elyse didn't even realize how emotional she was until her voice came out weakly.

     "Yeah..?"

     "Have you..ever been in a relationship before...with a woman?"

     "Huh?" Lifting his head.

     "N-nevermind."

     "No."

     "Huh? Why?"

     Reigen's eyes were heavy now, but he still smiled at the other and playfully tapped her with his foot.

     "Scared...I guess. That no one would love me.. M' a fake, lying, cheating #######..." That really hit a cord with Elyse. Like he was actively calling her out.

    "But that's not true!" She spoke without thinking first. "You're so nice, and genuine, and dedicated and...and..." Elyse rubbed her head tiredly, messing up her hair as she sighed. Everything she just said was the very opposite of his work ethic. How could be be both?!

     Guess we all had our darker sides... His was just the first everyone saw, only there as a protective barrier, like a hard shell surrounding a soft interior.

     Maybe... He wasn't so bad after all. At the very least, he had a good track record when it came to reliability. Maybe, he.. wouldn't leave her?

     ...It was worth a try.

     Elyse stood up and crouched down in front of Reigen, whose eyes were just barely open.

     "...I don't think you're half bad." Leaning forward, Elyse planted a small kiss on the man's forehead, retreating quickly. Both flushed red. Reigen smiled from ear to ear as his eyes slipped shut.

     "...Thanks... I dn't think 'm half bad either..." Heart fluttering, the man eased into a calm, blissful sleep.

----------

Beep! Beep! Beep!

     "GAHH!" Reigen sat up, gasping and panting. His blankets flung onto his lap. He had a look around. He was in his room per the usual. No change of scenery. "..D###, was all that really just a dream?" He groaned and rubbed his head, both relieved and disappointed at once. He felt so happy at the end... Like he could fly if he wanted to. But now, as reality settled in with the bleak setting of his apartment room, Reigen sighed. He was slow to get out of bed, brush his teeth, take a shower, and get dressed. All while his mind reminisced on that dream...especially that part at the end. ..Would it be considered a guilty pleasure if he admitted he liked it, even if it turned out to be fake in the end.? Heh, probably the closest thing to a kiss he'd ever get. Not counting the pecs on the cheek from his mom.

     Reigen yawned as he exited his room, stretching his arms over his head. The apartment was actually clean for once. The couch had been torn open, revealing a bed that Teruki now called his own. The boy was still in his pajamas, on his phone looking for a new school to attend. Serizawa was in the kitchen. Oh no.

     "He-hey, Reigen!" The taller man waved with his mitted hand.

     "Serizawa, what are you--?"

     "Don't worry. Teruki taught me how to scramble eggs this morning. Want some?" Reigen hesitantly agreed. Last time the brunette tried to cook anything, they were evicted. Serizawa spoke again once Reigen grabbed himself a plate of scrambled eggs with cheese, meat, and veggies mixed in... Fancy. "Feeling better, Reigen?"

     "Hm-?" Reigen quickly chewed and swallowed. "Better from what?"

     "You don't remember?.. Elyse called me on your phone last night and asked me to come and pick you up. I didn't know you were so sensitive to alcohol, sorry. I- I should have made an excuse for both of us."

     "No-no, it's alright, Serizawa!... But.. you're serious, right?" The taller one nodded. "You're not joking..?" The other responded by shaking his head no.

     "Why would he lie about that?" Teru added from the living room. Gosh, their apartment was small.

     Reigen's eyes lit up with excitement..and maybe also a little bit of terror. "Where's my phone??"

     Reigen stole his phone from the floor beside his bed to check with Elyse if he was just imagining things or if that dream of his was actually real.

     Under his phone, however, was a little paper card. It was simple, blank white. Nothing odd or special about it. Still, it caught his interest enough to open and read it first.

     " 'I've never met a man like you. Was wondering if you'd be interested in dating me too. ☕' "

     Bro almost cried.

     ...Wait but didn't she just threaten to run him out of town the other day?