Tags: Post-Canon, Future Fic, Ritsu is 25 and Mob is 26 and Reigen is 40, Established Relationship, Coming Out, Moving In Together, Accidental Voyeurism, Top Kageyama "Mob" Shigeo, Bottom Reigen Arataka, Ritsu going through mental gymnastics in denial of mobreimob until he can't deny it anymore, Not Beta Read

A/N: This fic is written for Freckles as part of the Spirits Such Secret Santa 2023 (yay!) I took some creative liberties with the "moving in" and "domestic fluff" prompt, but I hope you'll still like it! Also, since this prompt fits the timeline and headcanon of my Question Mark universe, I hope you don't mind my adding this fic to the series hehe.

All in all, to Freckles (and those of you who have kindly checked this fic): happy new year and belated Merry Christmas! Hope y'all enjoy this little gift from me! 3

PS. Danchi: Japanese public apartment complex

"I… have been in a relationship with someone for a while now," Shigeo blurts out.

Three pairs of eyes look up from their respective dishes on the dining table—two appear surprised, and one isn't.

The confession isn't unexpected to Ritsu. After all, he suspects his brother has been dating someone, probably since he returned to Seasoning City post-graduation. Had been wanting to confirm it himself by asking Shigeo, 'Who are you talking to on the phone that got you smiling like that?' or 'Who is that tiny money tree plant for?' or 'Are you dating someone from work?'

But he thought he shouldn't poke if Shigeo wasn't ready to tell. So, he's been playing the role of a good brother by taming his curiosity and instead waiting patiently for Shigeo to reveal it all himself.

Luckily, that time has come.

"We have been together for three years, to be exact," Shigeo explains slowly, eyes shifting from their father who stops shoving rice down his throat, their mother who just finished her meal, and Ritsu who pauses gulping down his water. "And we uhh… we are thinking of moving in together in two weeks."

"Two weeks? But that's so soon," their father says. "Is it far? You'll still visit, won't you?"

"What kind of person is she?" Their mother asks, eyebrow raised.

Shigeo turns to their father. "The apartment is on the outskirts of the city, but I will make sure to visit often." Then he turns to their mother, blinking awkwardly as if unsure of what else to say. But when he finally speaks, there is no pause in his speech. "That person is a he, and you all know him."

Their father audibly sucks in a breath, Ritsu spits the water in his mouth, and their mother shouts (at Ritsu for spitting the water all over the table, not at Shigeo's revelation).

As per their mother's instruction, Ritsu cleans his mess hastily, and that is when their father's voice forces them to return to the matter at hand. He speaks so quietly, as if he's still unsure of the credibility of Shigeo's information. "I didn't know you were… gay," he says.

Ritsu almost scoffs. He didn't know Shigeo was gay, either. And here he thought he was the only gay person in the house. He wonders if the day will come when he has to tell his family about Suzuki (once figures out what exactly their relationship is, anyway).

"I am not," Shigeo answers, looking down at his untouched dinner. "I am attracted to women, too. I just happen to love and date a man right now."

Ritsu frowns at the word love. This means Shigeo is serious. Is he as serious with this man as he was with Tsubomi? No. This seems even more severe. Just who the hell is this person and where did Shigeo meet him?

As if reading his mind, their mother asks, "Well, who's this man, then? You said we know him?" Her tone is latched with curiosity and impatience rather than anger. Ritsu only hopes Shigeo doesn't misinterpret it.

Shigeo looks at the three of them. He blinks twice, then gulps. And after what seems like an eternity (long enough for Ritsu to grab his water again and finish it), Shigeo finally opens his mouth. "Do you remember the person I worked for back in middle school? The one who helped me with my powers?"

It takes a few minutes for their parents to connect the dots.

Meanwhile, Ritsu spits the water in his mouth.

Again.

When Ritsu imagined this day coming, he imagined Shigeo talking about a pretty girl he'd been friends with for a while. Perhaps someone he met in college when he lived in Condiments City, or someone from his current workplace. Someone as kind and quiet as Shigeo, though Ritsu wouldn't mind her being a little more extroverted to balance out his brother.

Ritsu imagined lots of scenarios; lots of possibilities.

None of which involved Reigen Arataka.

"Welcome to the Spirits and—oh, it's just you, Ritsu," Reigen's voice fills up the room when Ritsu barges into the Spirits and Such Consultation office. He strides to Reigen's desk and slams his hands on it.

Ritsu demands, "What did you do to him?"

Reigen looks so perplexed and lost at the question Ritsu almost pities him. Almost. Because he then sees the moment realization dawns on Reigen's face. His initial confused expression turns into a surprise before morphing quickly into grimness. Reigen may think he's a good liar, but he's surprisingly so easy to read. Even if lies drip down his lips, his facial lines spell his truth if you only know where to look.

Ritsu hates that he knows where to look.

Reigen looks dejected when he says, "So I guess he really did end up telling you guys last night?"

"I said," Ritsu says through gritted teeth, "what the hell did you do to him?"

Reigen glances around, and only then Ritsu realizes Serizawa and Dimple are in the room. He was so focused on confronting Reigen he didn't even look at the room properly. Heck, he was so committed to coaxing sinful confessions out of Reigen that he went to the Spirits and Such Consultation office first thing in the morning instead of to the hospital, never mind that he was at risk of getting an earful from his orthopedic residency supervisor.

"What have Shige—I mean, Mob—told you?" Reigen asks.

Ritsu frowns, recalling Shigeo's explanation to him and their parents last night.

"We started getting close after I came back from Condiments City." Shigeo blushed, but not with shyness. "To be honest, I did confess to him before I went to college, but he rejected me. We lost contact for a while after that, then we just… sort of gravitated to each other after I came back."

"He hasn't told us anything else yet," Ritsu lies. He absolutely will not tell Reigen that Shigeo has more or less told everything and that their parents were receptive to it. He wants to hear Reigen's version of the story. And if his differs from Shigeo's, then at least he has a solid reason to trust Reigen less and blame him on this… poor excuse of a circumstance. "So you better talk."

Reigen sighs. "Okay. I at least owe you an explanation." He gestures to the seat in front of him. "Please, sit down." Then he turns to Serizawa and Dimple, who have been standing (or floating, in Dimple's case) idly next to the wall. "Our next scheduled client will only come after lunch. I'll close the office until then, so no one drops in. You're free to go until lunchtime."

Dimple leaves (or goes through the wall, to be exact) right away without a word, seemingly noticing the important conversation Reigen is about to have with Ritsu. Serizawa, meanwhile, fidgets where he stands for a few seconds and only leaves with a weak 'see you later' once he sees Dimple leaving, too.

The door shuts close with a resounding click, and that's when Reigen addresses Ritsu again. "Now, where do we begin?"

For the next half an hour, Reigen tells him everything—or as everything as he claims it to be, anyway.

To Ritsu's demise, his version of the story is exactly the same as Shigeo's, only more detailed: I admittedly went too harsh on him when I rejected him, so I think that made him angry and block all my contacts when he moved away; I made a conscious effort to apologize once he came back because even though I don't mind losing him as a former student, I don't want to lose him as a friend; he started to help around the office again whenever he's not working; one thing led to another and… at one point, it becomes inevitable.

Ritsu lets Reigen's 'explanations' soak his psyche, feeling frustration boils over the longer he marinates on it. He realizes his bait is unfruitful because there's no loophole in the narrative to fault on. No ammunition to use. He can't blame Reigen or absolve Shigeo, because there's nothing to be blamed on or absolved from.

So, he instead says, "You're lying." He scowls. "You must've made all those up."

Reigen frowns. This is the most serious Ritsu has seen him look. "I know I'm not your favorite guy, but I didn't know your perception of me is this skewed, Ritsu."

"What did you do to him?"

"I don't know!" Reigen throws his hands exasperatedly. "I know what you're thinking, Ritsu. I've been asking myself the same thing. I didn't treat him any differently, but things just happened to fall into place after he came back."

"But you date him, anyway."

Reigen winces. "Yes."

"Why?"

For a man so skilled with words, Reigen becomes mute with this question. He eyes Ritsu for a long time, mouth opens and closes as if trying to say something, but no sound comes out. Then he glances at the window, thinking of something Ritsu has no idea about. When he's ready to speak again, he doesn't meet Ritsu's eyes. He stares at his desk in sorrow, as if recalling a painful memory.

The corners of his lips are curved downwards when he whispers, "Because I can't stand seeing him hurt."

Ritsu frowns at that.

What does that even mean? Is he implying that Shigeo would feel hurt if they weren't together? What kind of self-delusion is that? Isn't it supposed to be the other way around? Shigeo will end up hurting if they continue to be together? Does Reigen really think he's that great of a person to be Shigeo's partner? What an overconfidence! Shigeo is way out of his league!

"You don't deserve him," Ritsu hisses, almost snarls.

Reigen takes a long breath. He looks helpless and apologetic when he stares right into Ritsu's eyes and weakly says, "I know."

Ritsu's eyes widen. Out of every twist and turn he's encountered during this entire conversation, this is the most unexpected. Reigen isn't supposed to agree with him. The Reigen he knew would've negated his statement. The Reigen he knew would've said that Shigeo was the one who should be glad Reigen chose him. The Reigen he knew would ask Ritsu to leave for hurting his ego and questioning his reputation.

But perhaps he really didn't know Reigen after all.

…or maybe this is some kind of mind game Reigen is playing—pretending to be one thing when he's actually another. Probably part of his manipulation tricks, one practiced well enough to scam stupid people. Oh, but Ritsu isn't stupid. He knows exactly what Reigen is: a scammer. A manipulator. A liar. And there's only one way to deal with someone like that.

You punch them in the face.

Ritsu's chair falls when he abruptly stands. And with as much power as he can muster, he directs his fist to Reigen's face—somewhere on his left cheek, right below his eye, and above his cheekbone. Reigen shouts in a mix of pain and surprise when Ritsu's knuckles hit his skin and digs deep with force.

"Stay away from my brother!" Ritsu yells.

He does not wait to assess the damage; he does not wait to help Reigen recover; he does not wait to apologize. He flees the Spirits and Such Consultation office immediately to go to the hospital, bumping into Serizawa and Dimple, who have been lounging outside. He registers their alarmed and confused looks when they hear Reigen's groans, but Ritsu doesn't stop to explain what caused them.

That day, Ritsu breaks his Hippocratic Oath and arrives late to work—all because he punched the guy who manipulated his brother into dating him.

It's fine. His brother's safety is more important.

"Why did you do that?!"

Ritsu looks up at Shigeo standing in his room. Arms crossed, face red, and expression undeniably angry.

Ritsu's shift ended late today to make up for his coming late to work. His parents were already asleep by the time he got home, but Shigeo had been waiting patiently for his arrival. "I need to talk to you in your room," was the first thing Shigeo said to him when he entered the house. He didn't even get to finish taking off his shoes before Shigeo dragged him to his room.

That's how he finds himself sitting on his desk chair now, looking up at a furious Shigeo who appears ready to scold him to the moon and back. Shigeo very rarely gets angry at him. Shigeo very rarely gets angry, period.

This is unnerving.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Ritsu pretends, even though he knows exactly what Shigeo is talking about.

"You punched Arata—Reigen, did you not?"

Ritsu can't help but roll his eyes and mutters, "Of course he complained to you about it."

"He did not. I had to use psychometry on his injury because he refused to talk."

Ritsu goes quiet at that. The Reigen he knew would've run crying to Shigeo and told him to keep Ritsu on a leash next time. Reigen refusing to talk about his injury, though, is another behavior of Reigen he didn't foresee.

Nevertheless, Ritsu knows exactly why he did the things he did, and he knows the harm is justified. He has no reason to stay quiet or apologize.

"He deserves it," he says. But even with the conviction in his words, Ritsu doesn't find it in him to look Shigeo in the eyes. He doesn't like to see Shigeo angry, especially when he's angry at him. "I need to make sure he stays away from you."

"Ritsu, you are acting like a child."

"Well, he's only using you, brother!" Ritsu shouts. This time, he dares to look up.

"He is not!" Shigeo shouts back. "It may start that way, but things have changed." Then he changes his tone to one of gentleness. It's almost as if he's explaining a complex concept to a child. "He is a good person, Ritsu. That was why I stuck around even after I realized his lies. So, please stop assuming things about him." A pause. "About us."

Ritsu looks at Shigeo perplexedly, mouth open wide. He can't believe how infatuated and brainwashed his brother is.

"Don't you realize?" Ritsu shouts. "He has manipulated you! That's why you're saying all that!"

Shigeo sucks in a long breath, face getting redder and redder. He looks like he's about to explode and Ritsu has to brace for impact. But instead of an emotional outburst, Shigeo simply exhales all the breath he's inhaled.

"Ritsu," Shigeo starts cooly, freezing the room and time metaphorically. "I am tired of people telling me how I feel. I am tired of people treating me like a naïve child who cannot think for himself. Reigen did it when I confessed to him and I hated it, so I will not let you do the same to me now." Shigeo's tone doesn't waver or weaken. His face is stern. "I know you mean well, but whatever you do or say will not change my relationship with Reigen. We will still move in and live together in two weeks. This is what we have decided—what I have decided. I told you and mother and father not to ask for your permission, but to notify you of my decision. That is it."

The room unfreezes and time continues once Shigeo stops talking. He's looking directly at Ritsu now, black irises meeting Ritsu's own, waiting for a response. Challenging a response.

But Ritsu can't form a response. He only blinks and is rendered speechless.

This is a side of Shigeo he has never seen. Indeed, his brother has exhibited his fair share of assertiveness before, but he's mostly agreeable and non-confrontational, always so kind and polite.

Now he's right in front of his brother, standing his ground.

Ritsu thought he should've been disappointed at Shigeo for disagreeing with him, but he's oddly proud, mouth gaping a little. "You've changed a lot, haven't you?" Ritsu only realizes the words he uttered once they're out of his lips.

Something about that makes Shigeo smile, though Ritsu doesn't know why. "Someone told me I am the protagonist of my own life, so I started acting like it."

Ritsu frowns. What Shigeo said makes sense, but it still doesn't solve the main issue: "I still don't like the idea of you and Reigen."

"You don't have to like it," Shigeo says, shrugging. "Do you want me to be happy, though?"

"Of course I do!" Ritsu answers in reflex, voice rising in pitch. Just the mere idea of him wanting anything other than happiness for his brother is offensive to Ritsu. "Who do you think I am?"

Shigeo's smile widens. "Then don't fight me about my decisions."

Ritsu quietens. He really doesn't like this.

"And I want you to apologize to Reigen," Shigeo adds.

Ritsu balks. Now Shigeo is really going too far. This request is out of line. "I can accept your decision, but no way in hell am I going to apologize to him."

Shigeo raises an eyebrow. "Then you will help us move into the new apartment as a way of saying sorry."

"But—"

Suddenly, Ritsu's door opens slightly and their father peers through it, yawning. He's studying the room with squinted eyes as if he has just awaken. His voice is slurry and hoarse when he says, "What time do you boys think it is? It's so late already." He leans back out of the room and shouts to the hall, "It's just the boys!" Then he peers back in, looking at his sons with sleepy eyes. "Go to bed or keep quiet, will you? You woke your mother up. She thinks someone's breaking in."

"Okay, father," the brothers say in unison.

Their father leaves the room, followed by Shigeo. But before he closes the door, Shigeo calls out to Ritsu and whispers with a smile, "We will go together on the moving day." He exits the room.

Ritsu grunts when he realizes he hasn't declined Shigeo's request yet.

Shigeo moves out on a late Saturday afternoon, right at the end of summer.

One big luggage for most of his outfits; one medium-sized box for his winter wear; one big box for his books, stationeries, documents, and whatnot; one small luggage for miscellaneous stuff; and one multi-purpose backpack he always brings to work. For someone who has lived for twenty-six years, Ritsu thought Shigeo would've had more belongings to shove in their parents' car. But then again, Shigeo has never been superfluous.

The drive to Shigeo's and Reigen's new apartment takes a little more than an hour, and what greets them then is a four-story old danchi next to the main road. Ritsu has to suppress a groan when Shigeo tells him he'll be living on the fourth floor because that means they have to carry all of Shigeo's stuff up manually since danchis rarely have an elevator and Shigeo doesn't like to use his powers if he can help it.

On their first trip up, Ritsu expects the apartment would be empty (safe for the furnitures), but he's surprised to see boxes already lying near the entryway, some opened and some sealed. Shigeo seems to notice his confusion because he unsolicitedly explains, "Those are Arata—Reigen's. He moved his stuff last night because he has a job in Condiments City today. He will be back by evening." Shigeo then points at the big luggage he and Ritsu just brought up. "Do you mind moving this to the bedroom? I will bring more of my stuff up."

Once Shigeo leaves, Ritsu does as he's told using telekinesis.

And because he has some time until Shigeo comes back, he decides to snoop around.

He starts with the bedroom—an unusual one because, in place of tatami and futon, there are wooden floorboards and a bed. He notes a clothing rack (with Reigen's clothes already hung on it) near the window and a nightstand next to the bed.

The framed photo on the nightstand makes Ritsu frown. It's of Shigeo and Reigen sitting next to each other in a restaurant, bodies leaning too close to each other to be considered friends or a teacher and a student. There are steaming bowls in front of them, and they're both wearing suits, which shows that the photo was probably taken during a weekday lunch hour or after hours. They're smiling down at the camera they placed on the table. It's weirdly angled, but most importantly: disgustingly sweet.

Ritsu clicks his tongue.

Time to move to his next target: the living room. It's empty, safe for the television set in one corner and a bunch of potted plants in another. It takes him a few seconds to recognize one of them: the money tree plant he once saw Shigeo wrap a ribbon around. It used to be so tiny—only as tall as his calf—but now it has the same height as Ritsu's knees. The mystery is now solved as to whom Shigeo gifted the plant to.

All these times, Shigeo and Reigen have been together right under his nose. Those days Shigeo came late from work, it was probably because he had dinner with Reigen; those nights Shigeo said he'd sleep over at his co-worker's place, he probably went to Reigen's instead; those weekends when Shigeo dressed himself nicely before going out, it was probably to meet Reigen.

If only Ritsu paid more attention to the details, he would've figured it all out. But before he's able to blame himself for the oversight, Shigeo returns with a medium-sized box. He drops it next to Reigen's boxes and turns to Ritsu. "Reigen called just now." He gestures to his phone. "He said he was on his way and wanted me to ask if you would like to stay for dinner. He will bring food and some Condiments City souvenirs."

Ritsu raises an eyebrow at that.

He can definitely stay for souvenirs.

Reigen arrives exactly at 7 o'clock. "I'm home!" he shouts when he enters the apartment. "Wow, it feels good to say that."

Reigen's voice easily defeats the sound of the TV Ritsu and Shigeo are currently watching. They've been waiting idly for Reigen's arrival, stomach roaring multiple times. Moving heavy items isn't an energy-preserving activity, after all.

"Welcome home." Shigeo leaps too excitedly to the entrance for Ritsu's liking.

Ritsu reluctantly drags himself up to the entrance, too, to at least welcome Reigen (his best attempt at a truce). But he immediately regrets his decision when he sees Shigeo cupping Reigen's cheeks between his palms and leaning down as if to kiss him.

"Oh my god, no," Ritsu blurts out without thinking, face as pale as a ghost's.

Miraculously, Shigeo freezes in his tracks. He immediately leans back from Reigen, retreats his hands, and turns his reddened face away. "S-sorry, I forgot we are not alone," he mutters quietly, making the air stiffen with awkwardness.

Reigen, meanwhile, adapts to the situation better and quicker. He blinks the awkward air away and assumes a cheerful expression. "Ritsu! Hi! Long time no see!" He bellows, looking at Ritsu in the eyes as if he wasn't about to place his disgusting lips on Ritsu's brother's—never mind that he wasn't the initiator. "Are you hungry? I brought some food."

There's a fading brownish spot right beneath Reigen's left eye. It's probably from when Ritsu punched him last time. Ritsu suddenly feels bad but tries not to show it. He instead says, "Brother said you brought some souvenirs from Condiments City."

"Oh, that!" Reigen walks to the dining table and unloads the many plastic bags he's carrying. One bag has a transparent color and is filled with a sleek black box the size of Ritsu's torso. Reigen takes the box out of the plastic bag and opens it, revealing around half a dozen bottles of whiskey with different labels on it. "This is a gift from my client. He owns a distillery. We helped exorcize an evil spirit in the mashing area, so he gave some of his products to us."

Ritsu raises an eyebrow. "We? It's probably just Serizawa and Dimple."

Reigen forces an awkward smile. "You and your semantics, Ritsu."

"You and your lies, Reigen."

One corner of Reigen's mouth twitches, though the smile remains. "Hey, hey. Keep acting like a kid and I won't give you any whiskey!"

"I'm not the one wasting my time discoursing someone who acts like a kid."

"So you agree that you're acting like a kid?"

Shigeo squeezes himself between Ritsu and Reigen and pushes the two further away from each other. "Can we please stop this and start eating already?" He demands, annoyance clear in his voice. "We can drink the whiskey as we eat."

Ritsu glances at Reigen, narrows his eyes, then looks at Shigeo.

Ritsu pouts. "Fine."

With that, Shigeo goes through the kitchen cabinet to get some mugs for the whiskey (it's a funny combination, but it's probably because they haven't unpacked their shot glasses). Shigeo also fills three other mugs with tap water (probably in case they need to dilute the whiskey).

Meanwhile, Reigen wordlessly clears the dining table and places food on it. They're all chicken Nanban from Mob Mart. It isn't the fanciest menu out there, but Ritsu is already far too hungry to care. Besides, even with how basic the food is, at least the drink looks interesting. Ritsu pours some into his and Shigeo's mugs, skipping Reigen's. But Shigeo actually takes the bottle from him and pours for Reigen his share of the whiskey. Shigeo stares blankly at Ritsu as if quietly threatening him to behave. Ritsu clicks his tongue in response.

"Itadakimasu!" they soon say in unison before digging into their food.

After a few spoonfuls of food, Ritsu finally sips his whiskey. He grimaces once the sweet and nutty flavors make way for a whiskey burn. "Oh, this is strong. Too strong, actually."

"Hew," Reigen says with a mouth full of food, "add some watta tew diyyoottit." Reigen grabs one of the water-filled mugs, but accidentally knocks the one placed near Shigeo. The spillage quickly flows to the edge of the table and falls on Shigeo's lap, wetting his crotch and thighs.

Reigen swallows his food. "Oh, shit. Sorry."

"It is fine," Shigeo responds calmly, but Reigen already snatches a microfiber cloth from the kitchen counter and dabs it on Shigeo's thighs to absorb the spillage. From Ritsu's seat directly in front of them, it almost looks like Reigen's doing something else entirely—something indecent involving Reigen's hands and Shigeo's private part.

Ritsu sees red.

"Whoa!" Reigen exclaims when a hot wind suddenly rushes through him and surrounds Shigeo. It concentrates on Shigeo's front, making his pants dry, before finally disappearing. Reigen turns to Ritsu in awe. "Wow. Did you do that just now?"

Ritsu doesn't answer. He gulps his remaining whiskey as fast as he can, tops up the mug half-full, then gulps it all again. He ignores his burning throat and the unmistakable aftertaste of alcohol.

A truce is impossible if he always has to see Shigeo and Reigen's display of affection.

Ritsu doesn't know what time it is when Reigen and Shigeo carry his drunken ass to the bedroom. "I'll just go home," Ritsu whines weakly.

"Not in this state, you're not. It's not safe," Reigen says before he and Shigeo drop Ritsu onto their bed. Dizziness strikes Ritsu when his head hits the mattress; he shuts his eyes to ignore it. Reigen speaks again. "He may vomit, so you should look after him here. I'll sleep in the living room."

Ritsu doesn't understand why Reigen says that, but then realizes Reigen isn't talking to him. He opens his eyes to see Shigeo holding Reigen by his elbow. Shigeo says, "You'll hurt your back if you sleep on the tatami."

"Oh, come on, I'm not that old. My body can still take it. It's just one night."

Shigeo's hold on Reigen tightens. This time, he whispers, "I do not want to spend our first night here apart."

"It's just for tonight," Reigen whispers back, smiling as he cups one side of Shigeo's face. His thumb rubs Shigeo's cheek softly. "We have plenty of time." He pulls Shigeo down a little and kisses him. Shigeo closes his eyes, places his hands on Reigen's hips, then deepens the kiss.

Ritsu wonders why his drunken body doesn't want him to vomit yet, even if he emotionally feels like it after seeing what's in front of him right now. He didn't know his brother starred in a cheap soap opera. "Nngghh…" He grunts to get their attention.

Reigen and Shigeo break apart and glance at Ritsu. Reigen mutters, "I… think that's my cue to go."

"Okay. Good night." Shigeo pecks Reigen's cheek (making Ritsu grunt again) before letting the man leave. He then climbs onto the bed next to Ritsu, and Ritsu can finally sleep in peace knowing that Shigeo is far away from Reigen.

…or so he thought.

After sleeping for what only feels like a millisecond, Ritsu's consciousness returns when the bed creaks. He doesn't even have to open his eyes to know that Shigeo's getting out of bed: the sound of soles tapping the wooden floor softly is a sign of Shigeo tiptoeing. Then the bedroom door creaks as Shigeo lets himself out.

He's probably going to the toilet, Ritsu says to himself before trying to sleep again.

And he almost does.

Until he hears muted noise penetrating through thin walls. Of another door being slid open and closed. Of people talking. Conversing. Which morphs into a series of hushes before someone yelps—also muted.

Then quietness. Quietness for a long time.

Ritsu feels himself slowly float.

He opens his eyes, finding himself flying above the bed which floats a few inches above the wooden floor. He eyes his surroundings blearily and finds that the nightstand and photo frame are floating, too. So is the clothing rack near the window.

Swallowing his confusion, Ritsu tries to break free from whatever power is influencing the room. At first, he fails, because he's not fully sober and isn't able to concentrate. But after attempting to conjure his powers again, he finally manages to envelop his aura around his body and cancels out any external forces. He plants his feet on the ground and opens the bedroom door.

He almost jerks back when he steps out.

In front of him, Reigen's boxes are all floating, blocking the apartment's entryway. And because he doesn't want to wake Reigen up, Ritsu walks discreetly to the toilet to find the most likely source of this phenomenon: his brother. He needs to check if Shigeo is doing all these from the toilet and why. Is he constipated, making him accidentally emit his powers as he forces his stools out? Or is he losing control due to diarrhea? Maybe he goes berserk because he's out of toilet paper?

But when Ritsu checks the toilet, it's empty.

"Not—not too—ah!"

Ritsu turns around at Reigen's voice. Breathy, thick, slurry. Ritsu's eyes follow the source of the voice: a sliver of light peeking from the living room. It escapes from the slit of the sliding doors that aren't fully closed. Ritsu tiptoes there quietly with dread in his heart because he now has an idea of what's going on.

He stops right in front of the gaping doors and leans in to peek. Unlike the rest of the apartment, the light in the living room is on, and Ritsu can see everything.

The potted plants he has seen this afternoon are all floating; the money tree, monstera, devil's ivy, everything. And while the TV in the room's corner does not float, the screen perpetually goes static. And there, in the middle of the room, lies Reigen. He's on his back on the tatami, sweatshirt hiking up above his chest. He has his face turned away from the door, so Ritsu can't really see his expression, but Ritsu can see what—or rather, who—is plastered on his naked chest: his brother.

Shigeo is planting kisses and licks right beneath Reigen's hiked-up sweatshirt. He looks completely out of it—eyes shut, face red, tongue out, and lapping the skin of Reigen's chest like a dehydrated dog in the middle of summer. Shigeo's hair floats and stands as if it's submerged underwater. Reigen grips it tight.

The bottom half of their bodies are naked and pressed together. Reigen has his ass slightly elevated from the tatami, hairy legs encircling Shigeo's hips. Shigeo, meanwhile, has his knees and feet planted firmly on the floor. When Shigeo presses his hips down, Reigen moans softly, his cock being squeezed between their bodies. And when Shigeo pulls his hips back up, Ritsu can clearly see Shigeo's hard, glistening cock sliding out of Reigen's ass.

Shigeo is currently, undoubtedly, passionately, fucking Reigen on the tatami floor on their first night in their new apartment. And they're both too preoccupied by themselves to notice Ritsu peeking.

Ritsu does not know what to do with this information.

"Y'know, this will—Ah!—hurt my back more than simply sleeping on the tatami."

"But you said your body can still take it." Shigeo pushes inside Reigen to prove his words, making Reigen suck a breath. "There. I am right, aren't I?"

"Geez... C-calm down," Reigen whimpers.

"I cannot, I do not want to."

"Ritsu may hear you."

Instead of responding to the obvious statement, Shigeo hugs Reigen's torso tightly and mumbles, "Arataka… please…" He pulls his hips back before pushing it back down a lot faster than before.

"Fuck!" Reigen yelps.

Shigeo does it again: pulling his hips back fast, then pushing it back down even faster. Reigen's body starts to shake with increasing force, and he has to constantly re-wrap his legs around Shigeo's hips.

The light in the living room flickers, and Ritsu is suddenly sober.

He practically sprints back to the bedroom as quietly as he can because never in a million years will he ever admit to having seen what he'd seen just now. Once he returns to the comfort of the bedroom, he makes himself float with his power and positions his floating-self above the floating bed, exactly just like how he was awakened earlier.

Around a minute later, he can hear Reigen shouting, "Fuck!" and all the items and furniture inside the room drop back down. He can bet it happens to the boxes and other things outside of the room, too.

Ritsu removes his own power, falls onto the mattress, and closes his eyes. He needs to go back to sleep—or at least pretend to sleep—in case Shigeo comes back to the bedroom.

And he's right.

Shigeo soon tiptoes inside. Ritsu can feel him stopping right in front of Ritsu's fake-sleeping form (possibly to check if he and Reigen have awakened him) before quietly walking to his side of the bed and climbing up. The soft snores that come out of Shigeo's lips later on signal that Shigeo is finally asleep.

Meanwhile, Ritsu spends the rest of the night (or morning, since he doesn't know what time it is) staring at the wall.

"Wow, I didn't know you're an early riser."

Ritsu looks up from his glass of water to Reigen who just came out of the living room. The only telltale signs of him getting fucked by Shigeo last night were only him hunching and holding his lower back (which can be mistaken as a side effect of sleeping on the tatami), as well as his messy hair (which can be mistaken as bed hair). Ritsu can't bear to look him in the eyes, so he stares at the stupid, ugly bear printed on Reigen's sweatshirt instead.

"Uhh… yeah," Ritsu responds awkwardly. He will not tell Reigen that he hasn't slept at all and chose to sit idly at the dining table since sunrise.

"How are you feeling?" Reigen asks as he fills in his own mug with tap water. "Any hangover?"

"No."

"No dizziness? No nothing?"

"No."

It's at this point that Reigen approaches him on the table and sits right across from him. He's silent, studying Ritsu openly. Then sips his mug and says, "You're surprisingly non-confrontational and quiet this morning."

Ritsu shrugs. "I've always been quiet."

"Not like this, no."

Right at that moment, Shigeo waddles out of the bedroom and into the dining area, rubbing his sleepy eyes. "Gow mowning," he says amidst a yawn.

"Good morning," Reigen and Ritsu respond—Reigen with enthusiasm, and Ritsu with awkwardness. Shigeo, thankfully, doesn't realize the latter.

Shigeo sits down on the chair next to Reigen. "What are we having for breakfast?"

"Well," Reigen turns to Ritsu. "What does our guest want?"

"I uhh—I'll just skip breakfast and go home," Ritsu says, already standing from his seat and putting his mug in the sink.

"Are you sure? Do you wanna stay for a cup of coffee or tea?"

"No."

This time, it is Shigeo who asks. "Will it be safe for you to drive in your current state?"

Ritsu walks to the entryway to put on his shoes. "I'm completely sober now. Don't worry, brother," he says without looking at them. He's about to turn the doorknob before realizing something. He turns to Shigeo and Reigen and says, "Oh, and congratulations on the new apartment."

Shigeo and Reigen blink twice at him. They turn to stare at each other in confusion, then back at Ritsu. "Thank you, Ritsu." They both say more or less in unison.

And as Ritsu goes outside, he can hear his brother and Reigen whispering to each other.

"What's going on? Why isn't he fighting me?"

"Maybe he has finally accepted us?"

"Did we just tame him with whiskey?"

"Or maybe it is because of my conversation with him last time?"

"What? What conversation?"

And that is the last thing Ritsu hears from them before the door clicks shut. There's only so much affection between his brother and Reigen that he can deny until he can deny it no longer.

This is where they belong.

A/N: At first, I wanted to write this fully in Mob's POV to heighten the sense of intimacy of the domestic moments. But because I felt like putting a funky spin on it, I decided to write this one in Ritsu's POV hehe. I also initially wanted to have Ritsu masturbating in front of this "exquisite view" (lol), but unfortunately, I don't think it fits his characterization in my series. Maybe I'll make it more gratuitous for him next time HAHA.

Anyway, if you enjoy this fic, feel free to leave a kudo and lemme know your thoughts about it 3 Thanks for reading!