“I can't say you were the guest I was expecting to see.”
Reigen pulled out his plastic-backed chair and sat down, smiling temperately, before Touichirou. “Well - surprise, then,” he drawled, words accompanied by a jazzy little shake of his hands. “Shou decided he wasn't up to coming in. I had matters of my own that needed attending to, though.”
At Genos' prompting after certain events make it clear few other options are available, Saitama reluctantly agrees to trial run one month of taking antidepressants. In the four weeks that follow, various friends and fellow heroes bear witness to Saitama's newfound fight with nasty side effects, emotional highs and lows, and the consequences of the strongest man in the world becoming subject to his own chemically-imbalanced brain.
I wanted to start doing some fanfic recs as I read more of my giant tbr stash on AO3. So for anybody who might be interested, have some random good shit in no particular order:
To Be Victorious by KatyaTalks (Oneshot, 7k)
A gorgeous fic for Serizawa week focused on his relationship with his mother through his shut-in years and beyond. With a dash of serirei as well.
Fic summary: In the early hours of the 13th of May, 1981, Serizawa Katsuya enters the world at the below average weight of 2.4 kilograms. His mother holds him in her arms, whispering him promises of a future filled with more love than he’ll know what to do with.
Just over a decade later, it’s hard to find proof he ever existed.
Reprieve by Mavery (Oneshot, 6k)
An old one that’s one of my favorites. Serirei. Reigen’s ghost appears at Spirits and Such after an exorcism gone wrong. (Happy ending)
Fic summary: Reigen’s alone when a routine job spirals out of control. Things change. Permanently.
Serizawa Katsuya vs. the World by sofia_estrella (Completed, 7k)
Another classic serirei fic imo. The summary says it all: Anyone who wants to date Reigen has to win over an army of protective children first.
Homebound by polite_smile (WIP, 3k)
AU where Mob and Reigen are the ones to bring Serizawa out of his house and back into society. I really enjoy the characterization of Reigen in this one and the realism of Serizawa’s agoraphobia. It hasn’t updated in awhile but it’s still worth reading for some very tasty morsels imo!
Snowfall by missydogblog (WIP, 10k)
A very mystical AU that the writer describes as sort of a Mushishi vibe and honestly that’s the feeling of it exactly and I love it. Serirei but a lot of focus on Serizawa’s character, introspection, and just such a cool atmosphere.
Fic summary: A very long time ago Serizawa Katsuya made the decision that it would be best for everyone if he stayed at his family home in the mountains, where he could keep his powers under control. Even if it hurt, even if the loneliness crushed him tighter each day, he was consoled in the knowledge that no one would bother him, and he wouldn’t bother anyone in return.
Serizawa didn’t really have much of a choice when a bizarre stranger showed up on his doorstep one afternoon.
Abroad by sofia_estrella & lubbun (WIP, 4k)
MORE SERIREI. Serizawa goes abroad and he and Reigen become texting buddies. Pining ensues.
Fic summary: “I’ll bring something back for you,” Serizawa promised. Reigen wrinkled his nose and shook his head. “Just send me a picture of everything you eat, and I’ll be happy.”
Food pictures led into light chatting, and now, three weeks into Serizawa’s trip, they’ve spoken every single day, often keeping the conversation going from breakfast until well after dinner. Reigen’s spent many nights, laying in bed, phone screen illuminating his face, as he waits for Serizawa’s next message.
Spaceman by boatkaptain (Oneshot, 1k)
Dimple and Reigen discuss death after Reigen has a near death experience. Really thoughtful exploration. TW for implied references to suicide.
Fic summary: Reigen discusses the prospect of death with a familiar stranger.
Trans Reigen is something important to me, and this little (paraphrased) exchange from the fic “Raw” by @boatkaptain struck me when I read it. So, I decided to try and put it into a comic.
Months after the incident with Keiji Mogami, Mob still refuses to talk about what happened inside the evil spirit's mindscape - and Reigen realizes that trying to get his soft-spoken student to talk may be an entirely improper approach.
Additional Tags: Psychological Trauma, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon Compliant, Post-Canon, the ekuserirei is mild but............... present, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Crying, lots and lots of crying, Father-Son Relationship, in case any of u filthy fuckers wanted to make smth else outta this, mogami arc resolution goddamnit!!, this references the OVA btw so thats. thats canon, rated T for a bit of language and descriptions of mogami arc violence, just in case