Work Text:
Serizawa runs his finger through his hair.
He’s just cut it himself. He was told not by many others that he shouldn’t cut his own hair, but they don’t have psychic powers to hold up their own mirror, scissors, and buzzers at the same time. Thing is, he doesn’t want to keep bothering Reigen to cut his hair when it gets too long, so he’s taken it upon himself And it’s not bad if he says so himself. Could be better, but not bad for a first try.
He can’t wait to show Reigen. Reigen would be proud of him. Possibly even relieved at not having to take time away to do it for him. Serizawa can’t wait to show off to Reigen.
Serizawa runs his fingers through his hair again but he realizes something’s off. Not with his haircut, but this moment.
It’s not the same as when Reigen cuts it. Of course it wouldn’t be, but Reigen always runs his fingers through his handiwork. The sensation of fingers running along his scalp usually sends shivers down his spine. He always considered it part of the haircut. His own fingers don’t bring that same sensation.
Serizawa runs his fingers through his hair while and feels like he’s made a grave mistake. It’s silly, because it was an act of independence and self-reliance that was successful. It feels wrong nevertheless.
This is not how he should approach this. He is proud of himself, but he mourns something lost. He misses the sighs of Reigen’s own satisfaction at another job-well-done, the intimacy of the act, the shivers at the end. The thought at not feeling them again makes his stomach sink.
Even though he’s done a good thing, it feels tainted.
Serizawa runs his fingers through his hair one last time before he goes to bed. He wants to move on. He’ll show off his haircut to Reigen and he knows or hopes Reigen will congratulate him on doing it on his own.
He’s not sure if he’s overreacting, but he doesn’t want to treat this as a loss but as the victory it was. Serizawa decides that tomorrow he will feel good about showing it off since he really does think he did a good job.
He thinks to himself that the sting of sadness and loss of familiarity is always part of some process of moving forward.
Serizawa runs his fingers through his hair when he walks into work the next day. He does so as a reflex. He’s suddenly self-conscious about his craftsmanship.
His anxiety is gone a moment later when he sees the playful smirk on Reigen’s face. Reigen comments that his haircut looks good, but Serizawa thinks he's caught a look of hurt in Reigen's eye. He tells Reigen he cut his own hair and Reigen seems less tense.
Reigen tells him he’s impressed, and that he wants to inspect the haircut, to see if there’s anything he can help with. Serizawa feels his stomach flip and his heart race, but he nods.
Reigen runs his fingers through Serizawa’s hair and Serizawa gets that shiver he craves and the proud feeling when Reigen assures him there’s nothing to fix.