#reiritrei

If you feel like elaborating PLEASE do so (even if you don't, good taste nonetheless🤝)

LMAOOO YES FELLOW REIRIT ENJOYER ✨✨✨

It's hard to elaborate on this specifically because they interact so rarely, but I think the baseline for the EXPLANATION behind Ritsu and Reigen's sexual tension is antagonism. I don't believe that Ritsu HATES Reigen, but I DO think they have some weird, almost brotherly rivalry?? Like,,,,by the end of canon I see Ritsu as having seen an opportunity for the type of "brotherhood" in Reigen that he never had with Mob, i.e. fighting, bickering, bitching, etc etc. We made a joke one time that the Reirit form of camaraderie is just hater-ism lmao. They're both such judgy BITCHES and I think they'd get along great if they'd stop picking on each other for five minutes 😭

Though there's also an appeal in early canon Reirit too, in that Ritsu hates himself so much that he ends up having a wide distaste for anyone that mirrors him, like Reigen and Tsubomi. (Reigen, Ritsu, and Tsubomi have a three-way triangle of parallels but that's for another day and another post I'm afraid). Early canon Ritsu is probably far closer to the FANON version of Ritsu, who hates Reigen's guts and wants to run him over with a car.

Basically this

(And I am ALWAYS gripped by the immense sexual tension between a Smug Asshole™ and a Guy Who Wants To Hit Him With His Car 🙏)

Ritsu in this state, as much as he hates Reigen, would likely be incredibly drawn to (and repulsed by) the idea of someone seeing right through him. That, added on to Ritsu's "I'm here to make bad decisions" era revealing that he has the innate desire to just go absolutely self-destructively apeshit from time to time (same Ritsu, same) I think getting into a sexual relationship with an older man would be really tempting for him. ESPECIALLY because it's Reigen, because even though Ritsu dislikes Reigen and is wary of him, he likely still feels like a safe option for something like that.

Unlike Mob, who I see having a slow blooming deep love and affection for Reigen that is mirrored 1:1, Ritsu strikes me as someone who actively looks at his feelings and disregards them vehemently. If Ritsu has feelings for you that boy is taking it to the fucking GRAVE with him, if something else doesn't pry it out of his little lockjaw fangs first. Any affection he develops for Reigen would have to be hidden beneath the veneer of sexuality because OBVIOUSLY that's the only thing Reigen is good for and Ritsu would never like him in any other way ever. Obviously >:/

In the same vein, Reigen is ALSO someone who is incredibly drawn to and repulsed by the idea of someone that can see right through him—but different from Mob, who admires him and thus makes him feel like he has to try and live up to the image of Reigen Mob has in his head, Ritsu has no delusions about what and who exactly Reigen is and what he's capable of. Reigen doesn't have to put up any impressive fronts for Ritsu because he knows Ritsu won't believe them. I have a WIP lurking in my tumblr drafts where Reigen and Ritsu have a conversation post-Confession Arc and Reigen is essentially speaking to Ritsu as an equal—an adult, no fronts, no lies, no masks. He only puts on displays for Ritsu when he wants to get on his nerves and I believe this wholeheartedly lmao

Unfortunately I enjoy ritreirit in a very particular way, which is to say I love that they hate each other—or at the very least share a mutual dislike haha,, Ritsu is more active in that dislike than Reigen, but it's also what draws Ritsu towards him; they both adore Mob and share the spot of "most important person" in his life, and that causes some rivalry :)

Reigen was able to change and connect with Mob in a way that Ritsu was so desperate to do but couldn't, and he resents that. Likewise, I can see Reigen envying Ritsu's position in Mob's life—it doesn't matter how bad Ritsu is or what mistakes he makes because he'll always be Mob's little brother—Mob would never reject him regardless of how he presents himself, and Reigen's jealous of that.