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Reo has been acting weird.
Well, weird may not be the most accurate term to describe his partner’s recent behavior, but Nagi is extremely tired right now, his cerebrum having officially ceased operation. It’s been a couple of hours since practice ended, but the young genius doesn’t feel like flaking out despite his exhaustion. Consequently, he is currently lying on his plush bed, watching random soccer videos to kill time. Under normal circumstances, Reo would be a few feet away, if not closer, reprimanding him for losing precious sleep. And yet, for the third consecutive evening, Reo is nowhere to be found.
The prodigy locks his phone’s screen and directs his blank gaze to the ceiling, idly pondering what Reo could be up to. What could be more important than relaxation after a tough training session? What could be more important than pampering Seishiro before they both drift off to dreamland?
The only rational deduction is that Reo is privately putting in extra work. It’s Reo, after all; the dude has been a perfectionist ever since Nagi met him. Something about this theory doesn’t quite add up, though. Reo is certainly aware of the dangers overexertion entails, considering how smart he is; he wouldn’t rush in blindly and self-destruct. Not to mention, Blue Lock participants are being monitored, partly to avoid such incidents from occurring.
Besides, if the hair was simply trying to grow stronger, he’d be dragging Seishiro along. Or at the very least, he would have divulged the specifics of his brilliant plan towards evolution. It’s baffling that he is sneaking around alone.
Ugh, thinking so hard is a pain...
“Reo is running late,” Chigiri notes casually from his own bed, terminating Nagi’s inner crisis. “Let’s hit the sack. I’m pooped.”
“...He’ll be here in five minutes tops.”
“You wish. He was late yesterday and the day before that too.”
Seishiro can’t help but scoff at the clear-cut logic presented to him; he contemplates ignoring the redhead, but eventually nods in resignation. He despises falling asleep without Reo by his side, but the missy has a point. Plus, the sooner they sleep, the sooner tomorrow will arrive. He’s definitely pressing Reo for an explanation once he secures a chance, and he will create a chance himself if push comes to shove.
He misses Reo a lot.
It’s not that they haven’t been seeing each other, because they have; they are still on the same team and share the same room, so they naturally wake up together, eat together and even bathe together. Nonetheless, it’s undeniable that they haven’t been in each other’s space as often. Especially compared to how they were prior to this dubious project; they used to be inseparable back then.
Until they weren’t.
Nagi shakes his head, forcing the unpleasant memories to take a rain check. It was his fault that he and Reo had a temporary clash, but there’s no merit in dwelling on the past; things are great between them again, and Reo seems to be glowing, his stunning beams brighter than the sun.
Happiness looks amazing on Reo, Seishiro muses, as he begrudgingly shuts his eyes. He hopes he’ll dream of his beautiful friend...
[…]
When the aspiring striker opens his heavy eyelids, Reo is already up and dressed; immediately perceiving his treasure’s conscious state, he pauses his animated chat with Chigiri and addresses Nagi with a toothy grin.
Ah. Pretty.
“I was literally about to wake you,” Reo coos, his voice enchantingly tender. “Good morning, Mr. Troublesome.”
“Mm. Morning...” Nagi hums, his heart fluttering in his chest. He sluggishly sits up, expecting Reo to approach him; to throw an arm around his shoulder or ruffle his hair playfully. Unfortunately, what he’s anticipating never happens, and he’s left with only frustration for company.
Boo...
“He doesn’t need you to be his personal alarm clock,” Chigiri grumbles. “He’s not a baby!”
Reo huffs an adorable laugh at the offhanded remark, and Seishiro’s pulse spikes tremendously; a flurry of emotions are swirling inside of him, and the day has barely begun. Encouraged by the endearing giggle which bubbled out of Reo, he attempts to stand up, but his body screams in terror, begging for mercy.
Moving is a hassle when Reo isn’t vigorously praising him for it.
“We didn’t ask for your opinion,” the drowsy boy mutters, not bothering to conceal his irritation. “Reo is gonna spoil me for the rest of our lives.”
Two pairs of eyes widen in evident astonishment; Nagi has no idea why his teammates appear shocked, but he chooses not to probe into their odd reactions.
“Nagi, are you okay? You’re not usually so prickly,” Reo hesitantly implores, and Seishiro is instantly consumed with guilt. His partner looks genuinely concerned, his gorgeous face twisted into a grimace. The ordinarily stoic boy panics, scrambling for reassuring words. Before his lips can form a sentence however, Chigiri is speaking up in his stead.
“He’s totally fine! He’s just sulking cause you haven’t been glued to him! Utterly pathetic.”
With a disgruntled click of his tongue, Nagi sheepishly scratches the base of his neck. He’s moderately annoyed that his embarrassing secret was revealed out of the blue, but he’s simultaneously grateful for the convenient topic change. Thanks to Chigiri, broaching the subject of Reo’s strange ventures will prove easier. His yearning for Reo’s attention doesn’t constitute earth-shattering news anyway.
“Stop kidding around! We have to hurry if we want actual food for breakfast!”
…Huh?
Nagi freezes in place, perplexed and disoriented. Reo brushing off the entire conversation as an elaborate joke was not a scenario he could have predicted. Granted, Reo has a habit of disregarding his advances, but this surely is a step too far. His mood deteriorating by the second, Seishiro decides to adopt a more straightforward tactic.
“Reo, can we talk?”
Luckily, denseness isn’t infectious; perhaps detecting the grumpiness in Nagi’s tone, Chigiri waves the duo goodbye and hastily exits the room.
“Of course we can,” the heir says calmly as he settles next to Nagi. “Something wrong?”
“Not really,” Seishiro replies elusively on reflex. His throat is dry and his palms are damp; communication is so freaking difficult. “About Chigiri…”
“Don’t worry about that! I know he wasn’t serious. As if you’d be cranky for such a silly reason. If anything, I bet you could use the freedom…” Reo trails off, his voice cracking a little at the edges.
What the heck? Why is Reo suddenly sad?
“Reo…”
“Ha! What’s with the pout? Did I misunderstand?” Reo jests, providing an opportunity for the mess brought about by Nagi’s dithering to be salvaged. Alas, said opportunity is promptly wasted when the latter fails to read between the lines.
“What has Reo been doing after practice?” Seishiro blurts out, completely abandoning his brain to mouth filter. In contrast to his peculiar display of bluntness, Reo stays silent for a while; he purses his lips and studies the genius with a complicated expression. Nagi has to fight off the urge to wipe the frown from his partner’s brow with the gentlest of caresses.
“Jeez, that was random…” Reo ultimately murmurs. He heaves an exasperated sigh before continuing. “I’ve been hanging out with Isagi in the Germany stratum.”
Seishiro merely blinks for a few beats, not trusting his ears.
Since when was Reo on friendly terms with Isagi?
“Eh? Hanging out? Why…?”
“Hmm, I guess calling it that was overkill. It’s more like…we’re interested in each other’s football? Analyzing stuff we have in common is both beneficial and fun.”
No, no, no, hold up. This is beyond wack.
“Reo’s interested in Isagi’s football…? What does that mean?” Nagi questions impatiently, his mind a mix of bewilderment and unease. It’s irksome enough that Reo has been ditching him in favor of strategizing with his soccer rival; if Isagi is striving to become his love rival to boot, Seishiro will haunt that shorty down for sport.
“…Why do you sound so anxious? I’m not scheming to steal Isagi away from you,” Reo barks, now obviously angry. His outburst betrays a hint of hurt, but the prodigy’s confusion prevents him from noticing it. “Screw this. I’m joining Chigiri in the cafeteria.”
[…]
Seishiro wants to shrivel up and die.
The universe absolutely loathes him; Reo is cross with him (again), and he has no clue why (again). Reo didn’t spare him a glance as he stormed out of their room earlier, and Nagi is convinced he unintentionally coaxed his partner into jumping to ridiculous conclusions (again). Were his methods too roundabout? He had naively assumed Reo capable of recognizing his sentiments effortlessly, but maybe that hypothesis had always been incorrect.
There’s also the possibility that Reo picked up on what he had been seeking to convey, but got fed up with his childish whims and his clinginess.
Between the devil and the deep sea, indeed.
Seishiro is being sincere when he asserts that he doesn’t have a problem with Reo making more friends or coordinating with others during matches; case in point, he was the one who mediated between Reo and Zantetsu in the first selection. That particular intervention of his had undoubtedly been an exception to the rule, though. Reo is typically very skilled in socializing, while also being extremely kind, so he generally has no issue mingling with his peers both inside and outside the field.
In addition, Nagi is not stupid; he has realized that (almost) everybody in this bizarre facility is aiming for the sky, and that professionals have a duty to be able to handle various teammates or opponents. It’s exactly because he knows that he hates to admit he’s scared; he hates to admit that Reo’s interest in him gradually fading is his biggest fear.
Seishiro could list every incredible trait Reo possesses in detail, and it wouldn’t even be a worthy challenge. But what can he offer Reo excluding his talent? Probably nothing of significance, he supposes. Hence, his nerves unwittingly went haywire at the prospect of Reo focusing solely on Isagi and their similarities in the future; at the prospect of Isagi -or anyone else- being Reo’s treasure…Reo’s partner…
It stings, like he has a keen blade stuck in his trachea.
Too preoccupied with mopping about his cursed fate, the prodigy is a shadow of his former self for the rest of the day. After showering his sweat away, Seishiro trudges towards his lodgings, agitation threatening to suffocate him. He had been foolishly counting on impressing his friend during their training, but Reo’s attitude stubbornly remained awfully cold and indifferent.
Reo shrugging him off sucks ass.
“God, what’s your damage?! Reo was right there! You could have apologized!” Chigiri yells frantically from behind Nagi, startling the genius out of his pity party.
“Apologize for what?” Seishiro retaliates automatically; he suspects Reo wouldn’t appreciate a half-baked apology.
“…Idiot. If the team’s performance suffers due to your lovers’ quarrel, I’m done with you drama queens,” Chigiri warns before flashing a sympathetic smile. Nagi shoots the princess a weak peace sign in lieu of a response; he internally prays this torturous farce will have been resolved by tomorrow.
“By the way…Reo and I got permission to visit the Germany stratum tonight. Wanna come?”
Never before has Seishiro agreed to a group activity so eagerly.
[…]
Once Nagi is finally within touching distance of Reo after a long, cruel and terrible eternity, he can’t contain the euphoria engulfing him. His spirits flying high, he marches up to Reo and greets his partner rather enthusiastically.
“Reo!”
“…Hey, Nagi.”
Oh.
Nagi clenches his jaw, his posture now slumped and defensive; frankly, he would have preferred aggression to apathy. Reo scarcely acknowledging his presence is nightmares inducing. The ache in Seishiro’s heart escalates from a dull throb to a burning pain, rendering him speechless.
“Um! Let’s not dilly-dally,” Chigiri chides, gesturing vaguely. “The others are waiting for us.”
The trio’s walk to their destination is brief, but the air is thick with tension; Chigiri endeavors to dispel the lingering awkwardness, but quickly surrenders the battle, accepting defeat. When they reach Bastard München territory, the redhead declares that he’ll search for Kunigami and extracts himself from the uncomfortable situation. Nagi steels himself to be brave.
He needs to be proactive.
“Reo,” he whispers hoarsely, grabbing his partner’s sleeve. “Tell me why you’re mad.”
“I’m not mad.”
“Reo is a liar…”
The heir snorts scornfully and then pinches the bridge of his nose; Seishiro’s desire to kiss Reo’s scowl away is bordering on obsession.
“…I’m sorry, Nagi.”
Whaaa?
“Why is Reo apologizing? I upset you…”
“Nah, I’ve been unfair to you,” Reo finishes, smiling feebly. Seishiro wishes he had a pair of scissors to cut through the layers of sorrow encasing his beloved; he wishes he could discern what expression Reo is wearing behind the mask of nonchalance.
“Reo, I—”
“Reo! Glad you made it, man.” A cheerful voice echoes; Nagi glares darkly at its source, and the menace responsible for the interruption stares vacantly up at him in return.
…Isagi.
“Butt out.”
“Excuse me?!”
“Nagi, why are you being rude?!” Reo hisses, clearly surprised. Seishiro bites the inside of his mouth to control his temper; he keeps forgetting Reo is not familiar with this side of him.
“Whatever.”
“Nice to see you too,” Isagi taunts daringly, tempting Seishiro to resort to violence. “Reo and I will guide you to our spot.”
They have a spot? Hmph, lame.
After entertaining some small talk and cordial banter, Reo and Isagi start conversing about football; Nagi rarely contributes to the discussion, opting to busy himself with a mobile game. Part of him regrets following his friends instead of chilling in his bed; catching fleeting glimpses of Reo enjoying himself should be gratifying, but Seishiro’s selfish soul is tinted with jealousy, thus depriving him of any potential satisfaction. He’s positive the scene he’s witnessing wouldn’t be driving him crazy if not for the loose threads between him and Reo.
Bent on maintaining his sanity by hook or by crook, Nagi casts caution to the wind and swiftly wraps his arms around Reo’s waist.
“Reo…I’m sleepy…Carry me…” he mumbles huskily, nuzzling his partner’s cheek. Reo stiffens at the intimate contact, but doesn’t protest. An adorable blush slowly spreads across his face, signaling the prodigy’s victory.
“Yeah, yeah,” Reo concedes and reluctantly crouches down; Nagi hops onto his favorite person’s sturdy back, pure joy welling up inside of him.
Reo is still willing to humor him. Reo still cares about him.
“Quit showing off, lovebirds,” Isagi quips and rolls his eyes; a cute noise escapes Reo at the jab, and the hands clutching Seishiro’s legs tremble slightly. “You bastard,” the heir croaks as he nimbly steadies himself. “It’s not…It’s not like that between us.”
Crestfallen, Nagi squeezes Reo a tad tighter and swallows an anguished groan. Incidental rejection wasn’t on his bingo card for today; he hasn’t even explicitly professed his adoration yet!
Had he been arrogant? Had he been projecting his own grandiose delusions onto Reo?
Apparently, Reo either never viewed their relationship in a romantic light or his feelings shifted somewhere down the road. Seishiro can’t determine which of the two alternatives is worse.
“Sheesh, my bad,” Isagi retorts, pretending to be remorseful. “Slip of the tongue.”
“Don’t feign innocence with me.”
“It was a mistake! At any rate, you better scram. Nagi reeks of misery.”
“Haha! He does, doesn’t he? Goodnight, Isagi.”
“Goodnight guys. Drop by again soon.”
[…]
The Reo Limousine is as homely and cozy as ever. Seishiro’s muscles inexorably slack, and heat prickles beneath his skin; he would be perfectly content with Reo wreaking havoc on him perpetually if he were allowed to melt in this warmth as a reward.
He can’t afford these distractions, though.
“Reo…”
“I could have sworn you had passed out. What’s up?” Reo inquires, progressively fastening the pace of his strides.
“Do you dislike me?”
“…What?”
“Does Reo dislike me?” Nagi repeats, dread bursting into his veins at the lack of an instantaneous refusal; he wonders if he has been sent off to hell to pay for his sins.
“You’re my partner until we win the World Cup,” Reo assures. “I could never dislike you.” Relief and apprehension flood Seishiro in concert; it’s consoling to have some sort of confirmation, but Reo constantly treating their relationship as a business deal is devastatingly agonizing.
Does their partnership really have an expiration date?
“Isn’t Reo curious about my answer?”
“I’ve figured it out, dummy. Being with me isn’t a pain, so you’re tagging along for the ride. Developing a passion for soccer was a bonus.”
Seishiro’s spine tingles; deeming the fact that Reo remembers an objectively trivial exchange from several months ago to be an indication of how much he’s cherished, he musters up the strength to expand upon Reo’s conjecture. “I like soccer,” he affirms. “But I love Reo the most.”
Reo flinches and halts in his tracks; his fingernails dig into the prodigy’s thighs, leaving goosebumps in their wake. “I’ve told you this before,” he scolds, his tone laced with disbelief. “You ought to be more careful with your words.”
Nagi’s nostrils flare and his features cloud over; he was prepared to get his heart broken to some degree, but he won’t stand for Reo shamelessly dodging his confession.
“Does Reo love me?”
“Knock it off,” Reo spits out bitterly. “You’re spewing bullshit.”
“Is that a no?”
“…Jerk.”
Nausea churns Seishiro’s stomach; he’s a single rebuff away from sacrificing his last shred of composure. “Reo is the jerk here,” he whines piteously. “If you don’t love me, you should reject me properly.”
Please, don’t reject me. Please, don’t reject me.
“I love you! It’s because I’m in love with you that I’m struggling! You’re so damn incomprehensible!” Reo shouts sternly; Seishiro’s breath hitches and a jolt of electricity surges through his body. After fully processing what he heard, he leans in closer to Reo, his eyes sparking with a serene happiness, a tranquil shine that emanates from within.
His glee is inebriating.
“Reo, we’re the same.”
“Are we? You’re the only one for me,” Reo avows earnestly. Seishiro heeds every syllable, reveling in the bliss he’s experiencing; he’s in grave danger of combusting. “But you’re not obliged to do this for my sake. If I don’t excite you…if I bore yo—Uhn—”
Seishiro impulsively licks at Reo’s enticing nape as if to shush his rambling partner. Reo gives an involuntary gasp, abruptly releasing his grip on Nagi’s legs; he spins around sharply and then recoils from the wincing genius.
“What did you do t-that for?!”
“Reo was making zero sense.”
For a moment, the shorter athlete gawks at his treasure as if mystified. He proceeds to rub his temples in a circular motion before posing a more critical question. “Nagi…what is Isagi to you?”
Seishiro tilts his head, squinting at his friend appraisingly.
Why involve Isagi? Is Reo deflecting?
“He’s been an obstacle to us, so I want…revenge on him? Ah, but he’s a decent person…? He’s helped me improve…Uh, this is a hassle…Why Isagi? Is Reo into him after all?”
“Huh?! I’m not! Aren’t you kinda attracted to him? You lost your cool when his name popped up this morning.”
Leaping forward, Seishiro draws his partner into his firm embrace. He must have gloriously fucked up if he somehow led Reo to such a ludicrous interpretation of his demeanor. He might have been amused if this misconception hadn’t nearly cost them their chance at love.
“Reo has a wild imagination.”
“On second thought, you should zip it. Forever.”
“I’m tired of talking anyway. Let’s be lovely-dovey instead.”
“…Greedy brat.” Reo chuckles merrily, a sing-song quality to his voice as he looks up at the prodigy; the radiance of his fond smile is contagious.
Nagi finds himself transfixed by a pair of inviting lips. On instinct, he cradles Reo’s face in his hands; he strokes the corner of his partner’s mouth with the pad of his thumb, and Reo’s shoulders visibly quiver. A wave of affection crashing down on him, Seishiro levels Reo with a fervent gaze before diving in to minimize the gap separating them.
The initial graze is more gauging than insistent; Nagi is relatively confident in his ball trapping abilities, but kissing is outside his area of expertise. Be that as it may, Reo zealously kissing him back and testing the waters with increasing boldness does the trick for both of them.
The duo’s movements become more fluid as they get accustomed to the feel of one another. A natural rhythm is successfully established, but their mutual desperation is palpable. Savoring Reo’s soft lips again and again, Seishiro teases them open with the tip of his tongue; he tentatively nips his partner’s bottom lip, and Reo shudders, emitting a low, muffled moan. He clasps the front of Seishiro’s clothes to support himself, tugging at the latter’s heartstrings.
Wow…
The heir is the first to pull away; he’s panting, his lips red and a bit swollen. Nagi can’t resist chasing after Reo’s addicting taste, pouting indignantly when he’s deftly evaded.
“I hope there are no hidden cameras…” Reo purrs absently as he scans the deserted hallway.
Seishiro doesn’t comment on the matter. He honestly wouldn’t mind if they were being recorded; if it was within his power, the whole world would have already been informed of this miracle.
The miracle of Reo reciprocating his ardent, boundless, immutable devotion.