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It’s not like Nagi never has ideas.
Thinking is a hassle, but that doesn’t mean his brain is completely empty. On the contrary, thinking is mostly a hassle but a forgettable one because a good majority of Nagi’s thoughts are fleeting, insignificant little things.
A lot of the grander thoughts tend to get shoved to the back. Contemplations on the meanings of life, an existential crisis or two, and the feeling of restlessness that settles into his bones, unnerved and lonely when he tries to tell himself everything is okay.
Thankfully, those more troubling thoughts have become significantly reduced in the time that he’s come to know one cosmic storm of a boy named Reo. Persistent and utterly bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, Reo is perpetually in some kind of good mood, whether it be just the act that he puts on in front of their peers or the happiness that borders on over-excitement whenever the two of them are alone.
While at first, Nagi had his reservations about having the boy stuck on him like glue, the days have passed along with the months and the seasons but they only seem to grow closer.
Nagi finds that he likes it.
Reo is persistent and Reo is nice and Reo, Nagi thinks, is all of the good things any person could be, probably all of the good things in the world or universe.
These days Nagi’s thoughts are filled with a constant stream of Reo, Reo, Reo.
Reo is cute when he smiles.
Reo’s dimples only come out around me… I like that.
Reo is so smart and cool.
I want to bite him… wait, wha—
That purple flower looks like Reo, the sunset when it’s purple is Reo, Reo reminds me of—
While Nagi’s ideas are seldom meaningful, occasionally he’ll have one that’s actually brilliant. Though, where in the past Nagi would’ve lacked the motivation to put that idea into fruition, Nagi has Reo now, and that’s all the motivation he’ll ever need.
His excitement must be palpable, must shift something in the air, either that or Reo really has just become able to read his mind.
Maybe Ba-ya taught him some magic?— wait, no, the task at hand!
Shaking his head, Nagi waves off Reo’s look of concern, but that doesn’t stop his friend— friends? Are we friends?— again, now isn’t the time. Nagi has been down that rabbit hole on a couple of occasions too and the only thing it does is serve as a means to dampen his mood when he comes to the conclusion that their situation, while idyllic, is only temporary for the time being.
Oh well, Nagi will endeavor to make the most of it.
Reo watches him with interest but Nagi doesn’t wave him off.
A couple of searches, a tap of a few buttons, and a small noise of satisfaction later, Nagi is nodding at his work proudly before another idea surfaces.
I’m on a roll today, Nagi thinks.
“Give me your phone,” he demands, holding his hand out to Reo like the day they first met and he asked for money.
It’s rude, it’s petulant, like a child making orders at their caretaker but Reo has never minded that before, and low and behold, Reo only raises an eyebrow at him before gingerly handing over his phone.
There’s no need to get Reo to unlock it, they haven’t known each other too long but Nagi knows Reo’s password like how Reo knows Nagi’s. So Nagi makes quick work of typing in their meeting date and, once again, looking up a few images trying to find the perfect one, tapping a few more buttons and—
“No peeking,” Nagi says, looking at Reo with wide eyes.
Reo flushes, embarrassed at having been caught. He mumbles out a weak “sorry,” and then struggles to focus his attention elsewhere.
Thankfully, Nagi is finished with the execution of what, in Nagi’s humble opinion, is the best use of his brain in literal years.
What Reo wants, Reo gets and so Nagi will proudly display his handy work to him.
“You can look now,” he says.
The slight lilt of excitement must be loud enough that Reo is looking at him with eyes all wide and cute with surprise.
I love Reo’s eyes, Nagi thinks as he returns Reo’s phone to him.
With slight confusion at first, it only takes a couple of seconds for the realization to sink in and a wide smile to grow on Reo’s lips, dimples present and everything.
If Nagi sits up a bit taller, it’s none of anyone’s business, for he’s just a flower standing at attention in the light of his sun.
“Cute!” Reo cries out, staring at his phone screen with pure elation.
One would think Nagi just handed him the World Cup but no—
“Is that what you were doing with yours?” Reo asks, turning his attention back to Nagi.
He glances quickly at the phone that lays on Nagi’s lap and Nagi realizes his mistake. He’s going to have to show Reo, right? Or else Reo might get sad and Reo should never be sad. Reo should always be happy and smiling and—
“Can I see?” Reo whispers.
It’s just the two of them on the rooftop, but to Nagi, it may as well just be the two of them in their own world. In the past, Nagi used to dream of this place as if it were some kind of purgatory, a place inescapable in his dreams as it was in reality. These days, Nagi dreams of this place with fondness, since in those dreams it’s no longer just him, but him and Reo. Just the two of them together, unbothered by anyone else, finding respite away from all other expectations of anyone.
And just like a loyal knight following the command of his king, Nagi hands his phone over and watches as Reo also makes quick work of his password— Reo’s birthday— and looks between his phone screen and Nagi’s.
His smile is growing even bigger if that’s possible and wow Nagi had been joking about the World Cup thing, but he thinks it must’ve been accurate.
“Aww, Nagi you made us match?”
Reo is beautiful always, and right now as he’s haloed by the midday sun and smiling the biggest smile Nagi has ever seen him wear, he’s absolutely breathtaking.
No words.
Nagi has no words but he’s never needed any around Reo so he just nods.
Bonobono and Reri-Chan.
Nagi was struck with the idea that the two of them are like those cute little otters. The truth is that Nagi has always seen himself in that little guy, Reo being a relatively recent addition to his life, it had only struck him just now that Reo is the Reri-Chan to his Bonobono.
The eyebrows, her coloration, her personality, and the fact that, much like Bonobono is with Reri-Chan, Nagi is also—
Nagi is realizing a lot of things today it seems. But now with Reo fully engrossed in eating his lunch, Nagi is able to panic in privacy.
I love Reo.
Because just like Bonobono does Reri-Chan, Nagi loves Reo.
Other people aren’t really Nagi’s cup of tea.
People are bothersome, they’re a hassle, and sometimes they’re down right pains in his ass.
Reo is an exception.
Reo is an exception to many things.
So even though Nagi could do without having to deal with people who aren’t Reo, Nagi is struck with an urge.
An urge to do what?
An urge to change and change for Reo because, as Nagi has frustratingly come to realize in the past couple of days, Nagi isn’t good enough. He skirted by so far on his natural talent and instincts alone and while that might’ve been enough for the short amount of time he’s been playing football, it hadn’t been enough then.
Team V had lost.
Nagi and Reo lost, they lost, and Nagi was hit with equal parts frustration and curiosity. If football can become something interesting to him, if he can work harder at it the same way Reo does, they could get closer, right? They’d get stronger and for the first time in Nagi’s life, he wants to move, he’s not satisfied with staying the way he is.
“You’re fine as you are,” that’s what Reo had said, but it wasn’t true.
Through no fault of Reo’s own, if anything, much like owing Reo a thank you for giving him a new purpose, Nagi ows Reo a thank you for making him want to improve.
Maybe for Reo, Nagi is fine the way he is now, but Nagi wants to be better, can be better and all for the sake of Reo and their dream.
They’ll stay together until the end.
To the World Cup and beyond, it’s going to be the two of them.
Even if they have to separate right now, Nagi is doing this for the both of them, he’s certain Reo will understand, and can read his intentions like he can.
So yes, while Reo’s face as Nagi walks through the gate makes his chest ache, he’s doing this for them.
The separation is pretty painless all things considered, at least, that’s what Nagi thinks. Yeah, he hasn’t been without Reo in the months he’s known him, and yeah, the air is noticeably colder and less inviting when Reo isn’t occupying the space right next to him, but Nagi feels determined.
The next time they meet, it’ll be even warmer with him by his side.
For now, Nagi can only watch on as Bachira messes with Isagi, poking at him and teasing him and while Isagi complains, there’s a smile on his face and a flush on his cheeks and Nagi’s not stupid, he connects the dots pretty quickly.
And then a few more dots connect too.
Bachira and Isagi… something about them reminds Nagi of himself and Reo. Having fun together, being by each other’s sides but also, Nagi can see it in both of their eyes the way they don’t want to let each other go. Once again, Nagi is reminded that for the first time in a long time, he’s on his own again. There are people by his side but they’re merely strangers that invoke in him a sense of familiarity if only because looking at hen is like looking in a mirror and seeing himself and Reo reflecting back.
They’re like me and Reo, Nagi thinks once more.
Not just in the way they get along like a house on fire but the way Nagi can sense a touch of dependency. Like Isagi is someone Bachira wouldn’t be able to live without.
Nagi could live without Reo, and had lived without him for a long long time, but Nagi doesn’t want that. He never wants to be without Reo again, so while Nagi might not have that same level of dependency, his heart yearns for his partner all the same.
Because life without Reo can’t be considered life.
Ah, maybe it is the same, he thinks again.
Because the more Nagi thinks about it, maybe he really can’t live without Reo.
Still, Nagi will let the ache in his heart go ignored in favor of watching Isagi and Bachira and pretending that they’re him and Reo.
They lose Bachira.
They lose Bachira and Nagi watches first hand just how much dependency can be a hindrance. He’ll tell Isagi that he’s being ridiculous, that Reo wouldn’t act this way, and that Isagi is nothing without Bachira.
Dependency can be a hindrance.
Maybe that’s why his chest hurts so much when Isagi tells him that he’s the same.
They’re not the same, Nagi decides. Him and Reo are different, they can do things on their own, that they’re always together is by their own choice, that they’re apart now is their choice too (for Nagi that is).
They’ll get stronger on their own, Nagi won’t have to worry about stealing Reo back because Reo has always been his, just as he’s always been Reo’s.
They’ll find their way back to each other, together until the end, because theirs is something stronger than just a connection based solely on something that, at the end of the day, is just a game.
The distress doesn’t rear its ugly head until after they’ve won against team red and he tells Reo that he’s a pain in the ass.
It’s a shot so devastating and Nagi knows that he shouldn’t have said it, but it came out of his mouth before he had time to think it through and the look on Reo’s face will once again make it into Nagi’s nightmares.
When Reo had slapped his hand away in the baths, Nagi couldn’t get mad at him too much, irritated yes, but angry? Never.
Confused, hurt, determined to get back on Reo’s good side, alas, it seems all Nagi can do these days is make Reo hurt whereas before all he could ever do was make Reo smile.
The world is less vibrant without Reo around, that fact has been true since the beginning of the first selection, but now, with Reo upset with him, Nagi just feels like, not only is the world devoid of color, everything around him has reverted to remind himself of his loneliness.
In short, Nagi’s broken Reo’s heart and he wants to crawl in a hole and die.
Separation anxiety.
That’s what Isagi had called it, and upon saying those words, Nagi had thrown a pillow at him. The only good thing about Reo not being around is that Nagi doesn’t have to hold back his insults or pull his metaphorical punches.
Reo isn’t here to see how unsightly Nagi can be, Reo isn’t here to chastise him, Reo isn’t here to praise him, or care for him, or baby him—
Reo isn’t here, and Nagi sinks into his seat even further, looking down at his food with distaste.
Even food doesn’t taste good when it’s not Reo feeding it to him.
Nagi doesn’t really understand.
Is he sad that he’s not with Reo anymore? Yes.
Is he regretful of the last words he exchanged with his partner? Without a doubt.
But separation anxiety? Nagi isn’t a dog, he’s not gonna go around acting like a sad puppy that got ignored by its owner.
Except that’s exactly what he does.
Wistfully daydreaming between training sessions, eating, and down time of a scenario in which he didn’t say what he said, where Reo and him were still okay.
He tries not to think of it too much.
They’ve never argued before, not like this. Nagi can’t help but feel a pit in his stomach from any time he remembers the look on Reo’s face just as he was walking away, how sad and broken his partner looked. Admittedly, Reo looked kind of cute, Reo is always cute, and he’d looked cool when he was acting all vengeful, but Reo looked like that because of Nagi, he doesn’t like it. In Nagi’s ideal world, Reo should never be sad, Reo should never be anything other than his brilliant happy self, yet there he had been and there he is, overtaking Nagi’s dreams with his expression of despair.
As he had before they’d even entered the blue lock, Nagi saw themselves in the people and things around himself. Only now, his eyes seemed to find only singular objects, things that would typically be in pairs and feel the urge to tear his own heart out at how lonely they looked without their other half.
With a sigh, Nagi figures that it’s time for him to actually eat his food. Even if Reo isn’t here to feed him anymore, Nagi can’t exactly hope to improve if he doesn’t have the energy, and he can’t have the energy without eating.
Tiredly, Nagi pulls the wooden chopsticks out of their paper wrapping and breaks them apart.
He breaks them apart.
He breaks them.
Breaks them like how he broke Reo, one of the chopsticks remaining intact but with a portion of the other one still stuck to it, while the other one is now only half the chopstick it used to be.
Like how Nagi had broken Reo, like Nagi had taken a piece of Reo’s heart with him, like how Reo is a shell of his former self and it’s all Nagi’s fault.
The whimper that escapes him can’t be helped. But the noise goes unnoticed by everyone else at the table, Isagi and Chigiri too engrossed in their conversation and Barou enjoying his meal in peace at the far end of the table as he usually does, not liking being too close to the others’ crumbs.
Nagi’s distress goes unnoticed because the only person who could ever discern it isn’t here right now.
Biting back another whimper, Nagi swallows hard, pulling off a sorry attempt at using broken chopsticks to eat his food.
Later that night, as everyone sleeps, Nagi will lay down in his bed, hair still damp and uncomfortable from the bath and let the tears fall silently down his face.
The next day as Nagi sorts through his laundry, his hand stops at the bottom of his basket where a singular sock still lays, all on its own white it’s lair nowhere in sight.
All over again, Nagi is hit with a wave of distress, sifting through his clothes, tossing them across the room to the point where his now clean clothes mixes in with the dirty clothes that are also scattered across the floor, but no luck.
All the other socks have their pair, but this one, this sock that’s tattered and has a hole on its sole is left on its own.
Nagi sucks in a breath.
“What’s up with you?” Chigiri asks, towel drying his hair as he creeps up behind Nagi.
“My sock… I can’t find the other one,” Nagi had replied, sadness tinged the words, it’s all by itself now.
“It wouldn’t be by itself if you did your fucking laundry, you stinky gremlin!” Barou yells from across the room, already making a fuss about Nagi’s clothes.
Despite the slight irritation that came with most interactions with Barou, Nagi begrudgingly agreed with him.
If Nagi had done his laundry, then his sock wouldn’t be lonely all by itself.
If Nagi had explained himself better, his Reo would still be happy, and would still want to reunite with him
In the end, Nagi searches for about half an hour. Nothing if it had been anyone else, but for Nagi, to have taken any amount of time to search for something so insignificant had the others scratching their heads.
They don’t understand.
Nagi will talk at length about Reo to them, tell them how great he is and how wonderful and perfect he is and how much Nagi longs for him, but they don’t listen to him anymore, and have learned to tune him out when he begins to rant so they don’t get it.
People on the outside will never understand what Reo and Nagi are to each other.
Nagi spends the rest of the day in a singular sock, sad and sulking.
At the end of their free time, it’s Barou who bursts into the room and throws something at Nagi’s face that bursts him out of his solemn mood.
“Your fucking sock was in my laundry!” He said, before storming out to go “blow off some steam.”
And Nagi?
He has no time to be annoyed or retaliate because it’s his sock! The missing one to complete his pair and Nagi knows that to anyone else it’s probably ridiculous but he doesn’t care.
Nagi’s sock has come back to him, his pair has been reunited and that must be a sign, it must be.
He doesn’t know when or how, but Nagi thinks the universe tells him that he and Reo are destined for each other and that eventually they’ll always find their way back together.
In the aftermath of the match and subsequent victory against the Japanese U-20, they’re given a break.
At first, Nagi is about as happy as he can be without reo by his side. But he steps foot into his apartment, devoid of any signs of life and Nagi breathes out more tired than he has been in the whole time he’s been at blue lock. He didn’t think it was possible for things to become even more dull, yet here he is, embraced by the silence that he once was able to survive in without issue.
The days that follow are… lonely.
The only noise that permeates is that of his mobile apps as he goes through his daily missions, not a word spoken out loud.
No messages, no calls.
No Choki.
No Reo.
Before blue lock, Reo used to text him constantly any time they weren’t together and when he wasn’t there to talk to, Nagi would turn to Choki, spilling his emotions to him, telling him, asking him what he should do.
Should he tell Reo how he feels? Should he just continue on as they’ve always been?
As it stands now, Nagi isn’t certain whether either is even an option anymore.
Reo isn’t sad.
At the very least, he’d looked fine, better, rather, than he had the last time Nagi had seen him.
They talked, they interacted.
Reo gave him a towel and copied him, they’d shared some banter.
Things were okay, but they can be better. But Nagi opens up his messages and hesitates. Too many questions clogging up his mind and there’s not even Choki to hear his thoughts.
It’s a few days into their break that Nagi receives a message.
Not from Reo, but from Isagi, asking if he wants to hang out.
The truth is that Nagi doesn’t want to hang out. But there’s a chance— a slim chance, but still a chance— that Reo might be there.
With a sigh, Nagi allows the energy of possibly seeing Reo again to guide him to his closet, put on some semblance of an outfit, and head out of his home.
He doesn’t think he’s seen sunlight in a couple of days.
It pales in comparison to Reo, not as bright and nowhere near as warm.
Getting distracted hadn’t been part of the plan.
Really, Nagi blames it on the flash of vibrant purple he sees on the window, and if that window had just been the alluring, tempting entrance of an arcade, could Nagi really be blamed? He doesn’t think so.
Everyone else catches up to him eventually anyways. And when he says everyone, he means everyone. But as always, Nagi’s eyes are fixated on one person, his mind repeating his name over and over because Reo, his Reo, is there.
Yeah, he’s not all over Nagi like how he usually is, but he says hi, smiles shyly, and god Reo is just the cutest person in the world in his little sweater and his little bag—
Nagi will spend the rest of that day chasing after the sight of Reo’s eyes on his own, clenching his fist and tensing his jaw whenever someone other than him receives Reo’s attention or praise.
It’s on the way out of the arcade that Nagi sees it.
A little kuromi plush, smirking deviously at him through the plastic of the claw machine and Nagi wants.
Just like Reo, he thinks, making his way as if entranced and in a few swift moves, successfully holds the plush in his hands, caressing it and looking at Reo, wishing it was really him instead.
The day ends prematurely when Nagi decides that with Reo calling it quits earlier, there’s no point in him being there any longer.
On the way back to his apartment, Nagi will hold tightly onto his little kuromi, passing by two lonely traffic cones standing closely next to each other, two cats cuddling in the afternoon sun, and two flowers, one purple and one white, sprouting from a crack in the sidewalk.
It’s enough.
For now, Nagi will make it so that this is enough and when they come back together, Nagi will tell Reo, show him everything that reminds him of his partner and hopefully Reo will smile at him like he used to.
Their reunion is like a collision of two galaxies. An unstoppable cosmic force meant to happen, written in their story from the very beginning.
And just as it’s always been meant to be, Nagi is with Reo and Reo is with Nagi once more.
The universe has healed, Nagi thinks.
Because with Reo by his side, it’s like a piece of his heart that was missing has returned to him, Nagi is whole again.
They should talk about things, about them, about what they are and what they’ll become, but Reo isn’t ready yet, and that’s fine. When he’s ready he’ll tell Nagi because he promised, they promised.
They’ll be okay this time, Nagi will make sure of it.
It’s a flash of purple and black that brings Nagi out of his thoughts, and unlike it had been for the past few weeks, Nagi is free to March up to Reo and get close to him, invade his personal space in a way only he is allowed.
“It’s us.”
“What?”
“It’s us,” Nagi says again, pointing to the hair ties around Reo’s wrist.
A few days ago Nagi had shown him a picture of the flowers and said that it was them, Reo had gone pleasantly pink, telling Nagi that they were pretty, only for Nagi to fire back with a “but you’re the prettiest,” Nagi wants to fluster Reo some more. A flustered Reo is a cute Reo.
Only now, instead of a pair of purple and white flowers, what catches Nagi’s attention is the two hair ties that wrap around Reo’s right wrist, one black and one purple.
It’s us!!! Nagi thinks again.
He can’t believe it’s taken him this long to notice it. Reo always uses two hair ties, Reo always uses one black and one purple.
Their colors.
It’s them.
“Ah,” Reo says, looking confused at his wrist before his eyes widen and— “Oh! You’re right! I’ve never noticed before,” he says laughing.
“It’s not on purpose then?” Nagi asks with a pout on his lips.
“No but…” Reo says, taking one of Nagi’s hands in his own, “I must’ve been thinking of you subconsciously,” he says, “I’m always thinking of you.”
Nagi’s eyes widen.
Before he can get a word out, Chris begins practice and Reo shoots him a coy smile, letting go of his hand and gathering with everyone else.
Things only get better from there, their close touches becoming more intimate until one day, it all comes to a head, the collision of two galaxies into one as they kiss in the dark of the night, down an empty hallway and the world melts away to just the two of them.
“Haha, you tired, treasure?” Reo asks as he notices Nagi’s kisses become lazy, until his partner has completely stopped, the two of them back in their room, Chigiri gone away to the German stratum for the nth time this week.
The other boy allows his head to be fully supported by Reo’s hands, who holds him with utmost care, brushing the hair out of his eyes even now when Nagi’s have fallen shut.
Nagi thinks he could fall asleep like this.
Knows he can, because he’s fallen asleep like this before. There’s truly nothing that brings him more comfort that being with Reo and knowing that he can fully just relax and do nothing around him.
With his cheeks still squished between Reo’s hands, Nagi pouts and nods, but begins to whine in protest when he feels the warmth of Reo’s breath on his face begin to get further away.
“Keep going,” Nagi says.
It’s not a question, but a demand, one that Nagi knows Reo isn’t immune to.
Just as he orders, Reo is back to doing as he was previously, only this time with Nagi too tired to kiss back, Reo instead opts to pepper kisses all over Nagi’s face. A few more on his lips, he pushes Nagi’s hair back to give him a couple on the forehead, on Nagi’s nose which causes the white haired boy to scrunch it up to which Reo laughs before kissing his cheeks a few times and from his cheeks down his jaw line and then further down to Nagi’s neck.
Reo’s arms have since moved around Nagi’s neck and as he presses kisses there, Reo takes a moment to rest, burying his head in the crook of it and just savoring it.
Not long after, Reo lifts his head to kiss the shell of Nagi’s ear, letting his warm breath ghost against it for a few seconds.
“I love you,” Reo whispers.
And it’s like Nagi’s whole world explodes.
Three words that Nagi has been saying in his head so many times, holding back because he’d been told that saying them too soon might put Reo off.
Of course it wouldn’t.
Of course his Reo would know that their feelings couldn’t be anything other than love.
Nagi tenses up in Reo’s hold, but before his partner can overthink it, Nagi is maneuvering him so that they face each other, and then just as how Reo had done before, Nagi takes his hands to cup Reo’s face between them, pulling him so close that their noses practically touch.
“I love you too,” Nagi says.
It’s easy.
Telling Reo that he loves him is the easiest thing in the world, more easy and more natural than even breathing is for Nagi.
Loving Reo is unquestionable, an undeniable thing, a fundamental truth of Nagi’s world, telling Reo that he loves him is easy because it’s true.
In front of him Reo smiles big and bright and Nagi falls even deeper.
“It’s us,” Nagi says.
Reo looks at him with confusion, he’d tilt his head if Nagi’s hands weren’t preventing him from moving around much.
“We’re us,” Nagi says again, more firm this time but it’s clear to him that Reo still doesn’t understand, “you’re the only you and I’m the only me, we’re made for each other and even if other things remind me of us, we’re the originals,”
Internally, Nagi cringes at how desperate and weird he must sound, but Reo as always just looks at him fondly.
“We’re us,” his partner repeats with a soft giggle.
Nagi nods and resumes his position of holding Reo.
Nagi will see them in everything, because his mind will always be searching for Reo. But nothing compares to the real deal.
Even if Reo is still a bit confused, amused by Nagi’s insistence on things representing them, Nagi knows that Reo is always searching for him too.
It really doesn’t matter how much time passes.
Nagi will look at his left ring finger just to pass the time, get lost in the sight of the golden band that adorns it, the inside embossed with a tiny “my treasure” in the same writing as his beloved.
Gold doesn’t look good on him, he knows it because Reo tells him, and if it’s Reo that’s saying it, then it must be true. He’s too pale, too cool toned, not warm enough to pull it off like Reo can, then again, Reo can pull off anything as evidenced by the silver band that wraps beautifully around his partner’s own ring finger.
Inside of Reo’s, however, a small “my love” is inscribed in what Nagi hopes is a constant reminder of how he feels about Reo, just in case his insecurities make themselves present again, something that’s becoming less frequent as the years go by, so that Reo always knows that Nagi will love him unconditionally until the end of time and beyond.
Reo loves gold, the color and the object, but wears silver because it reminds him of Nagi and similarly, gold is something Nagi has come to associate with his partner, it only makes sense that they’d coordinate pieces of each other constantly with them.
When Nagi looks at their rings, he’s looking at themselves, an embodiment of their promise, of the life they’ll live, intertwined with each other for eternity.