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Nagi Seishiro is not cute.
For an idol, he never cared about his image. That, one would suppose, is precisely his image: the tall, mysterious one who rarely talks and doesn’t care about a thing in the world.
He doesn’t think of himself as particularly charismatic, much less cute. It wouldn’t be a problem, except he isn’t even an idol yet, but a trainee participating in the Blue Lock program, and just to his luck, he was assigned to perform a cute song for the concept challenge.
Nagi could easily memorise a song and its choreography in a short amount of time, a skill he developed so he could spend the least possible amount of time practising, and it’s how he breezed through all the challenges so far — but how would one even start with learning how to be cute, especially when they just… aren’t?
A-tier independent Japanese trainee Nagi Seishiro is lost in thought, staring at the bottom of the top bunk bed, when Reo walks into their dorm room fresh from a shower, rubbing a towel through his hair.
Nagi doesn’t notice him even when a weight sinks from the edge of the bed.
“Yo, Nagi!” Reo calls out, snapping the other out of his trance, not missing how his eyes widen in surprise from suddenly seeing him there. “What’s the matter?”
“I’m not cute enough for the concept challenge,” Nagi answers honestly, his hand attaching to the back of his neck as he says this. “I wish I had a sexy concept like yours, Reo.”
“You think you’re sexy?”
Nagi nods.
“Eh,” Reo teases, “don’t you just want to get teamed with me?”
Nagi nods again.
Reo is amused, this is the first time he ever heard from the other that he was worried about something, and he has to fight the corner of his mouth from curving into the slightest of cheeky smiles. It’s somewhat endearing. Especially with his worry that he only forced Nagi into being an idol with him, he’s also relieved.
“Anyway, I’ll help you.” He pats the spot beside him and Nagi scoots over to the edge of the bed. “Come here, let’s practise.”
Reo rests his head in his hands in the flower pose, closes his eyes and tilts his head to the side.
“Nagi! Am I cute?” he says, beaming with what very much is cuteness, as if he's the very personification of the word ‘aegyo’.
Nagi stares at Reo, watching intently, as he shows him all kinds of aegyo — a finger poking the cheek, kitty paws, palms out on either side of the top of his head to resemble bunny ears, five different ways to make finger hearts, even a simple peace sign is an aegyo pose when the one doing it is naturally cute. Reo’s truly good at everything, the fans would adore to have him on variety shows.
“Your turn.”
“Huh? Oh.”
Nagi then copied the pose, cupping his face with his two hands, but it’s to no avail. Seeing Reo’s disapproving look, he carries on, trying all the poses Reo showed him just now. It’s no good either.
“Er, I think we need to work on the expressions,” Reo interrupts, he lowers Nagi’s hands away from his face to see it clearly and suggests, “Try to smile for me.”
For the first time Reo sees the corners of Nagi’s mouth curve up.
…
…
…Yeah, he’s hopeless.
Nagi looks more uncanny than anything. It’s a soulless smile. And it isn’t the lack of teeth. Even if he smiled with teeth, there’s not a single thought in those huge eyes.
Even with all his worrying, the small effort he’s putting in could only take him so far.
Nagi undoes his smile, and decides that would be his last attempt. He slumps and rests his head on the other’s shoulder. "I give up, ’m not cute," he says, his voice slurred and considerably softer, you wouldn’t have to look at him to know he’s pouting. Reo almost feels bad, but when he tilts his head to look at him, Nagi’s cheeks are fluffed up by being pressed against his shoulder. Nagi’s pitiful, but in the way a sad wet dog is, cuddling up to his owner to tell him he did good.
Oh.
So Nagi can be cute.
Reo was stupid as well for not realising sooner.
Nagi is cute, at least when he doesn’t mean to be. Not only that — it’s Reo who has the privilege of seeing Nagi act all cute and baby-like like this.
“You know, just stay as you are,” Reo assures him, patting his head, to which Nagi leans into the touch and closes his eyes, and Reo's heart beats a little faster. “You have your own charm. The fans would like it anyway, so you don’t need to worry.” It’s not like his popularity would go away, his fans would just think it’s cute in itself, or at least funny, for him to try and fail to be cute. Nagi’s actual cuteness, though, is for Reo's eyes only, the way things should be.
“Okay.” Nagi lightens up at Reo’s reassurance that he’s fine as he is, happy that he doesn’t have to put in the work.
Nagi stays like that, eyes closed and head comfortably snuggled on his shoulder. Moments later, Reo feels him shift to look at him again. Reo looks back.
“You’ll debut with me, right, Reo?” Reo could swear Nagi’s eyes got bigger, like a puppy, when he asks this.
“I will,” he promises, “but the fans have to vote me in first, y'know.”
“I’m quitting if you’re not with me.” Nagi says, sounding so decisive as if he also had a choice in quitting as much as Reo had in rigging themselves in the final lineup, and this gets a chuckle from Reo.
“You just want someone to take care of you.”
Nagi doesn’t deny it. He pulls Reo in an embrace and lightly shakes him. “Take care of meeeee.”