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“A sleepover?”
“Yeah,” Nagi says.
The truth is that Nagi has been meaning to ask for a while. Even before Reo insisted they visit each other’s homes the other day, curiosity sprung up in Nagi’s mind. He’s never been particularly social, even as a child, but because he and Reo have promised their lives to each other and it’s only a matter of time before they start living together, a sleepover is a stepping stone to grow accustomed to the other’s sleeping habits.
That and the internet said that it would strengthen their bond.
So the urge was already there, but visiting Reo’s home was the catalyst that pushed Nagi to seriously wanting to ask because upon seeing Reo’s bedroom, Nagi decided that it wasn’t enough.
It’s not enough.
Seeing where Reo sleeps isn’t enough, Nagi Seishiro must gaze upon Reo’s unconscious face, maybe take a couple of pictures too. Part of Nagi’s mind wonders if perhaps it’s inappropriate to lay in the same bed as his beloved before they’ve actually married, but he quickly pushes it aside.
Oh well, it was bound to happen eventually. Nagi’s parents have always told him to live life the way he wants and what Nagi wants most these days is the sweet sweet feeling of waking up in Reo’s arms.
This time, thankfully, the words have successfully come out of his mouth unlike the previous attempts where he’d just stared intensely into Reo’s eyes, thinking it in his mind but never actually saying anything. That in itself wasn’t a total loss, Reo got some amusement out of it, the two of them engaged in a staring contest until Nagi ultimately won.
In Nagi’s mind, they had a telepathic communication on the details of their wedding. The venue, the date, the color scheme, the food and so on. Personally, Nagi is a supporter of having the Apple & Strawberry provide desserts for nostalgia’s sake. He thinks Reo would appreciate it.
Reo hasn’t said anything yet, something that’s beginning to get on Nagi's nerves. He’s a few seconds away from just telling his partner to forget about it and save himself the embarrassment from the potential rejection. Continuing to tap away at his phone screen, Nagi lowers his head down even more, a sad attempt at shrinking his 190cm self down until the ground swallows him up.
It’s not like Reo is even facing him right now though. No, his partner is much too occupied jotting things down in his little purple notebook, too busy coming up with football strategies than giving Nagi attention. His tongue is probably poking out in concentration right about now, his brows furrowing to reveal a slight dimple in his forehead, all things that Nagi thinks are so cute it's criminal.
It should be a crime, Nagi thinks, for Reo to be so effortlessly adorable and for Reo’s thoughts to even be elsewhere when Nagi’s thoughts are always about Reo and have been since the day they met. Crimes that carry a penalty of Reo promising to let Nagi choose where they live in the future—Somewhere secluded and with a lot of plants— or maybe a hundred kisses.
The thought of it alone is enough to have Nagi’s cheeks feel warm, no doubt flushed a pink so light it’s nearly imperceptible on his almost transparent skin.
Reo would be able to tell. Reo would be able to tell and he’d tease Nagi, give him attention, and once again things would be right with the world.
At the same time, Reo seeing him embarrassed like a schoolgirl asking out her crush would probably make him look lame. Though considering Reo's track record of seeing Nagi behave pathetically and finding it endearing, maybe it wouldn't be so bad.
“Reo…”
Just forget about it—
His mind thinks, but what comes out of his mouth is entirely different, “The sleepover?”
“Oh… oh! Oh, right, a sleepover,” Reo says, the sound of his pen against the paper stopping, “That sounds…”
Nagi braces for an oncoming rejection. Ready to play it off like it’s no big deal, like he hadn’t preemptively rented a copy of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Truman Show, or stocked the fridge with something other than konjac jellies, or gone through the trouble of actually deep cleaning his bathroom (and himself).
Just as he’s about to tell Reo to nevermind, he’s suddenly falling backwards, the weight of himself that he’d been resting on Reo being pulled down by gravity as Reo moves.
“Absolutely amazing!” Reo shouts, “That’s a great idea, my treasure!”
Nagi’s complaints die on his tongue as he opens an eye after his head unceremoniously hits the ground. How can Nagi complain when Reo is looking down at him, the light of the Sun like a halo around his head, his smile as bright and beautiful as ever. Reo’s purple eyes sparkle with excitement and Nagi can feel his heart begin to pound again.
Is it because of me? He wants to ask and the cute little Reo that exists permanently in his mind tells him that it’s true. His mouth is feeling suddenly drier.
Did he brush his teeth today? Reo is leaning in pretty close… Are they gonna kiss? Is Nagi gonna get his first kiss—
“That hurt,” Nagi says in a weak voice.
Pushing himself up on his elbows Nagi rises so that their faces are even closer, pouting his lips out but not closing his eyes. People are supposed to close their eyes when they kiss, right? Nagi can’t imagine doing that when Reo is the person he’ll be kissing, he wants to watch.
Reo misunderstands, however, giving Nagi a weird look before laughing out an apology, “Sorry treasure—“
Nagi wants to tease him a little, tuck the longer end of his fringe behind his ear, cup his face with his hand and bring him closer, but the warning bell rings just as Nagi is about to do what his instincts tell him to. He wishes for it to have not happened at all, cursing its toll just like he curses the droves of Reo’s groupies for taking his attention away.
“Ah, looks like lunch is over,” Reo comments, “Come on Nagi, get up. We gotta get going now,” He says, leaning away to gather his belongings and dusting himself off as he stands.
“Don’t wanna.”
“Didn’t ask,” Reo says, grabbing Nagi by the jacket and pulling him up.
As they quietly sneak off of the rooftop and make their way towards the hallways, Reo’s fans begin to approach him, flirting and swarming around him like flies. Nagi sticks close, deterring all except the more daring ones.
What a pain.
Having such a popular partner is teaching Nagi a lot about emotions he never thought he’d exercise. Like jealousy. Reo’s presence and not wanting to make Reo chastise him teaches Nagi restraint.
Thankfully, faithful as always, Reo brushes them off. Skillfully dodging any questions of hanging out or study dates and for a moment Nagi worries about Reo doing the same to him.
But they reach the entrance of Reo’s class— like a good husband, Nagi makes sure to walk him there— and Reo finally manages to shake off any lingering pests, all of them scattered away lest they be late to their classes. The teachers show mercy to only one student and that’s Mikage Reo
“So, a sleepover?” Reo asks, seeming to vibrate with joy.
Nagi breathes a sigh of relief
“We should have one,” Nagi says
“Definitely! You can come over to my place—“
“Actually, I think Reo should come to mine,” Nagi says, “To experience a normal sleep over at a normal home,” he says teasingly.
Reo huffs playfully, smirking at Nagi “My room is bigger,” he tries to argue.
“And mine isn’t prone to getting visitors. You probably wouldn’t want your parents checking in on us, right?” Nagi retorts.
Yeah, Nagi doubts Reo would want his parents walking in on them, especially if they’ll get to whatever base Nagi is envisioning in his mind (he has no idea what the bases are, he got too lazy to look them up). Reo may have an entire floor to himself, but maids and cooks and other staff are occasionally coming in and out, so even if his parents don’t interrupt, well, Nagi is just trying to be a considerate partner.
“True,” Reo says brightening up, “I’ve never had a sleepover before! This is so exciting!”
“Neither have I,” Nagi says, “I’ll be your first.”
And your last , goes unsaid, but Nagi is sure the point is made, Reo’s face lighting ablaze.
“Okay,” Reo says quietly, looking up at Nagi nervously through thick lashes.
Nagi never really had any strong opinions on his height. Until now. Something about the few centimeters between himself and Reo and the way Reo will sometimes coyly look at him like that makes him feel some type of way.
“Okay,” Nagi confirms.
“Um, you should get to class now too, Nagi,” Reo coughs into his fist, recovering from his shyness and smiling at Nagi once again, “We’ll go over the details after practice, okay?”
Nagi groans at the mention of practice but leans into Reo’s head pat anyway. It’s worth it, he supposes.
“Kay’” he says, “See you later, Reo.”
“Bye, treasure!”
Nagi spends the remainder of that day paying attention even less than usual. He’s never had a sleepover before, honestly, he doesn’t know what to do during one and all of the advice on the internet sounds cringe.
A pillow fight? Nagi only has one and he doesn't want to run the risk of hurting Reo by accident, he'd never forgive himself for something like that. Spin the bottle? Well, since it’ll only be himself and Reo, that one doesn’t sound too bad, but would Reo want to do it? Considering that they’re only really dating in Nagi’s head, he can’t imagine Reo would be up for something like that. But for all he knows, Reo would find it interesting enough to just try.
Who knows, with Nagi’s seemingly good luck, it might bring some kind of revelation to Reo about his feelings and they’ll have some cliche happily ever after. Reo could be into that, Nagi thinks.
Reo’s taste is a bit… eclectic.
His wife gets distracted easily and bored even easier, but like he said, Nagi already has at least a few things. The Truman show is Reo’s favorite movie and Eternal Sunshine is Nagi’s, he wonders if Reo would like to see it and the mini Reo in his brain yells out a resounding yes.
For whatever reason, Reo gets really shocked whenever Nagi expresses his care so directly. He has no idea why, they’re together aren’t they? Nagi is joining him on a journey for the World Cup and Reo promised not to die before him. They all but proposed to each other when they went shopping in Harajuku. Even if Reo doesn’t want him any more, Nagi is inclined to stick with him forever and if one day Reo should try and run away from him, Nagi would have no choice but to kidnap him.
Yeah, that’s what he’d do.
Putting his head down, Nagi drowns out the background noise. Reo agreed and if Reo is anything, it’s true to his word.
And smart, and talented, and caring, and funny, and beautiful, and— Nagi could keep going for hours really. The point is that it’s too late for either of them to back out and Nagi will be a good husband and take responsibility for whatever may transpire.
When class comes to an end, Nagi takes his time packing his belongings. Too nervous to take his typical mid-class nap, he can only hope he won’t fall asleep and crack his head open on the pavement when Reo bikes them back to his apartment later. Making Reo a widow isn’t in his plans. Why? Because while Nagi may have only known Reo for a few months, he knows a few things: the first is that he wouldn’t be able to live without Reo, and the second, although it stings to admit, is that Reo can most definitely live without him.
Leaving Reo without a husband lends room for potential weirdos to come and sweep Reo off his feet during a vulnerable time. Would Nagi come back as a poltergeist under such a situation? Yes. Does Nagi want Reo to be sad forever? It’s complicated.
If it were up to Nagi, the world would consist of just himself and Reo but, such is the life he’s been dealt. Ba-ya and Choki could be there too, he thinks. So long as no one is trying to separate them, then it’s fine.
A hand combing through his hair takes Nagi out of his reverie. Were it anyone else, Nagi would shake it off, but he knows that touch, that warmth, those delicate hands. Even with his eyes half open, he knows it’s Reo, and sure enough when he lifts his head it’s Reo’s smiling face that greets him.
Nagi wants that smile burned into his retinas so that every time he closes them, even then he won’t be without his Reo.
“Ready to go?”
“Hmm, do we have to?”
“Yes! Come on, we’ve gotta make sure we beat DaDaDa! Or else my old man’s gonna be all smug and ‘I told you so,’” Reo clicks his tongue.
“Okay,” Nagi says, allowing himself to be carried away by the Mikage Reo breeze.
The truth is, despite how much of a pain something might be, if Reo tells him to do it, Nagi will. He’ll push back a bit but only because teasing Reo and watching him get frustrated is cute, but ultimately if Reo told him to jump off of a bridge, Nagi would do it.
Practice goes by in a blur, with Nagi spending it doing the bare minimum, engaging in a few drills and a jog before ultimately flopping over, relaxing his body completely so that Reo can’t pick him up and make him do more, and dividing the rest of the time playing video games on his phone and watching Reo command his underlings.
It’s captivating.
Everything about Reo demands people’s attention and with his confidence and charisma, it’s like he’s a flower attracting all the bees, or a seductress luring in men.
Does Nagi spend a good portion of practice staring at Reo’s ass and legs? The answer is yes but the explanation is valid: Nagi Seishiro is simply a man. A man with an undeniable attraction to his wife.
Before he knows it, Reo is calling practice to a close, waving everyone goodbye as the slowly filter off the field meanwhile Reo himself does some cool down stretches (Nagi may or may not take a video of him when he does this to add to his “Reo stretching” album) and then moves to gather up all the equipment to put away.
Reo is hot.
“What was that, treasure?” Reo calls out from across the field.
Oops, Nagi said his thoughts out loud again.
“Reo, it’s hot,” Nagi says this time.
“Go in and take a shower then! I’ll be right there!”
Despite Nagi’s increasing number of fantasies regarding Reo, those fantasies are still just figments of Nagi’s mind. While Nagi wishes Reo would have actually joined him, Reo opts to wait for Nagi to finish his quick rinse down before going in himself and then dragging Nagi away towards the bike racks once he’d finished.
Like with anything involving Reo, Nagi allows himself to be spirited away by him, climbing onto the back of his bike and using one hand to gently grip at the back of Reo’s uniform jacket.
“—that sound good to you?”
“What?” Nagi asks, thankful for the distraction but slightly embarrassed from his lack of attention. Briefly he wonders if Reo can feel his heart beat a bit faster.
“You weren’t listening at all were you?” Reo says.
Nagi can’t see his face from here. He could very well lean his head against Reo’s shoulders to get a closer look but the last time he did that, it caught Reo so off guard that he’d lost control of the bike and sent both of them tumbling down a grassy hill.
It’s fine.
Although Nagi would love to look at Reo’s face, he can tell from his voice that he’s smiling, fond in a way Nagi’s never know anyone else to act towards him, not even his parents.
“Nope, sorry, Reo.”
Reo’s laugh is like music to Nagi’s ears. Soft and sweet and addicting. Nagi wants to make him laugh like that more.
“I said that we should probably wait till’ Friday to have our sleep over. I figured it’d be more fun! This way we can stay up as long as we want and wake up as late as we want on Saturday!”
Waking up next to Reo sounds nice.
“That’s sweet treasure.”
And Nagi has to once again remind himself that Reo isn’t a mind reader, he’s just not aware of what comes out of his mouth sometimes. Cringe. But at least Reo doesn’t mind.
“Friday, then,” Nagi says.
“Yup! Friday!”
“It’s a promise, Reo.”
“Sure is!”
There’s a pleasant buzz, a comforting warmth that envelops Nagi. Like all of his concerns melt away, along with his body melting, drooping more and more to lean his weight against Reo. He tries his best to keep himself awake, out of consideration for Reo and also to watch Reo’s beauty as he’s bathed in the glow of the setting Sun.
Baya is waiting in the limo when they arrive outside of Nagi’s apartment. He greets her, bids Reo a farewell and stalks up to his apartment.
Friday.
Nagi can do that.
Like with all decisions in his highschool life, Nagi finds himself consulting Choki leading up to the fateful day. Excitedly (as excitedly as Nagi can) telling him about how he and Reo are finally going to spend their first night together. The first of many, Nagi hopes.
It’s even better when the Friday of their sleepover comes and they win their match, Reo happily jumping on Nagi’s back and praising him. Sure, things are a bit bumpy when Nagi reveals to have received a letter to some sort of football training thing that Reo is probably gonna make him go to, but it’s okay.
Because Reo pedals them back to Nagi’s apartment with an overnight bag Baya left for him, chattering excitedly about what they were gonna do, while Nagi ponders if everything is ready or not.
He left his roomba running the entire day so the floor should be spotless. The bathroom is clean enough, his fridge is in an awful, mostly empty, state again since he'd promised Reo to try and eating more proper meals but he thinks he heard Reo say something about ordering food so hopefully it won't be that much of an issue. Nagi even made his bed!
“Where can I park this thing?” Reo asks.
“Just bring it up.”
“You sure? Won’t it get in the way?”
Hoping off of the bike, Nagi grabs his and Reo’s bags from the basket like a gentleman, “It’s a nice bike. If Reo leaves it out here, it could get stolen.”
“I could just get a new bike,” Reo laughs.
“Rich people,” Nagi huffs.
“Haha! Shut up!”
So, here’s the thing.
Nagi Seishiro has very minimal experience with interpersonal relationships. Shocking, right?
Aside from Reo, Nagi can’t recall ever having any friends in the past and honestly, to call Reo just a friend feels wrong. Reo is a friend, but he’s also more than that. A partner, a lover, a wife.
Does Reo know this? Aside from the partner thing, Nagi is prettys sure Reo only sees Nagi as a friend.
For now, anyway.
“Here, treasure, say ah!”
And just as Reo instructs, Nagi opens his mouth to try some of Reo’s ice cream. He watches intently as Reo takes the spoon back, scooping another piece of the ice cream and eating it.
That’s an indirect kiss, so maybe all hope isn’t lost.
You see, Nagi has been trying to drop hints like he’s ready to take the next steps in their relationship. But all Reo’s been wanting to do is talk about football and whatever this Blue Lock project is that they got invited to. Though Nagi can’t say it’s all terrible, almost laughing as Reo maniacally cackled like some evil villain for winning the match against DaDaDa, thus having gotten his father's begrudging permission to go to the program.
Their video game session was better, Reo unable to sit still while playing, moving his body to match the characters on screen, inadvertently getting into Nagi’s space, at one point practically falling on Nagi’s lap. (He had to excuse himself to the bathroom after that, at which point Reo had gotten bored when he’d come back).
With a brief and panicked intermission of consulting Google. Nagi is starting to run out of ideas of what to do and is now almost certain that he's going to have to make some kind of blatant confession.
Theoretically, he could just kiss Reo or try to make a pass at him, but there’s no telling how that would go.
At the very least, Reo looks pleased, fluttering around Nagi’s apartment looking at everything, even managing to find the sole photo album his parents left to him and cooing at the blurry and out of focus baby pictures.
“Let’s watch a movie,” Nagi says.
“Sure! Which one?”
“I have The Truman show—“
“That’s my favorite!” Reo says excitedly.
I know , Nagi thinks, “and I also have eternal sunshine.”
“Oh? That’s a romance movie, isn’t it?” Reo asks, suddenly curious.
He follows Nagi into the small living room, taking a seat next to Nagi as he pulls the dvds out, Reo promptly grabbing them to look them over. The glint in his eyes doesn’t die down, and there’s a small smirk on his lips.
“I didn’t take you for the romance type, Nagi.”
“It’s my favorite movie,” Nagi says through a pout, “Romance is fine. It’s… nice to think about, since I’ll probably never be in a relationship myself,” he sighs dramatically.
Secret Nagi technique: act like a sad bug-eyed creature.
He learned this one on Reddit. Nice guy forum or something, making oneself pitiful to garner sympathy.
“Don’t say that treasure! I’m sure you’ll find someone,” Reo says.
Hook, line, and sinker. Thank you, internet.
There’s an arm that wraps itself around Nagi’s shoulder, Reo’s hand giving him a reassuring squeeze but not meeting his gaze. Despite that, Nagi can see the way Reo’s ears get red.
That’s okay.
Nagi may have fabricated an elaborate love story between the two of them in his head, but hope isn’t lost when he’s able to make Reo fluster like this. What keeps Nagi encouraged is the fact that according to Google, Reo exhibits all the signs of liking him back.
“You know,” Reo starts, looking to the side and scratching his cheek with his free hand, “You’re pretty handsome, treasure. And you’re talented, and you have a sweet side, and you’re very thoughtful in your own way… I think anyone you’ll be lucky to have you.”
“You think so?” Nagi asks, making his voice purposefully soft, shuffling out of Reo’s hold to face him.
It’s kind of hard when Reo is trying to pull away, Nagi grabs onto him everything, making them both lose balance and fall onto the ground.
“Haha! Get off of me!” Reo says
Any actual attempts of getting Nagi off of him are half hearted, if anything, Reo clings back to Nagi whose arms are wrapped around him.
“Reo thinks I’m handsome~”
“Well, yes, but—“
“I think Reo is beautiful.”
Reo gasps, looking up at Nagi with eyes as wide as saucers. Nagi can’t lie, he feels pretty good about himself right now, self confidence really does wonders. To knock it out of the park, Nagi sits up, bringing Reo up as well with ease causing another look of shock to appear on Reo’s face. Maybe all that football training is actually good for something, being able to manhandle Reo is certainly fun.
Tucking some of Reo’s hair behind his ear, Nagi takes a moment to slowly examine Reo’s face. Those cute eyebrows, his vibrant eyes, and then landing on his lips, Nagi licks his own and Reo audibly swallows. (Note: if Nagi tried this on anyone aside from Reo, it wouldn’t end well. Thank God for Reo’s questionable taste).
“Thank you,” Reo whispers.
Nagi just hums, “Come on, lets watch,” he says, holding a hand out for Reo to take and leading them both to Nagi’s tiny couch.
“Yeah..” Reo says, still a bit out of it.
The internet seems to be divided on movies as a first date, but well, even if Reo doesn’t realize that in Nagi’s mind, they’re practically dating— or engaged, or married, or whatever— Nagi doesn’t consider this their first date in the slightest. In fact, Nagi counts every lunch period with Reo as a date so, this should be fine.
And it is.
In fact, it goes much smoother than Nagi expects, Reo being forced to practically be making constant physical contact with Nagi because of the limited space. At some point, Nagi gets up to make them popcorn which utterly fascinates Reo (“They make popcorn in a bag? I’ve only ever seen it in buckets or popped on the stove!”) which of course, leads to the cliche, accidentally touching each other's hands as they reach for it at the same time.
Speaking of cliches, Nagi manages to put his arm around Reo. The old yawn and “stretch” technique executed flawlessly. Not to get a big head, but Nagi is starting to believe Reo when he calls him a natural genius.
The best part, however, was when Nagi put on Eternal Sunshine and Reo cried like a baby. And here Nagi was thinking that it was impossible for Reo to be any more attractive, clearly Nagi had never seen Reo cry before this because, wow. What he felt in those moments was a myriad of emotions, fascination and protectiveness, along with a possessiveness of wanting to be the only person to see Reo, the perfect Mikage heir, in such a state. Reo is an enchanting beauty when he cries though if Nagi were to be honest, he’d much rather make Reo cry for different, not sad, reasons.
Still, Nagi performs a good boyfriend duty as instructed by google, holding Reo and letting him feel his emotions while providing tissues and other silent support and reassurance.
“I didn’t know it would be that sad,” Reo sniffles, “Why didn’t you warn me?”
“I didn’t think it was that sad,” Nagi says. It’s a lie, he just doesn’t cry easily.
“How can you not think it’s sad?”
“I didn’t say that I don’t think it’s sad,” Nagi sighs, rolling his eyes which causes Reo to playfully hit his arm, “It’s just not that sad. If anything, I think it’s more beautiful… like Reo,”
“I– Oh, you!” Reo laughs, hitting Nagi again, “No way you’ll stay single, you’re pretty smooth when you want to be.”
“Only with Reo,” Nagi whispers.
“What was that, treasure?”
“Mmm, nothing.”
Nagi sits back, sinking into the couch and mourning the feeling of Reo’s warmth now gone from his side as his partner begins picking things up, cleaning, reorganizing.
“Reo is like a wife.”
“Huh?”
“Reo is my wife..” Nagi says with a glint in his eyes.
It definitely gets Reo’s attention, the purple haired boy’s head snaps to meet Nagi’s instantly, expression incredulous and confused as if he thinks he might’ve heard Nagi wrong. But Nagi challenges Reo’s gaze, serious but amused until Reo’s puffing a cheek out cutely.
“Are you making fun of me?”
“Nope,” Nagi says, “Why, do you think there’s something wrong with being a wife?”
“I—”
Grabbing his phone, Nagi holds it up as if to take a video, “Is the sweet, charming Mikage Reo saying being a wife isn’t a respectable choice? Do you think so poorly of homemakers? Gasp,” he says in a monotonous voice.
“Ugh, shut up!” Reo says, putting a hand on his hip.
This is nice, Nagi loves seeing Reo get bothered like this, his cheeks red with embarrassment. Nagi wants to kiss him.
“I’m gonna throw this out,” Reo mutters.
For a second Nagi wonders if he’s taken it too far, but Reo bites his lip in a sad attempt to hide a smile.
Nagi hates seeing Reo leave, but Nagi loves watching Reo go, eyes trailing after him until he’s out of sight in the kitchen, throwing away their garbage.
With a sigh, Nagi decides to get up. Slow as a snail, making his way to his bedroom to make sure everything is in order. Bed made (for now) check. Three pillows (that’s right, Nagi shelled out some of his allowance money on some extra pillows just in case one wasn’t enough) check. Looking behind him to make sure Reo hadn’t followed him, Nagi opens the small bedside table. Protection? Check.
But they probably won’t be needing it tonight. Internally, Nagi feels embarrassed at himself once again, the memory of his hoodie pulled tightly over his head as he’s purchased condoms and lube rushing back to him. At least he’d gone out of his way to go to a different one than his usual corner stop.
Maybe it’s better to get rid of them all together. Even if he manages to get his feelings through Reo’s thick skull, he doesn’t think Reo is the type to just jump into bed with him like that. Having them in the room runs the risk of Reo discovering them and asking questions. Questions that Nagi will be too awkward to explain properly. The last thing he needs is Reo trying to give him “the talk.”
“It’s getting late isn’t it—”
Nagi slams the drawer shut, caught off guard by the sudden voice.
Turning around reveles, not a figment of Nagi’s imagination, but the real Reo, now looking suspiciously between Nagi and the drawer
“What was that?”
“Nothing,” nagi answers.
Too quickly. Because Reo looks at him as if to say “yeah right” but doesn’t comment any further.
“Anyways, we should get to sleep.”
“What happened to let’s stay up all night,” Nagi asks.
His sleep schedule isn’t the best so it’s not like he’d mind staying up later.
“I wanna spend as much time together as we can tomorrow! If we go to sleep now, we can wake up earlier and do more stuff!” Reo says excitedly.
But Nagi practically stops listening after Reo says he wants to spend as much time with Nagi as he can, feeling like he sees little Reo angels flying around his head, making him loopy. He just nods along, knowing that he probably won’t want to wake up early, but oh well. Reo is worth it.
Reo is always worth it. And the last time they went out together they practically got engaged so maybe… maybe this time Nagi can make it actually clear since last time didn’t work.
“—sleep?”
“Huh,” Nagi says, done daydreaming
“I asked, where am I gonna sleep? Because if I’m being honest, air mattresses aren’t really great for my back,” Reo says, “I mean, I don’t really know, I’ve never actually slept on one… They’d probably not be good for my back though, I’m pretty sensitive haha.”
I’m not great for your back , Nagi thinks—
Reo scoffs, “I know you’re not. You’re kinda heavy for someone who only ate jellies up until I started feeding you real food,” Reo mumbles.
Nagi goes through emotional whiplash while maintaining a straight face. Sometimes these things just go right over Reo’s head and for that, Nagi is thankful.
“I guess I could sleep on the couch…” Reo mutters, “Are the pillows on your couch goose down? What would you say the density is like because anything with too firm makes for uncomfortable sleep. Oh well, I’m sure I’ll be fine, first time for everything!”
The mention of first times definitely doesn’t help to quell Nagi’s beating heart, not that Reo would notice a change in his demeanor, standing stiff still as if nothing is happening.
“Reo can sleep in my bed,” Nagi tries to say, voice soft and hopeful
“Oh? That’s so sweet!” Reo says, smiling brightly.
It’s so bright it’s blinding and for a moment, Nagi wonders if perhaps he’s died and arrived at heaven's pearly gates.
Reo pats his head and if Nagi wasn’t dead before, he’s certainly ascending now.
“But I couldn’t take your bed, that would be rude of me,” Reo chides.
Ah. And just like that Nagi feels his shoulders droop. Leave it to Reo to get his emotions all over the place
“Reo can sleep next to me,” he tries again.
It’s like it takes Reo a second to process the words. Almost like there’s a little buffer circle until he finally boots up scratching his slightly flushed cheek.
Nagi wants to kiss him.
“That’s not a bad idea,”
And at Reo’s words, Nagi perks up, ready to take Reo by the hand or maybe throw him over his shoulder and toss him onto bed .
“I could call Baya real quick to get me a futon! Then we’d be able to sleep in the same room and stay up all night! You on your bed and me on the floor,” Reo says, excitement clearly wavering as he looks at the ground.
Resisting the urge to face palm, Nagi wonders if Reo is being obtuse on purpose. Probably not. Reo is smart After All, right?
Stay up all night? Yeah, Nagi would love that. He’d love to stay up all night but, you know, with Reo in his bed, cuddling Nagi and giving him head pats instead of as a disembodied voice coming from his floor. The mental image is kinda creepy but Reo would be a cute house ghost.
It’s when Reo pulls his phone out and begins typing a message to Baya that Nagi intervenes.
“Reo, sleep with me.”
“… pardon?” Reo says in a weak voice.
“Sleep with me,” Nagi says again.
Reo’s face turns an assortment of different shades of pink and red in the span of a few seconds, and all Nagi can think of is how cute Reo is. Like a little chameleon changing colors to indicate he wants to mate— wait, Nagi is getting ahead of himself again. On second inspection, Reo is probably less excited about the prospect of sleeping with Nagi and more embarrassed.
It’s understandable, Nagi supposes, they’re both virgins after all.
What was he talking about? Oh right.
“We can share my bed,” Nagi says.
“Oh,” Reo chokes out, “Oh! That’s what you— haha, Nagi you’re so weird sometimes,” Reo laughs awkwardly, shuffling past him, through the narrow hallway and stepping into Nagi’s room.
“Reo’s the weird one,” Nagi replies, following after him.
It’s cute watching Reo look at the bed like a lost puppy, patting the mattress, fluffing the pillows, asking all sorts of questions regarding its make and model as if it was a car. Nagi doesn’t know how to answer. He got the cheapest one money could buy and honestly, thinking about things a bit clearer now, Nagi wonders if he got too ahead of himself.
“I’m gonna change!” Reo announces having accepted the inevitability of having to sleep on anything other than a king sized, ultra personalized bed. A first time for everything, Reo could very well be sleeping on a bed that will change his life forever.
“Kay,” Nagi says.
He moves to flop on the bed, keeping himself up with his arms, but the bed could give Reo a run for his money with how tempted Nagi is to just fall into it and lose himself.
“Turn around,” Reo instructs.
“Why doesn’t Reo turn around instead?”
“Because you’ll still be looking at me!”
“I’ve seen Reo naked,” Nagi says.
Reo sputters, “Seeing me undress in a locker room isn’t remotely the same as undressing in your room!”
“Sounds like a Reo problem,” Nagi says, a small smile tugging up on his lips. Messing with Reo is fun, “You’re the one making it suggestive in your head.”
“I am not!” Reo argues, stomping his foot a bit.
Oh if the world could see Mikage Reo now, puffing his cheeks out like a child. Too bad that the rest of the world isn’t Nagi Seishiro, because he’s the only one that's allowed to witness Reo like this. And Ba-ya since she basically raised Reo, she probably sees his emotional side all the time. And Choki technically since he’s also gonna get a front row show of Reo’s strip down.
“Just turn around!”
“Is Reo gonna be naked in bed too?”
“Stop it!”
“Cu’s I won’t mind,” Nagi says, “Aircon’s broken though, so we might get too warm if we cuddle—”
“I’m just gonna change in the bathroom!”
Nagi resists the urge to roll his eyes. He supposes that he could just tell Reo that he’s in love and wants to get married, but teasing Reo is fun too, maybe he’ll torture him a bit more.
Reo, as Nagi has come to expect, takes a pretty long time in the bathroom. Probably busy powdering his nose or whatever it is that wives do. Or he’s getting distracted by everything in a commonor’s bathroom. Or worse yet, Reo’s inspecting everything too closely and getting grossed out.
But Reo comes back and has no complaints, telling Nagi to move so he can lay down too.
(“What took you so long?”
“My night time skin care routine!”
“Pft—”
They wrestle in a far too small bed and Reo attempts to strangle Nagi with his pillow for ten minutes afterwards).
Sharing a bed was probably a better and more romantic idea in Nagi’s head, there’s a part of himself complaining that maybe it would’ve been better for Reo to have called Ba-ya for that futon.
Oh well. Nagi made his bed and now he has to lie in it. Literally. The only upside is that Reo is next to him this time.
The bed is far too small even for Nagi on his own, his feet hanging off of it ever so slightly. It was fine when he first moved in.
Yeah, they landed just shy of the bed’s edge, but it was manageable. But annoyingly, he’d gained a few centimeters between his first and second year, and then grew a bit more when Reo took him in like some stray cat, giving him actual nutritious food and making him train. Nagi had both shot up even more and filled out, no longer the lanky cryptid he’d once been. Well, he’s still cryptid-like according to Reo, just a semi-buff one now.
All of it was made worse by the fact that Nagi was no longer the only tall, muscular footballer occupying the space, Reo at his side, sleeping like the dead and perfectly still on his back. Part of Nagi wonders if Reo trained himself to sleep like that, too afraid to be anything less than perfect even when away from prying eyes.
It’s kinda eerie.
Nagi is a firm believer in his restless sleeping pattern and propensity for moving every which way while unconsciousness only adds to his constant tiredness. What’s the point of moving around so much when he’s awake if he gets just as much exercise when his eyes are closed? Given Reo’s near constant high energy levels, Nagi kinda expected him to be the same, only Reo lays still, arms at his sides and Nagi has an impulsive thought to shake him awake.
Instead, Nagi settles for gingerly pressing an ear to Reo’s chest to make sure his heart is still beating and those rumors about Nagi being bad luck having no weight to them. He sighs with relief when Reo’s heart thrums and only spends three extra seconds savoring the feeling of Reo’s relaxed, soft pecs underneath him. Call him disciplined.
When Reo wakes up, Nagi should tell him that this is how people get sleep paralysis.
What he says instead upon pulling back to his original position is a hushed and breathless, “I love you,” words that slip out with ease now that he doesn’t have to face Reo, words that Nagi isn’t quite sure he says out loud until—
“...What?”
“Huh?”
Either Nagi just embarrassed himself in front of the love of his life by pathetically and creepily professing his feelings while the other was seemingly asleep and in bed next to him, or Reo’s sleep paralysis demon has materialized in the room somewhere and Nagi is hearing its voice. Its voice that for whatever reason sounds just like—
“Reo?”
Nagi holds his breath, listening to the sounds around him and sure enough, he can hear the sharp breath that Reo draws before exhaling and opening his eyes.
They’re beautiful. Glittering and utterly enthralling even in the tiniest beams of moonlight that manage to stream through Nagi’s windows. Reo doesn’t look at him for a few seconds, taking measured breaths with an expression Nagi tends to see when his partner is coming up with strategies.
“Reo,” Nagi tries again.
Because if Reo is gonna try and play this off like it's nothing or like it's a joke, Nagi isn’t about to let that slide. Something about Reo making decisions on his behalf doesn’t sit well with him. Nagi is going to do as he pleases, and he supposes that in this case, what he’s decided to do is confess and, well, he has Reo practically cornered right now into giving him an answer. It’s now or never, Nagi can’t take his words back and Reo can’t pretend like he hasn’t heard them, Nagi can tell when he lies.
Reo turns to look at him, eyes shy as he struggles to maintain Nagi’s gaze, something that’s not like Reo at all. His bottom lip is caught in his teeth and Nagi resists the urge to kiss him right then and there. If Reo’s gonna reject him, then that would just make things more awkward.
Regardless, Nagi has a plan of action in both scenarios.
Scenario one: Reo accepts and reciprocates Nagi’s feelings.
This is the best case scenario, one that ultimately ends with Nagi fulfilling Reo’s dream of winning the World Cup together, getting married, and running away to the countryside where they raise an abundance of cacti.
Who knows, maybe they’ll even have a kid or two. Nagi hopes they’ll take after Reo.
Scenario two: Reo rejects Nagi’s feelings and either pretends like this confession never happened or is outright disgusted by Nagi and abandons him as a partner.
In the event that Reo simply rejects him, Nagi will take some good old Reo advice and persist (within reason) in hopes that Reo doesn’t feel the same for now. But If Reo tries to leave him… Oh, if Reo tries to leave him. Let’s just say Nagi is willing to do whatever it takes to keep Reo in his life.
“Nagi,” Reo says.
“Reo… did Reo hear me?”
“I— Well, I was kinda half asleep so I don’t know what I heard! It was probably nothing right? My imagination?” Reo begins to ramble, tripping over his words and finally breaking eye contact as he fiddles with the blanket, pulling them up to his chin and muffling his words, “You know what, I’m pretty tired! Yeah! That’s it! I’m tired and I’m hearing things and I’m sorry for waking you up—”
“Reo, I love you.”
“Wha—”
“You didn’t hear wrong,” Nagi whispers.
He reaches over, placing his hands over Reo’s and grasping at his finger’s trying and succeeding in getting Reo to loosen his death grip, massaging his partner’s knuckles.
“I said I love Reo,” Nagi pauses, “It’s kinda weird that I said it while you were sleeping though.”
“You’re always weird,” Reo smiles.
“So,” Nagi says, “What do you think?”
“I think you’re weird,” Reo replies with a laugh.
“Reo’s being obtuse—”
“I am not obtuse! You’re obtuse!”
Nagi thinks that Reo is being pretty brazen again for someone who was looking like he was about to pierce through his own lip a second ago.
“I guess… Reo would probably be acute then,” Nagi cringes internally. That was lame. Good thing Reo seems to like lame things.
“Ha!” And Reo is slapping one hand over his mouth to contain his laughter, promptly taking the other one out of Nagi’s hold and using them to cover his face.
There’s no need for it. Nagi can’t see if Reo’s face is bright red right now— it probably is— the sound of his laughter is enough. Dazzling like bells, alluring and beckoning Nagi closer.
“So,” Nagi says once Reo’s laughter dies down.
Reo clears his throat, “So.”
“I love Reo,” Nagi swallows hard, “Does Reo feel the same?”
“I,”
Nagi tenses.
“I think I do,” Reo responds, looking at Nagi and even in the darkness, the light catches Reo's eyes so perfectly.
“You think or you know?”
Reo doesn’t say anything at first, looking up at the ceiling as if it’ll grant him the answers to the universe.
Instead of using words, Reo employs what is typically a Nagi method: An answer through action, shuffling closer to Nagi until their noses almost touch and pressing a kiss onto Nagi’s lips. He takes his time, lets the feeling of Nagi’s chapped ones linger and then pulls back and giggles when he makes note of Nagi’s widening eyes.
“Again,” Nagi says, “Kiss me again.”
And Reo complies, kissing Nagi’s lips once more. And then his cheeks, his nose, his forehead.
“You didn’t wash your face did you?”
“I never wash my face.”
“Eww—"
"Wow thanks," Nagi says with a pout.
"Nagi! That’s not good, you need to take care of your skin properly.”
“Okay, mom.” Nagi rolls his eyes.
“I’m breaking up with you,” Reo says, dropping Nagi’s face and scooting away.
Nagi chases after him, cornering Reo against the wall and taking him into his arms. If Reo really wanted to, he could fight his way out of Nagi’s hug, but he puts on a struggle for show before eventually melting into Nagi’s embrace.
“Reo isn’t allowed to do that,” Nagi says, “Reo can’t leave and Reo can’t die before me. You promised, remember?”
“Yeah,” Reo sighs, “I remember.”
“Reo, does this mean we’re—”
Nagi is cut off by Reo’s loud yawn.
“Ah, we should sleep,” Nagi says, “But, let's talk in the morning, okay? I’m not letting Reo run away so easily.”
But Reo doesn’t respond, head nuzzled in the crook of Nagi’s neck, eyes shut once more. Nagi listens to his breathing for a little while longer, letting his body feel Reo’s against his own, almost so warm with their combined heat, but he can’t bring himself to let go.
It’s okay. They’ll be okay. Of that, Nagi is certain.
“We’re boyfriends.”
Nagi’s eyes go to Reo. His partner is asleep still, his words muttering as he continues to babble on while unconscious, but it puts Nagi at ease.
For now, it seems, the hard part of confessing is over. From now on it should be smooth sailing of football and being spoiled by Reo, that thought finally luls Nagi to sleep.
Reo’s taste, Nagi concludes in his last few moments of consciousness, is questionable at best and downright terrible at worst. But if it means Reo taking a chance on him, then maybe it’s not such a bad thing.
The only question that lingers in Reo’s mind after they’ve had an in depth discussion on the state of their partnership (read: Reo getting emotional and Nagi doing his best to comfort him, followed by another round of confessions and a make out session or two), is what his treasure had been so desperate to hide from him the night before. Eyeing the drawer and hearing Nagi’s footsteps get further away, Reo makes his decision. What Nagi doesn’t know won’t hurt him, right? And If what slipped Nagi’s mouth earlier is anything to go by, then the white haired boy sees marriage in their future, all of Nagi’s things are technically Reo’s and vice versa, so this is his right!
He opens it and—
Reo shuts it immediately, face red and Nagi’s voice calling from the distance asking if he’d dropped something.
“I’m good,” Reo replies, sounding strained, “Just dropped my phone!”
Burying his head in the extra pillow, Reo is caught between embarrassment and dizziness, as well as a warm feeling, touched by Nagi’s thoughtfulness. The bar must be in hell.
Oh well.
Reo ignores what he’s seen and heads towards the kitchen.
They can talk about it some other time, for now, baby steps are for the best.