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— Oh, fuck.
Reo ran towards Nagi, who couldn’t get up after his last jump. It ended up in a header that changed the scoreboard in their favour. The stands were still cheering, his teammates were still celebrating. And Reo was the only one who could catch sight of Nagi in the grass. The rival goalkeeper was calling for the medical assistants as he laid down next to him.
— What is it, Nagi?
Reo squatted; Nagi was pointing at his ankle, the boot was on its side. Without touching, Reo made sure it was not a dislocation, the bone was in its place, so that was a relief for both. It seemed like a sprain. If somebody shoved Nagi while on the air, he may have lost equilibrium and fallen poorly.
— Can you stand up? —he held out his hand. Nagi accepted it and stood up without putting any pressure on his right foot, the one he was aching for.
— Mh —he nodded, head down looking at his feet.
— Good thing.
The medics came in, Reo was already grabbing Nagi by the waist in order to help him walk out of the pit, Nagi’s boot on his hand. The same he once gifted him.
— Can you leave on your own? —the first medic to arrive looked at Nagi’s ankle, it only seemed swollen. Then he looked at Reo, who was waiting for them to get out of his way—. We must check him.
— Do it outside the pitch. I don’t like losing time —he started to walk again making sure Nagi was feeling well. The medics interrupted again, now from behind.
— We’ll take him out.
— What for? —he turned his head—. He doesn’t like anyone carrying him.
They resumed their walking for the second time. The sprain didn’t look like it would give much trouble to Nagi, but it was just Reo’s hypothesis. He couldn’t know it just by staring at it. Also, Nagi’s expression wouldn’t let him figure it out.
— Can you move the ankle, Nagi?
Without looking at him, Nagi tried to move his foot left and right. It caused him a horrible ache. He frowned and Reo began to show a little more interest.
— Hardly —Nagi finally gave an answer—, it hurts.
— Ok.
Initially, Reo thought it wouldn’t cause Nagi much work, just a few physiotherapy sessions and some training and he would be back in the blink of an eye. He started to diminish this option. He may have torn a ligament, and that would make him wait months to come back to the pitch.
Injuries are the worst for any athlete. Being away from what you love to do for months is a curse for anybody, and it wasn’t less for Nagi, who finally encountered something that made him want to keep going day after day, more than just videogames. Reo was aware of it. He was the first one to notice it, and the first one put aside by it.
To tell the truth, Reo was so over it. Nagi wasn’t good at expressing his feelings, he would always cork them up, and Reo knew that the same thing happened the day they took different paths. Nagi was harsh on him, and Reo bore the brunt of his frustrations, but he could proudly say he dealt with it the proper way. He tried to wipe the thought off of his head in order to achieve his own dream. Now he was just acting as a teammate would do.
They crossed the touchline and Reo helped Nagi lay on the grass. He bent a knee, putting one of his hands above Nagi’s ankle, but not touching it.
— This will hurt you a little, and it’ll be a pain in the neck for some weeks, maybe —he, in fact, knew it would be a nuisance for more than just a few weeks. He was actually willing to spend time with Nagi and help him with the recovery—. Don’t worry about it, you’ll be back soon. I’ll keep in touch.
— Thank you, Reo.
While Reo was reluctant to talk to Nagi all this time, he was now open to spend some time together. That shocked Nagi, but he wasn’t against it, rather in favour.
And as Reo told him, he indeed kept in touch. They talked after the match, of course, and then day after day, because Reo was really interested in Nagi’s health. He even accompanied him to the physiotherapist, and sometimes he would get a quadriceps massage to relax the muscle. It was common for him to get them stiffed after a long and hard match, so he did himself two favours: a massage and being next to Nagi.
When Nagi could start training, Reo encouraged him to do so alongside him. To be fair, Nagi was not a guy of much training. After all, he was a prodigy. He, however, was easily convinced. They were now together in the gym and on the pitch. They had fun. Reo even thought the reason he got his quadriceps tight many times was because of giving Nagi so many piggyback rides after every session. It reminded him of before Blue Lock life, which made kind of sentimental. And they were recovering that life.
Finally, Nagi was able to come back to the pitches. 4 months later, which is easy to say. And what a way to come back, a goal to secure your team’s victory in the stoppage time. Reo’s assist. No need to say, they celebrated it together just like in the old times. Reo rubbing Nagi’s hair. “See that?! You’ve come back!”.
And after the match, where maybe their training together could stop happening, they also talked.
— How did it feel, Nagi?
— No pain —his aloof expression would always be a nightmare for Reo.
— Good! Then training tomorrow! —he grabbed his bag and stood up from his seat.
— Reo… —he had repeated that same word with that same exasperated tone over a hundred times during the last 4 months.
— You gotta keep up with your physique! We don’t want to lose our progress, Nagi —he lent him his hand to help him stand up.
— I don’t need training, Reo.
— Whatever! —he passed his arm over Nagi’s shoulder—. Eleven at the pitch!
— Reo…
— We’ll play videogames later.
— Mh —that was the best thing Reo could’ve ever thought of—, okay.
And between little conversations, promises, proposals… they ended up sharing a flat. Which can also be said, living together.
Reo knew from the very beginning, when they first met, that they would live together. He wanted to, and he would always achieve whatever he wished for. Reo never stopped being privileged.
Nagi really thought he needed Reo by his side, his injury told him. He was happy having him around and spending time together, doing banal things. Sticking by his side was the only way he’d be genuinely happy, and he realised it very soon, when he casted him aside. He wanted to get better, that was the ultimate reason. However, he only found football funny when he was playing by Reo’s side. And he would never break his promise of becoming the best together, it was all for their shake. Nagi needed him.
———————————
— Reo.
The mentioned looked up, Nagi was staring at him with a hand in his waist, tilted head. Reo was sitting on the couch, phone in hand, scrolling through some apps. They had dinner half an hour ago, Reo washed the dishes and went to have some rest in the living room before going to bed. He remembered Nagi stayed in the kitchen, went for Choki, watered him, and left him in one of the living room’s furniture again, all of this without saying a word.
— Yes? —he left the phone on the armrest—. Need anything?
— I made you a dessert.
— A… dessert you say…? —that was not proper of Nagi, because he hated cooking and because every single time it ended up so bad he gave up instantly. And when the recipes were done, Reo would prefer to eat some fast food in order to avoid the taste of whatever Nagi poisoned him with, even though that meant he had to do more exercise the next couple days.
— Get up.
Reo did so and followed Nagi’s steps to the kitchen. Surprisingly, it didn’t smell bad at all. He took a quick look at the appliances, they seemed clean and ordered. It wasn’t usual when Nagi cooked.
— What is it that you did?
— Cheesecake -he opened the fridge and offered Reo a plate with a piece of cake in it. With the other hand, Nagi held a piece for himself.
They sat on the table. Reo took two spoons and gave one to his partner. The cheesecake looked good, and in fact he had never tried one that tasted bad, so he had high hopes in Nagi’s cook.
Nagi himself started eating it without putting on a face. That, however, was not a guarantee for Reo. Nagi would always eat everything he cooked no matter how it tasted or looked. His tummy used to hurt. Nevertheless, Reo had to try it. He sank the spoon on the cheesecake, took a huge piece, and put it into his mouth. The texture was just fine.
Naturally, it had to be Nagi’s the only cheesecake he couldn’t eat in his whole and short life. He grinned when the bitterness of the cake reached his palate. How could it even be bitter?
— You don’t like it —Nagi looked at him, chewing the last slice of this piece.
— It’s not bad —of course it was.
— You don’t like it —he reaffirmed himself—. Don’t eat it.
— I’ll eat it —he took another slice. When he was opening his mouth, Nagi grabbed both plates.
He left his on the sink, then opened the garbage and threw the rest of Reo’s cheesecake.
— Nagi! Don’t waste food!
— You don’t need to eat it if you don’t like it. And I don’t like it either.
— Okay…
Nagi turned around, debating what to do with the tableware while he thought about his uselessness at cooking. He really wanted to make some nice dessert for Reo.
— Thank you for still buying me cookbooks —he left Reo’s plate and spoon next to his. He was not really fond of washing at that precise moment, so he moved everything from the sink to the dishwasher.
Reo approached Nagi, hugged him from behind and rested his chin on his partner's shoulder. He left a soft kiss on Nagi’s neck.
— I will keep doing it. I’m so grateful I have you, Nagi —the mentioned moved his hand to meet with Reo’s—. You’re improving, by the way. This one was edible.
— Thank you, Reo.
The mentioned left another kiss on Nagi’s neck before separating from him. That, somehow, was a comfort.
— Should we go to the sofa?
— Yeah.
Reo headed to the living room, followed by Nagi’s steps. The TV was on, a soap opera being emitted. Reo sat down.
— Come here —he opened his arms. Nagi laid on the sofa, head on Reo’s lap—. I’ll watch TV, play on your phone if you want to.
As if it was a demand, Nagi took his phone out of his pocket and opened a game. Reo took advantage of it and started to play with Nagi’s locks. At one point, he deviated his attention to him, losing sight of what was happening on the TV screen, and giving all his focus to Nagi. He hadn’t changed a bit.
He realised how far they’ve come, so he began to contemplate his lovers’ features at the same time he recalled everything they’ve gone through, and that was so many things he could even write a novel out of it. Many people would buy it. How much he loved playing alongside Nagi; and how much he loved being worshipped with waking up every morning by his side. How much he loved him.
Nagi’s voice interfered with the precise thread of his thoughts.
— Oh, I died —when his eyes got off of the screen, he realised Reo’s were stuck on him—. Mh? What are you looking at?
— Just can’t take my eyes off you.
Nagi opened his eyes wider, moving his head a little on Reo’s thighs in order to align their glances. Reo’s fingers were still tangled between Nagi’s hair, making his face a little more visible than usual. And with Nagi’s gaze fixed on him, he was desperate to whisper sweet nothings.
— You look good -he moved one of his hands to brush Nagi’s cheek with his thumb.
— Thank you. We make a good pair don’t we?
Reo chuckled, and then, silence again. And with silence many words are kept forever, locked up in a crystal jar with. The key thrown in the river. Silence makes things easier, it’s an oftentimes used technique, maybe by people who don’t know how to make the most of it. But those who know, and Nagi was an ace, can tell more by being quiet than employing words.
However, he was also willing to talk from time to time.
— Reo.
— What is it? —he let one flock fall on Nagi’s face, softly laughing at it.
— Give me a kiss.
And truth be told, he was nothing of a romantic. Reo chuckled. He fucking loved that boy, regardless of his rock abilities to express himself. Maybe he had loved that aspect of him everyday without noticing it, and he was just a fool trying to convince himself he was not in love anymore. Until the day arrived and he admitted it, no chains, no restrictions.
— Whatever you ask for.
Reo leant towards him, and it was just another mundane kiss. One of those they were used to sharing on mornings, nights, special occasions. Just a sign of affection among boundless. A sign of love that doesn’t lose its sense as time goes by, that remains its essence and objective: to feel and to make feel loved. Reo and Nagi felt loved with every kiss, with every hug, with every touch, with every brush.
Love, the major pleasure of life, they had it in their hands. Handling it, playing around as little children who still know nothing about it, who still have loads to discover together.
Love, every time their lips pressed against each other. This one couldn’t be an exception.
Reo left another soft kiss on Nagi's lips before separating completely from him. His left hand kept playing with his hair, tangling it more with every move. Nagi took it, leading it to his chest and keeping the grab.
— I need you, Reo.
He got a smile in response, a caring, sincere one.
— Love isn’t a matter of need —Reo’s free hand travelled to Nagi’s cheek, stroking it with the back of the palm—. You want me, and so do I, Nagi. We both can live without each other, you taught me that. We just want to be together.
Nagi wide opened his eyes in surprise, because Reo was right, but he had never been told that, and he hadn’t realised it by himself. And Reo was just giving love classes blindfolded.
— Then I love you, Reo. And I want you.
— Love you, too —he giggled—. Bedtime.