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Nagi finally climbed up the countless flights of stairs as he made his way to the rooftop of the skyscraper, spotting his friend sitting dangerously close to the edge. As the sun gently began to set, the light reflected off the other buildings and caught Nagi at the right time, momentarily blinding him. He raised his hand to shield his eyes before shuffling towards Reo and taking a seat beside him.
Despite his movements and obvious presence, it seemed as if Reo hadn’t acknowledged him there yet, so Nagi didn’t say anything either, letting the boy have his moment while he enjoyed the cool breeze. ‘The air feels nice and crisp up here, ’ Nagi thought to himself, closing his eyes and taking in a deep breath of the cool air, before exhaling and admiring the view of the city below.
“I really envy the birds, you know.” Reo started quietly, adjusting himself so that his legs were resting on top of the other. Nagi looked over at him with curiosity shining in his eyes, wondering where that statement could’ve come from. It sounded a bit silly to him, but he knew Reo would have an answer to it; he always did.
“They’re just so… carefree and adventurous, and they always do what they want whenever they want.” Reo continued, Nagi noticing the slight agitation growing in his voice. “But Reo is adventurous too, and he does what he wants whenever he wants, right?” Nagi replied with a slight tilt of his head. “You do so many sports and activities, and you’re popular too.”
Reo glanced over at him before furrowing his brows, and then motioned to the small bow that was clipped to the back, hanging on by just a few hairs. Nagi looked over at the small accessory, frowning for a moment before opening his mouth to say something, only to get interrupted by the sound of the door of the rooftop opening. The two boys turned their heads to see who it was, but once Reo got a glimpse of the person, he turned his head back around towards the city. Nagi recognized the person as someone who worked for Reo’s family, seeing him around from time to time whenever he came over to visit Reo.
“Ms. Mikage, your parents would like to speak to you.” The man said.
“Tell them I’m busy.” Reo swiftly replied.
“But they want to speak to you-”
“I don’t care.”
“But Ms..-”
“Go to hell!” Reo snapped angrily, and the man turned around and went back the way he came from, mumbling a few things under his breath. Reo brought his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them, glaring out at the city with narrow eyes.
Nagi glanced at the door before looking back over at his friend, feeling a pang of sadness in his chest for the other boy. He looked over at Reo, before glancing at the city for a minute, only for his gaze to fall back onto Reo.
“They still won’t change…?” Nagi asked with sad eyes, sad for his friend that he was stuck in such a situation. “They won’t, no matter how many times I remind them or tell them. Girl, Ms, girl. That’s all I ever fucking hear. Especially that asshole, every time he sees me he just has to say something.” Reo ranted, clenching his jaw as he spoke.
“I have to be my parents’ perfect little girl, I have to take over the family company, I have to get married to some son of a businessman my father knows, I have to do this, and I have to do that, and I gotta act like this but god-!” Reo exclaimed, bringing his hands up to his hair and gently tugging it, before reaching for the clip in his hair and ripping it out, before tossing it off the edge of the skyscraper. Nagi watched with wide eyes as the clip fell, growing smaller and smaller until he couldn’t tell where the clip had gone, before looking back towards Reo, noticing his eyes were a bit more glassy than before.
“Reo.. I-” Nagi started, before looking down at his lap as he searched for the right words, his mind running blank. The truth was, he didn’t have the right words; he didn’t even know if the right words existed, and if they did, what would they even sound like? Pointless promises that everything would be okay? Or would Reo prefer softer, sympathetic words?
The silence didn’t last long as Reo stretched out with a fake yawn before looking over at Nagi with a small smile. “Enough about me, what about you? Tell me, what does freedom feel like for you?”
The question left Nagi stunned; he blinked a couple of times as he thought about what freedom felt like for him. He didn’t worry about his parents planning out every aspect of his life, he didn’t have to worry about his parents that much.
He didn’t think they worried about him at all.
Nagi shook that thought out of his head before thinking a bit more, glancing off to the side and then returning his gaze to Reo. “I really do what I want when I want. My parents don’t really have huge expectations for me like yours do. I think they’ve given me a bit too much freedom, now that I think about it.” Nagi mumbled, his eyes never leaving Reo’s face. “I don’t really know what to say, because it’s something I’ve known for a long time. My parents aren’t involved in my life… at all.”
Nagi’s gaze lingered on Reo’s eyes, despite the heavy conversation taking place; he admired how they still sparkled anyway. His eyes wandered to Reo’s face, down to his cheeks, slightly red from holding back tears earlier, and his nose still slightly scrunched from the tension he probably didn’t even realize he was holding in.
“But if I think about it… I think my freedom comes from being here. With you.” Nagi spoke softly, watching as Reo’s eyes widened as he took in the other boy’s words. “Being with you is fun, and I don’t feel so lonely. It’s freeing for me. Free from being lonely all the time.” Nagi continued, fiddling with his fingers mindlessly. Reo picked his head up from his arms and scooted a bit closer to Nagi, giving him a teasing smile.
“Aww, that’s really sweet. I didn’t know you were that kinda guy, Nagi.” Reo said with a grin, which only made Nagi’s heart flutter. He leaned in closer to the other boy, his gaze intense as he stared into Reo’s eyes, before dropping his eyes down to Reo’s lips. Reo seemed to have noticed, as he subconsciously licked his lips, his teasing smile turning into a more nervous one.
“Can–can I?” Nagi asked with a hushed whisper, although he was already moving even closer to Reo, so much so that he could feel the other boy’s slow breaths on his face. Reo tilted his head slightly to the side before leaning in and closing the distance between himself and the other boy.
Time seemed to slow down, and everything felt soft and fuzzy. Reo closed his eyes and took in the moment, never wanting to leave. The way Nagi’s hands softly held his cheek, with such gentleness and care; the way his other hand met Reo’s hand and tangled their fingers together, Reo never wanted to let go.
If this is what freedom tasted like, then Reo wanted all of it.