Chapter Text
Everyone would like to live forever till they realise they'll live forever. As in “nothing will kill you” kind of forever. Not a knife, not a bullet, not even tripping and falling face first into a cactus.
That one hurt.
Nagi debated between getting the prickles out of his face manually or waiting for his skin to heal and reject them naturally. He opted to wait, after all getting every single one of them out sounded like a hassle.
“Shit Nagi, are you okay? Let me see”
Yeah Reo still didn't know he could do that, it made sense that he was worried. He cupped Nagi’s cheeks carefully in his palms and started turning his face this and that way.
“I think it got on your eyelids, we need to go to the hospital”
“Nah, too much of a hassle”
“Nagi!” God he sounded so sweet when he was worried. “How else are we supposed to get them out?”
“...”
“Exactly” Reo seemed satisfied, albeit a little worried, dropping his hands “I'll call an ambulance, they'll be here soon. Doesn't it hurt?”
Nagi blinked, yes it did but it was such a distant feeling he didn't even care. It was temporary, barely there. But Reo didn't need to know, so he forced his eyes to water.
“It stings Reo, it was better when you were holding me” Reo’s hands were on his face immediately.
“You're right, maybe I should apply pressure.” he stopped after a few seconds. “Wait, wouldn't that make the prickles go deeply?” He dropped his hands again.
So indecisive, it didn't help that he was panicking. Ah Nagi really didn't want to go to the emergency room, too many people, too much noise. He forced his skin to heal.
“Ah I think they're falling out on their own” he said, new skin replacing the torn one and rejecting the prickles. Nagi sent Choki a dirty look. It was all his fault.
Well technically it was Nagi’s fault, he was the one who miscalculated the distance between his bed and the windowsill with his cactus on, tripped on his bedsheets and landed face first into Choki. Still the universe could have been more considerate, did it have to happen in front of Reo? Really?
“Wow, treasure, you're always been fast at healing.” he said, fascinated, a big smile blooming on his face. It wasn't the first time he healed himself in front of Reo, the other time being when he sprained his ankle on the field and managed to convince him it got better after a night of good sleep. Nagi still didn't understand how much he could get away with with Reo. He barely seemed to react when he did something so out of the human realm. Maybe Reo just thought he was built different.
It didn't matter as long as he didn't ask too many questions.
He leaned on his bed, Reo's fingers splayed in his hair. One time he told him he liked the colour, it was rare in Japan. He didn't have the heart to tell him it was even more rare in 15th century Europe and he got burned at the stake for it. His skin smelled like burned bacon for a month after that. He was never going back to Europe.
“Let me clean that up, there's still prickles in your bedsheets”
“Nooo let me sleep Reo”
“What if you hurt yourself again?”
He pouted. Damn if only he knew, it would be so much easier. He contemplated it for a moment, simply opening his mouth and say “Reo I'm a vampire”
The other boy looked at him quizzically.
“hah?”
“huh?”
He didn't mean for it to slip out like that but at least the cat was out of the bag. No more secrets, no more lies, all clea-
A muffled laugh filled his room.
“Yeah and I'm the reincarnated spirit of the queen of England”
Nagi paused. Reo didn't believe him.
“No a baby already claimed the spirit”
“what?” Said Reo, puzzled “what are you talking about?”
“a baby was born when the queen died, she already reincarnated” Nagi said with a tone you couldn't pay him to tell you if he was serious or not.
“...is this an Internet thing?”
“Yeah it was all over my feed. Reo never checks his socials.”
“And you're chronically online, Nagi. Seriously, would you be able to live without your phone?”
Nagi lived without his phone for 6 centuries (or was it 7? He couldn't remember), it was boring but he could manage. He thought about saying it but Reo still wouldn't believe him.
A thought passed through his mind.
“Reo? What would you do if I was really a vampire?”
“You do realise vampires are fictional right?”
“if they were real. What would you do?”
The other boy paused, a small smile tugging at his lips.
“Mh… I'd study you I think, so humans could live forever. Maybe I'll even get a Nobel prize.” He said with a million dollar smile. It was clear he was just humouring him, Reo wouldn't study him like a lab rat right?
…right?
He narrowed his eyes “Reo’s being mean”
Another laugh, God he loved his laugh. “I'm sorry Nagi but who wouldn't?” he said between his laughter.
You wouldn't, he wanted to say. You wouldn't because you care for me, even if I don't understand why.
"liar. You'd hide me from the government”
“Yeah, treasure” He said after a beat “I would”
And maybe Nagi would need that in the future, because facial recognition is getting too advanced but he managed alone long enough. He could manage a bit longer.
“We’d hide together!”
“Eh, why would you need to hide?”
Reo’s lips curled upwards and he said something that froze the blood in his veins.
“because if you were a vampire I'd let you bite me, so we could be immortals together”
Ah, he never thought about that. Reo was mortal, no matter how much money he had he would still age and die eventually. If he was lucky. If he was unlucky a car would run him over tomorrow and Nagi would lose him forever.
Reo was mortal. As in “he will die”. As in “he will no longer live”. Nagi will live for centuries and forget his face, his voice. His smile. He will never know happiness again just like he didn't know it when Reo wasn't in his life.
He'll lose him. Just like he lost him in Blue Lock, twice. But this time he'll lose him for good.
He couldn't let that happen.
If they were both vampires it wouldn't happen.
Reo was wrong, he wouldn't need to bite him, to turn a human was a whole process. One he didn't know anything about. Who could fault him, he didn't know other vampires, and before Reo he didn't have any reason to search.
How could he even start looking for one? The Internet was out of the question. Between freaks and conspiracy theorists it would be impossible to find a lead. What did he even know about his species?
His dad was a human, so he's probably been dead for a while. He never bothered to search.
His mother was a vampire, that he knew for certain, but she was never involved and she disappeared out of his life not even a century in. Well not even ten years in to be honest but he found it easier to count in centuries. Less of a hassle. She wasn't particularly interested in raising him but he did remember her, even if her face was a little hazy in his memories.
They shared the same complexion, skin so pale they looked almost sick, grey eyes. Her hair was brown though so maybe his hair color wasn't indicative of his species. God it's been centuries since he saw other vampires, he remembered being in a village full of them when he was a kid.
The only common factors were:
Pale skin (extremely common, but not necessary for a vampire)
Thirst for blood (which at least narrowed the possibility a little)
They didn't get the same nutrients from food as humans, they could eat it of course but it was pointless. They could only truly be fed with blood, which everyone acquired by their own methods. Nagi preferred to just order a piece of meat from the butcher and suck the blood from there. A tad expensive but it was the easiest way.
Maybe he could try to find another vampire by following the blood. The smell was easily identifiable after all.
He tried to think about it but Reo started to caress his hair once again. Too relaxing. Body melting. Brain melting. Heart melting.
Welcome back Nagi of the dead.
He had no choice but to nap. Tomorrow he would find another vampire so he could turn Reo, and they would stay by each other's side forever.
That sounded nice.