Archive of Our Own ^beta

The idea that Reo must’ve used some kind of charm spell on him all those months ago is starting to feel like a reasonable assumption. 

Under any other circumstance, Nagi would’ve put his foot down— metaphorically of course, to do so actually would require energy he does not have— cutting off any hope for the inquirer that Nagi Seishiro would join them in some afterschool activity.

When confronted with a sparkly-faced Reo, the prince of the school, as he praises you for not letting your phone break, while the sunset casts an atmospheric glow around them, well, Nagi could’ve sworn he’d seen such a thing in a romance movie or two before.

Suffice to say, Nagi Seishiro is a soccer player now. A soccer player that just so happens to now find himself outside of one of Tokyo’s many subway entrances. 

As with many of the things he wouldn’t be doing otherwise, the culprit in spurring him into deviating from his preferred schedule of “get through school, go home, game, sleep repeat,” none other than Mikage Reo.

And Reo? Happy as a clam per usual as he goes over something with Baya— probably advice on more magic spells to keep Nagi entranced… or maybe the details of where and when to pick them up, but Nagi thinks the former is more entertaining and would explain a lot— Oh, and looks like the conversation is over judging by the way Reo waves excitedly at the old woman before turning in his heels and practically bouncing down the steps.

“I’ll race you down!” Reo calls, voice fading as he says, wasting no time.

Nagi is left with Reo’s dust as his partner rushed ahead and a second of stunned silence, eyes trailing behind. That thing Nagi said about being under spells? Yeah.

Nagi turns one final time, giving a small wave of his own to Baya who just looks back at him with what he’d almost call a mischievous (dare Nagi say witch-like) smile. Whatever that means.

Following down on the escalator, because there’s not a snowball’s chance in hell that Nagi is going to take the stairs, Nagi feels any lingering annoyance disappear as Reo waves to him from down below, smiling so brightly he may as well be manifesting actual sparkles.

Nagi’s heart does a weird thing, catching him off guard and then— “agh?” He stumbles as the escalator reaches the bottom, depositing him in an ungraceful manner.

Embarrassing, and not at all helped by the way Reo bursts into laughter patting Nagi on the back and telling him to “walk it off.” 

Jerk.

Nagi pouts and Reo shakes his head before rustling Nagi’s hair affectionately and Nagi supposes his partner can be forgiven. 

“I won, by the way,” Reo gloats.

And yeah, Nagi takes that back, Reo is not forgiven yet. Despite himself, Nagi feels the corners of his mouth lifting upwards as he bumps Reo with his shoulder. 

A crueler person might’ve just left Reo to his own devices. Ridiculously stupid wealthy and just the tiniest bit out of touch, struggling to navigate his way through Japanese public transit. 

Well actually, that’s not completely true. At least not of any other person at their school. On the contrary a bunch of those social climbing, money hungry nobodies are itching to be in Nagi’s current position. 

Nagi is by no means a saint of a person but at least with Reo, refusing a request from him is pretty much impossible. Well, he supposes, it’s not good to bite the hand that literally hand feeds him his meals. 

That and Reo’s his ride back to the dorms. So while he’s not exactly excited about the wonderful adventure that is navigating through Tokyo’s subway system (Reo’s words, not Nagi’s) Nagi would much rather figure it out together than all alone.

Contrary to Reo’s ideas of non-billionaire citizens, Nagi too, hasn’t a clue what he’s doing.

Reo smiles, yelling at Nagi about some poster on the wall and once again, Nagi feels a stutter in his chest and the ghost of a smile on his own lips. 

There are worse things, Nagi supposes.

“Show me how to ride the subway!”

As is typical, Nagi hears Reo before he sees him. 

Feels him too, his partner exemplifying no regard for formalities or consideration of Nagi’s personal space, which, yes, Nagi doesn’t particularly mind when Reo the one invading it, but still. A little warning would be nice.

Reo barrels into him at top speed, nearly sending the both of them falling over, saved only by the wall Nagi is inevitably pushed into.

Rest assured, though, for Reo received no damage at all!

Instead, his partner nearly gives him whiplash, grabbing him by the shoulders and spinning Nagi around.

“Show me how to use the subway!” Reo repeats.

More a demand than anything.

Say no, Nagi’s mind provides, say no, say no, say no, repeat the many Seishirou that inhabit his head. There’s no practice today. A new episode of a certain romance anime that Nagi wants to watch, and he still hasn’t done his daily’s, so—

“Say yes!” Reo says.

A big smile, eyes into crescents and nose scrunched in a way Nagi could only describe as cute, the look is enough to have Nagi (and all the Nagi’s in his mind) drawing a blank, buffering, 404 error.

His mouth moves before his mind has fully processed anything, soft, assenting, “Kay’” slipping out of Nagi’s mouth. 

Because Mikage Reo gets everything he wants, and Nagi, despite all his reservations, isn’t about to deny him now.

Damnit. Well, there’s no backing out now. Not that Reo would let him. 

Reo’s response is immediate, smile even wider and Nagi briefly wonders if his face hurts from how expressive he is.

Briefly because almost as soon as the thought enters his mind, it’s overtaken by the distraction that is Reo’s eyes, wide and cat-like, and sparkling so much it’d put a diamond to shame.

“Yayyyy!!!” Reo’s cheer is accompanied by him triumphantly raising both arms, voice garnering the attention of passersby, but they leave them alone.

Good. Nagi thinks it’s about time they learnt to leave them be. 

He pays no mind to Reo once again grabbing his shoulders and shaking him like a bug in a jar, speaking, presumably, about his plan of action.

“I’ll pick you up after last period!” Reo says, punctuating his exit with a friendly (and hard) punch to Nagi’s shoulder. 

Nagi flinches, watching Reo’s figure recede as his partner throws an exaggerated wave behind him leaving Nagi with a sore arm that’ll surely bruise within the hour. 

“Ouch,” Nagi says, rubbing the spot but for some reason he doesn’t register the pain. 

Instead what Nagi feels with clarity is how Reo’s touch has left him feeling pleasantly warm. 

The thing about Nagi Seishiro? It’s that his life can be broken up into two simple parts: before Reo and after Reo.

The before being characterized by what he’d call closer to just existing rather than living. Not that he minded. Sure, it was awfully boring and he felt nothing but emptiness and exhaustion for a future of corporate servitude until his (ideally) early retirement and the eventual sweet release of death. 

Okay, so maybe it wasn’t that great, but in Nagi’s defense, it’s hard to realize how shitty of an excuse for a life you’re living when you don’t know anything else.

And oh boy has Reo showed him so much more. Soccer practice is a pain but Reo spoils him so long as he goes. He doesn’t even have to go grocery shopping anymore! Everything gets delivered to him now and Reo will even cook for him on occasion. 

As Nagi watches Reo flutter about the platform like a tourist visiting some natural wonder, Nagi contemplates the likelihood of Reo ever stepping foot into a grocery store. Considering his partner's personal chef, Nagi bets the chances are low. 

The Nagi that once yearned for nothing but to lay indoors all day (and still does, but what Reo wants Reo gets, remember?) now thinks about Reo’s potential enthusiasm about accompanying Nagi on such a mundane task as grocery shopping.  

It doesn’t sound so bad. They could go after class like they are now, Nagi would be learning as much as Reo, they’d go back to Nagi’s place, and Reo would cook him dinner. Reo’s probably good at cooking, right? Imagining it has Nagi feeling lighter for some reason, a domestic scene playing out in his head like they’re some kind of romance anime… Nagi rubs his stomach when he feels it flutter. Weird.

Whatever. 

Refocusing on Reo, whose loud “oohs” and “ahs” echo in the surprisingly empty platform, Nagi lets out a puff of air. It’s kind of funny. Reo points and takes pictures and Nagi can’t help but think how much of a little kid he’s acting like. Those normies at school would probably kill to see Hakuho’s prince excitedly wait for his chance to see and ride a train for the very first time. The sight of Reo’s genuinely happy smile is, as always, reserved only for Nagi, a fact that has him standing a little taller albeit unconsciously.

So while Nagi can’t exactly say that he’s Reo-levels of excited right now, he’d be remiss to say that he’s some kind of expert at public transportation. That is to say, he uses it as sparingly as possible because of the, well, public aspect of it. One of the many pros of being Reo’s treasure? Having a private limo ride to school. Not to mention Reo also pedals them back after practice, giving Nagi a nice view of Reo’s— of the sunset. What Nagi means to think is the sunset. 

A camera shutter causes Nagi to flinch, though thankfully this time Reo’s phone isn’t aimed at him. He’s sure Reo’s got enough photos of Nagi staring off into space, 

What Reo captures instead is some advertisement for whatever Mikage brand device just hit the market. Reo smiles, blinding as always.

The train horn sounds and Reo smiles even bigger, even shinier, so bright Nagi worries about his retinas trying off but having Reo as the last thing he ever sees doesn’t sound so bad and he could probably guilt Reo into being his full time caretaker for the rest of his life so blind away!

Reo is practically bouncing in his heels as the train comes to a stop.

Before Nagi knows it he’s being pulled forward like a rag doll into the train car, but his mind remains occupied with the image of Reo looking like he just won the damn lottery seared into his brain.

If Reo were a fictional trope, Nagi would liken him to the “manic pixie dream girl,” archetype. Trust him, Nagi’s kind of an expert on romance movies and the types of characters they like to implement.

Reo comes barging into Nagi’s life, changing its course forever, gets Nagi to do things he’d never do for anyone else, and generally behaves like this life is the best thing since sliced bread.

Needless to say, Reo manages to make mundane tasks some kind of fascinating experience. If Nagi’s world was black and white before Reo, then Reo’s presence alone is enough to make everything seem technicolor. 

It’s one of the many mysteries of Mikage Reo that Nagi has yet to uncover. The drab world and any outsider starts to fizzle out as he tunnel visions on the curb rant purple of Reo’s hair and eyes—

“It’s bigger in here than I thought it’d be!” Reo comments, voice loud as always, carrying through the mysteriously empty car.

Well, mostly empty, but who cares about these nonreo npcs anyway?

Reo walks around, fingers on his chin while Nagi zeroes in on him. That technicolor thing Nagi was talking about earlier? Yeah. 

And for whatever reason, shades of pink stick out even more, what seems like bubbles playing at the peripherals and Nagi scrunches his eyes shut, rubs them, and then makes a mental note (that he’ll probably forget) to ask Reo about booking him an appointment to an eye doctor. 

One of the passengers clicks his tongue, Nagi’s neck snapping to look at them, the annoyance in their eyes as they follow Reo’s movements.

What the hell?

Nagi moves, deliberately standing in front of them to block their view of Reo, who isn’t bothering anyone mind you, and leveling him an uncomfortable amount of eye contact until the guy grumbles and looks away. 

Asshole. 

Sure Reo can be a little annoying and loud, but Nagi finds that to be part of the allure. Besides that, his partner is mostly minding his own business, commenting on the adverts and critiquing the marketing techniques utilized by some of them. 

Nagi sighs. Some people are just too stupid to understand them. The girls that get it, get it or whatever the chronically online say.

Thankfully, the sight of Reo’s curiosity is enough to curb Nagi’s irritation. Watching his partner is not unlike watching the many compilations of baby animals the internet adores.

Reo looks at everything with eyes wide open, pupils dilated, and always ready to poke and prod at whatever he finds interesting. He leans forward, inspecting every little detail and laughing when the minimal amount of vandalism includes some crude drawing.

Wrinkling his nose in distaste, Reo sees an area that isn’t up to his standard of cleanliness and quickly moves on to the next. 

The curiosity, the confidence, the slight air of untouchability, “I’m better than you,” and a type of cuteness that Nagi doesn’t recall ever being held by any other six foot tall teenage boy (Nagi’s boss is just amazing isn’t he?) It's like a lightbulb goes off above Nagi’s head.

A cat.

Or a kitten.
Yeah, Nagi nods his head as his eyes continue to keep track of Reo. The Reo, in question, who behaves startlingly similar to an excitable kitten when placed in a new environment. 

Hyperactive and brave, ignorant to the inconveniences of the world of humans as it ventures out to explore and claim the new area as his own.

The more Nagi thinks about it, the more his mind cycles through the endless hours of videos he’s watched of this very scene and envisions now a ball of royal purple fur small enough to fit in the palm of Nagi’s hand but with a world's worth of personality, tail pointing high to the sky and ears perked forward.

Reo takes another photo of something most other people wouldn’t think twice about and turns to Nagi until the white haired boy nods in approval. Reo’s eyes sparkle and then he moves on. 

Yup, definitely a kitten.

“Reo,” Nagi mumbles softly so as to not draw his partner’s attention, “Reo…w. Reow… Meowkage Reow!”

It comes out a little louder than intended, garnering a judgmental look from the idiot who was trying to side-eye Reo earlier. Nagi rolls his eyes. It’s like Reo always tells him, normal people just can’t comprehend his genius. 

“Did you call me, treasure?” 

Reo's voice rings out clear as a bell causing Nagi’s head to snap over to him. Nagi shakes his head, relaxing his shoulders when Reo turns away.

He feels the tell-tale heat of embarrassment making its way to his ears, internally cringing at himself at his comparison. 

Would Reo have laughed if he heard it? Nagi likes to think that the chances of it are pretty high. Whether it was laughing at his joke or laughing at Nagi, well, Nagi can’t really say he minds too much when Reo teases him or pushes him around but… looking lame in front of Reo puts a bitter taste in Nagi’s mouth.

Unfortunately the discomfort lingers as his stomach roils, flipping, and refusing to settle even when Nagi brings a hand to rub circles on it, like Reo does whenever Nagi gets a tummy ache. It’s a poor imitation but it works. Or, well, it settles Nagi enough that he’s able to think about it. 

It’s not like he’s nervous or anything, right? Of what, even, being alone with Reo? Nagi is alone with Reo all the time and it’s pretty good. Yeah, just Nagi and Reo, Reo and Nagi, partners for the foreseeable future.

Afterall, Reo said Nagi is irreplaceable on one of their very first outings together, but what if—

Oh god.

The sudden thought that maybe his jellies might’ve gone bad cross Nagi’s mind as another wave of discomfort hits too. Food poisoning in a place with no readily available nightmare sounds like a sure fire way to look lame in front of Reo.

Maybe Nagi should just tell him? Afterall, he’d offered a jelly to his partner and Reo had taken it gladly… Did he poison Reo? Nagi didn’t mean to, but he’s not so sure “I’m sorry I killed your son and the only person I’ve ever cared about” is gonna fly in the court of law after Reo’s mama and papa sue the hell out of him. And that’s not accounting for if Baya doesn’t get him first. Honestly, Nagi would rather jail time than become the victim of someone who he’s still not fully convinced isn’t a witch.

The whole thing has him feeling a bit nauseous, and Nagi’s not sure the moving train they’re in is helping either. Maybe he should just tell Reo? They could get off at the next stop and head back to Reo’s place where his partner would order his chef to make them dinner and they could cuddle on Reo’s massive bed like last time after Reo rubs Nagi’s belly to ease the ache? That sounds pretty good, if you ask Nagi.

And while they’re in bed Nagi could propose…

Propose the idea that they go to a grocery store for their next outing— Nagi hasn’t a clue why his brain stopped working for a second there! Maybe the bad jellies are worse than he thought— a grocery store! Nagi doubts Reo’s ever been in one properly, and at least if Nagi gets food poisoning, there’d be a bathroom. And a nice one too if they go to a rich person store!

The idea is enough to calm Nagi down. Suddenly not focused on the way his tummy flutters when he thinks of Reo by… thinking of Reo?

Reo in the grocery store, Reo excitedly piling things into their cart with no regard to the price, Reo daring Nagi to try various food items. Domestic Reo who, now that Nagi thinks deeply about it, probably has never cooked before so maybe they’d just end up with food poisoning anyway—

The train doors hiss open and Nagi blinks away the mental image of Reo, for some reason now in a purple apron as he prepares a meal for Nagi, only to realize his partner is no longer within his line of sight.

Shit.

Brain buffering, circle spinning, Nagi stands temporarily frozen while his mind works harder than it has probably the entire month, recalibrating. If his stomach was upset before, it’s even worse now and to make matters worse, Nagi’s heart picks up the pace ever so slightly. 

Shit, shit, shit.

He lost Reo.

Losing Reo? Not ideal. Mikage corps gonna want Nagi’s head in a stick and— forget them! Baya is gonna curse him to some pathetic existence as some Reo-less worm. What’s he even supposed to say to her? How exactly does one bring up the disappearance-slash-possible-kidnapping of a kid you essentially raised more than his own parents casually?

Did Nagi mention Reo was supposed to be his ride home?

Also, Reo disappearing would not be fair. They made a deal, Reo’s supposed to spoil Nagi for the rest of his life and he’s not about to let Reo off the hook for that. Yeah, Nagi’s been through abandonment before with his parents but he’s sure Reo kicking him to the curb would be much worse. For one, he actually gives a fuck about Reo.

Nagi shakes his head.

Now isn’t the time to be thinking about those things when Reo is missing. Of course being as tall as Nagi comes with its perks sometimes. Only sometimes, though, because usually what it entails is a nearly ever present bump on his forehead from running into short doorways. 

A bump that is conveniently hidden by his fringe. A bump that Reo always laughs at to the point of tearing up whenever he sees it despite Nagi’s protests. But he can’t get mad at his partner when the teasing is promptly followed up by Reo massaging his head. Does Nagi know that he should duck when confronted with short entryways? Yes. Will Nagi duck when confronted by short entryways in the future? Well, the answer to that depends entirely on whether or not Reo is present. Afterall, Nagi is not above acting like a helpless baby in Reo’s company so that his partner will coddle him an extra bit. 

Shaking his head again, Nagi mentally slaps himself to regain focus. 

Reo.

Helpless, excitable kitten, overly curious Reo who knows nothing about the subway system and is now separated from Nagi. 

Thankfully it takes Nagi all of three seconds to spot the other boy. Actually, he’s not sure why he was so worried in the first place, it’s a finite space and, well, as Nagi is coming to realize, Reo sticks out like a tall, regal thumb, hair a shade of purple that will always have Nagi’s head snapping to attention. 

Unsurprisingly, Reo’s already being bombarded by a group of girls whom Nagi is guessing just got on the train. 

Nagi narrows his eyes.

Look at them, a bunch of vultures! Hawks ready to dive down and steal Reo away like he doesn’t already belong to someone. One of them even has the audacity to latch into Reo’s arm like he belongs to her.

And Reo? None the wiser.

Or rather, Reo is all the wiser, but that is perhaps the reason why he hasn’t pushed her away yet, careful about appearances and waiting for the best opportunity so as to not appear too rude. A social chameleon through experience and just nature, Nagi can’t exactly say he likes seeing Reo suppress his strong personality. 

Nagi pouts. What a people pleaser… in Nagi’s humble opinion the only person Reo should be trying to please is Nagi himself but what the hell does he know? 

See? Absolutely helpless. If Nagi wasn’t around to scare these people away with his creepy vibes, there’d be many times more people trying to take advantage of Reo. (Reo is, in fact, not helpless at all. He’s six feet of intelligent, athletic, charismatic, ultra wealthy elite). But the mental image of kitten Reo taking his first steps in a new environment refuses to exit Nagi’s mind.

Without further hesitation, Nagi begins to push through the crowd of people he’d barely registered until now. Commuters probably, all of them itching to get home and get some rest, not unlike Nagi. And so instead of being a complete asshole, Nagi uses his manners, mumbling a soft “excuse me,” as he passes by. Words spoken so lightly, he doubts any of them actually hear him but oh well, it’s the thought that counts. 

He strong-arms his way through them, ignoring the icy glares a few of them throw his way as he passes.

Oh yeah, Nagi might’ve also knocked a few of them over but that’s neither here nor there, they should’ve paid better attention to their surroundings. 

Oh well, ultimately Nagi doesn’t care too much about npcs and speaking of npcs, the group of girls surrounding Reo seem to have multiplied. 

The one from before is no longer clinging onto Reo so that’s a good thing. Still, a few of them stand twirling their hair coyly, another pair giggles in a pitch that makes Nagi doubt if it’s their real voices, and another one strikes up the boldness to try and touch Reo, holding her hand up and trying to get him to compare their sizes all the while calling her own “small and dainty.” 

Gag. 

And not in a good way.

These must be what the internet calls “pick-mes,” is the conclusion Nagi comes to. Little do these randoms know that compared to Reo’s hands, their hands are nothing special. After all, Reo’s hands in comparison to Nagi’s are the cute and dainty ones. Long, slim fingers, nails short and clean, not to mention they’re so soft and nice when he’s squishing Nagi’s face. 

All of this hoop jumping for a drop of Reo’s attention? Two can play that game. And lucky for Nagi, all he really has to do is breathe differently than normal for Reo to be asking if he’s okay. 

Random group of girls versus the Reo attention seeking final boss? Coughing babies versus hydrogen bomb. 

“Reoooo~”

Nagi is pulling Reo into a back hug before he even has the chance to process it, whining and nuzzling Reo’s neck before settling his head on Reo’s shoulder. 

And like the sound of a crying baby, Nagi’s complaints are impossible to ignore, Reo’s attention on him instantly.

“Treasure!” Reo stops mid conversation to greet him, loud and excited, genuine smile stretching wide in his face. 

A hand finds itself in Nagi’s hair, ruffling white locks like an unconscious habit. 

It only encourages Nagi to hold on tighter, fighting to not melt and fall asleep. There’s a mission to be accomplished and that’s to get the two of them alone again. 

Of course, Nagi’s main objective nearly slips from his mind as he busies himself using Reo as a personal pillow. He feels at the same time ready to fall asleep and also reenergized. Now that Nagi thinks about it, he has been severely lacking in Reo skinship today, a strange feeling of something missing that is now rectified.

“Reoooo~”

Nagi once again uses his super effective whine technique as Reo begins to pull his hand away. A hum of satisfaction escapes his lips when Reo realizes his mistake and returns his hand to its rightful place.

Some might say Nagi is doing too much. Nagi says mind your own damn business and also, he could do so much more. But if there’s anyone to blame, it should be Reo. Nagi lived a pretty sorry excuse for a life before but he was doing it independently, but since Reo’s come into his life, Nagi has been transformed into a creature that thrives on being spoiled and feels entitled to all of Reo’s time and attention. 

Nagi preens internally, suppressing a huff of amusement. Living the life most people can only dream of and being treated to whatever he wants by the most beautiful person on earth who also happens to be filthy rich? It kind of sounds like Nagi’s describing some cliche self-insert fanfiction.

Nagi Seishiro, the y/n of the decade and the billionaire beauty he charmed by being an absolute soccer god (read: by being a fucking weirdo).

Still, Nagi also must consider the fact that Reo himself is kind of Mary Sue coded. That is to say, Reo is really that perfect. To outsiders at least. Because to Nagi who may as well be an expert in Reology the study of Reo, he’s discovered more than a few flaws about his partner. 

Strangely enough, however, Nagi finds even those flaws to be attractive. If anything they make Nagi like Reo even more.

A distinctly non-Reo giggle takes the bubble Nagi managed to form around the two of them and pops it without regard. Opening his eyes, Nagi frowns, one of the girls has regained Reo’s attention and despite Nagi’s whine, which only serves to successfully keep Reo petting his hair, he doesn’t pause his conversation.

Nagi hopes Reo is getting his telepathic complaints of “um, I thought I was your priority.” 

Operation: “steal Reo back” has hit a wall. 

Oh well, onto plan B: “make the group so uncomfortable, they leave.”

Nagi aims a glare at the girls before them. They seem to pause (Reo does not stop talking, either unaware or long since grown used to the vaguely unsettling energy Nagi gives off sometimes when he talks to others for some reason) but they don’t appear at all intimidated.

Though, Nagi admittedly isn’t putting in much effort to glare. From their perspective, he probably just looks like a weirdo fixing them an intense stare which will probably make them uncomfortable enough eventually. Without a view of his eyebrows (that reminds Nagi, he needs Reo to trim his hair again) they probably can’t tell he’s frowning at all. 

The girls don’t even look at all offended. Perplexed maybe, but even that only lasts as long as it takes them to process the look and then share glances between each other.

And then they laugh! The audacity. It’s not the fake cutest giggling shit they aimed at Reo either, it’s actual laughter. Nagi thinks he even hears one of them snort and then try to play it off like a sneeze, and still another one wheezes and says something about asthma. 

Yeah right.

Nagi feels an eye twitch. At least now Reo will think one of them has an unappealing loud ass dad sneeze. Granted, so does Nagi, but he’s always extra careful about making it sound cute and fairy-like around Reo. There’s no harm in letting sweet, kind of annoying, very crazy Reo believe that 6 ‘3 Nagi Seishiro sneezes like a puppy.

Interestingly enough, it’s like Nagi blinks and suddenly the flirtatious energy from the group of girls diminishes. Instead they keep sharing looks between themselves and then between himself and Reo, faces now transformed into something more devious and, dare Nagi say, knowing?

The cogs in Nagi’s mind begin to turn again. All of this thinking is gonna give him a headache and when it hits, he’s not letting Reo off the hook for it until he nurses him back to health—

Ah.

Nagi thinks he gets it now. 

From their perspective, they were talking to Reo when he came barging in, grabbing Reo like he owns him, whining for his attention, and nuzzling into Reo’s neck completely shamelessly. Nagi might’ve taken a whiff or two of Reo cologne as well but that’s neither here nor there. 

He’s probably coming across as some jealous boyfriend. Well, if it gets these nobodies to back the fuck off, then he can’t really say he minds. Still, he decides to test the waters.

Whining again, Nagi manages to telepathically direct Reo’s hand to his face instead of to his hair so he can rub against it, Reo pinching his cheek affectionately before letting go. But Nagi’s not done yet. He takes another deep inhale of Reo’s scent and then moves his arms from being wrapped around Reo until it’s just his hands on Reo’s tiny little waist, circling it and squeezing—

“Nagi!” Reo practically speaks. 

His partner tries to play it off before continuing his conversation with the girls but the flush in his face is so red it could stop traffic.

Hm… it’s a good look for him. Cute in a way that differs from Reo’s typical hyperactive Pomeranian (pomeReonian— Nagi’s mind supplies) Schlick. Reo like this is all cute and squirmy and not something Nagi is used to. 

It’s not the only realization Nagi comes to, though. With his hands still around Reo’s waist Nagi thinks he could squeeze the breath out of Reo if he really wanted to and—

His stomach flips again.

And here Nagi thought his food poisoning finally went away. Or maybe it’s motion sickness? Who knows. 

When Nagi turns his attention back to the girls, it’s just as he expects. They’ve all got their phones out. The bolder ones smile unabashedly, while the shier ones blush but are also unable to look away.

Just like that, Nagi’s theory is proven correct. 

What stands before him and Reo are none other than genuine, real-life fujoshis. 

Nagi allows his grip on Reo to loosen slightly. Now that he’s asserted his dominance as Reo’s one and only treasure and determined that this group of girls stand no chance of taking Reo from him, he can put a pause on his not-so-menacing-but-kind-of-uncomfortable-stare.

He’s familiar with fujoshis and they’re pretty harmless for the most part. So what if they think he and Reo are dating? The flutter in his stomach when he thinks about Reo being basically destined to be his life partner is something that happens every time he thinks of the purple haired boy for too long. 

“You two seem close,” one of the girls comments.

“How long have you known each other?” Another asks.

They have kind of a crazy look in their eyes, but Nagi doesn’t know if Reo can tell. His partner probably just ignores it to be honest. If anything, he only seems thrown by the question referring to the both of them when normally any conversation is directed solely at Reo. 

If Reo’s expression changing from something more shallow and mask-like to a genuine smile is anything to go by, his partner doesn’t mind at all. 

A sense of smugness washes over Nagi. That his name alone is enough to get Reo’s real personality to shine through. (Though he can’t exactly say he enjoys having random people be privy to the brilliance that is Reo’s actual smile).

“We’ve been partners for almost three months now!”

Nagi wonders if Reo can feel his face heat up, because from where he is right now, he’s got a perfect view of Reo’s cheeks as they dust over pleasantly pink. 

There’s an urge to bite Reo that almost overcomes him— is Nagi getting hungry? Or maybe he’s becoming a cannibal… hopefully not, having to eat humans sounds like a disgusting hassle.

The point is that Nagi finds he likes Reo when he’s like this. It’s a good color on him, dare Nagi say, a close second to Reo in white.

The group collectively squeals, ignoring Reo in favor of looking at each other and communicating telepathically probably. 

Nagi nearly shakes his head, no subtlety at all. 

Then again, it’s not like Reo’s vague usage of “partners” helped their situation. Poor, chronically offline little Reo, he doesn’t even know that fujoshis are masters of imagination. 

Nagi can practically see the wheels of creative writing turning in their heads. 

Again, Nagi has no problem with it at all. 

If anything he wonders if he should ask for a link to whatever they end up producing. 

Nagi should give them more to work with. 

Tightening his hold on Reo, Nagi sighs, “Yup,” and then looks at the group with the barest of smirks, “Reo said he’d never abandon me~”

The girls gasp.

“Reo also promised to not die before me~” Nagi continued.

They’re all leaned in close, listening carefully with breaths held in.

Time for the killing blow.

“Reo calls me his treasure~ don’t you, boss?” Nagi says sweetly.

Reo, despite his confusion, responds exactly how Nagi wants him to, “Well obviously! You’re the treasure I found, so be a good boy and don’t forget it!”

“Mm, I’m a good boy?”

“The best!” Reo says.

“Reo’s good boy~”

It’s a total knock out. None of those girls stood a chance and Nagi almost feels a bit bad for them. A few of them have their jaws dropped to the floor, some of them are typing on their phones furiously, no doubt trying to write down all the gold Nagi just gave them, one of the poor girls even looks on the verge of passing away as she prays to her yaoi gods or something. 

Nagi’s work here is done.

Around Reo, Nagi speaks with the confidence some girls might recognize as “you give a loser boy a chance” effect, charming Reo into ruffling his hair again. Nagi feels as light as air, Reo continues speaking to him, soft and affectionate but Nagi isn’t really paying attention, too busy soaking it all in and wondering why it’s suddenly a few degrees warmer. He should pull away. Best not get Reo sick, after all, how would Reo take care of him if he’s also down for the count?

It’s comfortable though, like being in bed but standing up as he leans all his weight into Reo. 

Oh well, Nagi’s sure Baya wouldn’t mind taking care of both of them.

This, Nagi thinks, is how it should be. A world where it’s only him and Reo, no annoying extras to bother them.

(If they had any shame, Nagi and Reo might see the collective jaws of everyone around them drop, practically seeing the projections of Nagi’s mind like some kind of super power, speechless at the blatant display of love? Devotion? Obsession?) 

The group of girls all record, going completely ignored by the pair as the train once again comes to a stop. They might wave goodbye, Nagi doesn’t know. There’s a bit of regret at not getting a number if only for the purposes of reading whatever they end up writing, but whatever. Reo wants the two of them to win the World Cup so he’s sure there won’t be any shortage of material when they go pro and become more visible to people. 

For a few blissful moments, it’s just the two of them, Reo’s time, attention, and affection being monopolized by Nagi once again.

And then the universe decides that enough is enough and pops the bubble by sending a wave of people lining into the previously somewhat empty train car. The flood is so sudden they’re nearly separated. 

Nagi watches with wide eyes as Reo is swept away. This must’ve been what the people in the titanic felt like, panic coursing through him, blood tubing cold.

Some no-name random could potentially injure reo by stepping in his foot, how would Reo play soccer then? More importantly, how would he carry Nagi around? 

Nagi cannot allow it. 

He pushes past the crowd, not bothering to excuse himself this time, most definitely knocking people over. But they’re sacrificed Nagi is willing to make, sacrifices not in vain as he reaches Reo in time.

They clumsily knock together, nearly falling on some people as the car begins to move again when Nagi’s godlike (Reo’s words, not Nagi’s) reflexes kick in, grabbing onto the overhead handle with one hand and with his free arm, wrapping around Reo’s waist and pulling him close.

“Ahh?!” A small sound escapes Reo, barely audible above the sound of shuffling feet.

Nagi understands now why sea otters hold onto each other so tightly.

The crowd begins to settle. There’s a little more wiggle room as people attempt to preserve a bit of distance but it’s still dense enough that they're not moving any time soon. 

It’s a good thing Nagi got to Reo in time, otherwise his partner would be getting up close and personal with someone boring instead of being close to his treasure. Nagi gives himself a mental pat on the back, making a note to remind Reo of his heroic deed in exchange for a prize. 

Maybe a sleep over? All this traveling and protecting Reo really takes the energy out of him. 

Speaking of Reo, Nagi finally takes a second to peer down at his partner only to find a Reo who is unable to meet his eyes, red faced like he was moments ago, but significantly more so.

Nice. 

But also, not only is his tummy doing that thing again, he feels his heart rate pick up too. Oh god, he feels warm. Nagi wouldn’t doubt that there’s a bit of color painting his own cheeks now too and maybe it’s just warm on the train. He’s sure all the additional bodies aren’t helping.

Taking a moment to examine Reo for injuries, Nagi is pleased to find Reo unharmed but the temperature really must be getting to him, because the flush that was on Reo’s face has now extended down his neck and even dipping below the exposed part of his chest where his uniform buttons have come undone.

Does it go further down? If so, how far? 

If Nagi were to undo the rest of Reo’s uniform shirt right now, what would he see? Not that Nagi would, at least, definitely not in front of all of these people— he’s just thinking about it. 

The temperature sky rockets, Nagi feels unsteady on his feet, is this a heat flash? Is this menopause— no. Nagi shuts that thought down immediately, that’s stupid and Reo doesn’t like stupid guys, and not to mention it makes no sense at all, Nagi isn’t nearly old enough for that. 

Great, Nagi’s sickness must be getting worse. He should do the responsible thing and push Reo away before he infects him too but… nagi doesn’t. does quite the opposite, pulling Reo closer and to Nagi’s slight surprise, Reo doesn’t fight him on it or try to escape. In fact, Reo rests his head on Nagi’s shoulder. 

Hmmm. Not bad. Nagi could get used to this. When they get out of here, Nagi should propose they do front facing hugs more often. 

To Nagi’s (pleasant) surprise, Reo clings to him for a good number of minutes, in a way, reminding Nagi of his own usually touch starved self. 

Even as the train comes to its next stop and a bulk of the passengers leave, Reo remains close.

To Nagi’s even greater surprise, Reo remains relatively calm. Chaotic kitten energy dying down. He must’ve tired himself out. Nagi imagines little kitten Reo yawning and getting ready to come down for a nap and oh boy could Nagi use one too.

Though Reo no longer leans against Nagi’s chest, he remains in his personal bubble, one hand on Nagi’s bicep, the same arm of Nagi’s that grabs onto the handhold. 

Much like Nagi, Reo scrolls mindlessly, having already sent Baya the message to pick them up at the best stop, there’s nothing much else to do but wait. 

“Hah!” Reo laughs, though it lacks its typical volume, “look at this, treasure,” he says.

A phone is shoved into Nagi’s face. 

“Isn’t that hilarious?!” 

It takes Nagi’s eyes a second to adjust and… what he sees he can’t really say he finds the humor in. Some business meme Nagi doesn’t understand. 

Something, something, stonks or whatever. Nagi doesn’t know, Econ is his least favorite class and any and all financials he has have since been taken over by Reo who now manages them. 

Nagi gives a puff of air in encouragement anyway, if only to see Reo’s smile grow. 

Nagi’s eyes make their way back to his own screen and— wow, Nagi’s heard Reo talk about how tech companies are one hundred percent spying on customers to curate the perfect timelines but damn.

“This is you,” he says, tilting his screen so Reo can look.

On it, a video of a kitten. A kitten on a train no less, curiously stepping into the car and sniffing at the different passengers with its tail up and happy.

Reo slaps Nagi’s chest but he laughs. It’s supposed to be playful but Reo doesn’t know his own strength and, though he’ll never say it out loud, he likes the way Reo’s touch lingers when the spots  he hits turn tender, even the purple bruises they leave behind reminding him of his partner.

Whatever pain that’s left is quickly forgotten when Reo smiles and keeps smiling.

Nagi wonders if his cheeks ever hurt. He’s half tempted to ask and maybe even offer to give him a face massage, not that Nagi knows how. It’d just be an excuse to touch Reo more, really. 

It would probably feel nice for Nagi too given how smooth Reo’s skin is.

How is it that smooth? Some rich person's secret probably. Vampire facials or maybe even a magic spell by Baya.

There’s a rough pull on his sleeve, Reo’s mischievous face coming into view before refocusing on Reo’s screen. 

What looks back at him is a video featuring an impossibly large white dog and a compilation of it being the laziest dog Nagi’s ever seen. The last clip zooms in on its face as it sinks into its bed and looks up at the camera with big, downturned brown eyes. It’s… cute? Nagi’s not much of an animal person, and if he had to choose, he’d probably choose otters. 

“This one’s you, Nagi!” 

Nagi thinks about it.

“Pretty accurate,” he concedes. 

The answer must be correct because it causes Reo to laugh, the hand he has on Nagi gripping tighter as if to keep him from throwing himself on the ground. Nagi didn’t think it was that funny but maybe he’s a natural comic too. 

The bubbles in his vision appear and, oof, Nagi must be getting tired. The environment around him seems tinged pink as he watches Reo with amusement, and then blinks his eyes to get rid of them. 

Weird.

But not the first time something like that has happened. On occasion Nagi can almost swear it’s like they get surrounded by shojou-esq bubbles but maybe he’s just going crazy with sleep deprivation. 

“Oh!” Reo seems to come to a realization, “this is our stop,” he says.

Without warning, Nagi is being yanked harshly towards the exit as Reo rushes them forward. 

A bit of relief floods Nagi’s system. No more train. Time to go home. Yay. 

Sure, it takes them a good chunk of time trying to find their way back to the surface, but when they do, Baya is already waiting with the limousine.

Reo completely ignores the people staring, and just walks up to it like it’s completely normal, opening the door, and practically throwing Nagi inside.

“Buckle up!” Reo says.

But Nagi doesn’t, knowing fully well that Reo will do it for him and instead, sinking into the cushions and letting his eyes close. 

The sound of a click elicits a hum from Nagi, and before he knows it, they’re on the move.

Nagi allows sleep to overtake him as Reo’s loud but smooth voice recounts his experience to Baya. 

The ride home is a blur. One minute Nagi is being shoved into the limo and the next he’s drooling on Reo’s shoulder.

He’s not even sure how he got back into his dorm but his last, very hazy, memory is being tucked into bed by the very same super soft hands that like to pinch his face.

When he comes to, the room is mostly dark with only the ambient street light casting a light glow through his paper thin curtains. If Nagi really focuses his eyes, he can spot what looks like the outline of a model train car, something that definitely wasn’t there before and now sits among the manga and various nicknacks on his shelf. 

He lets his head fall back down onto the pillow.

Huh.

Nagi hadn’t even seen Reo buy it.

Laying there, reflecting on their day, something happens. 

Like many great men before him, Nagi’s epiphany strikes when he least expects it. 

Immediately, he’s sitting back up to look at the toy train, thinking about the day's events, but let’s call it like it is— he’s thinking about Reo. 

If Nagi Seishiro had a nickel for every time Reo dragged him out into the wild to hang out, he’d have a lot of nickels for the relatively short time they’ve known each other.

But if he had one for every time he came to the conclusion that if felt like a date, well, this would be nickel number two. 

Which isn’t a lot.

Perhaps that’s the reason Nagi would like to collect even more, to hoard Reo’s everything for himself. Afterall, what better way than to selfishly hold Reo for his own than to lock him down as his boyfriend? The thought has Nagi’s face heating up and, ah, that must’ve been what the stomach thing was too. 

Briefly, Nagi wonders if he should call Reo right now and ask. If it was a date, and if it was a date that Nagi is totally cool with it, and maybe they can do it again some time?

Having to touch grass is a hassle, but Reo probably thinks Nagi is a hassle sometimes and still enjoys his presence so Nagi would go on dates if it’s with Reo.

Nagi turns his head to face Choki who sits silently on his window sill and then reaches a hand over until he pricks his finger, “Goodnight,” he mumbles.

Nagi knew there was something he was forgetting. 

He looks at Choki a bit longer and debates spilling everything to him right now or waiting until the morning when they’re both more rested.

“That was a date,” Nagi says, biting his lip, “That was totally a date.”

It’s spoken in a hushed tone as if his cactus would tell anyone else about it and then nods when Choki is expectedly silent. The dorm is cold but it does nothing to stop the warmth that spreads through Nagi as he thinks about it again. 

Reo is kind of ridiculous at times, but his eagerness to share new experiences with Nagi makes a pleasant buzz of happiness go through him. 

Maybe their next date really can be at the grocery store. Something to prepare them for the futures together, a marital bliss Nagi is now carefully crafting in his head.

“Yeah, that sounds nice,” Nagi whispers, closing his eyes and falling back asleep only this time dreaming of domestic life with Reo to dance across his mind. 

Maybe next time they can call it an actual date too.