Work Text:
Reo Mikage knew three things for sure,
First, that Nagi Seishiro was an absolute genius.
Second, that Nagi Seishiro was a complete disaster of a human being.
And third, that Nagi Seishiro absolutely, undeniably, one hundred percent could not handle horror movies.
Which was exactly why Reo had chosen one.
“You did this on purpose,” Nagi said flatly from the giant beanbag sprawled across Reo’s bedroom floor.
Reo looked up innocently from arranging snacks on the low table in front of the television. “I have no idea what you mean.” “You picked the scary one.”
“It won awards.” “It has a ghost in the trailer.” “That’s how horror works.”
Nagi narrowed his eyes at him from beneath messy white bangs.
Reo almost laughed immediately because Nagi looked deeply offended by the existence of fear as a concept.
The room around them glowed warm gold under dim lamps, rain tapping softly against the huge windows of the Mikage mansion. It was late enough that the rest of the house had gone quiet hours ago, leaving only the two of them cocooned in Reo’s ridiculously oversized bedroom.
Sleepovers at Reo’s place had become normal years ago.
Middle school gaming nights had somehow evolved into this, comfortable evenings spent tangled across expensive furniture while sharing food and stealing each other’s hoodies.
Not that Reo minded.
Actually, Reo minded very little when it came to Nagi.
Which was probably a problem.
“You’re smiling suspiciously,” Nagi muttered.
“I’m smiling because you’re dramatic.”
“Horror movies are annoying.”
“You’ve never even watched one properly.”
“I watched half of one once.”
“And?”
“There was a lady standing in the hallway.”
Reo stared.
“That’s it?”
“It was creepy.”
“You’re unbelievable.”
Nagi leaned farther into the beanbag, “Can’t we watch something easier? Like documentaries about plants.”
Reo chose to ignore Nagi's requests and continued to turn on the television.
Nagi yawned. Actually yawned. Like they weren’t about to start what Reo already knew would become the funniest two hours of his life.
“Fine,” Nagi sighed dramatically. “But if I die psychologically, it’s your fault.” Reo grinned. “Deal.”
...
Fifteen minutes in, Nagi stopped pretending he wasn’t scared. “Why is the music doing that?” he asked suspiciously. “That’s called tension.”
“It’s annoying.” The ominous violin screeching in the background immediately intensified. Nagi sat up slightly.
“…Nothing even happened yet.”
Reo bit back a smile. “You okay?”
“I’m fine.”
A floorboard creaked onscreen. Nagi visibly flinched. Reo lost the battle against laughter instantly.
“You’re scared already?!” “I’m not scared,” Nagi protested while pulling his blanket higher. “I’m anticipating irritation.”
“Oh my god.”
The movie protagonist opened a dark basement door. Nagi grabbed a fistful of Reo’s sleeve.
Automatically. Without even realizing. Reo looked down.
Then slowly over at Nagi.
Nagi froze too.
Neither moved.
“…You’re holding onto me,” Reo said carefully.
“No I’m not.”
“You literally are.”
Nagi looked at his own hand like it had betrayed him personally.
Then, without shame, he tightened his grip slightly.
“I don't like the basement...” Reo nearly burst into tears laughing.
“You’re impossible.” “Shh,” Nagi muttered. “The ghost is probably downstairs.”
“There’s no ghost yet.”
“That’s worse.”
Reo settled back against the couch cushions, grinning helplessly while Nagi continued clutching his sleeve through the entire basement scene.
Every loud noise made him flinch Every shadow made him narrow his eyes suspiciously at the screen.
And every single time something genuinely scary happened, Nagi inched closer.
Not obviously.
Not enough to call attention to.
But gradually.
Subtly. Until their shoulders touched. Then their knees.
Then half of Nagi’s body leaned against Reo’s side. Reo noticed every single second of it.
Unfortunately. Because awareness of Nagi had always come too naturally.
The warmth of his shoulder. The softness of his white hair brushing Reo’s neck whenever he leaned closer.
The way Nagi unconsciously sought him out whenever he got nervous. It made something warm bloom annoyingly inside Reo’s chest.
Then the movie hit its first jumpscare. A horrifying face appeared onscreen screaming.
Nagi jolted violently and grabbed Reo with both arms.
Like fully grabbed him.
Reo made a strangled noise.
Because Nagi was suddenly pressed completely against his side, arms wrapped around him while burying his face against Reo’s shoulder.
“This movie sucks,” Nagi announced into his shirt. Reo short-circuited.
Entirely.
Because. Because Nagi was cuddling him. Accidentally. Probably accidentally.
But still. Warm. Close. Nagi smelled faintly like laundry detergent and the strawberry candy he’d stolen earlier.
Reo’s heartbeat became a genuine health concern.
“Nagi,” he said weakly.
“Hm?”
“You’re hugging me.”
“No I'm not.”
“There's no danger.”
“Disagree.”
Another creepy sound came from the television. Nagi immediately held onto Reo tighter.
Reo stared at the ceiling because looking down felt unsafe.
This was bad.
Very bad.
Because Reo had spent years carefully not thinking too hard about his feelings for Nagi. Not analyzing why his chest tightened whenever Nagi smiled at him.
Not questioning why every casual touch lingered too long in his mind afterward. Not acknowledging how badly he wanted moments exactly like this.
And now Nagi was curled halfway into his lap because of a horror movie.
This was targeted psychological warfare.
“You’re warm,” Nagi mumbled sleepily against his shoulder.
Reo nearly died on the spot.
By the halfway mark, Nagi had completely given up on suppressing his emotions
“This house is stupid,” he declared. “The house isn’t stupid.”
“They heard whispering and still stayed there.”
“That’s the plot.”
“The plot is dumb.”
Yet despite all his complaints, Nagi hadn’t moved away once. If anything, he’d gotten worse.
Now he was stretched across almost the entire couch with his head in Reo’s lap while glaring suspiciously at the television.
Which.
Which Reo was handling very normally.
Absolutely normally. Definitely not fighting for his life every time Nagi shifted.
A particularly tense scene filled the screen. Dark hallway. Flickering lights.
Slow footsteps.
Nagi grabbed Reo’s wrist instantly.
“There’s gonna be a face.”
“There might not be.”
“There’s definitely gonna be a face.”
There was, in fact, a face.
Nagi physically recoiled and shoved his face against Reo’s stomach dramatically.
“Nope.”
Reo laughed helplessly, automatically threading fingers through soft white hair. “You’re terrible at this.”
“Horror movies are a scam.” “You haven’t even looked at the screen for the last five minutes.”
“I’m tired.”
Nagi’s voice came muffled through Reo’s hoodie.
“This is your fault.”
Reo looked down. Really looked down, and his chest suddenly hurt a little.
Because Nagi looked comfortable. Curled around Reo like this was the most natural thing in the world.
Like Reo was somewhere he instinctively wanted to be.
The realization settled soft and dangerous beneath his ribs.
Nagi blinked up at him suddenly.
His eyes were half-lidded under the dim light.
“What?” he asked.
Reo realized too late he’d been staring.
“Nothing.”
“You’re doing the weird face.”
“What weird face?”
“The soft one.”
Reo immediately looked away. “You’re imagining things.”
“Hm.”
Nagi didn’t push.
He rarely did.
That was the dangerous thing about Nagi, he noticed far more than people thought, but he treated most discoveries gently.
Carefully.
Like, he understood people were fragile sometimes. Another scream erupted from the television.
Nagi grabbed Reo’s hand without hesitation. Interlocked their fingers automatically.
“You okay there, Reo?” Nagi asked lazily.
No.
Absolutely not. Reo was actively perishing.
“You’re holding my hand.”
Nagi glanced down briefly. Then shrugged. “It’s efficient.”
“For what?” “To protect me from the ghosts.” “Ghosts aren't real.”
“What if they are..?”
Reo laughed despite himself.
Then, because Nagi’s fingers were warm and familiar and impossible to let go of,
He squeezed back.
Nagi looked up at him again. Something soft flickered across his expression.
“Oh,” he said quietly. Reo’s heartbeat stumbled. “Oh what?” “You held my hand back.”
Reo stared. “…Should I not have?”
Nagi blinked slowly.
Then, very quietly:
“No. It’s nice.”
And there it was. That awful, terrifying warmth spreading through Reo’s chest again. Because Nagi almost never said things directly.
But when he did, He meant them.
The movie only got scarier. Which meant Nagi got clingier. By the final act, he had fully abandoned personal space.
One blanket wrapped around both of them, Nagi practically folded against Reo’s side while glaring at the screen like it had personally offended him.
“This ghost needs hobbies,” he muttered. Reo snorted. “You’re talking big for someone hiding in my hoodie ten minutes ago.”
“It was tactical.”
“Sure.”
Another eerie silence filled the movie. Nagi immediately looked wary again. Reo could actually feel him tense beside him.
“You know,” Reo teased, “you could just admit you’re scared.” “I’m not scared.” A door slammed onscreen.
Nagi flinched so hard he nearly climbed into Reo’s lap.
Reo burst out laughing.
“Oh my god.”
“Shut up.”
“You literally jumped!”
“The sound was aggressive.”
Reo laughed harder. Nagi narrowed his eyes. Then suddenly grabbed Reo around the waist and dragged him down sideways onto the couch with him.
Reo yelped. Now they were tangled together horizontally, blanket half falling off while Nagi used Reo as a human shield.
“What are you doing?!”
“Hiding.”
“From the television?!”
“Yes.”
“You’re ridiculous.”
Nagi buried his face against Reo’s neck. Warm breath ghosted across his skin.
Reo forgot every word in his head. “There,” Nagi mumbled. “Better.”
Reo’s entire nervous system short-circuited.
Because this,
This was cuddling. Actual cuddling. Nagi’s arms wrapped around his middle loosely while his legs tangled with Reo’s under the blanket.
Comfortable. Natural. Like he belonged there.
Reo stared blankly at the ceiling while his pulse absolutely lost its mind.
“Nagi.”
“Hm?”
“You know we’re basically spooning right now.”
“Yeah.”
The immediate agreement stunned him silent.
“You say that like it’s normal.”
“It is.”
“For who?!”
“For us.”
Reo’s heart did something catastrophic.
Because Nagi sounded genuinely confused by the question.
Like closeness with Reo was so instinctive he didn’t even think twice about it.
Dangerous.
So incredibly dangerous.
The movie reached another tense scene.
Nagi immediately tucked himself closer against Reo.
“Reo.”
“Yeah?”
“If a ghost kills me, delete my browser history.”
Reo laughed so hard he nearly fell off the couch.
“You’re unbelievable.”
“Promise.”
“I promise.”
“Thanks.”
Nagi sounded completely sincere.
Reo couldn’t stop smiling.
The movie ended around 1 a.m., and the credits rolled.
But Nagi remained attached to Reo like some sort of koala clinging to a tree.
“…So?” Reo asked.
Nagi was quiet for a long moment.
Then:
“That sucked..”
“Come on!! I bet you secretly loved it.”
“I did not..”
“You screamed.”
“The ghost appeared unexpectedly.”
“You hid in my neck.”
“It was scary..”
Reo laughed again.
Nagi finally lifted his head slightly to glare at him.
Except the glare lost effectiveness considering he was still half draped over Reo’s body.
“You’re mean.”
“You’re cute when you’re scared.”
The words slipped out automatically.
The room grew quiet. The kind of quiet that made Reo's stomach churn.
Reo froze.
Because,
did he just say that out loud?
Nagi blinked at him slowly.
“…Cute?”
Reo’s face immediately burned.
“I didn’t mean—”
“You think I’m cute?”
Reo looked away so fast he nearly gave himself whiplash.
“I-I said it wrong.”
“No, you didn’t.”
Nagi’s voice had gone softer somehow.
Reo risked a glance back.
Big mistake.
Because Nagi was staring at him now.
He wasn't sleepy.
He wasn't even distracted.
He looked focused.
Silver eyes reflecting dim gold light from the lamps.
“You think I’m cute,” Nagi repeated carefully, like he was testing how the words sounded.
Reo’s heartbeat was so loud that he was sure Nagi could hear it.
“This is embarrassing.”
“Hm.”
Nagi tilted his head slightly while still lying against him.
Then, completely unfairly:
“You’re cute too, Reo.”
Reo's mind short-circuited.
Because Nagi sounded so honest.
Reo made a strangled noise.
Nagi blinked. “Why are you malfunctioning?”
“You can’t just say things like that casually!”
“Why not? It’s true.”
“That doesn’t help!”
Nagi looked genuinely puzzled.
Then suddenly his expression softened.
A little smile tugged at his mouth.
Oh no.
“You’re really flustered,” Nagi murmured.
“Whose fault is that?!”
“Yours, probably.”
“You’re impossible.”
“Maybe.”
Neither one of them moved.
The room felt quiet, again, suddenly.
But it was heavy in a different way now.
Nagi’s hand still rested loosely against Reo’s waist.
Reo could feel the warmth of him everywhere.
Too close, yet not close enough.
Nagi looked at him for a long moment.
Then, unexpectedly:
“Can I tell you something?”
Reo swallowed. “Sure.”
“When the scary parts happened… I wasn’t pretending.”
“I know.”
“No, I mean..” Nagi looked oddly thoughtful. “I really wanted to hold onto you.”
Reo’s breath caught.
“Because you were scared?”
Nagi was quiet.
Then he said softly:
“Not just because of that.”
Oh.
The air left Reo’s lungs completely, because suddenly this didn’t feel platonic anymore.
The cuddling, the hand holding, and the way Nagi kept looking at him tonight.
“Nagi…”
“You make me feel safe,” Nagi admitted quietly.
And there it was.
The thing that always ruined Reo.
Nagi rarely said emotional things directly.
But when he did, they hit Reo hard.
Reo looked at him helplessly.
“Nagi, do you realize saying stuff like that is unfair?”
“Why?”
“Because I—”
The words got stuck in Reo's throat.
Nagi waited patiently, still warm against him, still looking at him like Reo was worth listening to.
But maybe it was because it was late.
Maybe it was the rain.
Maybe it was because Nagi had spent two hours curled around him like he belonged there.
But Reo finally admitted:
“Because I really like you.”
Silence.
Nagi blinked once.
Twice.
Then, he said, “Oh.”
Reo wanted to die immediately.
“Oh! Sorry! Forget I said anything.”
“No.”
Nagi sat up slightly.
Still close enough that their knees remained tangled beneath the blanket.
“You mean romantically?”
Reo covered his face with both hands.
“Yes.”
“Oh.”
“Please stop saying oh like that.”
“I’m thinking.”
“It's terrifying.”
Nagi hummed quietly.
Then he reached over and gently pulled Reo’s hands away from his face.
“You should’ve told me sooner.”
Reo stared.
“…What?”
Nagi looked almost sleepy again now.
Soft around the edges.
“I like you too.”
Reo stopped breathing.
“What?”
“You’re nice to hold onto,” Nagi said thoughtfully. “And you’re pretty. And you take care of me all the time.” Pause. “And I miss you when you’re gone.”
Reo’s soul left his body.
Because that sounded exactly like a confession from Nagi.
Simple, honest, and devastating, all at the same time.
“Nagi,” he whispered weakly.
Nagi tilted his head.
Then, very quietly:
“Can I hug you even if the movie’s over?”
Reo thought he might actually cry. But instead, he immediately opened his arms.
Nagi moved into them without hesitation.
Warm limbs tangling together naturally beneath the blanket while Nagi settled against Reo’s chest with a sleepy sigh, like this was where he belonged.Reo held him carefully, his heart the closest thing to combusting.
“This okay?” he asked softly.
Nagi nodded against his shoulder.
“Best strategy ever to get rid of the ghosts.”
Reo laughed quietly.
Then Nagi looked up suddenly.
Their faces ended up ridiculously close.
Close enough that Reo could feel warm breath against his mouth.
Nagi's eyes half-lidded and soft.
“Nagi,” Reo whispered.
“Hm?”
“You’re staring.”
“So are you.”
But neither moved away.
Nagi gently reached up and touched Reo’s face with his fingertips.
“Your face is warm too,” he whispered.
Reo thought his heart was going to explode.
Then Nagi kissed him, totally different from the last time.
Sleeping.
And kind of clumsy.
But it was still perfect.
Reo was instantly consumed with emotions.
He reached up carefully to run his fingers through Nagi’s hair as he kissed him back slowly, unable to stop himself from smiling against Nagi’s mouth when he heard Nagi make a sound of pleasure.
When they finally pulled away, Nagi looked at him sleepily.
“Oh.”
Reo laughed out loud. “Are you going to say ‘oh’ again?”
“That was nice.”
“I thought so.”
“Mm-hmm.” Nagi plopped back down against Reo so he could continue to feel warm. “Can we do that again later?”
Reo was smiling so much that his face hurt.
“Wow, you’re bossy.”
“I’m tired.”
“You just confessed your feelings for me because we were scared of some movie.”
“Using fear efficiently.”
“That’s not how feelings work.”
Nagi yawned against Reo’s chest.
Then, half-asleep, he mumbled “I don’t care…”
Reo looked fondly at Nagi.
Nagi’s white hair was messy on Reo’s shoulder.
He still had his arms wrapped loosely around Reo’s waist.
A warm and wonderful feeling came over Reo because somehow, after all this time, he finally got to hold Nagi like this and really mean it.
Reo gave Nagi a soft kiss on the head.