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Nagi Seishiro, despite his sometimes described as “stubborn” nature, can grow accustomed to all sorts of things, even those that don’t initially match his ideals of a carefree life. That was how he became a soccer player and how checking his text messages became part of his morning routine after forcing himself to get up.
Usually, there will be instructions from his boss/partner Reo, something along the lines of “Don’t oversleep!” or “I’m picking you up on 20!”, accompanied by an overly excited good morning (that he would miss if that was ever taken away, but Reo doesn’t need to know that part). And while the message is in fact there, its contents are different today.
I’m not feeling well, probably a cold. Practice is cancelled for the day. Don’t forget to have a proper lunch!
“Eh…” So even someone ultra worried about his health like Reo can get sick at random…
The idea of going to and coming back from school by himself sounds less interesting than most days, so choosing an act of rebellion (aren’t those a part of the so-called ideal youth people talk about?), Seishiro abandons his uniform and changes into a black sweatshirt and matching sweatpants. One of the few perks of being taller than average is that, if he activates maximum stealth mode, nobody will realize that he’s a high school student ditching class, not an unemployed young adult on his way to a cyber cafe.
“I’m off to visit Reo, peace~” He says to Choki before leaving. Seishiro’s only stop on his way to the flashy Mikage Corporation building is the convenience store, where he eats some melon bread as breakfast (the damn exercise is deeming his jellies not enough) and gets a few sick person items for Reo. It would be impolite to show up empty-handed when, if this was the other way around, Reo would probably turn his dorm into a state-of-the-art clinic to nurture him back into shape.
A few minutes later, and he finally arrives at his destination, face-to-face with the funny-looking guy that sits at the door.
“Hello. I’m here to-” Should he have texted Reo about the visit? Seishiro’s not in his uniform, and it might be harder than he planned to get access to the big boss’ son’s private floor arriving alone and unidentified. However, before he can think about what to do, a familiar figure appears behind him.
“Seishiro-sama. Shouldn’t you be at school by now?”
“Well…” Seishiro scratches his neck like a child caught misbehaving, but he really wants to see Reo… “I think whatever Reo has, I have it too. So it’s no problem if we rest together, right?”
“I see… I’ll make lunch preparations accordingly then.”
If Ba-ya believes his terrible lie or is just amused by it, is anybody’s guess.
When Seishiro arrives at the room, he finds Reo half-sitting, half-laying down on his bed, a thick, expensive-looking coat covering his lavender pajama set. There’s a pile of covers and sheets that could be doing the same function. Instead, they stop at his legs, since Reo’s not all cozy and tucked in (like a sick person should). No, Reo has a pile of soccer books at his bedside table, a few opened on his bed, and is currently taking notes on his Road to World Cup (with Nagi…) notebook.
“Oh, a thing Reo actually sucks at… Resting.” Seishiro mumbles, entering the bedroom with no ceremony.
Sure, his first time coming here was a mere two days ago, but Reo always says they don’t need silly rules between them (unless these rules involve skipping practice). He must excel at being stealthy, because Reo lets out a startled gasp once he registers the joke, notebook flying from his hands.
“Are you trying to finish me off or something??” Reo scolds, while Seishiro throws his backpack on a chair nearby the bed, choosing to sit on the bed itself: far more comfy, and he has a great immune system, so they should be fine. “What are you doing here, Nagi? It’s almost class time, you’re going to get scolded again!”
“Me and Reo are always together, so if you got sick, it makes sense that I’d be dying just the same. Plus, you clearly need help understanding what a sick person should be doing.”
“Excuse me?” Reo pulls at his cheek, strength not matching his red nose and tired eyes.
He looks cute like this…
“I had a perfectly balanced meal, took my meds, and slept an extra hour. Even exchanged my morning exercises for some light stretching! Keeping my mind busy won’t hurt!”
“Stubborn.” It’s the answer Seishiro offers, confiscating all the books, which he throws near his bag (except a certain notebook, which is carefully placed in the bedside table). Amidst Reo’s protests, he comes back to the bed holding a convenience store bag, handing it to the purple and red mess that is currently his partner. “Got you some drinks and jelly. Oh, but Ba-ya probably took care of that already…”
Even when he does want to be helpful in Reo’s time of need, there’s not much someone like Seishiro can do, huh… Other than offering his soccer skills, what even is his place in Reo’s life? That brings a momentary pain to his chest until he realizes Reo’s staring, plastic bag still hanging between both of their hands.
“You got these? For me?” He hesitantly asks, as if the idea of Seishiro putting in the effort is one he has trouble believing.
I get sweaty and exhausted every day, interact with people I don’t care about, and much more just because of you… Why the hell do you think I deal with the pain in the ass that is playing soccer? The other rewards kinda pale in comparison.
One of these days, they really needed to have a conversation about how much Reo meant to him. Doing it today would look too much like a death flag, so Seishiro only nods in agreement, properly holding Reo’s hand through plastic.
“Would Reo prefer that I call Baya-san so you can get something better?”
“And waste the opportunity of being taken care of by my treasure? No way~” Thankfully, whatever uncertainty attacked Reo one moment ago quickly vanishes, giving place to his usual sunny personality. He chooses a drink for himself and holds up a lemon-flavored one until Seishiro picks it, as they comfortably sit in bed; Reo propped up against his mountain of pillows, Seishiro between his legs, one of Reo’s arms hugging him closer, hand resting on his stomach.
“Shouldn’t this be the other way around?”
“Saying that as you cuddle up to me is not very effective, you know?” Reo chuckles, humming pleasantly after trying his drink. “Plus, you’re like a gigantic, lazy plushie, so I’m comfortable, thank you very much. If you’re risking getting sick either way, might as well take advantage of that, right? Don’t you dare getting sick though,” that Reo punctuates with a poke at his belly, “I’ll make you run laps with an IV stuck to your arm.”
“Meanie.”
The remaining morning proceeds in perfect laziness, with Reo finally giving up on planning the next decade of their careers after a couple of hours, when Seishiro offers to teach him how to play a shooting game on his phone.
“You’re full of surprises today! I always get rejected when I ask, am I so sick that you’re pitying me, Nagi-kun?”
“I just don’t want Reo to get bored.” Seishiro explains, inverting their positions so he’s able to show Reo the controls. He feels pleasantly warm against Seishiro’s chest, even though according to a temperature check five minutes prior, Reo barely has a fever. “You learn things too quickly, and if it’s not challenging enough…”
Even if it is a stupid mobile game, the idea of you getting bored with something related to me makes me feel strange… Maybe I’m getting sick too, for a long time and with an entirely different illness.
And as if reading the further explanation that stayed on his mind, Reo turns back, stroking Seishiro’s face with that fondness nobody ever directed to him before.
“It’s always fun, if we’re together, you know? The fact that you’d even watch paint dry if I asked you to makes it… You know. Special.”
“Oh…”
Thankfully, Ba-ya interrupts the moment, bringing them lunch, because judging by how his face feels, Seishiro might be getting a fever too.
Despite Reo’s protests, they eat in bed and watch a movie, and there’s also a part of Seishiro who hopes that there are many days like this in their future.
If he remembers correctly, athletes have a few months to rest between seasons, right? When he and Reo live together, he’ll make sure these precious moments are spent in maximum energy-saving mode. There’s plenty of time for Reo to learn from the relaxation expert until then.
“Reo, isn’t—” Seishiro calls, once the credits roll, realizing that at some point after his last commentary about the SFX budget, Reo has fallen asleep using his arm as a pillow. He’s still holding the remote control too, one last protest against exhaustion, and is one of the increasing times when Seishiro makes a note to question later if they can start kissing or Reo wants to wait until their wedding. “So stubborn, boss…”
And the stubbornness is infecting Seishiro more than the cold, because every day he decides to try harder, to fight more, all for their dreams and the sunlit future he was imagining a moment ago.
Before he can decide what to do next, as it’s getting pretty late, Ba-ya appears once again at the door, this time with three girls he recognizes as Reo’s classmates right behind her. Once the old woman notices the sleeping figure, Seishiro mouths one second to her before carefully leaving the bed; he kisses the top of Reo’s now-cooling forehead too, and if the little audience notices that, making new rumors about them start? Oh, welp. Not like he cares about what the non-Reos of Hakuho think.
Reo might be a super elite, caring wife, but his husband is not a deadbeat; add that to your story.
“Ba-ya-san, could you please take me home? I could spend the night, but I didn’t bring any change of clothes and forgot to tell Choki.” He says, once the door is closed, purposefully ignoring the newcomers until one of them, the shortest of the bunch, addresses him directly.
“We came to bring Reo-kun’s homework.” And needed three people for that? “Did you skip class, Snoozy? The teacher was looking for you.”
“Ah, I’m sick too. You know. Contagious stuff.” He explains, making no effort to look the role. “Reo is asleep now, so you can leave his stuff with Ba-ya-san.”
“Oh, he finally tired himself out?” Ba-ya questions in a playful tone. “That used to be far more difficult when the Young Master was a boy. I suppose having Seishiro-sama take care of him made him happy. Hopefully, you will be able to assist me on that in the future, too?”
And to that question, there was only one correct answer.
“I’ll do my best, I guess. As long as it’s not a pain.”
Weird for everyone else, as the girls whisper conspiracy theories between themselves, yet Seishiro has a feeling that Ba-ya understands exactly what he means.
For Reo he would always do his best, and it would never be a pain.
Later on the day, Seishiro lies on his bed, too small and cold for his liking now, choosing to deal with all of those way-too-big feelings when things calm down. Even seeing each other every day, there are still all sorts of things he and Reo need to talk about.
You have new messages from Reo.
Reo: Leaving without saying goodbye is very impolite, you know~
You: U wouldnt fall asleep again if I did
You: Better?
Reo: Good as new!
Reo: Hey, Nagi?
Reo: thanks.
Reo: Who knew getting sick could be this fun hah…
You: Next time u take care of me
You: promise?
Reo: anything you want, my treasure!
Reo: good night!
You: gn Reo