Archive of Our Own

It was around six in the evening

Nagi and Reo were at Nagi’s apartment. The rain outside had faded into little more than background noise as they both kept their eyes fixed on the screen in front of them.

They were watching a movie together.

Reo sat with both legs tucked beneath him, while Nagi occupied most of the couch, stretched out with his head resting on Reo’s lap. Throughout the movie, Reo had absentmindedly run his fingers through Nagi’s white hair. But as the story neared its end, his hand suddenly stopped. Nagi frowned. The absence of Reo’s touch was strangely irritating.

Then, a drop of water landed on his cheek.

Nagi blinked.

Confused, he looked up at the boy above him. His eyes widened instinctively. A shiver ran down his spine, and before he could fully understand what he was seeing, his heart was already pounding violently against his ribs.

Another tear slipped down Reo’s cheek and fell onto Nagi’s face.

Reo was crying

Nagi managed to count seven tears before Reo raised his arm to his face to rub his eyes, wiping away his tears. Nagi remained perfectly still, unable to look away from him. He felt strangely agitated. He brought a hand to his own cheek, which was still damp from Reo’s tears and brushed his skin with his fingertips.

Reo’s tears were already beginning to fade, as was the salty trace on his skin. Nagi couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of disappointment, He wanted to keep the warmth and dampness of Reo’s tears there forever. It was a feeling he had never experienced before, and he didn’t want to let it go.

Finally, his thoughts were interrupted by Reo’s voice

““Nagi,” he called softly “Aren’t you going to say anything?”

Nagi sat up, lifting his head from Reo’s lap. They were now facing each other, but his gaze remained fixed on Reo’s eyes

“Reo…”

“You were crying”

Reo let out a small nasal laugh as he wiped the corner of his eye with a finger

“Yeah, the movie reminded me of something sad. Sorry for ruining the mood”

“It’s the first time I’ve ever seen you cry”

Reo smiled with his cheeks slightly red

“I guess so.”

Nagi’s eyes traced his face once more. The tears were already gone.

After Reo left, Nagi did everything he could to erase that scene from his mind—the one that had left him feeling so strangely unsettled. He tried distracting himself with video games, videos on his phone, and whatever food he could find, but nothing seemed to work

Now he was lying in his bed, staring at the ceiling, unable to fall asleep. Every time he closed his eyes, the same image returned, the memory of the first tear sliding down Reo’s cheek.

What was wrong with him?

He needed to calm down. It had been a long time since he had felt anything this intense, especially over something so ridiculous. He had only seen Reo cry, It wasn’t a big deal. He had to stop thinking about it.

But…Why did Reo look so different when he cried?

Nagi closed his eyes again. The dampness of the tears on his cheek, His heart pounding against his ribs, Reo’s face and the strange urge to be the only one allowed to comfort him. If he wanted to feel that sensation again, he had to make Reo cry again.

Nagi sighed to himself

How hard could it be?

The next day, Nagi woke up eager to see Reo again on campus. After doing a little research, he discovered that the movie they had watched together had a sequel, and he immediately decided to invite Reo over after class to watch it.

His plan was simple: if Reo had cried during the first movie, there was a chance he would cry during the second one too.

Nagi spent the entire day distracted in class, unable to wait for it to be over. When the final bell finally rang, he headed straight for the exit and waited for Reo at the place where they always met before heading home together.

“Nagii!” Reo called as he approached him.

“Hey ”

“Ready to go?”

“Reo…”

Nagi took a deep breath before blurting out what he wanted to say. It felt strange, he was not usually the one to take the initiative with things like this.

“Do you want to watch the sequel to that movie we watched last weekend? At my place. We can grab some food first.”

Reo blinked twice in disbelief

“You? Inviting me somewhere?” he teased, laughing.

“Don’t you want to?”

“Of course I do, sweetheart. I’m just messing with you.”

The walk back was quiet and easy. Reo talked excitedly about the soccer team’s chances of winning the national championship, while Nagi listened to him with quiet affection. A sharp twinge of guilt hit him as he remembered why he had invited Reo over in the first place.

"I’m sorry, Reo"

"I’m sorry for wanting to see you cry again"

After stopping by a convenience store to pick up drinks and snacks, they finally arrived at Nagi’s apartment. They set the bags down on the table, and the room fell briefly silent. Nagi flopped onto the couch, while Reo grabbed two cans of soda and held one out to him.

“Nagi, catch!”

“Thanks”

Reo sat down beside him as Nagi turned on the TV. With tense fingers, he finally found the movie and clicked play, but he barely paid attention to the screen. His gaze kept drifting toward Reo instead.

Completely oblivious, Reo took another sip of his drink and remained focused on the movie.

Nagi’s foot bounced relentlessly against the floor, a nervous habit he could not seem to stop. As the minutes passed, his hope slowly faded. Then the credits rolled

Not a single tear

“The sequel was kind of disappointing, don’t you think?” Reo sighed, running a hand through his hair.

“Yeah… I guess you’re right,” Nagi replied, trying to hide his frustration.

Once again, he could not sleep. It was a night much like the first one. Nagi laying in bed after spending the evening with Reo, except this time nothing had happened.

Method One: Total Failure

Nagi sighed in irritation and rolled onto his side. He had assumed that recreating the same situation would be enough to make Reo cry again, but it had not worked

"What a pain"

Maybe the movie had never been the real reason, maybe what had made Reo cry was the feeling it had awakened. If that was the case, then he just had to bring that feeling back.

Something more personal had to work

The next day, Nagi already knew what he had to do.

The soccer team had a late practice scheduled that afternoon, and he had been waiting for it impatiently. As soon as classes ended, the players began making their way to the field. Nagi was one of the first to arrive, second only to Barou, who was already taking shots at the goal.

“Of course it’s you,” Barou scoffed, shooting him a glare. “Since when do you show up early, you pain in the ass?”

“Starting today, you annoying king.”

The rest of the team trickled in one by one. When Reo arrived, he frowned slightly. Nagi was never at practice before him. Something about his behavior felt off.

Once everyone had arrived, they warmed up, took a few practice shots, and eventually gathered in a circle to pick teams. Reo and Isagi volunteered to be captains and took turns choosing players.

“I’ll take… Bachira,” Isagi said, gesturing for him to come over. Bachira bounded over to his side with a grin that stretched from ear to ear

Then it was Reo’s turn

“Nagi.”

The white-haired boy didn’t move

“Reo…”

“I think I want to play with Isagi this time,” Nagi said, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Huh?” Isagi blinked.

“With Isagi?” Reo repeated, staring at him in disbelief.

“Yeah. His playing style fits mine better.”

The rest of the team exchanged surprised looks. It was practically a rule that Nagi and Reo always ended up on the same side. Once the teams were set, Nagi kept his eyes on Reo. Reo was frowning, visibly irritated, but that was all. After a few seconds, he noticed Nagi staring and met his gaze briefly before looking away with a click of his tongue.

Nothing. Not a single tear..

The game started. Nagi barely paid attention to the score. His eyes followed Reo every time he touched the ball. Reo kept running, calling for passes, linking up with Chigiri, playing exactly as he always did. Nothing had changed and that irritated Nagi far more than it should have.

Then Reo received a pass and drove toward the penalty area.

Maybe he needed something more

Nagi accelerated until he caught up with him and went in for the ball a split second too late, sliding into a tackle that was as violent as it was calculated. Reo hit the grass hard, and the whistle echoed across the field.

“Sorry, Reo. I didn’t mean to.”

Nagi held out a hand, forcing his voice into something that sounded almost panicked, trying to pass it off as an accident but his eyes were fixed on Reo’s eyes

“What the hell is wrong with you today, Nagi?!”

Reo clenched his teeth. His eyes had watered from the impact. Nagi held his breath, but Reo simply blinked, took a slow breath, and got back to his feet.

Not even physical pain

Methods Two and Three: Failure.

After that game, Reo remained upset with him. He kept waiting for Nagi to sincerely apologize, or at least acknowledge what had happened during practice. It wasn’t just the tackle that bothered him; Nagi had replaced him, or at least that was how it had felt to Reo. He had no right to be angry about it. Nagi had every right to play with whoever he wanted, but it still bothered him, and for some reason he kept waiting for a proper explanation.

Instead, Nagi began avoiding him. Not completely, but enough for Reo to notice. Every time Reo spoke to him, Nagi answered with shorter replies than usual. He stopped waiting for him after class so they could walk home together, stopped sitting with him during breaks, and began taking hours to reply to his messages.

Around everyone else, Nagi acted perfectly normal, and his indifference seemed to be directed at Reo alone. After failing in his previous attempts to make Reo cry again, he had decided to try something more gradual. Reo was always the one who reached out first, the one who insisted, the one who came back. If he kept that distance between them long enough, Reo would come looking for him eventually

It was only a matter of time before Reo came crawling back with the reaction Nagi had been waiting for. He knew him too well

Four or five days passed under the same silent treatment. Nagi still had trouble falling asleep, and he was growing impatient to feel that sensation again, the one that had begun that afternoon when everything changed. But he still had to wait. Reo seemed to be handling the distance surprisingly well, and that unsettled him more than he wanted to admit.

Was it really not working?

He had ignored him long enough. He had stopped replying to him, stopped sharing every part of his daily routine with him, and still, not a single tear.

Nagi sat alone on his couch, restless and frustrated by Reo’s resilience. It had almost been a week since he had started avoiding him, and patience was not a virtue he had ever possessed. He ran a hand through his hair in irritation and flinched when sudden knocks echoed through the apartment.

His heart skipped a beat. He didn’t need to ask who it was.

Nagi dragged his feet across the living room, reached the door, and turned the handle with nervous fingers. Reo stood on the other side, looking exhausted, with dark circles beneath his eyes.

“Can we talk?”

Nagi blinked and opened the door wider.

“Come in.”

Reo stepped inside in silence. Nagi walked back to the couch and sat down again, letting out a slow sigh. Reo approached him and remained standing in front of him, his jaw clenched.

“Nagi, can you tell me what the hell has been going on with you these past few days?”

Nagi looked up at him.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Reo.”

“Are you serious, Nagi?” Reo muttered.

“You’ve been avoiding me lately, and I think you know it.”

“Avoiding you?” Nagi repeated without emotion.

“Yes.”

Nagi sighed and leaned back against the couch.

“I think you’re imagining things.”

“Imagining things?” Reo let out a bitter laugh. “You stopped waiting for me after class, you don’t sit with me during breaks anymore, and it takes you hours to reply to my messages.”

Reo listed each of those things while pacing across the room, unable to stay still.

“I’ve just been busy, Reo. I’ve had other things to do besides spending time with you. Is that a problem?”

Nagi was lying. In reality, he hadn’t done anything except wait for a reaction from Reo. Everything had been intentional, a desperate attempt to feel again what he had felt the first time he saw Reo cry, and he wanted that feeling so badly.

Reo stopped walking and stood directly in front of him. He bit his lower lip and looked down at the floor.

“And what about the tackle during practice… and the way you chose to play with Isagi instead?” he asked, his voice trembling.

Nagi’s eyes widened slightly. It was starting to work.

“I already told you the tackle was an accident. And why does it bother you that I want to play with someone who’s at my level?”

“No,” Reo cut him off

““It’s not that… I don’t… I don’t care who you play with, Nagi. It’s fine. But you stopped talking to me as if I’d done something wrong, and… I don’t understand.””

He stumbled over his own words, unable to explain the pressure that had been building in his chest over the past few days

Nagi let out a quiet nasal laugh.

“Stopped talking to you?” he repeated. “I’m talking to you right now, aren’t I?”

“No, I don’t mean that. I mean…”

Reo gestured helplessly, trying to explain himself, but the words refused to come. Finally, he ran a hand through his hair and let out a frustrated sigh.

“I mean…”

“What?” Nagi’s tone remained just as detached

“I…”

The words wouldn’t come.

Reo slowly sank down onto the floor in front of the couch and remained there with his head lowered, one fist pressed against his forehead. Nagi simply watched him with apparent indifference, and after a few seconds Reo looked up again. When he spoke, his voice was much quieter.

“Did I do something wrong?”

Nagi pressed his lips together to keep them from curling upward.

“Why are you taking all of this so seriously, Reo?” he asked, resting his elbow on the arm of the couch and supporting his face with one hand.

“What?”

“It’s just soccer, they’re just messages, I’ve only stopped dealing with you for a few days. Why are you acting like something terrible happened?”

Reo remained silent for several seconds.

“…dealing with me?”  he repeated quietly.

“Come on, Reo. We both know what you’re like. You’re always insisting on everything, dragging me everywhere, and you never get tired of following me around.”

“But… I…”

His voice trembled and gradually faded.

“I didn’t think it bothered you,”

Nagi sighed again.

“What a pain...”

“Don’t try to blame me, Reo. I thought you were already aware that you were a nuisance. You know, because of your attitude, and the way you…”

“W-wait… Nagi…”

Reo leaned forward, shifting from sitting cross-legged to kneeling in front of the couch, both hands resting on Nagi’s knees. His eyes were wet, and his lips were trembling.

Almost there..

Nagi felt a chill run down his spine as he sensed what was about to happen, the reaction he had been waiting for since that day, and the satisfaction growing in his chest became impossible to ignore. He looked down at Reo’s hands and leaned toward him.

“You know, Reo? You made my life easy for a long time. I’ll admit that. But for a while now, I’ve felt like you’ve stopped being useful "

"You’ve become more like someone I don’t know how to get rid of "

Reo remained perfectly still and didn’t react immediately. He needed a few seconds to understand what he had just heard. Then he blinked, reality settling over him all at once, and his fingers tightened around Nagi’s knees. He wanted to say something, to defend himself, to stand up and leave, he really wanted to, but before he could even realize it, tears were already spilling down his cheeks.

He was really crying

Nagi was completely stunned by what was happening. His eyes widened, his heart began to race, his chest pounded violently against his ribs, and his stomach tightened.

It was that feeling again but this time, it was much stronger.

Pleasure spread through every part of his body, overwhelming his nervous system completely, and the sensation was impossible to explain.

Before he realized what he was doing, he was already reaching toward Reo’s face. He cradled Reo’s cheek with trembling fingers and brushed his fingertips over the damp skin as tears continued to slide down his face, slipping between Nagi’s fingers.

Reo tilted his head into the touch and closed his eyes in a desperate attempt to stop crying, but it didn’t work. Nagi brought his other hand up and cupped Reo’s face between both of his hands, a faint smile forming on his lips as he continued to caress his tear-soaked cheeks.

Nagi let out a slow breath, unable to take his eyes off him. Why was Reo so perfect? He felt an unbearable need to keep him close, to comfort him, and to keep looking at him like this.

“You’re so pretty, Reo”  Nagi murmured as he continued stroking his tear-soaked cheeks with quiet admiration  “So pathetic…”

Nagi pressed a gentle kiss to the top of his head, and the corners of Reo’s lips lifted into a faint smile as he held on to Nagi just a little tighter.

The End.