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When it came to dreams, Seishiro Nagi would admit that his unconscious mind was far more adventurous and creative than his usual train of thoughts. It was not unusual for planet-sized cacti or live versions of his favorite game of the month to appear in his dreams, little stories worthy of a fantasy anime.
Even considering that tendency, it was rare for a dream to get that weird so fast that his dream-self was immediately stating, Oh, there’s no way in hell this is reality.
The place itself wasn't too out of the ordinary: a generic office space, occupied by a large table, some fancy chairs, and a few computers. In the background, you can hear unintelligible conversations, the type of buzz someone could expect from an office. The boring scenario of a probably even more boring meeting. Yet, instead of finding old people in expensive dark suits, the two characters sitting around the table look even more out of place here than him.
On his left, the “person” wears a leather set made of tight pants, a sleeveless crop top, high-heel boots, and a choker. One of his ears is pierced, displaying a peridot-adorned earring. The guy on his right, on the other hand, is wearing what Seishiro can only describe as prince-like clothes, every piece made of pure white with gold details.
Leather guy has horns, fangs, and a tail. Gold guy has wings and a halo.
Both look exactly like Reo. If Reo was into cosplaying in unusual locations (which, to be fair, does sound like something he would do).
“Nagi!” Angel-Reo calls once they notice his presence. His expression is similar to how Reo looks when he's scolding Seishiro for slacking on practice. “You are late! Even though this meeting has been scheduled for so long! Did you spend the entire night gaming and oversleep again?”
“Huh?” It's the only answer he is able to offer, brain still absorbing the situation.
“Stop being so mean to my treasure~ He's forgetful sometimes, it's one of the many adorable things about him!” If Angel-Reo sounds like annoyed regular Reo, the sing-song tone Demon-Reo speaks in is playful in a way Seishiro never heard coming from the original Reo.
He doesn't know if he could’ve survived if he had.
“At least you remember why we're having this meeting?” Three identical purple folders appear out of thin air in Angel-Reo’s hands, and he shares them with Demon-Reo and Seishiro, instructing him to sit. Even if this technically is not Reo, Seishiro’s not too eager to disobey his Boss, plus he’s getting tired anyway.
Upon investigation, the folder he received seems to contain information on Reo, the real one, his smiling face decorating the top of the first page.
“Because it is a dream.” Seishiro shrugs, scratching his eye, feeling particularly drowsy. If he took a nap inside a dream, would that count as a sleep combo? Ultra-relaxing double points? As much as he wants to test out this theory, he has the feeling the Reos won't allow it. Case in point, Angel-Reo starts a slideshow titled “Healing a Broken Heart: 12-Step Plan to Woo Reo Mikage”.
“Woo?” Demon-Reo questions with a chuckle. “How exactly do you expect Sei to take romantic advice from someone talking like a geezer?~”
Sei.
Sei…
Sei…
All of a sudden, Seishiro is ultra aware that, once this is over, he’ll wake up in a bedroom with Chigiri and Reo there, so these Reos need to have mercy on his dignity. It’s hard enough to keep his aloof, cool-guy persona as it is.
“Nagi, pay attention, this is important!” Angel-Reo scolds, hands placed on his hips. Cute. Wait, is it dream-cheating if these guys make him flustered? They're technically Reo, right? He wouldn’t be interested at all if they didn’t have Reo’s face and personality. Still, no marriage survives if it depends on technicalities to work. “Do you want to get Reo back or not?”
“Ah, I do.”
Although they're currently on better terms in comparison with Second Selection, it is still neither the same as before nor nearly enough: even with the universe nudging them in the right direction by placing them in the same team and room for the Neo Egoist League, Reo is still… distant? As if there was a glass door keeping them separated, no key to be found. He offers greetings, polite answers, a joke or two if Seishiro is really lucky, and that's just about it.
No training sessions with just the two of them, no head pats or piggyback rides, no my treasure said in that happy, sweet tone. No mentions of their promise; hell, when was the last time he saw Reo smiling? Not his soccer-brained, cocky smile (although that one had its charms as well), the soft one that was only ever directed towards him.
As much as he was happy that Reo was doing well alone, that they were both able to grow up while apart, it's time to go back home, aka go back to each other. NagiReo 2.0. Perfect soulmates in and out of the field. Is that what his mind is trying to work through using this dream?
“Do you guys know how I can make Reo happy?” Seishiro continues, aware that these two are nothing but figments of his imagination. Still, these types of montages always lead to epiphanies in movies, right? It is at least worth a shot. “I know I hurt him a lot, but I want to make things better. Help me think how, please?”
That answer seems to please Angel-Reo, who immediately switches from a stern attitude to the happiest smile in the world. Even his halo seems to shine brighter as he reaches to give Seishiro a head pat.
Ah, even in a dream that feels like paradise.
“That’s the spirit! I knew you were a good boy, Nagi! If you follow my carefully constructed guide, you and Reo will be happy in no time!”
“Oh, Angel-Reo is so smart~ Lead the way-”
“Come on, are we being serious here?” Seishiro gets so distracted by the petting and the praise that he doesn’t notice Demon-Reo approaching, another hand reaching for the opposite side of his head. A combo attack… “Do you really think a guy with lame chicken wings knows shit about love, Sei? He’ll probably coach you into boring Reo to death! Don’t worry though, that’s why I’m here!”
“Who are you calling a chicken, you wingless bat?!? Is that trashy leather outfit so tight that it is cutting blood flow to your brain?”
“You’re just jealous of my sense of style! Tedious freak!”
“Unworthy trash! Go find a Hot Topic to die in!”
Ah, Reo’s self-hate tendencies, the ones he tries hard to keep hidden, are making his halves fight.
“Stop with the self-deprecating, Reos…” Seishiro mumbles before this weird meeting turns into an even weirder boxing ring of Reo versus Reo: the Reo-off. “If I hear both of your pieces of advice, it will probably be a foolproof plan, right? Best of both worlds and all that.”
“Huh?? You want me to work with this goody two shoes, Sei? No way!”
“Right back at you, freak!”
“Reos, please? Won’t you help your treasure to make real Reo happy?”
Special technique: pathetic puppy eyes. Works on Reos of every type.
Seishiro watches as both Reos slowly stop talking, considering the pinching attack against his cheeks a necessary sacrifice.
“So, how can I fix everything with Reo?” He tries to ask, although his cheeks are being stretched out like mochi. Dream physics, what a pain.
Angel-Reo is the first to stop using him like a stress relief toy, going back to his slide presentation. As if still silently competing, Demon-Reo also frees Seishiro's face, choosing to sit on the table instead of a chair.
“So, Nagi.” Angel-Reo restarts, slipping to the next slide, which contains doodle versions of him and Reo in what appears to be a conversation. “The most important thing you have to keep in mind is communication. This whole thing started because you just assumed Reo would somehow read your mind and know you were doing everything for your dream. That's no good.”
“Reo's not the best at talking about his feelings either.” Feeling two pairs of eyes piercing through him, Seishiro quickly adds, “I love him anyway, just saying.”
“Have you ever told him that, Sei?”
“Or did you assume just saying he's not a pain would be magically enough of an explanation?”
“Ehh~ You two are ganging up on me now? That's mean, Reos…” Although it's also kind of cute…
“You said that we're just figments of your imagination, right?” Demon-Reo points out, poking Seishiro's chest with what he now perceives is a painted in black nail.
Similar to previous situations, he never thought nail polish would do strange things to his insides until seeing it on Reo.
“If that's the case, that means you are blaming yourself for not expressing your feelings in words, Sei~ and while we’re at it, you’re also the one who came up with this lovely outfit I'm wearing.”
Note to self: check if Mikage Corporation has access to dream-spying technology after waking up.
“I’m just not good with words. Reo knows that.”
“That's why I have the perfect plan to deal with your struggles!” Angel-Reo gives him a thumbs-up before reaching for his hand and helping him to get up.
His hands are so soft…
“We will do a role-playing exercise! I’ll be Reo, and you'll be yourself!”
“Kinky~ I'm starting to like you now, grape-flavored bird.”
“I’ll not waste Nagi's time giving you attention.” He says that, but Seishiro can practically see Angel-Reo boiling in annoyance… “Let's start, Nagi! I am Reo now! You said that you needed to speak with me?”
“Um, yeah…” As strange as pretending is, Seishiro decides to just do what Angel-Reo says: it is a dream anyway, and hey, if he became able to solve problems while taking a nap, that would be one hell of a multitasking skill. Maybe one day he could complete training drills while dozing off, and his life would reach its peak lazing-around performance.
So he stares into Angel-Reo literally sparkling eyes… And realizes that his mind is as empty as Ego's bank account will be after all the child endangerment lawsuits.
If this was really Reo, what did he want to say the most? What was guaranteed to make Reo finally understand his feelings?
“Reo, I… need you. Not because it’s easier or so I can be lazy, I need us to be together to be happy. I’ll keep working hard and become stronger, so can’t you give me a chance? I don’t want to spend any extra seconds missing you so much…”
Maybe that was a little cliché, sure, but it’s difficult to talk about these types of feelings without sounding mushy. Wanting to assess how terribly he fumbled this, Seishiro musters the courage to finally look Angel-Reo in the eye again…
… And finds him red as a tomato.
“Angel-Reo?”
“Ah… It’s just…”
“Oh no, Sei~ You broke the pompous chicken~” Demon-Reo jokes, pulling him closer by his sweatshirt. Too close. “My turn! I’ll give you a super special class on kissing.”
“Eh?”
“What? Don’t you wanna kiss me, my treasure?”
“S-STOP TRYING TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF NAGI!”
“Go back to your blushing fit, maiden bird!”
“That’s it, I’m exorcising you right this instant!”
“Not again…”
Meanwhile, in the real world, a red speedster and a purple chameleon silently stare at a certain sleeping boy, his fluffy white hair becoming messier as he moves around and mumbles.
“No fighting again, Reos… Focus… You have to help me to say sorry… Reo needs a good apology… Reo… No… Demon-Reo I can’t kiss you… No, don’t be sad…”
“Reo...”
“I don’t want to hear it.”
“Reo.”
“Chigiri, no.”
“Turns out your competition when it comes to Nagi’s heart might be closer than expected, huh?”
“Shut up.”