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Nagi flips the same lab-page for the tenth time, not even bothering to make his pretending look believable any longer.
Reo drops his third vial of morphine. The woman behind the counter coughs awkwardly, giving him a small smile when he apologises for a third time.
Huh, Nagi squints at Reo’s trembling fingers. Weird.
“Hey.” Someone walks up beside him. Nagi doesn’t look, he recognises that familiar flash of red every time. “Stop observing him like a stalker. It’s really creepy.”
Nagi shrugs. “Shut up, princess.”
Chigiri slides a cup of coffee onto the desk that Nagi has his elbows perched on. He hums, flopping down next to him. Nagi doesn’t scoot over.
Meanwhile, Reo grabs his prescribed medicine and gives the woman his seemingly always perfect signature. Nagi catches the way his lips wobble as he thanks her.
“How long have you been here?”
Given the severity of the situation, Nagi decides that ignoring Chigiri is his best choice. If he doesn’t he might end up missing a key detail that explains Reo’s strange behaviour.
Strange behaviour, because that’s exactly what it is.
Reo never goes on break before lunch. If he isn’t with a patient before twelve o clock, something is horribly wrong. On top of that— Nagi found a concerning amount of painkillers in Reo’s office this morning. When he asked about it all he got was headache, and don’t worry.
But how could he not worry?
“You’re scaring the nurses, Nagi. Stop staring like that.” Chigiri drawls lazily around his steaming cup of coffee.
It’d be rude to ignore Chigiri since the redhead has covered for him during a few too many recent naps. However, he can’t focus on Chigiri when Reo is moving again: back towards the lab where he came from.
Nagi ignores the sound of Chigiri shouting at him as he rounds the desk. Reo walks half as fast as he usually does, so he doesn’t have to hurry. He can easily catch up. Nurses seem to avoid Nagi in the hallway— which clears the perfect path for his chase.
Reo’s strange behaviour could be because of his poor sleep. The night prior, Nagi woke up multiple times to Reo tossing and turning in his sleep. All those hours laying awake couldn’t have accounted for sufficient sleep. Even if he calmed down slightly in Nagi’s arms.
It would explain the proclaimed headache.
It wouldn’t explain Reo’s inability to walk in a straight line.
Just as he’s had enough of not confronting Reo, the pager on his hip vibrates furiously.
Incoming trauma patients: train accident.
Nagi turns the annoying alarm off with a huff. It snaps back onto his waistband effortlessly. Looking back up, he sees Reo peering down at own pager. They must be calling every resident or attending to the emergency room. Nagi rubs his neck, taking a few steps closer to Reo’s back.
“Reo.” He calls gently, careful not to agitate Reo’s supposed headache. “Trauma cases soon. Will you manage? With the headache..?”
Reo bristles the slightest at his words. His head bobbles once in an uncharacteristicly weak nod, before his whole body stills completely.
From where Nagi is standing he can barely see the sides of Reo’s face, much less his expression. Nagi furrows his eyebrows. “Is Reo’s headache worse?”
What’s actually going on, Reo?
One of Reo’s hands hurriedly clenches down on the side of his waist. The lavender fabric of his scrubs stretch uncomfortably at his tight grip, pulled taut by his fingers.
“Nagi,” Reo croaks. Nagi’s eyes widen marginally at his pained voice. He shouldn’t sound like that, like he’s holding on for just a little bit longer. “Are you there?”
Nagi’s feet speed up on their own. He rushes over with long strides, hand moving to grip Reo’s arm as soon as he reaches his trembling frame. “Reo—“
He’s cut off as Reo doubles over by his hips. A cry escapes his lips, followed by multiple shaky exhales. Neither of them seemed to be expecting it, which makes it ten times harder to stay calm.
Nagi instantly puts his arms around Reo’s middle to keep him upright. Startled out of his mind, he places one hand over the spot Reo won’t stop gripping in pain: One of the softer places beneath his lowest ribs. Close to his hips, the place where Nagi usually finds himself snoozing off when curled up against.
Nurses gasp as Reo’s body suddenly crumbles. A few doctors surround them. Some of them try to ask what’s wrong, but Nagi can’t acknowledge them when the color of Reo’s face is actively draining.
Nagi steadies his feet and pushes his face closer to Reo’s shoulder. Checking for anything that might help, tiny parts of Reo’s expression that could pinpoint what’s wrong.
“How much does it hurt?” He rushes to whisper in Reo’s ear, finally getting a good look at his face. “Where..”
The hand that Nagi had been holding suddenly shifts so it’s the one holding Nagi’s hand. Quickly, it squeezes down crushingly hard.
Reo sucks in air through clenched teeth. He whispers under his breath, “Fuck, I think it burst.”
Trying to keep Reo on top of his shaky legs, Nagi’s too busy for his words to immediately register. Reo twists his head around before he can even try to make sense of it.
“My—“ Reo squeezes his eyes shut in pain. “Probably.. my appendix.”
Trailing off, the pain in his face starts to subside, just as Nagi feels his strength starting to slip away.
When Reo’s head falls back onto Nagi’s shoulder, the only reason his body doesn’t also fall limp is because of Nagi’s iron grip.
Nagi watches the IV-drop drip with half lidded eyes.
Isagi stands in front of him. Hands on his hips as he shifts anxiously on his feet.
“You operated on your husband.”
“Whatever.” Nagi sighs. His eyes flick back to Reo’s sleeping form, itching to check his temperature again. How long ago was the last time he checked?
“No, not really.” Isagi points a finger at him, then at Reo. “Do you know how bad this looks on paper? Oh, Nagi Seishirou operated on colleague Nagi Reo—“
Nagi runs his thumb over Reo’s soft hand. “I only removed his appendix.”
“You opened him up and you stitched him back up. You operated on him.”
It’s not like he doesn’t know what he’s doing. Nagi would even deem himself capable of operating blindly if he had to, if it were for Reo.
“No complications.” Reo shifts slightly in his sleep, Nagi instantly holds his hand in comfort. “Post—op results are good. Reo’s fine.”
Isagi drops his hands to his sides. “And if he wasn’t? What would you do?”
If he wasn’t? If Reo wasn’t fine, then..
“I’d still be here.” Nagi mumbles. “Checking his temperature, sanitating, monitoring his heart activity, it wouldn’t be any different.”
Almost as if he could hear, Reo’s exhale catches slightly— a soft puff of air that leaves his thin lips. Nagi instinctively rubs his cheek with his knuckles, thumbing at the tired skin under his eye.
Isagi’s eyebrows tighten stubbornly. He purses his lips in silent disapproval. “He didn’t ask you to operate, Nagi.”
Nagi perks up beneath his bangs. “I’m Reo’s husband. When he’s out— I’m the one who decides.”
“Maybe a lawyer would agree with you, but the committee?” Isagi rubs his temples with the tips of his fingers. “Damn it..”
Full to the brim of Isagi’s annoying rambling, Nagi shifts his full attention back to Reo instead.
Reo, laid peacefully in bed, dressed in one of the gowns that are meant for patients and not doctors. His hair is pulled back with the softest hair tie Nagi could find in his office. His dainty eyebrows are slightly messy from the rush of everything.
The rush. Mere seconds after Reo fainted in his arms, Nagi rushed to get him into the nearest operating room with minimal help.
Only a few nurses were brave enough to officially help him. Luckily, Nagi managed to get an anaesthetist in there before they all ran away. Apparently performing an unauthorised surgery was a bit over the top.
Doctor, that’s your husband..
Doctor Nagi— what if you get into trouble?
We shouldn’t operate without the chief’s confirmation..
Nagi frowns at the flood of memories.
No one understood it at the time. That, at that point, absolutely nothing could make Nagi drop the scalpel. That putting Reo’s life in someone else’s hands was unnegotiable. That there isn’t a world where there’s a chance that Reo dies before him.
The hardest part was seeing Reo go under. Oxygen mask cupping his mouth, the phantom look of pain on his face, the even slow rise of his chest as the anaesthetic kicked in— Nagi doesn’t want to think about it. He doesn’t, because Reo is fine. Reo is fine, which he might’ve not been if not for Nagi.
“This could’ve been avoided so, so easily if you had asked someone..“ Isagi sucks in a breath. “Do you know how quick anyone would be at your beck and call? For Reo? Faster than lightning!”
Nagi tilts his head sideways. “They weren’t. I was.”
Isagi retreats slightly, taking a step back from Reo’s bed. His gaze falls to the tinted windows.
“You’re really annoying.” Nagi groans, standing up from his seat to grab a glass of water for Reo. “Im Reo’s, Reo’s mine. There isn’t an authority that can change that.”
He doesn’t halt when walking past Isagi’s dumbfounded face. The glass fills up quickly. When he turns back, Isagi has his arms crossed.
“Nagi, I’m telling you—“
Nagi looks down at him. His voice drops, “As long as that stands, you’re not letting anyone else cut into him.”
Isagi holds his eye contact for a solid second before he turns away to leave. “Whatever.” He says, almost like a taunt. “Just keep an eye on him.”
You don’t need to tell me to, Nagi raises his eyebrows. I already am.
“This counts as skipping work, Seishirou.”
Nagi finishes putting cream on Reo’s healing stitches, humming in satisfaction. He tugs the gown back into place.
“I’m working.” He finishes, “taking care of you.”
Like he has been for days. Feeding Reo through his low appetite, coaxing him to sleep when his adrenaline doesn’t let him rest, washing his face dutifully and making every excuse to kiss him.
Reo smiles against the pillow that Nagi makes sure to keep fluffy. “I certainly feel taken care of. That’s for sure.”
Nagi rests his head on Reo’s clothed stomach. “Wah, I knew it. Reo loves my attention.”
Reo’s gentle, soft padded fingers find his scalp in long scratches. He ruffles Nagi’s already messy hair. “How could I not?”
Loud banging comes from the room’s door. Nagi instinctively pulls the sheets by Reo’s knees a bit higher to cover up to his waist. This is the fifth interruption today. It’s only noon.
“Still working.” Reo drawls, tilting his head back with a small smirk. “Better open that.”
Nagi reluctantly rises from his side to open the door. It’s only when Reo gives him a reassuring smile that he turns the handle.
The sight that he’s met with makes his blood churn.
“Out.” Barou growls with his hands clenched down on each side of the door. “Do your damn job, dog.”
“Mind your own business.” Nagi mumbles back, tone utterly dead. The complete opposite of how he just talked to Reo.
It’s a miracle that a vein doesn’t pop beneath Barou’s skin. “I’m pulling your workload. Dipshit— Reo gets discharged tomorrow, he’s more capable of taking care of himself now than you’ll ever be.”
Nagi cocks his head. “Ah, you’re so annoying.”
“Ha—?!” Barou roars, too close to Reo for Nagi’s comfort. Slamming the door shut is increasingly enticing. “Eat shit hassleman, and don’t ask for anything when you lose your only job.”
Broadening his shoulders to cover the doorway, Nagi clicks his tongue. “What do you want?”
“Suck up to Reo all you want, but don’t leave your interns running your cardio cases.”
“This is a teaching hospital, remember? I’m teaching.” Nagi’s heart skips a beat as Reo chuckles in disbelief behind him. “You’re just here running your mouth.”
Barou’s eyes darken with rage. His fist curls against the hard surface of the door. He huffs, stepping back.
“Just get them in check.”
Nagi lifts an eyebrow, muttering almost childishly.
“Maybe.”
Nagi does in fact not care for his interns, or coworkers for that matter. Put quite frankly, he couldn’t care less when Reo’s back to work after being discharged— and actively overworking himself.
“Reo.” he calls into Reo’s tidy office. A banana fits snugly into his gloved hand and a pile of pills in the other. “Lunch supplements.”
Reo perks up from his desk. Ah, Nagi’s stomach flutters as Reo bites his lip— almost shy.
He swallows the pills without water. Nagi watches in awe, strangely content with keeping Reo stuck in one place. The less he works the better. Reo’s neurological patients are always a hassle. There’s endless possibilities for accidents, which he shouldn’t be subjected to.
Reo thanks him with a peck to his cheek. Maybe if he reminds him during dinner he’ll get another one, maybe on the lips?
Keeping watch on Reo might ruin his shifts for the next couple of days. That’d be fine.
Maybe— maybe he takes that fine too literally.
In two days’ time Nagi’s turned away five patients, narrowly missed any interaction with his interns, and avoided all conversation with Isagi at all costs. Now he rushes down the hall towards operating room two. Because on the surgery board, someone wrote down Reo’s name next to a Neuroendoscopy.
It’s only been four days since Reo was discharged. Even if it’s a simple procedure, whoever authorised it should have their head on a stick.
The door to the operating room bursts open as Nagi steps inside. Through the large window connecting the entrance to the main procedure room, Nagi immediately sees Reo by the operating table.
He looks competent as ever, still—
Reo, Nagi almost shouts. Don’t do that. Not now, not yet.
Reo breaks his focus to look up at him, blinks, checks around his colleagues, then focuses back on his work.
Haphazardly putting on a mask— the strings don’t make it past his ears, he has to keep it over his mouth with his hand— Nagi ignores every sanitary rule there is and risks it all to rush into the operating room.
A nurse throws a hand in front of his chest.
“Doctor—!”
Nagi pushes through, still clutching his mask. He keeps a respectable distance from Reo’s back. “Reo,” he pleads. “What are you doing?”
The scalpel in Reo’s hand clatters against metal as he switches to a thinner one. “Do you need anything, Seishirou?”
Nagi’s eyebrows knot together. “Reo should be resting.”
A nurse coughs beside him. Nagi shrinks back, realizing his mistake. No one should question Reo when he’s working, especially not when he’s around people that work for him. However, feeling ashamed won’t shake his urge to keep Reo from pain.
“I’m fine, treasure.” Reo’s expression is hidden behind his mask. Still, Nagi can imagine his soft smile. “You’re worrying too much.”
Slightly red, Nagi shifts on his feet. “Isagi cleared you for surgery?”
Reo hums, almost as though he’s encouraging Nagi’s distress. “An hour ago.”
“He didn’t ask me before.”
“Why would he?”
“I did Reo’s surgery, I have your records, I’m your—“
Another hum. “Doctor, husband?”
“Both.” Nagi tries to calm his nerves. “He should’ve consulted me.”
Reo puts down his scalpel and claps his hands once. “Done!”
Startled, Nagi almost lets his mask drop from his mouth. He catches himself before he could risk his medical license. “What?”
“Done.” Reo repeats, taking two steps back and allowing a nurse to pull his gloves off. “Surgery finished.”
Huh? Nagi blinks owlishly as Reo pulls his own mask off and smiles up at him. It feels too surreal, too swift, how could he be done already? The room empties itself instantly. Nagi can barely move.
Reo has to pull at Nagi’s wrist for him to take his mask off. “My shift ends in three hours.” Reo mumbles, eyes flicking to Nagi’s parted lips.
Stuck in disbelief, he says the first thing that comes to mind. “Me too.”
“Good.” Reo breathes— standing on his toes so that his lips can press against Nagi’s forehead. “Never make a fool of me when I’m in surgery ever again, okay?”
Nagi swallows tightly. Reo’s lips are really pillowy. Always. “Okay.”
Badump, badump, badump—
Reo looks really pretty like this.
“Hah,” Reo catches his breath as they pull apart. His lips are glossy with spit, reddish from Nagi’s persistent attacks. “Someone’s been pent up while waiting for this, yeah?”
It might be dark in the storage room, but Nagi’s Reo-vision has its perk. He can easily calculate the perfect spot for their next kiss.
Reo could’ve easily been calling himself pent up, considering how eagerly he reciprocates when Nagi curves his mouth against his. Soft, gentle flicks of his tongue— and suddenly Nagi’s cradling his head sideways for more access.
Lunch ended nicer than Nagi could’ve imagined. The soup was cold. Reo’s body is hot. His tongue, too, when it flattens itself against Nagi’s.
He might be hypnotised by Reo’s eyelashes fluttering softly, or the slight bobbing of Reo’s head, or maybe he’s just as love drunk as he always is.
Reo twists his face downwards so that Nagi’s lips dislodge from his own. “Someone might walk in,” he warns, too soft for there to be any real fear.
“Okay.” Nagi mumbles. “I don’t care.”
Reo snickers, mindlessly leaning closer. “If I do?”
“Why would you? Reo doesn’t care for lame things.”
As soon as he finishes his lazy point, Reo proves it right by planting a series of chaste kisses along his jaw. Nagi hums. Satisfied. He leans down and pauses when Reo’s lips grace his, breathing in their shared air.
“Another one,” Nagi whispers as Reo licks his lips in interest, fingers raking at Nagi’s scalp. “Please, can I? Reo?”
If he’s quick enough he could sneak a hand below Reo’s back and be blessed with one of Reo’s deeper, much more wanton noises while they kiss.
Reo huffs softly and gives his neck a gentle squeeze— Nagi instantly slots their lips back together. Intoxicating. Reo swirls his tongue and Nagi expertly catches it between his teeth, pulling an actual moan from Reo’s pleased body.
Badump, badumpbadumpbadump—
Huh.
Nagi pulls away. Reo chases him with a whiny little sound. Wordlessly, he takes Reo’s wrist to inspect his pulse point. Reo shivers slightly at the touch.
“What are you doing?” Reo whispers— out of breath, still wanting more. “Don’t stop, treasure.”
He’s really out of breath.
Nagi doubles down and brings his other hand to cup the scorching skin of Reo’s throat so that he can determine his pulse. Now Reo really trembles, then smirks with a suspiciously heated look.
“Oh? You’ll have to— hah— grip a bit harder, to actually choke me..”
Reo’s skin practically jumps against his fingers. Nagi takes a step back. “We need to stop.”
Confusion contorts Reo’s flirty face. “What?”
“Reo’s pulse is too high. It could be a sign of a heart complication—"
“You pushed me against a wall and shoved a leg between my thighs. Seishirou, what the hell are you on about?”
“No.” Nagi’s voice drops. “I could be right about this.”
Reo looks unimpressed, clicking his tongue. And disheveled. Really messy. Really cute. “You’re not.”
If Nagi’s right about his suspicions then Reo could be a minute away from passing out. Or less than that. Worse, Reo’s heart could fail any second if his heartbeat doesn’t slow down. Shit, kissing Reo will end up killing him?
“I’m not kissing Reo anymore.” Nagi blurts out in his panic.
Reo raises an eyebrow, then a hand to Nagi’s face to tilt him back close to where he belongs. He blinks slowly, like nothing Nagi says will matter. “Never?”
If Reo wasn’t looking up at him with such hungry, heated eyes and knotted eyebrows— maybe this would be a lot easier.
Nagi swallows down the tight knot stuck in his airway. “When Reo’s better.”
“I am better.” Reo husks. “All because of you.”
Oh, well, Nagi’s knuckles scrape pathetically against the wall behind them. He’ll always be weak for Reo’s pretty voice, silky tongue, soothing words.
Reo hums. “But, if you’re doubting yourself—“
Nagi tenses as Reo starts meticulously popping the buttons down his shirt. More skin becomes visible with every press of fingers. He moves teasingly slowly, almost like he wants Nagi to be impatiently curling his forehead against the storage wall.
If that’s the case then Nagi thinks he wouldn't care.
“Listen for yourself.”
Reo pulls his shirt to the side so that he reveals his chest. Nagi lets him guide his head down, even slower. Reo doesn’t let go when Nagi’s ear fits perfectly over his heart.
Badump, badumpbadump— badump—
That familiar voice sounds ten times stronger. “Is that enough?"
Shaking his head stubbornly, Nagi pulls Reo closer with an arm around his waist. Reo’s bubbly laughter is so gentle on his ear. It covers the somewhat rapid beat of his heart completely, momentarily cleansinf all of Nagi’s worries.
Maybe he’s wrong about this. Maybe Reo’s right.
“Who knew you liked taking care of me this much?” Reo smiles cheekily. “It seems our roles have reversed, haven’t they?”
Nagi pushes his head up along Reo’s chest until he’s back at his full length. The perfect level of seeing Reo look at him expectantly.
“Haven’t I always been like this..?”
“Well.” Reo’s so close, whispering sweetly against his lips. “I guess you have.”
People only stroll out of the hospital well after the sky turns pitch black. Nagi is one of them as per usual. His heels drag sluggishly against the polished floor. Reo promised not to take the night shift today. So— they can spend the rest of the night together.
Nagi walks up to Reo’s office door while pulling his jacket over his shoulders. It’s mildly disturbing how quiet the hallways are, but he shrugs it off easily imagining the comfort of going back home with Reo.
“I’m here.” Nagi drawls as he opens the door, fighting a yawn. “Reo. Time to go.”
There’s usually a reply instantly. If it isn’t a verbal reply, at least it’s one of Reo’s small noises of acknowledgment. Reo never ignores him.
Nagi really regains focus when the silence follows him several steps inside the office.
Slumped against the desk at the centre of the room, Reo has his face laid between his outstretched arms, deadly still. His hair is laid out messily across stacks of paper and ink pens— uncharacteristically unkept.
He sprints the last bit to Reo’s desk.
“Reo—!”
Instinctively, his fingers rush to press up against Reo’s throat to feel for a pulse. Reo doesn’t stir at the rough movement. He’s too loose. Nagi pushes the bangs away from his face, tapping at his cheeks to coax a response.
Reo mumbles incoherently against the desk’s wooden surface.
Then— a soft snore.
“Reo?” Nagi tries. This time he doesn’t have to fight for his tongue to work. “I’m here. Do you hear me?”
Reo is.. Sleeping?
When Reo’s chest continues to evenly move in and out, Nagi exhales in relief and slumps over Reo’s outstretched back. Reo squirms slightly and whines in response. It’s music to Nagi’s ears. Any sound but silence right now, that’s all he needs.
Reo must’ve been utterly exhausted by the end of the evening and fell asleep while doing paperwork. It wouldn’t be a first. He has a tendency for these sorts of things.
Nagi pulls Reo’s chair back after a long while of silently breathing in his scent and feeling his warm— alive, very much alive— skin. Reo sleepily complies with every move, murmuring nothings into Nagi’s chest as he’s pulled up into the air.
An absurd amount of people look at them concerningly as Nagi effortlessly carries them towards the employee parking. Can’t they see how blissful Reo looks?
Nagi opens the passenger seat door with minimal struggle. He smoothes his lips over Reo’s temple, whispering: “Duck your head, Reo.”
The frequency of these situations led to Nagi deciding a long time ago to just keep a blanket in their car. While Reo might not be awake to appreciate it— seeing Reo mindlessly drool on it while he drives is still amusingly precious.
A drive with Reo resting by his side is fittingly calm after weeks of stress. Nagi thinks that he prefers this over chasing an oblivious Reo around the hospital, seemingly the only one worried for his wellbeing.
Don’t wake up, Reo. Every snore makes Nagi turn his head to look at him. Rest some more.
Whenever he sneaks a hand over to assuringly squeeze Reo’s wrist— Reo’s fingers twitch to follow it.
And when Reo wakes up in the middle of the night, desperately trying to blink away his exhaustion to understand what’s happened, he never lets go of the hand Nagi eventually snook into his.
A little about a week later Nagi still makes sure to treat the skin he had to cut open and sew back together. Reo doesn’t protest at the copious amounts of cream he pours, or the almost reverent attention he has for smoothening it out.
He even lets Nagi hover when he’s with patients— this, Nagi appreciates greatly— sometimes with an arm around his waist, not even listening to Reo’s conversation, just spectating.
Reo allows one ultrasound on his lower abdomen per three days. A harsh reality to live in, but Nagi tries his best not to whine too much about it.
Early and mid-day supplements are always delivered by Nagi: something Reo doesn’t complain about. Quite the opposite. He uses the opportunity to kiss Nagi until his desk’s a mess.
But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t things that make Nagi’s skin prickle.
He’s adamant that Reo shouldn’t lift anything heavy. Not just at the gym, but especially at home. Nagi always catches him whenever he thinks he’s being slick, lifting crates and storage containers like Nagi won’t just press him against the sofa until he finally relaxes.
During the first two weeks, he couldn’t handle the thought of Reo soaking his wound too long in water. Now whenever Reo tells him he’s filling the bathtub— Nagi sneaks in and sanitises the whole tub and then waits for Reo to join him.
Reo mustn’t care, judging by the way he always melts against Nagi’s chest underneath the water.
It’s fortunate that no one has seemed to mind Nagi’s overwhelming amount of existence wherever Reo goes. Everyone except for Barou— who left a stack of furious complaints on Isagi’s desk after Nagi snatched the staff’s espresso machine for Reo’s hospital room gourmet.
Rin did also make it deadly clear that Nagi wasn’t allowed to interrupt his joint surgery with Reo in some ultra-protective and cheesy way (Rin’s words, not Nagi’s) so Nagi compromised by scrubbing in unannounced before they could start without him.
Being with Reo isn’t an excuse to miss work. The second they’re separated, Nagi feels genuine dread crawling up his spine.
He is a genius, so Nagi decides that he shouldn’t really be working full time when he feels this way.
“I have a complicated surgery tomorrow.” Reo says one night, freshly showered and laid down on their bed. He spreads his limbs a bit away from where Nagi sits. His skin is still reddish from the water.
Nagi saw his name on the surgery board. “Yeah.”
Reo sighs against their white sheets. His own robe blends in mesmerisingly with the light fabrics, draped over his body in ways that makes Nagi slightly frustrated with all the coverage.
“It’s been a while.”
Yeah, Nagi shuts his mouth before he can repeat himself. “It hasn’t actually.” A big lie. Reo shouldn’t need to know that it’s felt like a million years.
Reo doesn’t fight back. He stretches a leg against the mattress and slides closer to Nagi a moment later. Eyes sparkling, Nagi shifts so that he can easily climb onto his lap.
Reo’s eyelashes flutter almost timidly, his face turning unreadable. “Just in case.. Will you be there?”
Nagi’s arms circle his middle. “How?”
“With me..” Reo avoids his eyes, tucking his chin into Nagi’s neck. There’s an obvious pink tint around his nape, ears and cheeks. “Like you have these days.”
“In surgery?”
A nervous chuckle. Reo fidgets with his robe. “Yeah. I don’t know, I must be used to it now. Having you there.. I like it. Makes me feel safe.”
He panics and rushes to add:
“Only if it isn’t a hassle for you—“
“Are you kidding?” Nagi groans, bending his knees upwards so that Reo moves further up his chest. Reo’s breath hitches. “Not being there would be a hassle.”
I’ll milk this excuse to be with you until you get sick of me, Reo. Why wouldn’t I be there?
Somehow taken aback, Reo can only nod weakly.
Nagi casually lifts the hand Reo has on his chest up to his lips, placing multiple kisses between his knuckles. His hand tightens around Nagi’s.
Reo murmurs serenely, “I’ll do good.”
“Yeah. Reo’s amazing.”
“Won’t you be too busy?”
“No.” Nagi immediately cuts in. “Reo knows how flexible my schedule is.”
Reo snorts. “Only because you refuse to follow it properly.”
He’s right. However, that’s only true because Nagi will do anything to squeeze in quality time with him, no matter how important his work is. Especially now that he’s healing. The thought of leaving Reo is more painful than ever.
“I don’t like it when you’re hurt.” Nagi nuzzles against Reo’s shoulder. “When Reo passed out, I felt like throwing up.”
Reo’s smile is barely there. “You didn’t.”
Nagi makes a low mhm sound. “I was busy.”
Busy helping you, is left unsaid. He knows Reo can understand what he means without him saying it.
“A lot comes with the job, I guess.” Pausing— Reo looks down at Nagi and licks his lips. “Or, a lot comes with being my husband.”
Nagi’s grateful for his cultivated ability to stay calm when Reo tries to tease him. If he hadn’t mastered it, he’d be a stuttering mess right now. “What else do I get from being your husband, Reo?”
Reo undoubtedly thought of his next choice of action before he even began to speak. Nagi won’t let the cute grimace and thoughtful gaze fool him, Reo knows exactly what he’s doing.
“Maybe..”
After one last second of pondering, Reo leans down and presses a lingering kiss to Nagi’s cheek.
“One of these,” he whispers, already moving back down to teasingly cup Nagi’s mouth with his own. “And some of this—“
Nagi forcibly whirls them around so that Reo’s stuck beneath his chest. Reo laughs highly as he’s suddenly the one smothered by Nagi’s lips, cackling at every sensitive spot Nagi— knowingly— graces.
If all Nagi has to do is occasionally challenge the law for their lives to be kept this way, he has no regret enjoying Reo’s laughter and aggressive kissing as they tumble in bed.
As long as Reo doesn’t die before him.
Which, he won’t.
And which Nagi will live to make sure of.