Archive of Our Own

Nagi wasn't used to share. He almost never shared actually. At least, when he had a choice. It wasn't that he lacked maturity and couldn't stand to see others join his spaces, it was more that he'd rather do things on his own and at his own pace. For example, he liked playing solo when it came to video games. Obviously, in his decennial gaming career he had found himself playing with other people. It had been inevitable in some situations. Still, he preferred those games in which he could just put his earphones on and isolate from every kind of human interaction. It was relaxing, nobody could disturb him and he never got bored.

However, it wasn't just about games. His habit of being fully independent could be extended to his daily routine as well. He had lived by himself most of his life since he had left his parents' house at a fairly young age. For educational purposes, of course. His family had never been the definition of wealth, but they had insisted on having Nagi study at this pampered people's school. It had been for prospective, for the higher eventuality of getting employed, for granting their son with a future. But the future his parents had envisioned for him had changed, drastically changed, as soon as Reo had entered the picture.

Nagi was a footballer now. Not exactly the desk office worker he thought he would be when he was sixteen, but he still lived alone. Just like when he was sixteen. Living alone with no one around meant waking up whenever he wanted to, eating whatever he liked. It meant letting the dishes pile up in the sink until leftovers had to be forcefully removed for health safety motivated reasons. It meant keeping the lights on until late in the night. It meant never closing the door of the bathroom when sitting on the toilet. Living alone was pure freedom and Nagi could say he quite enjoyed it. Still, said freedom was running short. Said freedom was about to end.

Practice had been sort of tough that day. The last match had ended up in a tie with no goal scored and the coach hadn't been enthusiastic about it. After the training session, Nagi and his teammates had had to line up and bear with an endless scolding about how their first place didn't allow them to take it easy, throw away their healthy cynicism, waste opportunities, be arrogant and underestimate their opponents thinking victory was due. Everyone had fallen into silence after that speech. Nobody had dared to say a word nor to add anything. It had been just a tie, but it was weighing on their shoulders like the most terrible defeat.

Professional football was demanding and it required constant diligence and commitment. It was still fun, but Nagi had come to understand, by now, that it couldn't be just fun, that there would be times in his career in which he would have no fun at all. Reflection and hard work, that was what Nagi and his team had been asked to do for the rest of the week. It was all about mentality and the right mentality was also a great skill to develope and improve. 

After a long shower, Nagi had stepped out of the locker room, ready to go home. Reo was there, waiting for him, busy with reading something on his phone. Then, he took his eyes off the screen and he looked at Nagi. "Let's go." He said and they walked to his car.

They didn't talk much during the ride, both of them replaying their previous game in their heads. Nagi's jaw tensed up as he remembered how one of his shots had ended up with the ball above the crossbar.

His chest. If only he had bent his chest forward. If only he had positioned himself better, that very last minute shot would have been a goal. A goal worthy of the entire match. He sighed, as he kept looking out of the window. The sun was setting, hiding behind the rooftops. Its light weakening. Place kicks, his mind suddenly suggested him, he also needed to get better at place kicks. And free kicks. Nagi had scored through a free kick just once that year. Not enough. Not enough considering how many of those their opponents had conceded to his team. That was a weakness. 

Completely absorbed into his thoughts, Nagi didn't even process Reo parking outside of his place. He just hopped out of the car, automatically, and his legs started moving towards the stairs. Once he had reached the doorway, he took his keys out of his jacket and he turned them in the lock. He pushed the door and he loosely dropped his backpack on the ground. He raised his hand, waving at his cactus. Another long day was finally over.

Reo, standing right beside him, had mirrored him, waving at his cactus as well. Then, Reo walked to Nagi's bed just to let himself fall on it a few seconds later.

Reo. Reo was there. In his room. Reo had parked outside and he was now there. Nagi turned around to look at the floor. Reo's sporting bag was also there and... a suitcase. Why was there a suitcase? Why was Reo there in the first place?

"Reo." Nagi frowned.

"What?" Said Reo, totally comfortable as he lied on the mattress. 

"Why are you here?" He asked, his eyes still stuck on that luggage 

"Here as in...?" He heard Reo say.

"Here. At my place, with lots of changes of clothes." Nagi assumed, considering the size of the suitcase.

"Oh." Reo replied, lifting himself up on his elbows. "I'm here because I'm not going home."

"You're not going home... tonight." Nagi tried to get a grasp on the situation. He turned around to glance at Reo, but the latter was looking at him already. A tentative smile had formed on his face. Nagi internally snorted. He was doomed. The peace of his lonely studio apartment was doomed. 

"Actually... I was thinking about staying a little longer than that." Reo told him. "My father is making me sick and... I'm getting tired of having to deal with him every day." 

Nagi didn't react immediately as his brain was focused on breaking down the information he had just received. His relationship with his dad must have worsened by a lot if Reo, who would never turn on his commodities, was considering not returning to such a sumptuous accommodation now.

Nagi looked around. His place was definitely small and not made for more than one person. He walked to the bed and he lied down while Reo was making a puzzled expression.

Nagi didn't say a word, he just grabbed his phone and he started skimming through random videos on YouTube about an old guy named Roberto Carlos. He recollected having seen him being mentioned on some of those books he had been reading lately. Free kick, France 1997. He pressed play.

Reo lied down again, next to him. Nagi could hear the sound of his breath, calm and quiet. His eyes darting from Nagi's side profile to the screen of his phone. "So..." Reo started saying, his tone unsure. "Can I..."

"Shh." Nagi cut him off, then he turned up the volume and placed his phone in the middle so Reo could also watch the clip.

"You wanna do that?" Reo's eyes widened.

"I think I wanna try." Nagi told him. "That's probably impossible, but..."

"We could try that tomorrow. We could stay after practice and see what we can do about it." His friend replied, his voice softening. 

He turned his head. Reo was staring at him and Nagi felt a lump progressively expanding in his throat. A few insignificant centimeters were keeping them apart. Their noses brushing against each other. 

He was staying. Of course Nagi was letting him stay at his place. He would never reject Reo. Not when he had a choice.

And so, their temporary cohabitation had started.

〰

Late morning. Flickering rays of sunshine were springing from outside, the curtains were wide open, granting the dim sunlight access to the room. Nagi was laying on his bed, as usual. Upside down, as he dangled his head from the foot of the bed, his eyes following the tutorial for a game he had just installed. He felt relaxed, finally getting to rest after what had been a rather intense weekend. Extraordinary, alien, out of this world, the many words reporters had used to describe his latest performance. A hat trick and a back-heel assist, supporting what had been the team's absolute best match ever played. The response from the journalists had been massive. Nagi was not a stranger to attentions, especially from the general public. Even during the Blue Lock days, his contribute had always been noticed, he had always been applauded for his plays. Still, it was different back then. Blue Lock, as ambitiously accurate as it tried to be, could not reproduce every single eventuality and the many situations which could take place on an actual pitch in the middle of an actual football season.

Jinpachi Ego's project had been the manifesto of a brand new philosophy, a showcase of talent, a vision of what Japan could become, of what Japan strongly needed to be. However, lots of experts and analysts had raised questions, expressing their doubts. How would these guys act outside of such a golden cage? Would their performances stay the same? How would they react to those external influences their mythomaniac coach was trying so hard to filter in order to have his gems completely focused?

Because of this, praise was always followed by uncertainty when it came to judge Ego's young players. In the end, not so many of them had been able to capitalize their experience inside the Blue Lock. Not so many of them had actually made a career out of their dreams. The critic had been sceptical for all the right reasons, after all. But a few of them were proving it wrong and Nagi was definitely within those few.

After Reo's consecration, it was now his turn to stand under the spotlight. On Sunday, after the game, he had gone through his first one hour long interview. The atmosphere had been quite different from the one at the stadium right after a match.

First of all, he was seated, casually dressed, a pin with the crest of his team fixed on his chest. The room had been rather small and there had been way too many cameras shoved in his face for his liking. Nagi wasn't usually nervous, being nervous required too much energy, but the seriousness of the television studio had startled him a little. He wouldn't have survived if it hadn't been for Reo.

He was there too, leaning against the door, arms crossed on his chest, an encouraging smile on his face as Nagi tried to give his best answers to the host. Instinctively searching for Reo's eyes whenever he started feeling slightly tense, instantly getting relief from the sole presence of him in there.

Reo had easily convinced the broadcasting director (who had turned out to be one of his family's dearest friends apparently) to allow him to enter the recording room along with Nagi.

The two of them did come as a pair. They had become a nationally acclaimed duo in such a short time. They were partners, and, as long as they stayed together, the World Cup was going to be theirs. One day.

As for now, Nagi was just trying to understand how that new game on his phone worked and why he was barely making any points. He loudly snorted when his character ended up dying for the umpteenth time in the span of ten minutes, his laziness suggesting him to just let it go and try with some other game, a less brainy one. Still, he had no intention of giving up, not on something he would easily master if he truly put his mind into it. Phone games were his territory, he couldn't lose his historic and indisputable supremacy.

He started playing once more. Determined to succeed this time.

As he resumed the game, he got a glimpse of Reo coming out of the bathroom, a cream towel on his shoulder as he walked towards the kitchenette. Then, his eyes went back to the phone.

"Hey, Nagi." Reo called him as the sound of water being poured in a glass reached Nagi's ears. "Do you realize you can't keep living like this?" He said, as he let his lips brush against the edge of the glass.

"Like what?" Nagi asked, his tone betraying an actual lack of interest as his fingers kept frantically tapping on the screen.

"Like you're at war and your food supply is being rationed." He said and Nagi heard him open the fridge. "It's completely empty, do you know that? It's basically echoing in here."

Nagi rolled his eyes. Reo was exaggerating. The situation inside his fridge wasn't as dramatic as he was painting it out to be.

"It's not empty." He worded out in disagreement, trying not to lose focus on the game. "There's like... a yogurt or something." He vaguely recalled.

"Yeah, sure, but it's past its expiration date." Reo told him. "Seriously, there is... nothing edible in here and what is this?" He said. "Why do you keep a bottle of shampoo in the freezer?"

Nagi gave him no answer. He had a reason for that bottle of shampoo in the freezer, though. There were never bars of soap at the store lately, so, a few weeks ago, he had started wondering if he could make his own bar by freezing up liquid soap. Just a little experiment. However, he had ended up forgetting about it. He mentally thanked Reo for reminding him of the shampoo in there.

"You know you need to eat, right?" Reo kept saying and Nagi just ignored him.

Of course he knew he needed to eat. The sense of hunger and the consequential act of eating were more of a pain than anything, but he did eat. He knew it was important, vitally important. He could say he even enjoyed it when food tasted good. The point was: he never ate at home. Or at least, he didn't usually eat at home. He had most of his meals at Reo's place. The Mikage's personal chef was the most talented cook Nagi had ever met. Not that he had met a lot of cooks in his life. Anyway, he ate there most of the times, but now Reo had chosen not to return to his family's mansion. Not anytime soon.

He missed it, Nagi found himself thinking. He missed the engulfing smell of fragrant bread fresh from the oven. He didn't dare to say that to Reo, but he still wondered if his chef would be okay with home delivery.

"I think a visit to the store is mandatory at this point." Said Reo as he let the door of the fridge close behind him.

Nagi was barely listening. He had just leveled up and he was finally getting a grip on that tricky game. He had even earned coins for an outfit change for his character.

"Okay." So he said, sorting through the various items. The green hat seemed nice. "You go. Bye." He so ended the conversation, expecting to hear Reo take his coat and actually leave for the store, but when his footsteps sounded a bit too close, Nagi realized his friend was not leaving at all.

On the contrary, Reo was now crouching down in front of the foot of the bed and Nagi, who was still laying upside down, immediately noticed a way too familiar expression on him. He tried to ignore him, avoiding eye contact as much as he could, but Reo kept staring as if waiting for Nagi to acknowledge his presence, so Nagi had to pause his game and put the phone away.

It was funny, to look at Reo's face from upside down. Then he talked, ruining all the fun.

"You're coming with me." Reo stated with a rather firm tone.

"C'mon, Reo. Just leave me alone." Nagi immediately protested, despising the idea of spending his day off walking between the shelves of the grocery store nearby.

"There's no food in here." Reo reminded him. "How are we supposed to eat today?" He said as he stared at him right into his eyes.

Nagi looked away, Reo wasn't wrong, but he still had no will to leave his bed. They could always use one of those food delivery apps. 

"We could just..." Nagi opened his mouth to speak, but got interrupted before he could suggest anything.

Reo had kissed him. He had framed his face with his hands and leaned in, placing a kiss on his lips. His nose lightly touching Nagi's chin. It had been quick, just a peck, then Reo had stood up and Nagi's eyes had followed him.

"So?" Reo insisted as he grabbed his coat. "Are you gonna walk on your feet or do you want me to drag you in my car?"

And so Nagi stood up as well and reached out for his jacket.

"You ready?" Reo turned to him, his hand on the handle, but Nagi was distracted, his mind still obsessing over the texture of his lips. Too quick, it had been way too quick.

"Wait." So he whispered, his hand reaching for Reo's wrist, forcing him to turn around. Nagi pushed him against the door, gently, then he moved by instinct and seized his lips. He kissed him a second time, a bit roughly perhaps, since their teeth clashed a couple of times, but Reo didn't seem to mind, as his hand immediately latched on the back of Nagi's neck to pull him closer.

"Okay. Time's up." Reo pulled away first and the wet noise of their tongues parting seemed to have Nagi's stomach twist. "Let's go now." Said Reo and Nagi could only follow.

The grocery store was bigger than Nagi remembered and the day was too cold. Or maybe, he was feeling cold because he had been standing in the refrigerated section for more than twenty minutes now.

As soon as they had walked past the store's automatic doors, Reo had immediately reached for a cart and started shoving all kinds of things in it. He had also talked, a lot, while pushing the shopping cart down the store's aisles, telling Nagi about the crucial importance of knowing exactly what to buy and following a balanced diet, especially for an athlete. Nagi had quietly listened, or at least he had tried, until someone had tapped on Reo's shoulder.

One of his father's shareholders, holding a strangely huge watermelon in his arms, had cheerfully greeted Reo and, one thing leading to another, he had started rambling about stuff Nagi didn't care about. Stuff related to the financial world, or at least that was what Nagi had been able to guess.

Reo hadn't looked enthusiastic about having to engage in a conversation with someone so close to the one person he was trying so hard to avoid, but the man hadn't seemed to pick up on his reluctance. 

Nagi, on the other hand, had promptly found a way to escape with the excuse of having to search for some sugar. Sugar he had never even bothered to actually look for.

Instead, his attention had been captured by the chromatically captivating packages of puddings in the refrigerated section. So many flavors, such a wide choice. He didn't know if puddings could be considered an absolute necessity and it wasn't like he ate puddings all the time, but the colorful boxes were having a considerable hold on him.

Especially this violet box which had the words grapes and bananas spelled on it. It was the last one, Nagi noticed. There was no other grapes and bananas pudding on the shelves. Its rarity struck his curiosity and desire to bring it home, like a limited S rank character in a gacha game.

He was about to stretch his arm and reach for the pudding box, when he suddenly felt something bumping against him. Nagi turned around, but nothing seemed to be there. Then, he felt the hem of his jacket being slightly pulled, that's when he looked down. A kid, a little kid, about eight or nine years old considering the elementary school uniform he was wearing, was standing there, his chin comically raised up as he stared at him without saying a word.

Nagi frowned, a bit puzzled. He gave a look around, immediately searching for someone who could be that boy's parent, but nobody seemed to show up.

Was he lost? And what could Nagi do about it? He started thinking. He could report him to the lost and found. Did a lost and found for kids even exist? But lost and found was for objects only. Still, what if the kid was lost? He could just ignore him and maybe warn one of the cashiers about a wandering child in the store. That seemed like a good idea.

"My mom's buying apples." The little boy told him as if reading into his mind. "Over there." He said, vaguely pointing at the end of the aisle with his finger.

Nagi didn't even turn his head, he just kept standing there unsure about how to speak to a literal child. Why was said child talking to him in the first place? The kid quickly got his backpack off of his shoulders and he put it on the ground as he unzipped it. He rummaged through it for a few seconds and then he took out a glittery pen and a small notebook.

"You're Nagi Seishirou, the football player, right?" He wanted a confirmation and Nagi nodded at him. "You're much shorter than I thought." The little boy said. "My dad's taller than you. By a lot."

To be fair, Nagi had no idea how to reply to that, so he just didn't and the kid didn't seem bothered by his silence anyway. "I love your plays, by the way. May I have your autograph?" He asked, handing him his pen.

The boy opened his notebook on a random page prompting Nagi to add his signature on it. The ink of the pen was purple and it was kind of sparkling Nagi noticed as he wrote down his own name.

"Here you are." Nagi talked eventually and the kid put his stuff back inside his backpack.

"Thanks!" He grinned happily.

Nagi had never found himself to be particularly charming off the pitch and he never knew how to entertain fans approaching him. He wouldn't describe himself as shy to strangers, it was just that he didn't have much to say, in general. He wasn't talkative, not at all, but he sort of liked to meet fans, pose for their pictures and write his name on things, even if his signature was kind of childish and still a work in progress. 

Nagi decided to return the kid a smile and then their interaction was over. Or at least, that was what Nagi had thought. He turned around, the violet box was still there, waiting for him, so he finally stretched his arm and wrapped his fingers around the unusual striking packaging.

A hand, a small one. A definitely small hand was resting on his. Nagi looked down again, the kid was still there, with the clear intent of stealing his pudding.

"I was..." Nagi started off a bit unsure. "Sorry, I'm actually buying this." He tried to explain, thinking the kid would have loosened the grip around the box, but he didn't.

"You can't do that." He said, moving the pudding towards himself. "It's my favorite." He told Nagi as if that could change things.

"I saw it first." Nagi instinctively replied, not letting go of the package. 

"I'm calling my mom." The kid glared at him, but Nagi was not intimidated, not at all.

"Yeah?" He kept staring right into the boy's eyes. "You do that." He challenged him. "What could she even do about it?"

The kid seemed to be frustrated by the comment, then he gave a look around. A couple of people were walking towards the refrigerated section. His eyes lit up.

Nagi looked at him, confused. The little boy gritted his teeth, a mischievous expression on his face.

Tears. There were now tears in his eyes. More people, more people were coming their way all of a sudden. He knew. Nagi knew what what he was trying to do. He started crying. The kid had burst into tears right there, in the refrigerated section.

Nagi considered letting go of the box, but it was too late. The kid's crying had already turned heads.

"Why are you doing..."

"Nagi?" Of all people. Reo, of all people. "What is going on here?" Nagi heard him say, then he turned around.

Reo was walking towards him, his eyes trying to get a glimpse of the little boy who was still very much whining. "Who's this kid? And why is he..."

"He wanted to steal my pudding." The kid cried as he dramatically wiped away his fake tears with the sleeve of his shirt. Reo looked at Nagi sideways, then he turned to the kid.

"I'm sure this is just a misunderstanding. The guy here is my friend, he had no intention of..."

"I know he's your friend." The boy interrupted him. "You're Mikage Reo. The football player. I love your hair." He said before diving into a hug, the kid's arms surrounding Reo's legs.

"Oh." Reo seemed surprised as he patted on the kid's head. "Thank you."

"He's evil, though." The boy kept complaining. "He won't give me my pudding."

"Nagi." Reo set his eyes on him. "Give him his pudding."

Nagi looked down. The box was in his hands. Then he looked at the kid. Children.

Children were so annoying. His cactus was better. His cactus never whined about anything.

"Here." Nagi just said and the little boy swiftly snatched the pudding away from his hands.

"Thank you!" The boy hummed, no more upset as he started looking for his notebook once again. "May I have your autograph?" He made the same request to Reo, handing him his sprinkling pen. "Right here!"

"You signed this too?" Said Reo as he noticed his writing on the page and Nagi nodded in response.

"Have a nice a day and thank you for your support." Reo softly smiled as he returned him the pen, then the boy waved at them both as he hopped away, playfully sticking out his tongue to Nagi.

"Why were you having beef with a child?"

"I wasn't having..." Nagi had tried to deny, but then Reo had raised his eyebrow at him, so he didn't speak further.

He was probably having beef with a child, but he didn't mean to. He would never have beef with a child. Not intentionally. It had just happened.

"I really wanted that pudding." He chose to say instead.

"You wanted that? Was it grapes and bananas?" Reo tried to recall.

"Yeah." Nagi simply shrugged, his eyes staring at the vacant spot that pudding had left on the shelves and in his heart.

"I know the guy who's in charge of those puddings' production. How many boxes do you want?" Reo casually asked.

"What?" Nagi turned around to look at him.

"You want me to ask for twenty?" Reo seemed totally serious. "Or we could do ten. You tell me."

"I just need one." Nagi replied. 

"Fine." Said Reo as he unlocked his phone. "I can do one." His fingers ran on the keyboard, probably writing a message. "We're still not over here. Milk." Then he said, leaving the shopping cart to Nagi. "We need milk. And tea." And Nagi quietly followed him.

After what had been two long hours walking through the store's aisles, they finally went back to Nagi's place. Emptied bags on the floor as they were both standing in front of Nagi's fridge.

"Now it looks like someone actually lives in here." Reo commented, clearly satisfied with their grocery shopping.

"Yeah." Nagi had never seen so much food in his studio apartment all at once. Nagi was able to cook, of course. He had been forced to develope cooking abilities at sixteen, but his skills were basic. His goal had always been mere survival. There was a salmon in his fridge now. Nagi had no clue about how a salmon should be treated. 

"Okay, where do you keep your knives?" Reo suddenly asked.

"My knives? Why are you asking?" Nagi genuinely blinked at him.

"What do you mean why am I asking?" Said Reo. "I'm making lunch. Aren't you hungry?"

Nagi felt a little hungry indeed.

"Sure. Ehm..." Nagi immediately went to open one of his drawers. "Here." He showed Reo.

"Good." Reo firmly nodded. "So, there's this recipe I have in mind. A recipe our chef at home taught me once, but I'll probably need your help so... just peel those potatoes for me. Could you?"

As he watched Reo using his stoves, looking into his fridge, handling his pots, Nagi had two words in his mind: total invasion. Nagi had never heard such a chaos coming from his kitchenette, he had never even noticed the frying pan Reo had now picked up from a random shelf. Reo seemed to be perfectly comfortable at Nagi's place and he moved around smoothly, as if he had always lived there, as if he owned it.

A week. A mere week had gone by since Reo had barged into his house and everything seemed to be changing already.

The curtains were wide open, Nagi noticed all of a sudden. He hadn't closed them yet.

"Nagi?" Reo called him and he almost flinched at the sound. "Potatoes."

Potatoes. He had to peel the potatoes. He hoped he wouldn't tear up. His eyes weren't itching, though.

"Hey, Reo." Said Nagi. "Why am I not crying? I mean, I'm technically peeling potatoes."

"Why would you cry on potatoes?" Reo asked.

"'Cause they're potatoes and they make people cry." Nagi easily concluded. 

"Onions." Reo shook his head. "Cutting onions makes people cry."

"Seriously?" Nagi's eyes widened.

Reo just laughed.

〰️

The shower didn't help.

His heart hadn't stopped racing, his blood was still furiously rushing through his veins as his brain kept showing him the same frame. His hair was humid, he had put his hoodie on, thinking it would be enough to let it dry. His eyes were fixed on the door of the locker room as he was sitting on the bench. The turmoil and the responsive vitality of the bleachers could be heard even from there. The ground under Nagi's feet seemed to be shaken by an earthquake every time the stadium roared or cheered or jumped. His gaze darted on the clock hung on the wall. The match would soon be over. Four of the five minutes of additional time the speaker had announced were gone already.

Seconds. A matter of seconds. His team had been a goal to the good at half-time and they had kept leading the game until its very last breaths. Nagi was inadvertently bouncing his leg, his nerves quivering, a rising and insufferable frustration at the thought of not being out there, on the pitch, with his teammates, trying to widen the gap, giving out his everything to defend and grant victory. The clock hands kept moving, relentlessly, and Nagi was waiting. Waiting for the referee to end the match, waiting for that torture to be over.

He had been reckless. Too impulsive and he was not the type. It wasn't like him to act on impulses. His brain had seemed to short-circuit, though. He could still recollect the sensation. The sensation of his head feeling a little too light and his body moving on its own. The consequential red card shoved in his face had been the only thing able to wake him up. His coach had yelled at him. His voice coming to his ears as nothing more than a muffled sound. He was right, his tackle had been unnecessary, overly aggressive and a foul overall. Nagi could have easily acknowledged that on his own. When he left the pitch, he didn't look behind. He knew Reo wasn't happy. He knew he had made a rather idiotic mistake. That's why he had kept mentally cursing himself all the way through the tunnel.

A second. One single second. Nagi closed his eyes, then, he heard it. The referee's whistle. Three more points, they were still leading the league. The match was over.

Nagi stood up from the bench, unsure about what to do next. The fans outside sounded euphoric as they chanted the team's current hymn. His teammates were probably still out there, celebrating another huge win. He zipped up his jacket and he decided to leave, but, before he could do that, the locker room doors had opened. 

"So you're hiding in here?" Reo had stepped in, his ponytail a little loose on his head and his shorts covered in mud. He still looked upset.

"I'm not hiding." Nagi quickly replied. He had been sent off, the locker room was actually the only place where he could stay. So: no, he wasn't hiding. 

"Next week." Said Reo, walking towards him and Nagi found himself stepping back until he couldn't move anymore, framed between Reo and the wall. "We have a key match next week and you got yourself kicked out today. You know what that means, right?"

Nagi looked away, Reo's judgemental stare was bothering him. He was well aware of the consequences of a red card. He knew he wasn't going to play their next match. "Why did you even do that?" Reo kept nagging. "There was no reason."

Nagi sighed and Reo frowned. Then, Nagi looked at him again. Four or five centimeters. Reo was shorter than him of four or five centimeters. Still, Nagi found his figure to be quite towering right now.

"He wasn't playing fair." He simply explained and it was the truth. One of the rival team's midfielders had pulled Reo by his shirt and knocked him to the ground. It hadn't been just a simple foul. It had been intentional, that guy had tried to hurt Reo wittingly. And Nagi had noticed. Unfortunately. 

"You almost broke his ankle out of spite. Or you wanna tell me that was fair game?" Reo insisted.

"He started it first." Nagi said with a shrug of his shoulders. "He shouldn't have dragged you to the ground. You know I never start things first." He added plain. 

Reo's eyes widened, surprised, but somehow amused by Nagi pleading innocent. "I know." He could only say. "I know you never start things first. Because starting things first is..."

"A pain." Nagi concluded. It really was, a waste of energy, that's why he rarely fought with anyone.

"Why are you like this?" Reo laughed as he shook his head.

"Like what?" Nagi genuinely asked, finding himself staring at Reo's glowing smile.

"Nothing." Reo brushed it away, still smiling. "Anyway, congrats. You're not playing next weekend."

"That means I'll train more and I'll score four goals next time." Nagi shrugged.

"Four?" Reo echoed him.

"Yeah, four." He confirmed, with his usual confidence when it came to football.

Reo raised his hands as in sign of surrender, then he said: "Alright. You're the genius, after all."

Genius. All his life, Nagi had been just a regular guy, living regular days, doing regular stuff. To Reo, he was a genius to treasure. Nagi didn't feel like one, though. 

He grabbed Reo's hands and he pulled them closer to his chest. Reo had set his eyes on him, his eyelashes seemed longer somehow.

When Reo looked at him, Nagi desperately wanted to prove him right. When Reo looked at him, he wanted to be that genius, he wanted to be the best. He wanted to conquer the world and give it to him.

He would have kissed him, right there, in that moment, but the doors had opened and Reo had leapt away.

"Nagi!" Their captain called him. "The coach wants to talk to you. You're a dead man. He's pissed." He warned him and so Nagi walked out of the locker room in order to face his terrible destiny.

The coach had scolded him indeed. Back in high school, professors would scold him all the time for sleeping during classes, so Nagi couldn't say he wasn't used to it. He had nodded, he had apologized, he had bowed and then the coach had set him free. With no intention of going back to the sweaty and musty locker room, Nagi simply decided to head to the parking lot where Reo's car was and wait there. A perfect plan. He got lost a couple of times while searching for the right exit, but still a perfect a plan. The blue numbers on the digital screen progressively lowered as the elevator reached the underground floor, while Nagi quietly hummed to the beat of the tune playing on the radio. A sharp ding resounded through the small cubicle and then the elevator stopped.

The air was cold, so Nagi let his chin sink into the collar of his jacket, his eyes wandering around as they searched for his friend's car. Left. He remembered Reo saying he had parked somewhere to the left.

Nagi slipped his hands into his pockets and he started walking. The lights kept flickering and the sound of his footsteps was the only thing breaking the deep silence of that gloomy parking lot. Then he saw it, Reo's car, and he speeded up the pace.

"Nagi?"

He winced. He heard his own name echo throughout the almost empty place and he winced. "Seishirou, right? Nagi Seishirou. There's no way I can get this wrong."

He turned around and what he saw definitely startled him. Mr. Mikage was standing there, right in front of him. And he was addressing him. Nagi didn't recall Reo's father ever addressing him. Not even once.

"Ehm... Hello." Hello. Just hello wasn't enough, or was it? "Sir?" He tried, his tone tentative.

The man smiled at him. Weird, Nagi thought. Did he ever see him smile before? His teeth. They seemed too... White. Was it normal? "Oh, you don't have to call me Sir."

"Okay." Nagi replied too quickly, without saying anything more.

"I happened to watch the game." He told him all of a sudden, probably expecting some kind of reaction out of him, but Nagi was genuinely missing the point. The whole point: why was Mr. Mikage there and why was he talking to him. "It seemed like you were doing great, until... you know." 

"Yeah. That wasn't pretty, I guess." Nagi forced himself to speak. "Were you on the bleachers?" He then asked, actually curious.

"The bleachers? No, absolutely no." Mr. Mikage laughed and Nagi wondered why he had found the question so humorous. It was legit. A legit question. "I was in the longue, sorting out opportunities, official business, and there were screens of course."

"Cool." Nagi worded out. He had no reason to be talking to Reo's father and the situation itself felt quite awkward to the point his skin almost seemed to itch. "Good night, Sir." So he greeted him and attempted escape.

"Wait!" Mission failed. Nagi reluctantly turned around.

"It's... I..." Mr. Mikage seemed to be struggling to find the words. "How... How's Reo?" He asked eventually, the inflexibility of his expression smothering a little.

"He's fine." Nagi told him, a bit dry perhaps, but Mr. Mikage didn't seem to notice.

"You know, he's not... he's not coming home lately. His mother and I, we barely get to see him. I just wanted to make sure that he's okay and he's not living under a bridge." The man attempted a smile, not so successfully. He was worried.

"I don't think Reo would ever live under a bridge." Reo was barely able to survive in a house with no extra bathroom, but Nagi didn't say that out loud.

"You're right. He's not the bohemian type." Mr. Mikage agreed with him. "So... do you know where he's staying? I don't mean to intrude into his life, but it's been two weeks and as you might understand..."

"He's staying at my place." Nagi cut short and let him know.

Something shifted. Something on the man's face seemed to shift and his jaw imperceptibly tensed up. 

"Oh." He uttered. "At your place, you say?"

His tone was different now. The friendliness from a few moments had been completely replaced by a pointed diffidence. "And your place is... an apartment?"

"One roomed. One roomed apartment." Nagi corrected him.

"I see." Mr. Mikage laughed, but there was no trace of sincere fun in that laugh. "Well, thank you, Seishirou. You've been of great help. Also, thank you for hosting my subversive son." He said. "And one last thing. There's something I'd like you to tell Reo on my behalf. If you want, of course."

Nagi looked at the man, waiting for him to speak, a bit confused by the sudden animosity in his voice.

"It'd hurt, to fall from where he's standing right now." Mr. Mikage stared at him, right into his eyes, for the first time since they had met.

"And he'll fall." He sentenced as a certain bitterness seemed to permeate his words. Then, Mr. Mikage just waved at him, wishing him a good night with a smile on his face.

Nagi just stood there, staring at him as he walked to his car and then drove away. His brain unable to process the man's message. What was that supposed to mean? Maybe Reo knew it. Maybe it was part of some family secret code Nagi couldn't decipher himself.

"Hey." The light pressure of a hand resting on his shoulder had Nagi turn around. Reo was there, a scarf wrapped around his neck and his coat embracing him. "What are you doing? You're too tall to be standing still in a parking lot. People are gonna think you're a serial killer or something." Reo considered. "And what's with your face?" He asked, frowning a little. 

"I just ran into your father." Nagi said, the information slipping out of his tongue.

"Oh, really?" Reo didn't have much of a reaction, his expression seemingly unchanged.

"So you're not surprised?" Nagi simply asked.

"I knew about him being here." Reo said with a shrug of his shoulders. "He has expansionist goals and he's planning to buy shares in football clubs." Reo told him. "I guess he went for the club I play for first because his sick mind probably thinks he can also buy me." He laughed it off as he started heading towards his car.

"He approached me." Nagi replied as he walked behind him. "I mean, he talked to me. That was strange." 

"Did he?" Said Reo, unaffected by the sudden information at first.

"He asked me to tell you something." 

"Seriously? And what would that old prick even have to say to me?" He said as he kept walking.

"He said something about you falling." Nagi started saying. 

"What?" Reo stopped walking, but didn't turn around. And Nagi stopped walking too.

"Yeah, he said that you're standing... somewhere and you're gonna fall from there and it's gonna hurt." Nagi tried to recollect the exact sentence, but found himself unable to do so. "What does that even mean?" He genuinely asked, still confused by such an unsettling thing to say. 

Reo wasn't responding, though. He wasn't even moving. He was just standing there, in silence, as he clenched his fists. 

Nagi furrowed his brow. "Reo?" He called, taking a step forward, but before he could reach him, Reo picked up his walk again.

"I have no idea. He's blabbering nonsense most of the times." Reo casually shrugged, but Nagi wasn't convinced. Reo wasn't talking to him. Reo wasn't telling him the truth.

They reached the car and Reo's key chains were clinking as he unlocked the doors.

"So that doesn't ring any bells?" Nagi tried again, looking at him as he stood on the other side of the car.

Reo placed his hand on the roof of the car, as if leaning on. "Honestly?" He returned his gaze, his eyes uncharacteristically inexpressive. "No. That doesn't ring any bells." He said and then got into the car.

Nagi wasn't great at reading people, but he knew Reo. Still, knowing Reo didn't seem to be enough.

〰️

More weeks went by and turned into a month. More than a month. More than a month of Nagi sharing his sacred space with someone who was doing everything in his power to change it without even noticing. There were days in which Reo acted like a housekeeper, always tidying up, always rearranging stuff in the bathroom cabinet, always making sure to vacuum at least once a day. Nagi wondered how could someone raised in wealth and privilege be able to take care of doing the cleaning so well, but that was Reo and Reo was good at everything, after all. Neatness reigned in Nagi's room now and he couldn't say he disliked it.

Also, the fridge was never empty. They had turned it into a habit, not intentionally, but still it became a habit to hit the grocery store every Monday. Nagi had even registered for a fidelity card on his name, which allowed him several discounts on different products every week and Reo had been euphoric about it. Way too euphoric, probably.

"What are you doing?" Nagi had asked one day, staring at Reo pushing an additional shopping cart overflowing with toilet paper towards the cashier's desk.

"What am I doing? I'm seizing an opportunity here." Reo had explained enthusiastically. "Toilet paper is fifty percent off today, can you believe that? These idiots are basically giving it away for free."

Nagi had his doubts about that, but he didn't care enough to voice them out. He just let Reo do his thing and buy a concerning amount of toilet paper for the affordable price of 21.000 yen. Growing up rich didn't come with a sense of proportion apparently.

Reo's presence was breathing a new life into Nagi's humble studio apartment. The entire place seemed to be brighter and warmer somehow.

He seemed to be everywhere, Reo: in the toothbrush next to Nagi's, in the brand new vase he had deliberately bought for his cactus, in the chaos whenever he tried to master new recipes, in the silence when he wasn't home. 

Nagi's bed was still too small and they often talked about getting a tatami or something similar to a camping bed, but they always ended up forgetting about it. So, at night, the two of them just squeezed a bit, trying to adjust. It wasn't comfortable, but it was becoming comfortably familiar, to the point Nagi would have found rather strange to fall asleep without Reo's elbow occasionally and accidentally hitting his ribs. To the point Nagi would have found odd to wake up and not see Reo next to him.

It kind of happened once, one night. Nagi wasn't one who woke up easily, all the contrary. He was a very talented sleeper. If professional sleeping had been a thing, Nagi would have been the most prolific and experienced sleeper of all time. He could sleep through all sort of things: classes, action movies, jackhammers, babies crying. He was persistent and consistent. That night had been different, though.

He didn't know what had him wake up all of a sudden. There had been no particular noise. Everything had been quiet, as usual. Still, the scenes from the distant dream he was having had started fading away and before he could realize it, his eyes had opened. It was still dark, no morning sun seemed to be lighting the room and his body didn't feel restored, but tired and exhausted, as if it hadn't totally recharged. He rolled over, turning his pillow on the cooler side, trying to change position and immediately get back to sleep, and he would have gotten back to sleep if the lack of literal obstacles hadn't startled him.

He was moving freely, there was no one next to him, no one mumbling and complaining in their sleep because Nagi was trying to get too much space for himself. Reo wasn't there and Nagi woke up completely. A beam of light cast shadows on the wall he was facing and he turned around, instinctively following it.

A faint yawn escaped his mouth as he squinted, trying to recognize the silhouette sitting on the chair by his desk. The artificial light coming from the computer weakly illuminated Reo's face, his expression serious and focused as he seemed to be concentrating on something on the screen. Nagi's eyes then moved to the alarm clock. 4 AM. Too early to be awake, definitely too early.

"What are you doing?" Nagi had decided to ask, his voice coming out hoarse and a bit sore.

Reo had almost flinched, not expecting Nagi to speak, causing the headphones he had on to drop a little to the side. "Sorry." He immediately said. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"What's that?" Nagi deliberately overlooked Reo's apologies and lazily pointed one finger at the still bright screen of the computer. "What is it that you're watching? Your face is all..." But then he paused, words running even shorter due to the lingering slumber.

"It's a game." Reo answered.

"A gameplay?" Nagi tilted his head, sort of puzzled, his cheek sinking even more in the softness of the pillow.

"A football game." Reo clarified, but that didn't seem to be of any help to Nagi's comprehension. Why was Reo watching a football game at 4 AM? Couldn't he wait at least for dawn to happen?

And, as if he had just been reading his mind, Reo grabbed his laptop from the desk, the chair scraping the floor as he stood up.

"Move." He said to Nagi, who loudly snorted, but did as told anyway. He rolled back to his side, while Reo crawled under the blankets, next to him, still holding his laptop.

"Look." Reo quietly whispered as he placed the computer on his lap, and so Nagi looked, his head casually resting on Reo's shoulder as he forced his eyelids not to fall. 

It was a football match, indeed. However, Nagi failed to recognize the two teams currently on the pitch.

"Is it live?" He asked as he automatically wrapped his arm around Reo's waist.

"Was." Reo replied. "It's over now. I'm watching the highlights."

"It's not Japan." Nagi noticed, no sign of Japanese words on the players' jerseys.

"It's the UK. Premier League." Said Reo. "It's insane." He then murmured.

"What?" Nagi instinctively asked. "What's insane?"

Reo didn't reply immediately, but his finger moved on the computer pad as he rewinded the clip. Then he pressed play so Nagi could watch it too.

Watford versus Leicester. No more than a couple of seconds of extra time left and the game was tied. Then, the fatality: Leicester won a penalty after its striker had ended up face to the ground in the box. The clock was ticking, Leicester had the chance to close the match and bring it home, easily, smoothly.

They were going to win, it seemed logical, mathematical. But football wasn't, it wasn't logical nor mathematical. Watford's goalkeeper dived to the wrong side, but he saved the shot anyway, with just his trailing foot. A miracle, but Leicester's penalty kick player was still there, the rebound inevitable. Or so it seemed.

The impossible happened in less than a minute. Watford's defender immediately recovered, preventing the rebound, clearing and starting a counterattack right away. Watford reached the other side of the pitch, an unstoppable force surrounding the entire team. Then a cross to the far side, a head back to another player and the ball was smashed in and the game was over. Memorable, almost magical.

Reo was right: that clip was the actual definition of insanity.

"See?" Said Reo, his tone exuding pure astonishment. "That was great! And it's not just about the moment itself, it's... it's everything. They're a league of their own, it's the rhythm they keep. Everyone. Every single team. I mean, have you ever seen such an intensity in the J1 League? It's..." Reo paused, and Nagi briefly looked up, getting a glimpse of his face. His eyes seemed to be fired up as he so enthusiastically spoke. "That's where the world bests go. There's so much we could learn from them, new sets of skills, an entirely different attitude. And we could progress further from there, play in the Champions League and grow even more... man, I wish I could be there."

Despite his recent studies, Nagi couldn't say he held a vast knowledge on football theory. There were still a few things he personally found abstruse and overall difficult to understand outside of their practical use, but, considering his experience as a professional now and his experience in Blue Lock before, he had almost immediately come to know about Europe being the greatest stage for a player and about England being the cradle of football itself.

Nagi was competitive, sure, when he put his mind into it, but he lacked ambition. He trained, he kept faith to this ideal goal and he put efforts into improving himself, but he struggled to think ahead, to plan. He had always been better at focusing on what he had right in front of him, but he knew, deep down, that he would have to step up his game at some point, that he would have to fully commit to it and actually go the distance. 

He wanted the World Cup and to win the World Cup he would need to see some real world talents with his very own eyes and challenge them, challenge himself.

The path he had chosen wasn't set in stone and all the variables he had to pay attention to were more of a hassle than anything, but he liked football. That's why he was doing it in the first place. He also liked Reo, that's why he kept pushing forward.

"I'll take you there, then." Nagi said, firm, no hesitation. If Reo said Premier League was their next target, then they were going for the Premier League. No discussion.

"What?" Reo had asked, looking at him.

"I said I'll take you there." Nagi repeated, his voice calm and steady. "We'll go there."

"We cannot just choose to go, teams will have to scout and find us. The both of us. It's not entirely up to you nor it's up to me." Reo told him and he was right, but Nagi had a feeling. Nagi had a feeling they could make this into a reality.

"It'll happen, though. I'm sure." He did not desist with his statement. 

"And what is it that makes you so sure about that?" Reo raised his eyebrow in response.

Nagi didn't even have to think about the answer, it just came out spontaneously. "You." He said. 

"Me?" Reo seemed surprised as suggested by the slight inflection of his voice.

"Yeah." Nagi nodded. "You." He said again, no further explanation. There was no need. It was only natural. 

Reo didn't say anything in reply, his finger still moving on the touchpad as he powered off his computer.

The faint light of its screen went off and the room fell in the dark. Reo closed his laptop and he carefully left it on the ground as Nagi's arm still wrapped his waist.

"Why did you put it away?" Nagi had asked all of a sudden.

"It's late. And you were sleeping." Reo replied.

"I'm not sleepy anymore." Nagi told him. The clip they had seen together had seemed to erase every trace of tiredness from his body and mind and he simply didn't need to sleep now. "Bring the computer back."

"What are you? A child?" Reo had chuckled. "I don't feel like sleeping either, though." He then admitted, his eyes falling on the floor, as he probably pondered on following Nagi's advice. "And there's another video I wanted to show you."

"Then show me." Nagi shortly suggested him.

"Alright." Reo said as he bent over to pick his laptop up. He placed it back on his lap and he opened it. Nagi waited for him to power it on, but a few seconds had gone by and the screen had still to light up.

"So?" Pressed Nagi, whose head was still resting on his friend's shoulder as he tried to look up and sneak a glance at him.

But Reo didn't speak, he just laughed and Nagi couldn't help but feel confused. "What?" He asked. Nagi didn't remember saying anything particularly funny.

"Nothing." Said Reo as he switched the computer on.

"Okay." Nagi muttered, not that convinced, then he instinctively shut his eyes since the brightness of the screen seemed to be bothering them.

And his eyes were still closed when he felt it. When he felt Reo kissing the top of his head, his lips pressed against his hair. Nagi found himself shivering under the brief touch, but Reo didn't seem to notice and Nagi himself didn't seem to understand. Cold, it was always the cold lately.

Then, they picked up some videos and Reo pressed play. They were about tactics and strategies and highlights of different games in different parts of the world. It was nice to talk with Reo about football, to share opinions and impressions. They used to do that a lot, back in the days, back in high school. Reo would just show Nagi a clip about the basics so he could learn and then they would discuss it, comment on it.

Five years, Nagi thought. Five years had gone by since they had started being friends. They had grown closer since then, their friendship had grown stronger and he was happy with it. But there was something now. Something in that night, something in the back of his mind he couldn't still grasp, something crawling under his skin he couldn't still define.

It was annoying to think about it, so he just didn't, and when the first sun illuminated his room, shredding its light, turning it into soft rays of sunshine filtering through the window, that strange feeling seemed to be gone.

Nagi felt relieved. 

〰️

November.

Late November. A chill breeze gently cut through Nagi's skin as he left the pitch after practice. He looked up, the sky was clear with no more than a few clouds. A nice day, uncharacteristically nice for that time of the year. As he walked back inside the facility, Nagi started feeling a strange numbness around his calf muscles. He should have taken his time to stretch more, probably, but it was past noon and everyone had left already. Even Reo had run to the showers before him, leaving Nagi alone as he practiced some more shots. He was getting better, little by little. A bit more accurate, even from a bigger distance. Obviously practice couldn't compare with an actual match. His progress had yet to be tested, but he felt quite optimistic. His posture also seemed to be better, his coach had been the one telling him so. Great, it was great.

He pushed the doors for the locker room and found no one around. Not even Reo seemed to be there. Nagi didn't think about it too much, he didn't question it, he went straight to the shower stall in order to wash away that lingering sense of fatigue which always came up after a strenuous training. He was hungry, he noticed, as he felt his stomach growling.

Normal, he had had his last meal more than five hours ago, that was normal. What was he going to eat, though? What were they going to eat? Was Reo cooking again? He hoped so. He was getting particularly good at it, even if something always ended up getting burnt in the process. Nagi didn't complain though, not usually. Reo's cooking was a considerably better option than the old instant food he used to get. Reo was kind of his personal chef now. Maybe I should consider paying him, Nagi thought as he let the soap roam free down his body. Would even Reo accept a payment for his service? Would even Reo need a payment? He was still rich and he was a professional football player just like him. He had his wage, a very consistent one. No, Nagi concluded, Reo didn't need a payment. Maybe he needed a bit of help, though. Maybe Nagi could take the initiative and cook for the both of them, sometimes. And the dishes. Nagi definitely needed to be more dynamic when it came to washing the dishes.

Or maybe things could simply stay like that. Nagi was in charge of the laundry and he was always the one making the bed in the morning. Their chores were quite balanced and equally distributed, there was no need to change anything. Nagi got out of the shower, dried off and he lazily put his bathrobe on. When he reached his locker, he quickly got dressed again and when he sat on the bench to put his shoes on, the doors opened.

"Hey." Reo came in and greeted him. "I got the keys. The janitor told me to lock up this place once we're done." He said. He was holding a rubber band between his teeth as his hands finely worked on his hair, to fix it into a more proper ponytail.

Nagi's eyes attentively scanned him. He didn't have his usual casual clothes on. A puffy white shirt was tucked into his black trousers and the shoes he had on were not snickers. They seemed more like loafers. Reo looked classy, and nice. Very nice.

Nagi stood up and walked towards him, without saying a word. He moved by instinct and when he reached him, as he stood just behind him, he put his arm around his waist and palmed his stomach to pull him closer until Reo's back was perfectly adhering to his chest.

Reo's muscles felt toned, Nagi found himself thinking as his hand was still pressing against his stomach. He had gotten a glimpse of them already, at home, every time Reo mindlessly walked around without a shirt on in the morning, searching for something to wear, but he had never had the chance to... experience them.

"What are you doing?" Reo asked and Nagi didn't reply. His grip still firm around Reo's waist as he buried his face in the crook of his neck, breathing in, slowly.

"Nagi?" Reo insisted, his tone curious.

"Recharging." Nagi blurted out. "I'm recharging."

"Okay." Reo simply said, a hint of a smile on his face as he realized what that meant. 

So, Nagi kissed him. Just once, on the bare skin the collar of his shirt left exposed. Then, Reo placed his hand on his, the one Nagi was still keeping on his stomach, as if giving him permission to keep going. To venture further. And he kissed him again, on the crook of his neck, on the nape, even briefly on his shoulder when Reo had undone the top buttons of his shirt to give Nagi more space.

"You're all dressed up." Nagi said quietly. 

"It's just a shirt." Reo whispered as he let their fingers intertwine.

Just a shirt. He wasn't wrong. He was just wearing a shirt, a white and plain one. Simple. Nagi liked simple. Plus, Reo looked extremely good. Nagi closed his eyes, his lips still brushing against the other's skin.

Reo was holding his hand, tight. His breath soft as he tilted his head to the side, almost automatically. They had kissed like this many times. Nagi had kissed Reo like this many times. 

It was strange, though, the way he was feeling right now. He could have kissed him. Nagi could have kissed him once more and it wouldn't have been enough. That still wouldn't have satisfied him.

Impatient. He felt impatient, but he didn't know why. He didn't know what had suddenly gotten into him. He didn't know what he was being so impatient about. His hand moved on its own, from Reo's stomach to his hip, forcing him to turn around so their lips could finally meet. It was confusing, the turmoil Nagi felt inside. Every single part of his body seemed to be suddenly crushed and awakened by an unknown force.

He felt disturbingly attracted to Reo, as if he had just turned into the Earth's sole center of gravity.

He dived deeper into his mouth, as if trying to silence that spasmodic urge he was feeling. Reo's fingers were roaming through Nagi's hair, erratically, while the latter's grip was still strong on his hips.

But then Nagi's hand had slipped past Reo's lower back, with a different aim. They kept kissing, messily, voraciously, as if they were both starving.

At some point, Reo's back hit the wall behind and Nagi swiftly took advantage of the situation to use his hand to lift up Reo's thigh and let it cling to him so their bodies could press closer against each other. And it was still not enough. 

A want. A desire. A need. Nagi sucked on his tongue and Reo sweetly moaned within the kiss. It was heavenly. But also a problem. Definitely a problem.

Nagi found himself pulling away, all of a sudden, in an unannounced retreat. Reo was still there, his eyes set on him, his face outrageously flushed.

He was beautiful.

"Nice." Reo clicked his tongue, picking up the rubber band which had ended up falling on the ground in the process. "My hair is a mess all over again." He chuckled and Nagi had to force himself to stop staring at him. His usually steady heartbeat felt quite bothersome at the moment.

"What's with the fancy shirt by the way?" Nagi asked, his calm voice not matching the disorientating confusion still annoying him.

"Lunch." Reo replied.

"Lunch?"

"With my father."

Nagi frowned. "Right now?"

"Yeah. I told you already." He just said, as he slided into his coat.

"You didn't." Nagi didn't quite recall.

"I did." Reo looked at him. "This morning. When we were having breakfast."

Breakfast. He did remember Reo saying something, but he didn't remember himself listening. "What about the groceries?" So Nagi changed the focus of the conversation. It was Monday and they always went to the store on Mondays.

"Right!" Reo uttered, genuinely apologetic. "Sorry about that." He said and then the both of them walked out of the locker room. "But I believe you can handle it quite well on your own. I have taught you everything I know. You don't need me anymore." Reo added with a smile as he locked the doors.

Sure, Nagi was an adult and he could go to the store by himself. It wasn't the end of the world. He would be just fine.

The sporting facility seemed to be empty, except for a few people from the management offices. Reo returned the keys of the locker room to the janitor and then they left, crossing the courtyard until they reached the sidewalk right past the gates.

It was silent, all around, not a lot of human activity, not a lot of cars and Nagi could even hear a couple of birds tweeting from a nearby tree. The sky was still blue and the wind was still gently stroking his hair. It was a good day. It seemed a good one.

His stomach was still twirling, he was still hungry. He needed to go and do his groceries, then home and figure out what to eat. Basic human needs, if they were basic why did they require planning and preparation? It was hard to be a human sometimes.

"I..." Reo suddenly spoke, breaking Nagi's stream of thoughts. "I won't be back to your place tonight." He told him, his voice sounding somewhat insecure. 

"You won't?" Nagi tilted his head, genuinely puzzled.

"Yeah. There's this event and there's this guy from the fashion industry who's gonna attend. His brand is huge worldwide and he's now taking an interest in sporting clothes. I want to meet him, you know, 'cause that could be a useful contact in the long run, so... he's basically the main reason why I agreed upon having lunch with my father." Reo explained, his eyes staring at the ground.

"I thought you two weren't talking lately." Nagi voiced out, sincerely curious. "I mean, you and your father."

"Yes, and we're still not talking." Reo confirmed. "But he's one of the hosts for this event and I can't show up out of the blue. Considering the circumstances, obviously. So let's say we're negotiating. It's something like that."

Reo seemed determined and calm about meeting up with his father. He had a reason for that, he had a purpose. He wasn't going to get hurt. They were just negotiating, it was different this time. Nevertheless, Nagi couldn't help but worry, deep down. It was like a natural reflex. Nagi did trust Reo's judgement, but he couldn't bring himself to trust Reo's father. Not that he had an actual reason for that, it was a feeling, but he couldn't say anything about it.

Not his place, he kept telling himself. Reo had his family, his relationships and Nagi was just a friend. Nothing more than a friend. He couldn't overstep.

"Cool." So Nagi just said. "See you tomorrow then, for practice."

"Sure. See you tomorrow!"

They waved at each other and then walked in separate directions.

After a while, Nagi reached the store. It was crowded. It was never this crowded. The shelves were full of new products and most of them seemed to be marked down. Reo would have loved to see that. Nagi wandered alone along the aisles, grabbing just the necessary and then he walked to the checkout.

"Sir?" The cashier lady had called him. "I fear we are not allowed to accept this kind of payment here."

"What?"

Nagi immediately looked down at the counter where he had emptied his pockets and dropped a few coins along with some bills since he didn't have anything else with him. "Sorry, I... I don't have my card today." He tried to explain, but the lady shook her head.

"That's not what I mean." She looked at him, amused, seemingly. "I can't accept the ring."

"The what?" Nagi frowned and then he saw it. Right there, sparkling between all those dull and dusty coins. His ring. The ring Reo had let him keep. How long had it stayed in his jacket? He didn't recall put it in there. When did that happen? Why couldn't he remember? Why did he keep forgetting about the existence of that small ring? And why did that small ring seem to pop up out of nowhere every single time?

Nagi took the ring back and apologized to the old lady who was now smiling at him. "You should be careful. Is that for someone important?"

"No." Nagi replied way too quickly. "It's mine."

"Well, it's a nice ring." She said softly as she gave him the change. "Have a good day."

Nagi didn't reply, he simply bowed his head and walked out of the store.

He spent the rest of the day at home, just playing random games or trying to read one of those books which were piling up on his desk. Then, when the night had come, Nagi had simply decided to lie down on his bed, earphones on as he scrolled through his phone.

Big.

His bed felt unusually big.

At the dusk of their two months living together, it all ended quietly. Reo showed up the very next day, at Nagi's place, in order to get back his suitcase and all his stuff. He was going back to his parents' house. Something must have changed.

Then, a few days later, Reo invited him over and they were back to their old routine. It was still superb, the Mikages' personal chef's cooking. Nothing ever tasted like it was burnt.

Nagi couldn't say he hadn't missed it.

His fridge at home had started getting empty again, though.