Archive of Our Own

Ever since they had met and Seishiro's life subsequently began, Seishiro had been pretty lenient about doing just about whatever Reo asked with an appropriate amount of complaint.

Whether it be Reo demanding he play soccer with him, dragging him to the busy streets of Shibuya in the name of an impromptu shopping trip, or even asking that Seishiro move in with him after they had both grown up and graduated from their respective universities, Seishiro had done it.

Some questions asked, perhaps a little bit of overly pathetic whining and pleading faces, but done it nonetheless.

Any time Reo had asked him to do anything, whether he moaned and groaned about it or just nodded and followed along wordlessly, Seishiro had done it.

Every request had been accepted with a genuine grace and admiration, a burning desire to keep himself at Reo's side fueling every choice he makes. Even if it was painful. Even if it was annoying. Seishiro did it because Reo told him to, and Reo knew best.

Or so Seishiro thought.

But with this latest obsession Reo has started, Seishiro was beginning to heavily doubt that assumption.

It started, innocently enough, with Reo asking Seishiro a question that made his brain freeze.

Seishiro was seated on the couch, stretched out to his full capacity, head desperately in need of a pillow—preferably the cushion of Reo's thighs, but alas Reo was too busy in the kitchen, cooking lunch for the both of them.

With Reo wearing a tight black apron and humming under his breath as he stirred whatever dish he'd decided to make, Seishiro couldn't help but feel like he'd won the lottery in life.

How he went from a kid with no friends, no motivation aside from a desire to sleep, play video games, and retire early to a man blessed with a shared home, a steady, easy income, and a beautiful housewife to boot, he didn’t know, but was grateful for it every day.

Except for when Reo asked things like this.

“Hey, Nagi!” Reo called over his shoulder, waiting a moment for Seishiro's reply. He stayed faced away from Seishiro, eyes on the meal rather than Seishiro.

Sad, but a worthy sacrifice.

“Yes?” Seishiro said back, voice soft but volume slightly raised so Reo could hear him over the popping of the grease.

“What's your type?”

Out of all the words that could have come out of Reo's mouth, those three were not the ones Seishiro expected. It stunned him into a temporary silence, scrambling to think if he'd somehow misunderstood the question or if Reo had truly just asked that.

“What does Reo mean?”

Seishiro stalled for time by asking for an explanation, trying to choose his words carefully.

“I mean… like, what kind of girls do you like?” Reo reiterated, doing nothing to solve Seishiro's confusion.

The first answer that came to mind was a resolute: I don't?

Then he considered maybe that wasn't a good idea to admit. For as long as Seishiro had known Reo, he'd never shown any sort of homophobic behavior. On the contrary, Reo was always the type to be fascinated with people considered “out of the norm”, so that didn't sound like something Seishiro should have to worry about. But as much as Seishiro trusted Reo, fear of his reaction gripped him harder.

Seishiro had learned things the hard way, once.

He recalled the last time he'd confessed his sexuality to someone else, staring up at the ceiling as the memory began to replay in his mind, slightly yellowed from the ware of time, with bits and pieces of details blurred, yet a core experience nonetheless.

He couldn't remember what his age was at the time, but knew he had been young, and so had the other boy who had reluctantly invited him to his sleepover birthday party—an act influenced by his parents trying to be courteous and not leave anyone out, even if that meant inviting the weird, awkward kid who had no friends and hardly spoke to anyone.

The party had started off normal enough. They played games, ate and drank, the birthday boy opened his presents, and then it was time for cake.

Afterwards, they had all headed upstairs to the boy's room—a large space, able to fit ten or so children with ease—and began to gather in a circle, talking energetically about the games they liked and the anime they watched.

This was something Seishiro was able to relate to. Though he didn't contribute much to the conversation, it was easy to get swept up in. Listening to them talk and laugh made a warm, fuzzy feeling spread throughout Seishiro's chest as it stirred a strange sense of belonging, like he was finally able to understand his classmates for once.

Then his understanding came to an abrupt end as the topic shifted to girls. Specifically: to girls they liked. Whatever liking a girl meant.

One of the boys leaned over, grinning as he elbowed Seishiro in the side in some sort of playful type of roughhousing boys apparently indulged in, and asked what he was into.

He'd blinked, soft and slow, never having considered it before. He liked playing with and feeding the animals at the petting zoo his parents had taken him to one random day. He liked reading all these strange stories on the internet, his access far too unlimited for a child his age in hindsight. He liked sappy romance movies with predictable plots.

He just liked what he liked. And girls hadn't been it.

It wasn't that he had anything against them. His mother was a girl and she was nice, but he had never quite seen the appeal others seemed to note. Like how pretty their smiles were. Or how nice their voices sounded calling them sweet names, doting on them.

It was just another thing that existed that Seishiro did not get. He didn't like girls.

So he'd said that, thinking that was a normal thing to say. It was the truth, and his parents had always told him not to lie. How was he supposed to know there were times you were actually honest and times you willingly withheld information? He'd never been invited to functions like this before. Didn't have much social experience. Didn't know the rules—or just how cruel people could be.

But instantly, he knew he'd said something wrong when everyone scooted away from him at once, looks of disgust crossing their faces.

“Dude, that's gay.” a dark haired boy named Ryuji said.

Seishiro sat wide-eyed, not knowing what that word meant, but able to gather based on their reactions; this was something he was not meant to share.

“You like men?” another child asked, called Hikaru, if Seishiro recalled correctly, leaning in curiously.

“I…um…” Seishiro stared down at his palms, uncomfortable with how sweaty they had grown. His cheeks burned like he'd spent hours out in the chill of winter, yet it was the middle of summer and the temperature of the house had been just fine.

He hadn't really thought much about it. Did he like boys? More than girls? No one had ever interested him, male or female. Yet he couldn't dispute what they were calling him if he himself didn't even know what he was, right?

His heart sped up in his chest as the boys now circled around him instead, eyes narrowed in sharp, disapproving glares.

“I'm not sleeping anywhere near you!” called one child, shoving Seishiro backwards.

His back hit the edge of the frame of the bed, a sharp pain spreading throughout his body as he let out an even sharper cry.

“Freak!”

“Weirdo!”

“I can't believe my parents made me invite your disgusting ass!”

Seishiro buried his head in his arms as the boys began hitting him, over and over, biting his tongue to stifle his sobs.

For one blissful moment, he had thought he found somewhere he belonged. And then it was gone, just like that. He was nothing more than roadkill left in the middle of the road, his broken body left to be fed on by the black vultures surrounding him.

It was only once an adult noticed the impromptu piñata-fication of Nagi Seishiro that his torment came to an end and his parents were called.

He'd cried the entire way home, arms wrapped around his tiny body, and swore to himself that he would never breathe another word to another soul about not liking girls.

“Sei…?” the sound of Reo's voice, now much closer than before, snapped Seishiro out of his reverie.

Reo was crouched before him, fingers tangled together with Seishiro's own and squeezing hard. His eyes were wide with fear, an expression Seishiro had never wanted to see on Reo's face.

“‘m fine.” Seishiro said, begging his voice not to crack.

It didn't listen.

Reo let out an empty laugh, tightening his hold on Seishiro, as if his touch could anchor him back down. Strangely, it seemed to work. With every breath Reo took, Seishiro felt the tangled knot in his chest unwind, slowly unraveling itself.

“You're not fine.” Reo said, stubborn as always.

Seishiro tried to look away, to catch up on what he'd missed and see what had happened to their lunch when Reo grabbed his chin, tugging Seishiro down until they were eye-level, noses near brushing each other.

“What's wrong, my treasure?”

A thousand thoughts spawned in Seishiro's mind at once, all colliding together like a cue stick to a racked set of balls, scattering in different directions, yet not one sunk into a pocket.

“Just tired.”

Reo didn't like that answer. His cute little brows furrowed as his lips pulled into a disbelieving frown.

“Bullshit. Don't lie to me.” Reo added emphasis to the last word, an extra weight carried to the fact was willingly lying to Reo of all people.

Seishiro didn't want to lie to Reo. Reo had always been so kind to him, probably more than he ever deserved. But as much as a pain it was to not be honest with Reo, Seishiro knew the pain of losing Reo would be ten times as worse. So the best thing he could offer was meeting Reo halfway. To throw a little truth in his lie.

With a heavy sigh, Seishiro found himself saying words he'd likely come to regret: “I… like girls with purple hair and bright, energetic eyes.”

Like a bouncing fox with undiagnosed ADHD, Reo jumped on the shift in topic, still kneeling before Seishiro, but now nodding, grin slotting itself back in place.

“That's nice, Seishiro. Anything else?”

Seishiro hummed, thinking of more details he could give without incriminating himself.

“I think I like it better when they tell me what to do. Not like… super bossy or mean, but they don't play mind games trying to make me figure out what they want. That's a pain to deal with.”

Seishiro had plenty of experience in that area. Sometimes, for reasons unbeknownst to Seishiro, Reo would get really pissed and then not tell him what he did, or how to fix it. He would sulk in his room, cry into his pillow, and then Seishiro would pick the lock to his door and crawl into bed with him, and things would be okay again until next time.

“I can work with that. Do you have more you want in a partner?” Reo asked, finally rising from his knees to join Seishiro on the couch, sitting beside him.

Seishiro took Reo's movement as an opportunity to lay down and immediately claimed his lap like an affectionate cat, letting out a blissful sigh when Reo began to scratch at Seishiro's scalp, sharp nails making him melt.

As his mind turned to goo, it was easy to talk about just what he wanted.

“How about someone with a lot of money? I want someone to spoil me so I don't have to work hard.”

He could feel more than see Reo's smile as he continued to card through his hair, coaxing more answers out of him.

“Good boy. What else do you want?”

Oh. Seishiro's entire body vibrated at those two words. His eyes that had fluttered closed moments ago reopened fast, staring up at Reo's sweet, soft smile, heart catching in his throat.

“I think… I want too much.” Seishiro said as a warning, feeling the impending flood in his chest. If Reo gave him permission to actually talk about the things he wanted, Seishiro wasn't sure how long it would be before he shut up again.

Reo shook his head, still grinning, still incredibly beautiful.

“Nonsense! Nothing is too much for my treasure. Tell me what your heart desires and I'll make it happen.”

What would you say if I said I wanted you?

“Remember, Reo asked..” Seishiro said as a warning, giving Reo a chance to back out.

He didn't take it.

With a deep breath to prepare himself, Seishiro began to let the words flow out of him—still not in its original form, still shrouded in mystery to protect their friendship, but otherwise every word was the honest truth.

Seishiro hoped that once Reo got the information he wanted out of him, he'd be satisfied and drop the subject.

In hindsight, Seishiro was quite possibly delusional.

He knew better. Once Reo had his interest piqued by something, he wouldn't stop until he got his hands on it, toyed with it, got his fill, and then would proceed to move onto the next sparkly thing.

The heir's attention has always been short-lived. While Seishiro could stay fixated on the same thing for years at a time, never deviating once to his devotion of a routine that only made sense in perhaps his and his mind alone, Reo wasn't the same.

He jumped from series to series like it was hopscotch. One night they could be curled up on the couch watching the cutest shoujo romance anime imaginable. The next, Reo would be laughing hysterically at a horror movie that was not supposed to be funny, and Seishiro would keep his head buried in Reo's side, feigning fear for attention.

So why couldn't this latest obsession be the same? Why couldn't Reo just move past it like with everything else in his life? Yes, he'd done that with everything, everything except… oh.

There was one constant in Reo's life that was unchanging. One outlier in a trend of shifting seasons, pages turning as years flew by. Even as the moon changed phases to the human eye, where the light didn't touch was still there, regardless of what everyone else assumed would happen.

Reo had never gotten bored of Seishiro.

And apparently that pertained to all things involving Seishiro—including his nonexistent type in girls.

Seishiro groaned to himself as Reo paced the floor of their shared apartment for the nth time, hand beneath his chin and tapping restlessly as he thought, and thought, and thought some more. He was muttering under his breath, little puzzle pieces of sentences slipping out.

“...Purple hair…”

“...Slightly shorter than him, but not too short—that would make kissing annoying…”

“...Someone loving, physically affectionate, and willing to take care of him…”

“...Almost sounds like he wants a mother instead of a girlfriend, hm…”

Okay, now that was uncalled for.

Seishiro felt heat rise to his cheeks at having his unresolved mommy issues brought up so casually, like Reo wasn't even aware he was speaking. He probably wasn't, to be honest. It seemed as if he were in a trance, so lost in thought as he chased after this newfound goal relentlessly.

What a pain.

“Reo!” Seishiro called out, setting his phone down, unable to focus on his game at all.

Reo paused his steps at once, turning like a marionette at its puppeteer's instruction, a doll-like expression on his face.

“Ah, what is it, my treasure?”

Even for someone like Seishiro—who sometimes struggled to understand what others meant—could tell something was off. His smile was too perfect. Too neat. Too… forced, to be real.

Seishiro hadn't considered what he was going to say before yelling Reo's name. He'd just done it instinctively, tired of seeing the other boy run himself ragged in the name of a task Seishiro didn't even care for. Now, with Reo staring at him expectantly, he realized the fault in his decision. He didn't have a plan in the slightest, not even an inkling of an idea of what to say.

“I… um…”

Intrigued, Reo made his way over to Seishiro, each step simultaneously giving him more time to think and also less, ticking down like a clock steadily approaching midnight.

Think, think, think!

He begged himself internally, yet it seemed every brain cell he possessed had unexpectedly decided to take the day off or call in sick, leaving him with nothing but a rolling tumbleweed and a whistling wind that sounded vaguely like Reo's name on repeat.

Reo sat down on the table right in front of Seishiro, for some reason forgoing the open spots right beside him in favor of facing him eye-to-eye and all hope was lost at having anything productive thoughts.

Then Reo lifted a long, slender leg, one over the other, elbow resting at the end of his thigh and chin propped up by his fist as he leaned forward, pretty purple bangs falling into his face. Seishiro had to resist the urge to brush them back.

He looked so beautiful, it was unfair. Seishiro's brain decided to work once more, yet all the things that came to mind Seishiro couldn't dare risk voicing.

I want to kiss you. I really, really, really want to kiss you. What would you do if I kissed you?

“Naaagii…?” Reo got even closer, drawing out the syllables of Seishiro's surname cutely. “Are you malfunctioning?”

Seishiro instructed his body to nod.

Thankfully, it did.

“Error 404: Seishiro not found.”

Words he could say finally appeared before him, successful in their trip from brain to tongue, and of course they had to be incredibly stupid ones.

Yet Reo still laughed, a pretty little chuckle that made Seishiro laugh too—not at his own joke, but at the beautiful sound of Reo.

“I found you. You're right here, aren't you?” Reo tilted his head to the side, still studying Seishiro like he was a cute little lab rat past due for dissection, yet he couldn't bring himself to put an end to him just yet.

That mental comparison really shouldn't have made heat spread throughout his body, but it did. It was true. In a weird, loosely related kind of way.

When they had first met, it was Seishiro's talent that intrigued Reo, not Seishiro himself. He knew that. Reo knew that, even if he'd be hard pressed to admit it.

Then somewhere along the line things had changed.

Seishiro can't specifically point out when the shift occurred, but he knows for a fact now that Reo is fond of him specifically, not just his abilities. So much so, he'd even taken him home, and showed him an entirely new world.

Where the line of fondness ends though… Seishiro isn't sure.

“Not so sure, boss… kind of feels like I’m floating…”

Seishiro nuzzled into Reo's outstretched palm, seeking a warmth only Reo could provide.

Fingers smoothed over his cheek in easy, careless caresses, like this simple affection didn't mean anything to Reo. It was another thing that came natural to him, and therefore would never interest him.

Reo never wanted things he could have easily, after all.

And he quite literally had Seishiro in the palm of his hand.

“I'll find someone to take care of you, so keep your head out of space for me for now, will you?”

The crash back down to earth was a painful one, but the fall was just something Seishiro would have to learn to accept.

“Whatever Reo wants.”

Anything for Reo.

The next day, Reo barged in Seishiro's room without so much as knocking, a bright grin on his face that put the stars to shame as he shook his phone from side to side, matching charm jumping with the movement, his feet skipping with every step.

Seishiro liked seeing Reo happy, so he didn't complain at the rude awakening. He just sat up, turned his bedside lamp on, rubbed his eyes, and kissed his afternoon nap goodbye.

“Morning, Reo…” Seishiro yawned, still not quite awake.

Reo laughed as he climbed onto Seishiro's bed like it was his own (he had bought it, so technically speaking, it was), springs squeaking.

“It's 18:00, treasure.”

“Eh, close enough…” Seishiro shrugged, not wanting to get into semantics. Was that how that word was used? He wasn't sure. And didn't really care. Ah, screw it, it's morning somewhere…

“I have wonderful news, Nagi!”

Seishiro perked up slightly at the jovial tone of Reo's voice, silently hoping he'd finally given up on his quest of finding him a partner he neither needed nor wanted.

“And that is…?”

Reo turned his phone around, still grinning ear-to-ear as he passed the device to Seishiro, both the brightness and the light of his smile momentarily blinding him.

“Reo's phone is too bright…” Seishiro whined, shutting his eyes in protest.

Reo let out a playful huff, quickly turning it down and applying a blue light filter, then passed his phone away a second time.

“Better now, princess?”

Seishiro hummed, nodding.

Blinking the black spots out of his vision, Seishiro attempted to look at whatever was so important to Reo the heir decided it was worth waking him up for.

With clearer eyes and a much more appealing screen, he stared at the image before him and felt the color drain from his face at once.

A dating profile.

Reo had set him up a dating profile on some newfangled site. The blue banner at the top read “Blue Lock”, accompanied by a little silver lock with a heart engraved on it and a golden key. It was a cute logo. Seishiro could see it working out from a business perspective.

“...Did Mikage Corporation start a dating website?”

Please say yes.

Reo laughed, shaking his head. Dammit.

“Good guess, but no. Try looking at the matches tab!”

Reluctantly, Seishiro navigated to the aforementioned tab, scrolling through a list of candidates he supposedly “locked” with based on the profile Reo had made for him.

Scratch what Seishiro had said about this being a good business idea, who the fuck thought calling a match “locking” was a good idea? Did these people not read omegaverse fanfiction?

…On second thought, they probably didn't. Huh. Best to pretend he didn't know anything.

So Seishiro scrolled as impassively as he could manage, eyes scanning over the girls supposedly interested in him with zero returned affection. Too young. Too old. Too short. Not as pretty as Reo.

“Do you… not like any of them?” The grin on Reo's face was beginning to falter—something Seishiro just couldn't stomach. Disappointing Reo was sickening. Fuck. He was going to have to choose one, wouldn't he?

It didn't really matter to him who he picked considering he was only interested in Reo, so he let his thumb stop, gaze lingering on a red haired girl.

Objectively, she was pretty. She had an easy smile that somehow looked both sweet and seductive. Her long, braided hair made her look like a storybook princess. All she was missing was a horde of animals and—oh, there it was. Next picture over. She was sitting in a grassy field, mouth open in a laugh as a litter-full of kittens crawled over her. The photo appeared to be candid—something she hadn't been expecting, which made her look all the more beautiful in her natural element.

Reo leaned over to see who had finally captured Seishiro's attention and gasped.

“She's gorgeous, Nagi!” Reo leaned forward to take his phone back from Seishiro's grasp, his warm fingers momentarily lingering on Seishiro's own cold hand. The subtle touch made Seishiro jolt. “What do you think?”

Seishiro hummed, pausing to consider. Reo was obviously asking for Seishiro's opinion of her, but he couldn't really form one with just some photos. He didn't know her. Not like he knew Reo.

Yes, she looked cute in a field of flowers surrounded by mewing kittens, but anyone could pull that look off. Seishiro was willing to bet Reo would look even better if he tried it.

Yes, her hair was nice. The braid, assuming she'd done it herself, meant she had a lot more patience than Seishiro did when it came to just about anything (aside from Reo). While the hairstyle made her look like a princess, Seishiro already had a prince.

Yes, her smile was pretty. Straight teeth, either a natural gift or gained from the pain of braces. Her lips looked full and soft, but it was nothing in comparison to Reo.

No one could ever compare to Reo.

“She's…” She's not you. “Alright, I guess?”

For a moment Reo seemed to buffer before he burst into laughter, falling forward from the weight of his chuckles.

He collapsed against Seishiro's chest as he continued to giggle somewhat concerningly, until tears were beginning to line his lower lashes.

Seishiro was about to ask what was wrong when Reo lifted his head, eyes closed as his hand sunk into white hair, ruffling it fondly.

“Man, I love you, Nagi.” Reo laughed once more, resting his head over Seishiro's now-racing heart upon hearing those words. “You're so funny.”

Seishiro didn't see what was so funny about his answer. He didn't see anything all that unique about her. Couldn't really learn any of those things without getting to know her, which required effort he'd rather not put in.

“Reo's the funny one,” Seishiro muttered, trying to force his heart to calm down as he let himself wrap his arms around Reo. “I don't know what he's planning, but I don't think I like it.”

“I just want you to be happy, my treasure. That's… all.” Reo explained, still smiling, still light-years behind.

He didn't get it.

He didn't understand.

All Seishiro ever needed to be happy was Reo.

No one else was required in that equation. Just Reo. Only Reo.

“Reo makes me happy.” Seishiro said, once again hoping his words, although never quite the right ones, would somehow reach Reo this time.

He held Reo even tighter, desperate not to let go, to not be left behind. He could lose everything else in this world, just not Reo. Anything but Reo.

“But you could be happier.” Reo argued back pitifully, keeping his head pressed against Seishiro's sternum, suddenly hiding his face.

And technically, Reo was right.

It was true.

Seishiro could be happier, if confessed his feelings and Reo reciprocated them. Then he could have Reo in all the confusing, brain melting, heart racing ways he imagined instead of this mess he'd somehow walked into.

But that was a future that was only possible given Reo liked him too, and as much as Seishiro yearned for that future, having Reo in his life as his best friend was better than the risk of not having him in his life at all.

“Would it… would it make Reo happy if I went out with this girl?” Seishiro asked, praying to any higher power he didn't necessarily believe in, that Reo would say no.

Then Reo nodded with another one of his beautiful, heartbreaking smiles, sealing Seishiro's fate.

“It would.”

Reluctantly, and all in the name of making Reo happy, Seishiro agreed to go on a blind date with the girl he'd randomly selected.

While he still wasn't sure what had triggered Reo's recent obsession with trying to find Seishiro a girlfriend that he, again, did not need nor want, he solemnly hoped it would end soon or he might have to kill someone.

Possibly himself.

“Reooo… do I really have to wear this?”

Seishiro stood on a slightly raised platform in Reo's dressing room—yes, Reo had a whole ass dressing room, completed with plenty of mirrors sacred with bright round bulb lights, plush carpet, and practically every beauty-related product known to man (or at least more than Seishiro knew)—pouting pathetically.

Saying the clothes Reo had forced him into were uncomfortable would be a massive understatement.

Gone were his usual style of clothing—loose, baggy, soft—replaced by tight black jeans, an itchy white shirt that was probably designer, and a leather jacket that felt way too warm and constricting for the weather.

Seishiro's only saving grace was Reo fawning over his looks, circling him like a hawk, violet eyes roving over him from head to toe, making sure Seishiro didn't have so much as a single hair out of place.

His rapt attention, so close and intimate, made a heat unrelated to the stuffy clothes stir, an unease that felt vaguely like butterflies settling in his stomach.

“I know it's not your usual style, but leaving a good first impression is important! It's what you remember a person by, after all!” Reo explained as he adjusted the collar of Seishiro's jacket, smoothing out wrinkles invisible to the human eye.

Seishiro groaned, his chest far too tight. While he wasn't particularly enthused by the impression part, leaving sounded nice. Especially if it meant he could just… not leave the house at all. Was staying home with Reo an option?

“In our first meeting I jumped down a flight of stairs after Reo bumped into me and Reo still kept me…” Seishiro protested pitifully, trying to worm his way out of going.

He began to slouch, slumping over as a sleepy sort of tiredness washed over him, tempting him to slumber. Reo immediately wrapped his arms around Seishiro's waist, trying to force him to stand up straight.

“That's not the same!” Reo sing-songed with a laugh, tightening his embrace.

He leaned fully into Seishiro, tucking his head in the crook of his neck, chin pressing against Seishiro's shoulder. Slowly, his arms raised from his waist to his chest, palms coming to a rest over Seishiro's rapidly beating heart.

“Are you nervous, treasure?” Reo asked teasingly, voice far too close to Seishiro's ear.

Seishiro's knee-jerk reaction, although not an entirely truthful one, was to shake his head. He was definitely nervous, but not at all because of the date.

He stared at himself in the mirror, entranced by the reflection of him and Reo so close together, so domestic, and knew this was something he couldn't stand to lose, no matter what happened.

“It's okay, you don't have to lie if you are.” Reo said, nuzzling further into Seishiro's neck. He sniffed at the cologne he'd sprayed earlier (another thing Seishiro didn't particularly like but let Reo do), letting out a pleasant sigh that Seishiro was barely able to suppress a shiver from. “I know she's really pretty.”

Do you realize you're really pretty? Seishiro thought, but didn't voice, once again too scared to speak.

Seishiro would be content to stand here, sheltered in Reo's arms forever. No amount of pretty girls or dates could ever dream of changing that.

“I don't even think she's my type, to be honest…”

Reo lightly scoffed, like someone not being attracted to this person was utter blasphemy. If it was, then Seishiro was a sinner, and he'd choose Hell for it every single time—as long as he got to burn with Reo by his side.

“She has red hair!”

Oh. That was a good reminder. It would make finding her easier today, considering Seishiro had forgotten every fact about her besides that Reo was prettier than her. And something about cats. A lot of cats.

Would Reo let them get a cat?

Actually… scratch that, a cat would probably be a bad idea. Seishiro didn't want to share Reo's attention with anyone else more than he already had to—even if it was with an animal.

“And I said I wanted purple when Reo asked.” Seishiro grumbled petulantly.

“W-Well…” Reo stammered, unattaching himself from Seishiro's back, his warmth and comfort immediately mourned. “Red and blue make purple, so it's halfway there! And you picked her out!”

Seishiro hadn't exactly thought that one through. Hadn't put much thought into at all, given he had no interest in anyone else. He had just selected someone at random and hoped for the best (with “the best” being Reo giving up after one unsuccessful date).

He also didn't follow the hair color logic, given that wasn't how genetics worked at all and that Reo definitely knew better than that, but he didn't bother to correct him on it, considering the absurdity of the fact he's going on a date with someone else just to make his crush happy.

Reo glanced down, checking his smart watch before cursing under his breath and shoving Seishiro forwards, ushering him to the door.

Just as Seishiro was about to turn away to leave, more than ready to get this mess over with already, Reo pulled him back in, arms wrapping around him in a harsh embrace, tucking his face into his chest.

For a moment Seishiro froze, unused to such a touch even from Reo, before clinging to him just as tightly. The smell of Reo's hair was intoxicating, keeping Seishiro in place far longer than he should have been.

Reo lifted his head slowly as if he was afraid of what expression he'd see, or like he was trying to memorize every piece of Seishiro, and proceeded to cup his cheeks tenderly, palms so soft against Seishiro's face.

Seishiro felt his breath hitch in his chest, a whirlwind of emotions swirling within him. Reo was close. So close, the distance between them was infinitesimal.

Close enough he could count every curled lash of Reo's eyes, spotting flecks of purple he'd never noticed before. He saw every little beauty mark, every covered freckle, every tiny flaw Reo would fuss over in the mornings, whining about getting older, yet Seishiro loved every bit of it.

Every imperfection was perfect.

And Seishiro could feel himself falling even more in love with Reo every day, every hour, every minute, every second.

It was an automatic response when Seishiro’s eyes fluttered shut, body already beginning to lean forward instinctively, lips parting on his next shaky breath.

Just as Seishiro thought he'd finally gotten through to Reo, that the little hints he'd dropped had finally been picked up and returned, Reo backed away, cheeks tinted red.

“S-Sorry… I know you have to go. You'll do great, my treasure.” Reo said, eyes refusing to meet Seishiro's. He patted Seishiro on the shoulder once, lips lifting in a grin like he was happy. Seishiro was beginning to have his doubts. “She'll love you. And if she doesn't, she's fucking blind.”

The urge to confess sat heavy on his chest, knocking against his ribs and begging to be let free, but all Seishiro could manage to say was a mumbled, half-hearted: “Thank you, Reo,” as he walked out the door, humming to himself, yeah, she's not the only blind one.

Seishiro arrived at the café a little later than they had agreed upon, but his date didn't seem to mind. She smiled as he gave a slight apology, not in the least bit sincere given he didn't even want to fucking be here, and took his seat across from her.

The place was nice.

Reo had taken him there many times, boasting about the atmosphere and how good the food was. It wasn't a very popular spot, a bit of a hidden gem, which made it even more special with no one else knowing about it.

Looking up and seeing someone else's face scanning over the menu with dainty fingers and sharp, manicured nails trailing over the English text felt so wrong.

And there was nothing wrong with his date, really. It wasn't like your typical online dating issues he'd heard horror stories about—she looked exactly like her profile picture.

Long, red hair still flowed over her shoulders, an added wavy curl to it now that Seishiro figured took time and effort to achieve. Unfortunately a waste of time and effort since she was not Reo and thus Seishiro would be having no interest in her, but he acknowledged it nonetheless.

She was dressed in a flowy baby pink top and jeans that were much cheaper than what Reo would buy, but overall her outfit wasn't inappropriate for a first date.

Her pink eyes were warm and friendly, albeit a little wide with what looked to be curiosity. There was a light shade of eyeshadow adorning the lids, along with mascara and strip lashes glued on, curled skyward.

Everything was completely normal.

“Guessing you didn't read my bio, huh?”

Yes, everything about her was normal until she spoke and a voice that was decidedly male came out.

The silence after that was unsurprisingly awkward.

Chigiri Hyoma, as he re-introduced himself, seemed nice enough, but didn't exactly fit Seishiro's interests (being not Reo).

Any conversation started faced an imminent failure to launch, as Seishiro simply couldn't be bothered to talk any more than necessary.

If there was a monosyllabic option to a question, Seishiro took it without hesitation. And if there wasn't one, he found a way to answer it as shortly as possible, much to the displeasure of his date.

Eventually, Chigiri got tired of this behavior, grumbling under his breath and taking out his phone—a thing Reo had stressed Seishiro not to do since he had never been on a date before (if all the outings he went to with Reo and obediently kept his phone out of sight did not count, that is).

“Why are you even still here if you don't even like men? Aren't you just wasting our time?” Chigiri asked, setting his phone down a bit harsher than needed.

Seishiro could ask him the same question on why he hadn't left yet, but hadn't bothered to.

His mind was instead filled with a mess of tangled up feelings and confusion, wondering how Reo could have made such a mistake.

Seishiro knew how Reo was—there was simply no way he would ever let Seishiro go out with anyone without doing extensive research on them first.

He could practically hear it in his head already, the patented “Only the best for my treasure~!” as he scrolled through page after page of data, sourced legally or otherwise.

Reo would never be that careless.

For as long as Seishiro had known him, he'd always been extremely meticulous to the point of brief insanity and Seishiro's utter endearment (possibly chronic insanity). His efficiency and acute attention to detail had never wavered once, so what did this mean? What was Reo doing?

“I never said I didn't like men.” Seishiro found himself saying after a bout of uncharacteristic overthinking.

No where in that sentence did Seishiro say he disliked Chigiri, yet based on how the redhead immediately deflated, it was heard all the same.

“Great,” Chigiri started, scooting his chair back with a slight squeak. “I would say it was nice meeting you, but quite frankly, it wasn't.”

Now normally, Seishiro would have just let him leave and been done with things. That was the original plan, anyways. But since Chigiri was decidedly not a girl and there was no way Reo wasn't aware of this and Chigiri apparently liked men as well based on how he had agreed to a blind date with a guy in the first place—he was the only source of reference Seishiro had.

“Wait—” Seishiro called out to him, a frantic edge to his voice. “Please, wait—”

Chigiri, thankfully having the patience of a saint, stopped in his tracks, whirling around to face Seishiro and see what he had to say.

“Regretting your words already? Most men hate to see me go, but love to watch me leave.”

Seishiro's nose scrunched involuntarily at the cheesy line delivered so seriously, body tensing in a cringe. Maybe if Reo had said something like that he'd be nipping at his heels like an attention-starving pup, but with Chigiri it was about as successful as nat d1 die.

“I don't like you,” Seishiro paused, then quickly realized that was not something to say to someone you wanted to ask advice from and added: “...not like… that. Look. My best friend wanted me to go out on this date. I've been in love with him for years. I haven't told him I like men because I don't know how he'll react, but I know how he is and there's no way he didn't do his research before I randomly chose your profile so he has to know or at least have an idea of it or maybe he doesn't care about me as much as I thought he did and I don't… I… I don't know how to handle that. Please help me. From one man-liker to another…?”

Seishiro sucked in a deep breath, winded after speaking uninterrupted for so long. It wasn't like him to ramble.

Chigiri stood stunned, pink eyes wide. He didn't run out the door and call Seishiro a slur thankfully, but he also hadn't made any moves to sit back down. His fingers just curled along the edge of his seat, anchoring him in place.

“Maybe that was too much to tell someone I just met. I'm not good with words. I never have been. But he's important to me. Very important to me. And the thought of losing that is…”

Chigiri's eyes softened as he reclaimed his earlier seat.

“...It's terrifying, isn't it?” Chigiri finished his sentence perfectly, as if he shared a similar pain.

Seishiro nodded, shocked at being understood by someone who wasn't Reo.

Chigiri continued, and this time, Seishiro was inclined to listen.

“My best friend… he's… well, he's everything to me. I love him. And I don't want to risk losing that, so now I'm here, trying to get over him.” Chigiri laughed like a joke had been told, yet Seishiro didn't pick up on it. This didn't seem to be a joking matter.

It also wasn't something Seishiro could agree with.

Getting with someone else to get over someone? Seishiro wasn't the most educated in relationships, having the grand total of zero in his lifetime, but even he knew that sounded like a bad idea. An accident waiting to happen.

“I don't want to get over Reo, though. It's him or no one.” Seishiro explained.

Chigiri frowned. “Then maybe you should tell him that. Because it sounds to me like you're losing him already.”

“What?”

Now it was Seishiro's turn to abruptly stand up, chair screeching as it scooted backwards. People were beginning to stare, but he couldn't care less. This was much more important than any awkward or scathing gazes directed at him could be.

He ignored all the attention, hands slamming themselves on the table as he pressed Chigiri for more information.

Chigiri bristled slightly, curling in on himself, yet his face remained set in the same serious line. He wasn't joking. If he was, it wasn't funny.

“That's just my theory, I don't actually know you two,” Chigiri started as a disclaimer, his own hands rising placatingly. “But you said he's the one who pushed you to go on this date, yeah? Sounds like to me he's trying to get you out of his life.”

“Reo wouldn't do that.” Seishiro said, aiming for resoluteness, but as he spoke his voice shook.

Would.. would Reo do that? Could he, after everything they'd been through?

When had he begun to doubt Reo's intentions? How did things get here without him even realizing it?

“You could at least sound like you believe yourself.” Chigiri shook his head, obviously pitying Seishiro.

“You're starting to piss me off.” Seishiro said in warning.

“Truth hurts.” Chigiri said with an unaffected shrug, bringing his now-watered down drink to his lips and frowning at the new texture. How quickly things could change even with the seemingly insignificant passage of time.

“I can't lose him.”

“Then maybe you should tell him how you feel before you do.”

Chigiri was right.

If this is where things were headed, Seishiro's choice was easy.

“I have to go.”

“Keep me updated on how things go! I'm invested now!” Chigiri hollered as Seishiro sprinted out the door, desperate to get back home to Reo.

Seishiro arrived home perhaps the fastest he'd ever done so, sweating by the time he'd reach the door to their apartment. His hands shook as he put the key in the lock, swinging the door open with a force one would think he was raiding the place.

His eyes scanned over the living room in broad strokes, breathing heavily as he searched for the person in his life that mattered the most, panic doubling in his chest with each passing second he didn't spot him.

Fuck.

Reo was gone, wasn't he? Reo was gone, and Seishiro had fucked up, hadn't even realized he had done anything wrong, hadn't gotten the chance to confess or explain himself.

His vision swam as he stood frozen in the doorway, entire life crumbling down around him, trying to hold every piece together.

The ride home had been torture enough to endure. He had kept things together then, shoving the thoughts away to be dealt with later to the best of his ability, but now it was all Seishiro could think of.

How had he let this happen?

How had he missed the signs?

How had he let Reo—the love of his life, his sun, his moon, his stars, his everything—slip through his fingers like sand, when Seishiro hadn't even looked back? Hadn't even gotten to say goodbye?

He blinked back tears, palms swiping at his eyes. His vision was blurring, his legs were shaking, and his world was—no, Reo was…

…Reo was sitting right on the couch, scrolling through his phone.

“Reo,” he called out, still breathless, still stuck in place, yet wanting nothing more than to rush over to his side.

A beat passed with no reaction from Reo, as if he hadn't heard Seishiro. Or if he had, he didn't care to even acknowledge him.

“Reo!” Seishiro yelled this time, letting his voice reach a panicked volume it normally never did.

This got Reo's attention.

He finally raised his head, looking away from his phone. Reo smiled, a soft, polite little thing.

And maybe Seishiro was just still torn up from what Chigiri had said and he'd gotten in his own head, seeing a change that wasn't really there, but the look Reo had just given him felt completely wrong.

It was fabricated, like a face he'd been trained since birth to switch to in seconds, never knowing when the next flash of an interviewer's camera or the paparazzi would be. The replacement was realistic, crafted so expertly it was hard to truly call it a fake, yet Seishiro had been with Reo long enough he could spot the difference between one of Reo's fake smiles and a genuine one from miles away.

And this?

It was fake as hell.

Seishiro's heart stopped in his chest at the realization. Reo wasn't looking at him the same. When he shut the door behind himself, Reo didn't rush up to hug him. Didn't strip off his coat and hang it up. He made no move of even acknowledging Seishiro's existence aside from clicking off his phone and looking right at Seishiro—right through him, saying nothing.

It was silent between them. It was never silent between Seishiro and Reo. Reo always had something or another to say, and Seishiro always listened, whether Reo realized he was actually paying attention or not. That was their routine. Another one of the habits they'd developed after years of being around each other, of being best friends, of being roommates.

Awkward silence was unnatural. Seishiro didn't know how to proceed. Didn't know what to do with the sudden tightness in his chest, or the overwhelming amount of fear he'd never felt quite so intensely before hitting him at once, pelting him like a hail storm.

Seishiro didn't know how much time passed with him just standing in the doorway, blinking slowly, pinching himself, trying to wake up from this nightmare.

There was no way things could change this fast, right? Yes, Chigiri's drink had gotten watered down and disgusting after being left unattended for a while, but people weren't the same. Reo wasn't the same. He couldn't be.

When did things go wrong?

When did Seishiro slip up?

When did Reo start to slip away?

The walk to the couch might as well have been miles long in the sand, but Seishiro crossed it regardless.

He stood before Reo, body trembling like never before. It was light, just like everything else with him. Hard to see, and easy to miss. But there was no denying the feeling of his hands shaking, or the pressure behind his eyes.

“Aren't you going to ask me about the date?” Seishiro asked, for once carefully choosing each word he spoke. Reo usually understood. Now, he wasn't so sure.

Reo's eyes cut to Seishiro for a split second, a single moment of sunny paradise before it was back to the frigid arctic all over again, all the warmth evaporating.

He wouldn't even look at Seishiro.

And it wasn't like he was even immersed in anything else.

His phone still laid face down beside him, nothing else there to occupy his attention.

There were no excuses Seishiro could make in his brain to explain this sudden change.

Nothing he could try and rationalize to himself about how Reo would never do this normally, unless whatever else he was working on was of the utmost importance, and even then his rank sometimes superseded that. When had Seishiro fallen off?

“I figured you'd tell me about it if you wanted to.” Reo said back, still not bothering to look at Seishiro. Still pretending he didn't exist.

It hurt. It hurt so much. A pain so deep, shooting him would've been kinder than this.

If Reo was so intent on staring at his lap, then Seishiro would just take up that space too.

He sank to his knees, ignoring the bruising sting of the hardwood and rested his chin against Reo's thighs, staring up at him pitifully.

Seishiro saw the moment Reo's hand raised instinctively, reaching to ruffle and play with his hair like normal, and watched in real time as he physically stopped the motion entirely, seizing himself by his own wrist.

“Reo, did you… did Reo happen to look into this girl before I went out with her?” Seishiro asked, placing the last nail in the coffin and handing Reo the hammer.

Reo nodded, another media smile on his lips.

“Of course I did! Only the best for my treasure!” Reo said with that same familiar, cheery energy in his voice, switching masks like he was in a play and not in the safety of the home they built together. They were the exact words Seishiro had expected him to say, but it was all wrong.

Whatever hope was left in Seishiro quickly diminished. There were too many emotions stirring inside him now, such as the following:

Anger. At Reo for lying straight to his face.

Fear. For what Reo knew, and what he thought of it.

Terror. That this was the end of all he'd known.

And a desperation to cling to it, to gather whatever pieces he could hold, even if the broken glass tore him to shreds in the process.

Reo couldn't stand to look at him, and now neither could Seishiro. He stood up, throwing his jacket aside and leaving it on the couch. Someone else could pick it up. He sure as hell wouldn't.

He tried to run away, an unfamiliar rage thrumming beneath his skin, every instinct telling him to get to his room, and get to his room now, before someone got hurt.

And of course, right when these overwhelming feelings were settling in was the same moment Reo decided to actually give a damn about Seishiro again, something guilty crossing his face as he stood to follow Seishiro, trailing behind him.

“Wait, Nagi, hey—!”

Before Seishiro could even process his own movement, he had Reo pinned against the nearest wall, arms on either side of him in a typical kabedon.

“Reo knew,” Seishiro spat, eyes uncharacteristically wild. He was still shaking, he was still scared, still terrified. “You knew, didn't you? That Chigiri was a boy, all along?”

Reo kept his mouth shut, an answer in its own right. He was once again refusing to look at Seishiro, but this time it wasn't plain avoidance, but instead a guilty sort of sorrow.

“Answer me. Please. Reo. Please. Is this some kind of joke to you? Are you… are you trying to get rid of me? Am I not your treasure anymore?” Even as Seishiro asked, he didn't want to hear the answer, knowing that if it was what he feared it was, he might not ever recover.

But his words, shaky and desperate as they were, were apparently enough to finally get Reo to look at him again, to truly look, wide, horrified violet eyes meeting his own. When Reo raised a hand to cup his jaw Seishiro flinched, breaking Reo even more.

“Treasure,” Reo cooed, trembling. “No, I'd—I'd never. I want you for the rest of my life, but that’s selfish and I know I can't have you and I just want you to be happy but I—I didn't mean for you to think…”

Seishiro placed his hand over Reo's own.

“Be selfish, please.” Seishiro begged.

Reo still didn't seem to understand.

“Huh?”

“Keep me. I'm Reo's already. I wouldn't be happy with anyone else.”

“You're wrong. You can't mean—there’s just no way. I'm not what you need. I can't be. I can't.”

“Reo doesn't get to decide how I feel,” Seishiro shook his head softly. “I've been in love with you for years. I never told you because I didn't know how you'd react and the thought of losing you was too terrifying to bear, but if I'm going to lose you anyways—”

Seishiro was cut off with Reo's lips smashing against his in a completely unexpected kiss.

There was no technique or finesse. Just plain human desperation as Reo tilted Seishiro's jaw to better align them, and fisted a hand in his hair.

Reo kissed just like he did everything else: wholeheartedly and passionately, giving his absolute best.

It wasn't soft or sweet.

Not the gentle brushing of lips and fluttering lashes Seishiro had always daydreamed about.

Reo instead kissed him like a claim, like he was begging him not to go and saying goodbye all at once.

He couldn't seem to decide which lip to attack, alternating between top and bottom, teeth nibbling at the lower.

It was only once Reo bit down on him with enough force to make him groan and thus giving him access to slip his tongue inside that Seishiro came alive, finally responding to the kiss.

His arms wrapped around Reo's back, tugging him impossibly closer, so close that they were pressed flush.

Seishiro could feel every rise and fall of Reo's chest, the shuddering breaths he stole between kisses, the taste of coffee on his tongue.

Over and over again, even as Reo seemingly tried to pull away, Seishiro didn't give him a chance. He chased him down, claiming him once more, afraid of letting this moment end.

When Reo finally did manage to get free (only thanks to tugging Seishiro's hair particularly hard) he was a completely beautiful mess: lips red and swollen, spit glazing his lips like a gloss, eyes wide and dazed, pupils blown.

“I didn't…” he started, then coughed, clearing his throat. The pause terrified Seishiro momentarily until Reo wrapped his arms around Seishiro once more, tilting his head to the side to give Seishiro access to his neck. “I didn't think you'd feel the same. I never imagined you'd want me, too. I, admittedly, let you go on the date after realizing Chigiri was a boy since I wanted to see if you liked men—if I was ever even a possibility to begin with—but I didn't mean to ever make you feel like that, treasure. I'm so sorry. I—”

Now it was Seishiro's turn to cut Reo off with a kiss of his own, except this time, it was soft and reverent just like he'd imagined. He cradled Reo's face as he kissed him, earning little pleased sighs from Reo.

It was so nice finally being able to hold Reo, to touch him in all the ways Seishiro had been wanting to for literal years.

The elation was so intense it was enough to bring Seishiro to tears, eyes watering in the beginnings of a rainstorm.

Reo immediately panicked at the sight of them, thinking he'd done something wrong or offended Seishiro in some way, that same deer in headlights look on his face as he froze.

Seishiro could hear the babbling apology before it even left Reo's lips, stopping him preemptively.

“I'm not crying because you did anything wrong. I'm crying because I'm so happy.” Seishiro reassured him, squeezing Reo tight.

“You want… me?” Reo asked one last time.

Seishiro nodded.

“For as long as you'll have me, yes.”

Reo smiled through his own tears, finally—a real, genuine smile.

“Then we'll be together forever, treasure.”