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Reo hated Valentine’s Day.Normally, the arrival of this day brought about a giant red warning signal to him, as the boy would have to endure painfully through the day as student after student came up and tried shooting their shot. Cute girls would flutter their eyelashes shyly as they offered sweet cards with scented pen marks, and the guys would sling their arm around Reo’s shoulder and lean in too close, pushing expensive store bought flowers under his chin.
It was hugely draining, and after the first few times Reo stopped trying to pick apart the miniscule details of their expression to discern any underlying intentions. He’d just paste on his polite trademark Mikage smile and thank them gratefully for their thoughtful gift, and in the same sentence apologize for not returning their feelings, before promptly dropping the gift into a bag piled up with all the others once he was sure they had left.
Last year, Reo had skipped school on Valentine’s, hoping naively that maybe nothing would happen if he just wasn’t there. He’d received more texts from Nagi in that one day than he would usually get in a week, the other boy begging Reo to come back and stop random people from bothering him during his gaming time to ask where the Mikage heir was.
Nagi had shown up on Reo’s doorstep that afternoon -- surprising, considering Nagi found it a hassle to even walk between his classes -- with a deep frown and darkened eyes, both of his arms carrying rather hefty bags. He had made a point to walk all the way to the trash can, unceremoniously dropping the bags in before turning to Reo and making him promise that next year, they’d skip together.
So yeah, Reo hated Valentine’s Day.
At least, he used to.“This year, I’m a man on a mission,” Reo exclaimed a couple nights before the day, standing up on the bed with a fist pumped into the air like a manga protagonist. “I’m finally gonna tell Nagi that I love him!”Chigiri looked up from where he was laying stomach-down on the bed, squinting his eyes in judgement at Reo. “Stop making such a big deal about it already, this is the fifth time you’ve started psyching yourself up.”Reo plopped down on the sheets abruptly, causing Chigiri to yelp as he almost got flung off the mattress. Huffing, Reo pinned the pink haired boy down with a glare and crossed his arms. “I need to, since clearly you are not interested in giving it to me like a good friend. What if he doesn’t like me like that?”Groaning, Chigiri brought his hands up, rubbing his fingers against his temples like Reo was causing his biggest headache to date. Which he was. “How can you be the top ranked student in our school and also be a dumbass? Nagi is clearly in love with you and everyone but you can see it.”“I’m not being dumb, just cautious,” Reo frowned, looking off to the side uncomfortably. “After so many insincere confessions, being paranoid is a lot easier than assuming the best.”Chigiri leaned over, flicking his friend in the forehead hard, “We both know that if Nagi didn’t like you, he wouldn’t bother being around you. Everyone has been waiting impatiently for one of you to confess already.”Reo hummed, rubbing the spot on his forehead, knowing internally that Chigiri was probably right. Nagi Seishiro was a creature of convenience, it took enormous amounts of effort to get him to do something he didn’t want to, which included hanging out with people. But a small part of Reo routinely whispered into his ear, saying that Nagi was only humoring him, sticking with Reo because it was easy and Reo would do whatever Nagi asked of him anyways.
He shook his head. There was no point in thinking about things like that, he had a plan to get to. “And I’m going to tomorrow,” Reo insisted, smiling slightly at the approving look on Chigiri’s face. “I have this thing too, look.”“I’m looking.”Reo leaned back on the edge of the mattress, swinging his arms under his bed in search of the basket he’d stashed there earlier. Fingers grazing something solid, he grasped it and pulled the basked out and thrusted it into Chigiri’s waiting arms.
“Now let’s see…” Chigiri mused, rifling through the contents of the basket, before freezing abruptly and looking at Reo in surprise. “That’s it?”Reo’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, and he frowned lightly. “What do you mean that’s it?”“No, no, no,” Chigiri amended, putting a hand out to stop Reo before he spiraled into his usual state of overthinking. “I think it’s perfect, actually. I was just surprised because I was expecting you to go all out.”Reo blinked, before bringing a hand up to the back of his neck, feeling a little embarrassed. “I do have a penchant for grand gestures, huh?”
Chigiri raised an eyebrow, shooting Reo an unimpressed look. “You sent me an entire box of hair products imported from France on my birthday, and then said it was ‘no big deal’ with a straight face.”Cheeks warming slightly, Reo laughed a little sheepishly before clearing his throat and sitting up straighter. “Nagi doesn’t really care about things like that, so I thought it would be more meaningful to get small things.”Chigiri smiled slightly, and resumed his inspection of the gift. “Fancy looking chocolate, nice one, that’s a good brand… a ticket to a beta release event for that stupid gacha game Nagi plays all the time, he’ll love that… Lego flowers?”“I love Nagi, but anything alive that he touches won’t be alive for very long,” Reo explained, the corner of his mouth quirking up despite his words. “Lego flowers will live forever and he won’t need to remember to water them.”Chigiri raised an eyebrow and grinned, giving Reo a look that said he approved, before lifting the last item out of the basket. He blinked slowly at the blue envelope decorated with hearts, before gingerly opening the flap and reaching in to pull out a beautiful light purple card, decorated with drawings of different flowers and loopy cursive writing. “Wow, it’s incredible. Where’d you buy this?”Reo looked down at the mattress, fingers grasping the sheets and rubbing the material between his fingers. “I made it, actually. It took me forever, including the message on the inside.”Chigiri gaped, looking between the card and Reo in shock, before groaning loudly in annoyance. “You’ve gotta stop it with this ‘balanced all rounder’ bullshit already.”“Hey, it was really hard,” Reo complained, trying to hold back a smirk. “I have a newfound appreciation for Bachira and his mom, being artistic is not easy.”Chigiri nodded in agreement, reading the contents of the card. “If Nagi doesn’t like this, give it to me instead. We can get married and adopt two kids and a cat, then Nagi and Kunigami will realize how stupid they are.”Reo rolled his eyes, scoffing at the statement. “You have no right to complain about me when you refuse to confess to your Hero in shining Nemo underpants.”“Okay first of all, that was once and he doesn’t own those anymore,” Chigiri said, looking rather affronted. “And second, he needs to confess first. I refuse to be the one who does it.”“Sure, sure,” Reo answered sarcastically, reaching forward to take the basket off of Chigiri’s hands. He looked down at it, wondering what Nagi would think. Would he like it? He definitely wouldn’t hate it, but Reo feels like Nagi simply not caring or reacting at all would actually be much more heartbreaking.
He sighed, flopping onto his back and staring at the ceiling, noting Chigiri tapping away on his phone in the corner of his vision. It’ll be fine , Reo thought. What's the worst that could happen?
~~~~~~~~~~
“Why am I here?” Rin grumbled, holding back a yawn as he and Reo entered the school gates a lot earlier than they needed to. It wasn’t too early for him at all, Rin usually woke up early to meditate or get a run in, but he’d stayed up too late the night before working on…
something unimportant.Reo turned to stare at him blankly, squinting his eyes slightly. “I asked for your help and you said yes. Stop being an emo brat and help me.”Rolling his eyes, Rin scoffed and simply pushed past Reo, turning the corner to check if anyone was there before looking back to the amethyst-eyed boy. “I don’t know why you needed a scout but there’s no one there, you’re in the clear.”Ignoring the younger’s sarcastic tone, Reo peeked his head around the corner and gripped the gift basket a little tighter. He and Rin walked up to Nagi’s locker, and Reo cranked out the combo he knew from memory. “Thanks Rin. For coming, and also letting me borrow your envelopes. All the ones I have at home are either plain or unnecessarily extra.”Rin let out a sound of affirmation, and Reo looked back at him with a smile, eyes crinkling slightly at the corners. “I hope it works out for you today too.”The teal eyed boy’s eyes narrowed, but a light blush painted the back of his neck, betraying his stern demeanor. “Thanks, I guess,” Rin sighed, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the letter Reo had written, placing it on top of the prettily wrapped gift. “You could have just put it in the basket.”Reo shook his head vigorously, placing the basket into Nagi’s locker. “It’ll get bent and wrinkled.” He took the letter from Rin’s hands and positioned it neatly in front of the basket, so that it would be the first thing his treasure sees when he opens the locker. “There, perfect!”
“Wait,” Rin put a hand up, making Reo pause. “Misunderstanding police here, did you address the basket to Nagi?”“Yep.”“Sign your name on the letter?”“Yes.”“Write the words ‘I am in love with you’ clearly and legibly on the let-”“Rin.” Reo interrupted, a faint smile playing at his lips. “I checked everything, don’t worry.”Rin raised an eyebrow, and Reo only felt slightly offended at the doubtful look on the other’s face.Taking a couple steps back, he put his hands on his hips, feeling and looking quite pleased with himself. Rin stepped up to him, leaning his head down a tad to reach Reo’s height. “You’re a coward. Confessing to someone through a gift left in their locker is lukewarm.”“I refuse to be hearing this from you in the same way I refuse to hear it from Chigiri, you hypocrites,” Reo responded, tone colored with amusement. “I kinda just don’t want to be present if I get rejected.”
Rin nodded his head, “Makes sense. Anyways, we have extra time before class, let’s go play football.”The moment now broken, Reo sighed, muttering under his breath, “I really hope it works out for you, you two football obsession maniacs deserve each other. Fine, let me put my things away first.”Rin put a hand up in farewell, and Reo turned away to take the familiar path to his locker. Unfortunately, this year not only did Nagi and Reo not have their lockers right next to each other, they weren’t even in the same hallway. He had to take a couple different turns before reaching the correct hallway.“Weird, I swear I locked this yesterday,” he muttered, noticing that his locker was left slightly ajar. Luckily, Reo wasn’t an idiot and he didn’t keep valuables in here. He grabbed his Japanese Lit textbook from the neat stack before shutting the door and locking it, thoughts drifting mindlessly.Nagi would come to get his books before his morning class started, and it would take an incredibly blind or unobservant person to not notice the gift Reo had planted right in the middle of his locker. Smiling giddily, Reo pulled out his phone to check the time. Just a little bit longer, and then-“Reo? Can I talk to you for a second?” A girl’s soft and lilting voice called, high and sweet from behind him, and Reo bit back a groan. He had forgotten about this part.
Turning around, he plastered on his best customer service smile, eyeing the pink bag she held and preparing himself to do this many more times through the day.
“Yes?”
~~~~~~~~~~
Reo’s phone sat there innocently, and looked up at the teacher for a second before picking it up, discreetly glancing at the screen to see what Nagi had sent.
Reo had sent a message to try and wheedle a faster response out of Nagi. He was probably in class now, so he must have seen the gift already and read the letter.
[11:36] Me: Are you in class?[11:37] Nagi <3: pyhsics👍
Reo waited for Nagi to say something else, and frowned when the three dots disappeared and Nagi went offline. Did Nagi not get his books from his locker this morning before class? Why did he not mention the basket?
Chest tightening, Reo felt his stomach turn a little in discomfort, and he gripped his phone a little tighter, still staring at the message. He swallowed thickly, an unpleasant feeling traveling down his throat. Nagi must have not seen it yet. Yeah, that was it. Surely, he would have said something if he had, he wouldn’t have just brushed it aside that easily.
Maybe Rin was right, and Reo should have just confessed in person instead of using indirect methods. Now he wouldn’t even know how Nagi reacted, if he liked it, and whether or not he stared at it blankly before shrugging and moving on with his day.
After a while of burning a hole through his phone, knowing the message isn’t going to change, Reo sighed and clicked off his phone, placing it on the table. The bell signaling the end of the class rang, and Reo stood up, brushing a few specks of dust off his uniform.
Kunigami, who was seated at the desk beside him, asked him, “Anything the matter, Reo? You looked a little upset most of class.”Reo huffed out a laugh; Kunigami was observant and empathetic as always, noting the little things about people and making sure they were fine. “Yeah, I’m fine, it’s just-- Chigiri told you about my plan right?”At the other’s nod, Reo continued. “I think Nagi saw it, and then didn’t do anything about it. Does that mean he…”Kunigami’s eyes widened, and he shook his head in a rather aggressive manner, speaking quickly. “He definitely does, I’m sure he either didn’t see it or he forgot to talk about it.” This doesn’t seem like something you just forget about , Reo thought bitterly. He shot Kunigami a thankful smile and packed up his things, the two of them exiting the classroom. Turning the left corner by muscle memory, Reo expected to see Nagi sitting on the nearby bench, hunched over and staring intensely at his phone, immersed in whatever game he was currently hyper fixated on. That’s where he usually waited for Reo, and then they’d all go to lunch together.
This time, when he turned the corner, the bench was empty. Reo opened his mouth before closing it again, and Kunigami rested a hand on his shoulder. “He’s probably with the rest already at the group spot,” he reassured, and Reo nodded dimly, an ugly feeling sinking to the bottom of his stomach like an anchor.
~~~~~~~~~~
Nagi was not, in fact, with the rest of the group during lunch.
Reo himself was forced to leave early because of all the peculiar expressions he was receiving from some of his friends. Isagi kept giving him confused looks every couple minutes, a small smile on his face whenever Reo caught him staring. Bachira, too, was unnervingly quiet, so much so that Reo sat a little further than he normally did from the usually bright and bushy eyed boy.
The tension at the table had become too much, and he didn’t even have Chigiri here since the other was attending a club meeting. Reo stuffed the rest of his lunch into his bag and stood up hastily, shooting the rest of the group an apologetic look.“Sorry, I uh- gotta go help out with some student council duties,” Reo lied, gripping the strap of his bag and turning away with a smile. He had only walked a couple steps before hearing a loud thud, and he whipped his head around at surprise.“Why do you look so calm?” Barou hissed, two hands splayed against the table, and Reo winced just imagining how red his palms probably were. “Shouldn’t you be annoyingly happy right now?” Happy? Reo frowned, his eyebrows drawing together as he stared at Barou. Why in the world would he be happy right now? Nagi wasn’t here, and he either hadn’t mentioned his gift or he hadn’t even seen it. Or Nagi was ignoring him because it was too much of a hassle to reply to his confession.“I have no reason to be happy,” Reo said evenly, and Isagi’s jaw dropped open while Bachira let out a pained noise. Barou’s face scrunched up further, and he opened his mouth to speak again, but Reo had already left.
He stalked down the hallway, annoyance prickling on the surface of his skin for a few seconds before it dissipated just as fast. Slowing his pace, Reo huffed out a breath quietly, feeling a little bad. It wasn’t any of their faults, half of them didn’t even know about the Valentine’s gift, so it was unfair to be angry that they didn't understand.
Reo made it to his locker to grab his books for his afternoon classes, eyeing a small group of girls that were congregating around a locker a couple down from him. One of them made eye contact with him and smiled widely, waving quickly before getting sucked back into the conversation, giggling with her friends. Reo raised an eyebrow, smiling back and turning his attention back to his books.“... think I should ask him?” Reo heard one of the girls whisper, and he sighed. But then she kept going. “He might know why. This gift is really thoughtful.”Oh. Reo’s shoulders relaxed, and a small smile tugged at his lips. That’s sweet, she must have received a gift from someone in her locker. I wonder who- “Nagi Seishiro,” the girl said, her voice tinged with amusement, and Reo stilled. “You know, the one who sleeps through class.”What.“That’s so cute!” one of her friends exclaims, voice high and breathy with excitement. “Are you going to accept?”Reo leaned forward, pressing his forehead against the cool metal of the locker, feeling slightly nauseous. He never knew… he didn’t realize that Nagi was interested in anyone -- anyone other than him -- much less a girl.
How did I not notice? Reo wondered numbly, shutting his locker and speed walking away from the girls, missing the vehement ‘No way!’ the girl responded to her friend with. Was he just that bad of a friend, that he didn’t realize Nagi had a crush on someone? After a few minutes of walking and spiraling, he realized that he hadn’t even gotten a good look at the girl Nagi had given a gift to. Damn.Was she someone from his class? Reo gnawed at his lip, his frown deepening. How did Nagi even know her?
He shook his head, pushing questions along with the consuming feeling of despair deep down. Right now, he needed to go to Nagi’s locker and take his gift back before Nagi saw it, lest he make things awkward now. Just as he thought that, the bell rang, signalling the end of lunch, and Reo cursed under his breath.
His class was in the complete opposite direction of Nagi’s locker, there was no way he’d get there and back to his strict, psychotic math teacher in time. Turning on his heel, Reo pulled out his phone and shot Kunigami a quick text, requesting him to retrieve the basket from Nagi’s locker.
Kunigami responded with a concerned question but agreed soon after, and Reo pocketed his phone with a sigh, feeling a little relieved. He pushed his bag up on his shoulder more securely, staring at his feet as he made his way to class. He hadn’t seen Nagi all day, which was far from the norm. Usually, the two were attached at the hip unless they were in different classes.
Not anymore, Reo thought miserably, staring hard at the floor and quickening his steps. Now that Nagi would have a girlfriend, he’d probably want to spend more time with her than with Reo, right?
Reo opened the door to the classroom, striding past all the desks to get to his near the back of the classroom, dropping his bag beside the chair and sitting down harshly. He slumped over on the desk, placing his head into his arms and breathing in deeply.
It was fine. It’s not like Reo wasn’t prepared for this outcome. He could live with it, with just being friends with Nagi. As long as his treasure was happy, Reo could deal with anything.
Head still laying against his hands, Reo heard the chair beside his screech, someone sitting down. “Reo?” a familiar voice called out softly, and he tensed.
Shit, he forgot for a moment that Nagi was also in this class. Trying not to let his feelings show on his face, Reo lifted his head from his arms and gave Nagi a smile, not looking him in the eyes but somewhere around the other boy’s chin. “Hey.”An awkward silence ensued, and when Reo was sure Nagi was paying attention to something else, his gaze flitted up to look at the white haired boy’s face. Nagi looked as he usually did, face impassive and hair messy and probably unbrushed as well. He was also still looking at Reo.
“Reo.” Nagi said again, and this time Reo noted a slight glint in his eyes, something that only happened when Nagi got annoyed. It didn’t happen that often, and it definitely had never been directed at Reo before.
“Nagi.” he responded in kind, raising an eyebrow in confusion at the other’s expression. But instead of elaborating, Nagi’s eyes widened slightly, looking as if something had just occurred to him, before he muttered a soft ‘nevermind’ and turned to stare at his desk. God, I hate myself , Reo thought as he pressed his fingers against his temples, feeling terrible. He was already making it awkward, despite the fact he just said he wasn’t going to make it a big deal. Nagi could like whoever he wanted to.
Reo relaxed a bit, turning towards Nagi again. He could act normal, just watch. “Where were you at lunch today?”
Nagi’s knee jerked up, slamming into the bottom of the desk, and Reo watched in worry as Nagi bit his lip at the pain. But before he could ask about it, Nagi turned to him and shot him a peace sign. “I’m fine. I was playing video games in the classroom and lost track of time.”A smile tugged at Reo’s lips. Typical, he thought affectionately, and the two of them fell into easy conversation. Or more like, Reo talked as usual while Nagi listened and gave small comments here and there. This was fine. Reo would be fine as long as they could continue like this, even if Nagi started dating someone.
After that, the teacher entered, her sharp voice calling everyone to attention, and the rest of the period flew by in a blur of surface integrals and geometric graphing. At some point in the lesson, Nagi had fallen asleep at his desk, which Reo would give him props for since not even he dared to piss off this teacher.
Reo’s next class after that went about the same way, and he found himself wandering the hallways aimlessly during his free period, waiting for the day to end so they could go to practice. He usually spent these periods with Nagi sitting in the library, Reo working on his assignments and extracurricular work diligently while Nagi rested his head on his lap, the quiet noises of his games the only sounds against the comfortable silence.
Well, Reo guessed that Nagi would be doing that with someone else. The thought sent a jolt of pain through his stomach. Now that he was alone, it was a lot easier for him to lie to himself.
His phone dinged, the sound echoing in the empty hall, and Reo opened it to a text from Kunigami.
[2:23] Kunigami: Sorry I saw your message a few minutes ago[2:24] Kunigami: Your gift isn’t here anymore[2:24] Kunigami: Oh wait actually the game event ticket is here
Reo’s heart dropped.
[2:24] Kunigami: Are you sure you’re okay Reo?
He texted a clumsy ‘thank you’ to Kunigami before turning his phone off and pocketing it, a strong feeling of irritation mixed with upset flaring in his chest. So Nagi had seen the gift, but he didn’t feel the need to reject Reo properly or even respond at all.
Reo had never gotten genuinely annoyed at Nagi before, finding most of his lazy qualities endearing and charming, something that Chigiri regularly called him insane for. But he could say for certain now that he was definitely annoyed. Before he realized where he was going, his feet had taken him to the hallway where Nagi’s locker was located. At least if he caught the other boy here, he could demand an answer from him.
After turning into the hallway, a mop of white hair came into view, and Reo sprang back behind the corner, his earlier confidence vanishing in an instant at the thought of actually confronting Nagi. He thought he heard Isagi’s voice as well, and strained to hear what they were saying.He heard Isagi ask something, his voice too quiet for Reo to actually hear anything he was saying. The voices grew a little quieter, and after a couple seconds of trying to catch their conversation, Reo heard Nagi respond.“I don’t care about the basket, that’s why I gave them away. Also, dating him would be a pain.”The voices continued down the hallway, disappearing into a nearby classroom, leaving the area filled with silence.
Reo brought a hand up, pressing it against his mouth tightly. He felt sick.
Nagi didn’t just not respond to his confession, he fully and completely crushed it into the ground, stomping on it and Reo’s heart in the process. It wasn’t enough that he didn’t return Reo’s feelings like everyone in their friend group insisted, Nagi also thought dating Reo was a pain.
He thought Reo was a hassle, just like everything else.
Reo needed to get out of here. He curled his hands into fists, nails digging into his palms
long enough to leave deep marks, and walked a few steps to the nearest bathroom, which was thankfully empty. He slumped against the sink and leaned his weight on his arms, staring into the mirror despondently.
He gripped the edges of the sink tightly, biting the inside of his cheek hard, absolutely refusing to cry. Wow, the great Mikage Reo. Reduced to a quivering mess because his friend didn’t care about him.
Reo had thought that at least, at least Nagi cared about him enough to stick by his side even when Reo was being pushy and annoying, and found him fun enough to hang around. Reo thought maybe Nagi didn’t love him the way that Reo loved him, but at least Nagi would still want to be around him.
Thinking back to the text Kunigami sent, Reo hung his head low, watching strands of purple locks hang in the edges of his vision. Nagi had kept the game event ticket, but gave away everything else. Typical Nagi, Reo thought again, smiling ruefully.
Deep down, Reo knew that Nagi actually liked being alone, and would prefer to spend his time playing video games and napping instead of hanging out with anyone. Reo was included in that anyone apparently. Nagi had only stuck by him until now because it was convenient, but dating Reo would be a hassle, so he simply ignored the confession completely.
Ah, this is ironic, isn’t it? Reo thought dimly. So many people confessed to him on Valentine’s Day over the years, and the one time he confessed, he was rejected the same way he did to others.
The revelation that Nagi didn’t care about him hit Reo fully in that moment, and he suddenly felt like throwing up, an icy feeling crawling up his veins. His phone vibrated aggressively in his pocket, and Reo pulled it out, seeing Chigiri’s name light up on screen. He contemplated whether or not to decline, before sighing and accepting the call.
“Your ass better have a good reason for not keeping me updated. So? Are you guys dating now”
Reo bit his bottom lip, his arms shaking as he leaned against the sink more, blinking rapidly and trying hard not to let the tears fall. “Chigiri…” he said, voice wavering on the other’s name, and Chigiri’s voice went silent on the line.
“Reo? Reo, are you okay?”
Yes , Reo urged himself to say. Say yes, laugh it off, say he’s fine with it, that it doesn’t bother him at all. That’s what his dad taught him to do, hide his ugly emotions behind pretty and reassuring words, and don’t let anything get to you. That’s what a Mikage would do. Say yes. “No,” Reo choked out, and he heard Chigiri suck in a breath. “I’m not. I want to get out of here.”After a few seconds of silence, Reo heard Chigiri’s voice again, quieter and more subdued. “Stay right there, I’m coming. Skip practice with me, just this once, and I’ll treat you to ice cream.” Reo cracked a small smile, warming up a little despite still feeling horrible and nauseous and vulnerable. “Thanks, Chigiri.”
~~~~~~~~~~
Rin was running late. Quite literally running , as well.Football practice already started five minutes ago, but his fuck ass teacher droned on endlessly about the history of neurons or whatever the hell the senile old man was yapping on about. He didn’t let them out until nearly 20 minutes after class had ended, which is how Rin found himself sprinting through the hallways despite the rule of no running in the halls.
Hearing someone curse behind him, Rin glanced behind him for a second to see Isagi running behind him, struggling not to lose Rin. “Slow down, dude. It’ll be fine if we’re a little late.”Rin scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Maybe if you put in half the effort you use for strategy thinking into improving your stamina, you would have the physical capability to score more.” But if he slowed his pace just a smidge to match strides with Isagi, then that was between him and God.
“Hey!” Isagi exclaimed, shooting Rin a glare while panting slightly. Then, he stopped completely and grabbed Rin’s sleeve, causing the other to lurch forward dangerously before stabilizing himself.
“What the fuck was that for?” Rin glowered at Isagi, who simply smiled at him innocently.
“I just want to talk to you, is that so hard to believe?” he said, the whites of his teeth reflected in the light. “We’re already late anyways, so it doesn’t matter.”Rin huffed and looked away, pushing his arms into his pockets. His fingers brushed against a papery surface, the letter reminding him of what he had yet to do. Maybe after practice, he could slip it into his bag…“Man, it’s crazy that Nagi of all people got confessed to today,” Isagi piped up, staring forward at nothing in particular. “That was not on my Valentine’s bingo card.”Frowning in confusion, Rin squinted at Isagi. “What? Are you being serious?”Isagi looked at Rin for a second, perplexed, before his mouth formed a small ‘o’ and he laughed. “Sorry, I mean it’s crazy that Nagi got confessed to by someone that isn’t Reo.”Rin stopped abruptly.
Isagi continued forward a couple steps, before turning around and staring at Rin in bewilderment. “Hey, what gives?”“Reo didn’t confess to Nagi?” Rin asked, eyebrows drawing together, and Isagi shook his head. “No, someone left an anonymous gift basket in his locker.” That can’t be right , Rin thought frustratedly. Reo very clearly had written Nagi a letter as well, made from scratch and with love.
“Are you sure there wasn’t an envelope attached to it?” Rin stressed, feeling like he was going crazy because surely- “Oh, yeah, there was. But it was anonymous and Nagi said he didn’t recognize the handwriting,” Isagi said after pondering for a second.
Rin was definitely going crazy.“Kinda sucks though, the person who sent it must have spent a long time on that poem. I feel kinda ba-”“What did you say?” Rin cut Isagi off, grabbing him by the shoulders and leaning in, eyes wide. Isagi froze mid-sentence, a blush crawling up the back of his neck, and Rin shook him again. “There was a poem?”“Y-yeah,” the shorter boy stuttered a bit, before clearing his throat. “It wasn’t Reo’s handwriting for sure though.”Maybe Rin was the idiot all along. He cursed, letting go of Isagi and turning around, pulling the blue envelope that he had been carrying all day out of his pocket and ripping it open. Being careful not to ruin the contents, Rin prayed to everything holy he was wrong, before pulling out a light purple card with neat cursive on it, addressed to one ‘Nagi Seishiro’ on the front.“Shit.”Isagi must have been asking something in the background, but Rin wasn’t listening. There was simply no way this happened, not after he’d checked Reo for any misunderstanding. But lo and behold, he had made the classic ‘mixing up the envelopes’ mistake, damning him to eternal suffering at the hands of Reo, and probably Chigiri and Nagi too.
No, this is Reo’s fault , Rin thought, trying hard to rationalize. He was the one who asked Rin to borrow his envelopes, and the one who asked him to help in the morning…
Rin sighed, placing the card back into the envelope and shoving it in his pocket. He’d give it to Reo later, first he needed to let him know what happened.
“Rin?” Isagi asked, putting a warm hand on Rin’s shoulder, causing him to turn around. “What happened?”
“Nothing, I just have to clear something up,” Rin said, and he was about to continue typing when a thought occurred to him, and his fingers stilled. He looked up, staring Isagi in the eyes long enough to make the other boy slightly uncomfortable.
“Did you like it?” Rin finally asked, and Isagi blinked, causing Rin to elaborate. “The poem, I mean. Did you like it?”Isagi was silent for a moment, expression indecipherable. Then, a soft smile spread across his face, and Rin felt his heart beat increase slightly. “I thought it was indescribable,” Isagi said simply, ducking his head to stare at the floor.
“I see,” Rin said, and he turned around again, a small smile creeping onto his face. “Go to practice, I’ll be there soon.”
~~~~~~~~~~
“What a bitch,” Chigiri huffed, sitting back in his chair with a frustrated expression on his face. “This is why I’m your best friend and not that dumbass.”Reo smiled a little and chuckled, Chigiri’s words cheering him up a bit. He didn’t exactly agree with the insult though. Even now, after getting his heart basically broken into pieces and thrown in his face, Reo still couldn’t help but wish Nagi would love him too.
“I don’t get it though,” Reo said dejectedly, swirling his spoon through the soupy remains of the mint chocolate chip ice cream. “I was sure that he liked me too, and that I was special to him. I thought the worst that could happen was him rejecting me, not basically admitting that he doesn’t care about me at all.”Chigiri frowned, placing his chin in his hand and glaring a hole into the table. “I don’t understand either. He likes you, I’m more sure of that than anything in my entire life.”Reo winced, looking down at the table, and Chigiri pushed his half finished rocky road towards him. “I just can’t figure out how he fucked up that badly,” Chigiri continued, watching as Reo spooned the chocolate ice cream into his mouth forlornly. “He had one job, and that was to accept.”“Did it ever occur to you guys that maybe he just doesn’t care?” Reo muttered, tapping the spoon against the rim of the cup. “I should’ve known he would think dating is a hassle. He thinks everything is a hassle.”“Reo, I know you know what you heard, but there has got to be a misunderstanding here,” Chigiri stressed, causing Reo to look up at him doubtfully. “No one just hangs around someone they don’t even care about, or let that person feed them or give them piggyback rides.”“Nagi would,” Reo argued, his mouth curving down into a frown. “He likes being spoiled, but that doesn’t mean he cares.”He just wanted to stop talking about this. Reo was grateful to Chigiri, he truly was, but his insistence just made Reo feel more and more miserable. He could go back to school tomorrow and treat Nagi exactly the same as he usually did, but not unless he blocked this out of his head completely.
His phone buzzed on the table, and Reo had half a mind to just ignore it. Every time he checked his messages today, it just got worse and worse. After it vibrated again though, Reo relented, reaching for it. He’d already hit rock bottom, there was nowhere to go now but up.
[4:07] Rin: Reo[4:07] Rin: I’m sorry
Reo’s eyebrows rose up into his bangs. Well, that was a statement indeed.[4:08] Me: ?? Are you dying?[4:08] Rin: No, but I am sorry[4:08] Me: For what?[4:08] Rin: I accidentally switched our letters this morning[4:08] Rin: Nagi got my poem, it was unaddressed[4:09] Rin: He didn’t know the gift was from you
Reo nearly dropped his phone, staring at the last message in muted shock. He didn’t know the gift was from Reo. Nagi didn’t know that Reo had been the one to put the gift in his locker.
A glimmer of hope unfurled in his chest. If Nagi didn’t know, then maybe…“What?” Chigiri asked, leaning forward with an intrigued look on his face. “What happened?”Reo opened his mouth to recite the texts to Chigiri, when the door to the ice cream shop slammed open so hard the door swung on its hinges. Nagi stood in the entryway, panting heavily and leaning against the doorframe. Reo was taken aback at the display, and heard some nearby customers grumble in complaint.
Nagi looked around the shop with a sort of wild desperation that Reo had never seen on him before, scanning the people around until he saw Reo and locked eyes with him. Reo’s heart jumped slightly at the intense look on Nagi’s face, and he just watched with his mouth slightly ajar as Nagi stalked over to them.
“What the fuck?” Chigiri uttered, but Nagi ignored him completely, looking at Reo like he was the only person in the room, and he didn’t know what to do with that information.“ Reo ,” Nagi said breathlessly, sounding like he had just run a 5K without stopping once, still looking at Reo with those eyes.
“What-”Reo didn’t even have the chance to say anything, before Nagi grabbed him by the wrist, pulling him out of the chair and dragging him outside. Reo turned around for long enough to see Kunigami and Chigiri at the entrance of the shop -- where Kunigami came from, he had no clue -- and was relieved to know at least he wasn’t leaving Chigiri alone.
He let himself get dragged a little bit further until they ended up in a mostly empty park, before sighing in annoyance and yanking his wrist out of Nagi’s grip, causing the other boy to stagger a bit and turn back to look at Reo in confusion.
The nerve of this guy.“Reo, I need to-”“You don’t need to explain, Nagi,” Reo said coolly, causing Nagi to flinch slightly. “I misunderstood. Rin said you didn’t know the gift was from me, so you don’t need to go through the hassle of explaining.”“It’s not a hassle, not if it’s Reo,” Nagi said softly. Reo felt his heart skip a beat and cast his gaze downward, unable to look him in the face because he didn’t want to see what expression Nagi was making.
“You know, I won’t know you think that if you don’t tell me,” Reo said quietly, and he heard Nagi draw in a sharp breath. “I can’t read your mind, Nagi. I assumed you didn’t care, because it didn’t seem like it could be that unlikely.”“I do care though,” Nagi’s voice was frustrated, almost bitter, and it was the most emotion he’d shown in all the time Reo knew him. “Reo doesn’t understand, I’ve always cared.”Despite this being exactly the reassurance that Reo wanted, he felt the corners of his lips turn down. “I understand just fine, don’t worry.”Nagi stayed quiet for a moment, his eyes searching Reo’s face for something, and when he didn’t find it, his frown deepened. “If you understand, why do you look so upset? Don’t we want the same thing?”At that, Reo’s mask cracks, and he replies unhappily. “Because, I’m selfish.” He finally looked up, catching Nagi’s surprised expression. “I’m glad that I was wrong, and I’m glad that you care, but-”
Reo let out an exhale, feeling his heartbeat quicken. “You didn’t get the card I wrote, so I’ll say it here.”“I’m in love with you, Nagi.”Reo watched Nagi draw in a breath, and he continued before the other could say anything. “I love how you were the first one who didn’t treat me differently based on my name, and I love how you can be yourself without caring what others think.”“I love everything about you, actually, and I didn’t stop even when I thought you didn’t care about me. I know you don’t love me the same way, but-”“What?” Nagi interrupted, sounding bemused, though his eyes were shining the way they usually did when Reo praised him. “What do you mean? I love you too, Reo.”Huh?“Huh?” Reo said weakly, wondering where exactly he had lost track in the conversation. “You what?”“I love you.”Reo shook his head vehemently, feeling the sliver of hope grow in size and tried to squash it down. “No, you don’t. You can’t . You confessed to a girl in our school earlier today didn’t you?”This time, Nagi was the one who was lost, his eyebrows knitting in confusion. “A girl?” And Reo nodded, wondering what Nagi was thinking. He was the one who sent that gift to the girl, was he not?
“Reo…” Nagi started, thinking for a bit before speaking. “I don’t even talk to girls. The only girl I’ve talked to in the past couple months is Chigiri.”“Chigiri isn’t a girl though?”“Exactly.”Reo huffed, feeling like they both must have missed a step on the way up this staircase, because he was incredibly confused, and by the look on Nagi’s face, he was too.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Nagi said helplessly, bringing a hand up to rest on the back of his neck as he looked down at his feet. “I thought you didn’t like me, because you never said you liked my gift. I thought maybe you didn’t see it.”“A gift? What gift?” Reo asked, nearly hysterical, and Nagi groaned in annoyance.“That stupid King,” he grumbled, kicking a nearby rock with his foot. “Always sabotaging me.”Once again, Reo was in the dark about this whole thing, but he didn’t mind anymore. He laughed quietly, causing Nagi to look at him, his eyes softening.
“We’re kinda stupid aren’t we?” Reo asked, a smile stretching across his face, stomach buzzing with warmth. He stepped forward tentatively, placing his hands on Nagi’s shoulders, and the other boy basically melted into him, wrapping his arms around Reo’s waist and burying his face into the crook of his shoulder. “I don’t forgive you yet, there’s so much you have to explain.”It was a futile threat, Reo had already forgiven him.“Yeah, I will,” Nagi’s voice was muffled, his warm breath tickling Reo’s collarbone. He turned his head slightly, lips ghosting Reo’s ear. “Reo doesn’t need to worry about anything. You’re the only one, you always were.”Reo shivered slightly, reaching a hand up to thread into Nagi’s tangle of white locks, bringing his face closer. “And I’ll only be yours, for as long as you want, my treasure.”Nagi let out a hum, closing his eyes in contentment and ruffling his head against Reo’s hand. “And what if I want that forever?”“Then I guess we’re stuck with each other.”
~~~~~~~~~~
“Reocchi, I’m sorry for eating your chocolate!” Bachira wailed, jumping on Reo’s back the second he walked into the cafeteria. Reo stumbled slightly, grasping Bachira’s thighs to stop the boy from falling off.
Once he got them both stable, he looked up at the bee-colored boy with a smile. “It’s okay, you didn’t know they were from me.”Bachira strung his arms under Reo’s chin, pressing his cheek against the top of the purple haired boy’s head. “Does this mean you’ll give me some more?”“No,” Reo deadpanned.
“Aww.”Suddenly, Bachira yelped, and Reo felt him slide off his back before his weight was replaced by a more familiar one. Nagi pressed his face into Reo’s hair, wrapping his arms around the shorter boy’s waist.
“Don’t jump on Reo’s back anymore,” he said, voice thick with sleep. “That’s reserved for only me.” Reo held back a laugh, reaching up to pat Nagi on the head, who hummed happily at the contact.
“Glad to see you two are still being gross,” Chigiri sniffed, looking at the two of them with a smirk, and Reo smiled at him in return. “Sure, sure, as if you aren’t gonna start being gross as well.”“What is that supposed to mean?”“Nothing.”Rin walked into the room, saw the combination of Reo, Nagi and Chigiri, and promptly walked out.
“I still don’t forgive you for switching the envelopes,” Reo called out after him, feeling vindictive satisfaction as he saw Rin flinch. The younger boy turned around, looking annoyed, “I already said sorry.”
“It’s actually all Barou’s fault,” Nagi murmured, half asleep already. “He can’t see properly.”Reo was kind of glad Barou wasn’t here to hear that, even though technically his mistake was one of the biggest, it was also partly Nagi’s fault. He would never say that out loud, of course.
Nagi leaned closer, pressing a soft kiss against Reo’s cheek, almost as if in apology, and Reo grinned. He wasn’t sure whether this whole ordeal was supposed to make him hate Valentine’s Day more, or actually like it.
What he did know was that he was definitely looking forward to what next years Valentine’s would look like.