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Reo wasn’t sure what love was supposed to be. Since he was a child, he never had to fight for anything he wanted, because everything was always given to him. Then he met him, the only thing he was willing to make an effort for, a rough diamond ready to be shaped by him. Nagi was talented, lazy, dreamless: that’s why Reo gave him a dream of their own. And why would they need anything else in their life when they had each other? If love was a distraction to their common goal, a dashing wave that could crash into their own little world, Reo was okay with not knowing love for the rest of his life.
When they entered the Blue Lock for the first time, it seemed like fate. Like the world was trying to give them every pieces they needed so Reo could complete the puzzle easily. He wanted, and wanted, and wanted, and he was sure Nagi wanted the same thing thing as well. So he turned to him, ready to take on the world with his partner- why said partner was walking away from all this?
«Nagi! Where are you going?»
«Home. This sounds like an hassle»
And that sounded so much like Nagi that if Reo didn’t want to scream, he probably would have laughed at his partner’s antics. But he didn’t have to worry, because he knew they would follow each other until their last breath, with or without the push of the glasses weirdo who invited them to this crazy setting (the perfect setting for their dream).
«Promise me, Reo. That you will be with me until the end»
And Reo had never been so sure of an answer his entire life.
-----
Since they met, they have always been together. It’s always been them against the world, and Reo knew that. No matter how much Nagi complained, or whined, or insisted it was a pain, he always had his back. It was thanks to him they passed their first test.
«Thank you, Nagi»
His partner shrugged.
«It couldn’t do for Reo to be eliminated like this. Besides, if I didn’t hit anyone, I could go home without feeling guilty for not even trying»
At this, Reo gave out a chuckle.
«I wouldn’t let you go home, we made a promise, remember?»
«Huh… I guess I have to work hard, too…»
«Of course you have to. We will reach the top, together»
And Reo didn’t know why he should notice something like this, but even in the artificial light, pouting and and bored, Nagi looked more beautiful than ever.
----
Reo knew that no matter how many times Nagi complained about all this being too tiresome and wanting to give up, he never did. Even with their first pratices and games, when he said he didn’t want anything more than just go home, he always stayed. He always remained by his side, a constant and reassuring presence making him happier than he thought he could be. So why Nagi was walking away from him now?
«Nagi! Are you really joining their team?»
«Mmh, I want to play with this guy, so yes»
A few words. Just a few words, and Reo entire world fell apart.
«Do as you wish»
Nagi and him had always played under the same vast sky, so why Reo now felt like they were on different galaxies? The moon was never supposed to leave the sun. Reo was never supposed to feel this empty. And it was in that moment he realized different things about the feeling called love. Love was the dream and the time he shared with Nagi. It was the colours and the light that filled his heart after a winning game when his partner complained about how tired he was. It was the way he felt when Nagi turned his back on him. And it fucking hurt.
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Nagi didn’t know much about love. Forget that, he knew nothing at all bout love. He never cared enough to find out. What moved people to find someone to spend their time with, effort for, tears because of, was beyond him. It really seemed like a meaningless task, like almost everything else. Almost, because since Reo came crashing in his life unannounced, unexpected (but not unwanted, never unwanted) everything was a bit more fun. That’s why he didn’t refuse the invite in the first place. Reo gave him a dream, a place to call home, and Nagi would follow him anywhere. He was sure Reo knew this, because no matter what happened, he always knew him.
Maybe Reo didn’t knew, not this time. That was a limit to his power of reading Nagi’s mind, but the white haired boy did never pushed beyond that limit before. And how could Reo knew when Nagi never explained anything? How could Nagi explained it to him when he understood nothing about himself and was never good with words? Excuse after excuse, he just followed his gut and his curiosity to play with Isagi. He thought he would get better, never lose again, and reunite with his partner after becoming number one. He knew Reo would wait for him, but he didn’t really knew how to clear his mind for the heartbroken expression of his only friend before Nagi walked through the doors without looking back.
In the end, Nagi DID lose. He wasn’t fast as Rin, or that strong and precise, or that motivated. He found a wall so tall he couldn’t see the end of. He played with Isagi, but he still lost. And after everything, he realized he just missed Reo’s reassurance and presence besides him. He was the only person willing to put up with him, willing to get to know him, willing to accept his whims. But Nagi wasn’t sure if it was just that, because he thought that someone else just wouldn’t do. After all, he never wanted friends or acknowledgment (but he wanted Reo, and for the first time, he was sure of something about himself).
Did Reo miss him too? Was he still angry with him, still lost, did Nagi ruined everything? But no matter how many times the thought crossed his mind, it didn’t sit well with him. He would never forget their promise. And when the door opened and the only thing he could see was Reo, always Reo, he hoped that maybe the other would never forget too.
-----
They were really doing it. Them, against Japan national team. A bunch of people younger than 18 years old fighting each other for what they believed in, for what was at stake in a single game. Nagi Just wanted to go there and prove himself, to play and overcome his limits no matter the consequences. He sighed. It would be a long and tiring game, but he found he didn’t mind as much as before.
«Nagi»
He turned at the sound of Reo’s voice (how could he not, when it has always been the only thing guiding him home in a world of anonymous noises?)
«I’m coming to get you, and we will be the strongest pair in the world. So, promise me one thing…»
A pause. Nagi released a breath he didn’t even know he was holding. And then, words he didn’t know he wanted to hear (but he did, oh how much he did), words unexpected, but not unwanted, never unwanted as long as it was Reo.
«Wait for me»
And Nagi would wait a thousand years if it meant seeing Reo’s smile again, that smile he reserved for him and him only, that smile that could light up the entire world if only he was willing to share with it. But that smile belonged to Nagi, and Nagi’s entire being belonged to Reo. That realization should scare him, but it didn’t. It felt like a renewed dream. It felt like finding a part of him again. It felt like home. And maybe love felt a bit like this.
The moon never left the sun. Even when they weren’t together, in the longest day and the loneliest night, they would always find each other again. The same applied to them. Not that Nagi will let them be apart again (never again).
He smiled. And for the first time it was a true, dazzling smile, that existed just for the boy standing before him and asking him to give him his whole self (didn’t that boy knew it was already his?)
«Of course»