Chapter Text
“—fuck you Nagi! don’t ever fucking talk to me again!” screeched through his phone speaker before the call ended.
—
This Saturday isn't unlike any other day in Nagi's life.
Like always, he wakes up around noon. He still lives alone in his apartment, but now that he's an adult, his parents might start expecting him to pay bills. He doesn't want to get a job, so maybe he can stay with Reo. Now he has to remember to ask Reo about it later. What a pain.
He’s particularly tired today since he spent Friday playing video games until late hours of the night.
He shoots Reo a quick “good morning” text, not bothering to look at what Reo could have sent him throughout his own morning. He pokes himself on choki, gets his daily logins for various mobile games, and opens up his favorite shooter game.
He rots in bed until the late afternoon. When he can't ignore hunger any longer, He finally gets up and makes the treacherous journey from his bed to his woefully stocked fridge to grab a jelly drink. Then he returns to his bed and rots until it's decently late.
His Saturdays are all the same.
This particular Saturday feels different to Nagi, though. For some reason, he feels uneasy, like seasickness, but he's not out at sea.
Man, feelings really are a pain.
With the tightening feeling in his chest in mind, he watches the time pass. By the time it's 10 pm, he still hasn't found the cause for his distress. Couldn't be school-related since he's pretty sure the fall semester doesn't start for a while longer, but he double-checks his calendar (that Reo made for him) just in case.
After confirming his university does, in fact, start in the beginning of September, he moves on to game events. Maybe he forgot to do an event that's ending soon? Nope, couldn't be. He spent the whole day grinding games, and he's sure he logged into all of them at least once.
The feeling gets worse as it gets later, it's almost 11 pm, and nagi is sure he's forgotten something very important. He's starting to feel downright anxious. Anxiousness isn't a feeling Nagi Seishirou has experienced very often, so in a last-ditch effort, he opens his notifications to see if anything popped up
He finds nothing except a reminder that he's in do-not-disturb mode
He usually has no reason to silence his phone, but recently, Isagi added him to a group chat with some soccer players. Nagi thinks they should all start considering journalism instead because they never shut up and think the whole world needs to hear about their daily lives. No,
Bachira, nobody cares that you tripped on your way to the store at 2:12 pm.
All his notifications are silenced—ah, I forgot to turn this off—He has over 99 notifications, all of them being from that foresaken group chat he keeps forgetting to leave. Scratch that, almost all of them. He has 12 notifications from Reo, 5 texts and 7 calls.
His best friend texts him a lot. He tells him about his day and his plans, and nagi responds in the middle of the night, that's how it's always been. That's how both of them like to interact outside of physical meetings. But Reo never calls him.
Reo calling him once is a rare event, Reo calling him 7 times must mean someone died or something. The calls are fairly recent as well, the last one was only 5 minutes ago.
Nagi contemplates calling Reo back to see why he called him so many times, but in the end, he doesn't have to because Reo calls him again.
He doesn't like phone calls—actually, he doesn't like any social interactions—but since it's Reo, he hits answer and lifts his phone to his ear without a second thought.
“Nagiiii? Hellooo?” Reo's voice comes through his phone.
Calling Reo isn't an often-occurring event—Reo likes to meet face to face—but today he sounds different. They've only called a handful of times, but nagi can tell the tone Reo uses isn't one Nagi’s heard before. He still thinks the way Reo drags his greeting, even with the unfamiliar tone, is very cute.
Unfortunately, he doesn't have the time to relish in Reos's cuteness because as soon as he says “hi” he's getting yelled at.
“Nagi! Do you even care about me? Why did I—why’d I ever even try with you!”
Reo is angry at him
That’s why Reo sounded different than usual when he first answered the phone. Reo is never actually angry at him.
Only the sounds of Reo's sniffles ring from his phone while nagi tries to think of something–anything– to say to Reo. He searches the deepest depths of his brain, but the only thing he comes up with is “reo..”
Reo doesn't respond. Just silence
During the brief silence, Nagi collects his thoughts.
Reo called him and then started yelling at him. Reo asked if he cared about him. How could he ask that? Of course, nagi cares about Reo. Wasn't it obvious? Reo is the only person—Choki is a cactus, so he doesn't count—Nagi considers a friend. Everyone else might as well be turned to dust because nagi would like to spend the rest of his life alone with Reo if he could, and Reo knew that, didn't he? Ah, but if Reo knew, he wouldn't have asked. That leaves nagi with only one choice— to tell Reo how much he does care.
He starts strong by addressing the person he's talking to. "reo i-” It doesn't take him far because he's immediately interrupted.
“no- no. nagi no.” is what Reo manages to choke out.
Should he stop talking? Is that what Reo really wants? he can't figure out social cues for the life of him. So he sticks with what he usually does, whatever Reo tells him to do.
After deciding to stay silent, another brief interlude of silence falls upon them both.
They sit in silence for 3 whole minutes.
Normally, Nagi would feel bored being forced into silence for that long, but since it's Reo, he makes an exception and sits through it while listening to Reo's faint breathing. Why is he angry? Does the uncertainty about whether or not nagi cares about him that important to him? Does Nagi's opinion on reo emotionally impact him? The number of unanswered questions he has is starting to become irritating.
His pondering finally ended when Reo speaks up, almost too quiet to catch.
“I just can't believe you.. I can't believe you forgot.”
He forgot something. He knew he had forgotten something, but what did he forget? He's been trying to figure it out all day. But if Reo knows what he forgot, he can just ask him what he forgot.
So, Nagi, with all his social cluelessness, asks Reo, “What did I forget?” in a bland, robotic tone.
Complete silence answers him, and the silence holds for at least 5 seconds.
Reo finally speaks up “i hate you- fuck you Nagi! dont ever fucking talk to me again!” and then the call ends.
In the last 7 minutes, Reo did every single thing nagi never wanted him to do. Yell at him, tell him he hates him, and tell Nagi to never speak to him again.
Did he mean it? Does Reo hate him? Does this mean he's no longer Reo's treasure? he doesn't want Reo to hate him.
Nagi feels an emotion he was sure he had long forgotten that night.
—
Today is August 12th, and it's Reo’s 18th birthday.
Reo woke up earlier than usual and practically leaped out of bed because he and Nagi have plans today.
Today is only about him. Today, Reo is treating himself. So what if Nagi’s included? Nagi is the biggest constant in Reo’s life. Aside from the overwhelming burden of
Aside from the plans with Nagi, he's also meeting with Chigiri for breakfast at 8.
With the extra hour to get ready for the day, he takes his time in the shower. Reo has always cleaned up nicely, but he took extra care that his skin and hair glowed extra today.
When he gets out of the shower, he pats himself mostly dry before he ties his towel around his waist.
He goes through his skincare routine and even applies a little makeup. He even styles his hair with a little braid on the side to match with chigiri before moving to his closet to pick an outfit.
It's summer, so he picks a pair of grey wash denim shorts. For a shirt, he picks a baggy band shirt he stole from Nagi. He also puts on a silver chain necklace, then he slips a watch and diamond bracelet around his left wrist.
He looks in the mirror once before he sends a photo to Chigiri for approval.
While he waits for Chigiri's reply, he finds a bag to shove his keys and water bottle into. He finds a plain black tote bag he thinks he borrowed from Kunigami? After double-checking that the lid on his water bottle is tight, he drops it in, along with his lip gloss—just in case.
Reo’s about to look for his favorite cologne when his phone dings
Princess:
Damn.
Who are you dressing up for??
Reo:
me myself and I
who else??
Princess:
Hmm
idk
starts with an N ends with an I
Reo:
I hope your hair catches on fire
Princess:
HELLO??
let my hair live
leave ur house now
dont forget cologne
Reo:
alr
leaving now
Reo rushes to find his cologne and drops a few essentials into his bag while he looks. His AirPods, keys, and wallet all get dropped into his bag, and his cologne ends up being on his desk, and he spritzes himself lightly before rushing to the elevator.
While he's on his way down to the ground level, he texts Ba-ya to let her know he's about to be outside.
Of course, Ba-ya already knows about his plans. Ba-ya knows a lot about Reo in general. She knows his favorite foods, his favorite things to do, and his favorite people. Also, she knows about how much he likes Nagi, but who doesn't at this point?
Reo’s not sure when literally everyone, aside from nagi, somehow, found out about his crush. He's just glad Nagi himself doesn't know.
He reaches the bottom floor of his building, and he quickly walks through the lobby, since he told Chigiri he left like 5 minutes ago.
Usually, Reo would greet everyone on the bottom floor since they all work for his father and he should keep appearances up, but since today is his day, he forgoes his usual routine.
He spots the black limousine waiting for him right outside the building, with Ba-ya already holding open the back door for him.
“Good morning and happy birthday, Master Reo.” She bows.
“Good morning!” he can't help but smile. It might be Ba-ya’s job to take care of him, but that doesn't mean she has to remember his birthdays. It always makes him happy when he's reminded that she cares about him.
He quickly sits down in the car when he remembers that Chigiri is probably waiting for him by now and that he should really get going soon, if he doesn't want to face the wrath of an angry princess, that is.
He's meeting Chigiri at a hole-in-the-wall 24-hour breakfast place called Pancake Pavilion that Kunigami found a few months back. It's somewhere his whole friend group frequents, even Nagi has a soft spot for the little shop. Not only is the food phenomenal, but it's also nice to support a local business rather than the mindless chain restaurants. That's not even the best part, the pancake house is only a 10-minute walk from campus and only a 5-minute walk from Nagi's apartment.
At first, Nagi probably only liked the convenience of frequenting the Pancake Pavilion, but it's obvious he's become attached to it. One time, Reo ran into nagi there on a Saturday evening. It was such a shock. He had plans with Kunigami, they decided on breakfast for dinner, only to find Nagi eating French toast alone at the booth in the corner. The memory of Nagi brings a smile to his face and a giddy feeling to his stomach.
“Master Reo, we’ve arrived.”
Already? Reo didn't realize how caught up in his thoughts he got. Was he really thinking about Nagi for 10 minutes? He's starting to see why Chigiri bullies him.
Outside the window is the pancake pavilion, and his red-haired friend is waiting outside for him. Chigiri doesn't look like he noticed Reo finally arrived. He continues to scroll on his phone, Chigiri somehow awkwardly waits for someone to look good.
“Young master, may I ask what you’re waiting for?” Ba-ya’s voice rings from the front seat. A calm reminder he's been looking out the window longer than needed.
“It's nothing, I just got distracted for a second.”
“I see”
Last time he was at the pancake house, the lady at the desk, Anri, told him about their plans to change up the window art. he didn't expect them to do it so soon. Just a few days ago, the window sported a leftover Pride design from June. Now, a soccer-themed help wanted ad decorates the window.
…
“Young master?”
Reo got distracted again.
“Yes– yes sorry, ba-ya. I'm getting out now. Thank you for the ride,” He says. This time, he commits to opening the door and getting himself out of the car before he gets sidetracked. Again. He can hear Ba-ya drive off shortly after. His father must’ve increased her workload now that Reo can take care of most of his own affairs.
Outside the door, he's immediately met with an obviously annoyed chigiri, who's no longer messing with his phone in front of the restaurant, instead he's right in front of him.
“You lied about leaving right away.” Chigiri gives him the biggest death glare and judgmentally puts a hand on his hip. The deadly combo could send any other person into a coma, but it's a common sight for Reo, who Chigiri doesn't mind releasing his wrath onto after any minor mistake.
Reo knows he might as well give up on defending himself. “I did lie, but it's still only 7:55 anyway.”
“It's 7:58,” Chigiri gives him a deadpan stare.
With a glance at his wrist watch, he finds that chigiri is right. “Let's get inside and eat breakfast already!” he changes the subject to avoid getting caught in another lie without a way out. Chigiri only rolls his eyes at him.
The pair quickly sped up the steps to the diner. While the diner is never particularly busy, both chigiri and reo prefer to sit in a booth towards the corner of the building, and it would be annoying if someone beat them to their booth.
As soon as he opens the door, he's filled with comfort from the familiar scents of breakfast food and the sight of soccer-themed decor inside the restaurant.
Standing at the front desk is Anri, already greeting them and walking around the desk. “Good morning! Table for two?” she says with a smile, “Am I right to assume you want the corner booth?”
Reo puts on his signature smile and nods, “Good morning, and yes, that's correct.” His charming voice must be working because he can see Chigiri giving him the biggest side-eye from the corner of his eye.
Anri leads them to the corner booth and drops off 2 utensil sets and 2 menus while Reo and Chigiri sit down face to face. “What would you guys like to drink today?”
Chigiri orders him and Reo Strawberry lemonades. Anri tells them she’ll be back with drinks and to take their orders, but before she leaves, she leaves one last comment— “Happy birthday, Reo.” She gives Reo a fond smile and heads back to the kitchen.
“How the hell did the waitress beat me to it?” Chigiri hisses over the table. “How does she even know?”
“I'm literally a celebrity, Hyoma. Anyone is one Google search away from finding out my birthday.”
“Oh, I knew that..” Chigiri averts his eyes. “Anyways, what are your plans? You're an adult! Your life is your own now!”
Reo hadn’t thought of it like that, because it's not like that. Maybe for other people, they own their own lives at 18. Not Reo. Reo is tied down by his family. Forever a Mikage as long as he carries the name. He has to study business so he can take over the company. If he can’t deliver perfection to his parents, they’ll surely disown him.
He must be making a face, because Chigiri looks at him worriedly.
Chigiri clears his throat as he opens one of the menus sitting on the middle of the table, “I think I'm gonna order something different this time, what about you?”
Reo is glad Chigiri knows him well enough to change the topic. He's not in the mood to talk about his future today.
Since Chigiri is thinking about ordering something different, Reo might as well look over the menu as well.
Usually, when he comes to the pancake house, he and Nagi split the Pavilion Palace Platter—a stack of 4 large pancakes with 2 eggs, bacon, sausage, and hashbrowns— but Nagi isn't here.
Nagi isn't here, but Chigiri is.
“Wanna share the Pavilion Palace Platter?” Reo asks.
Chigiri flips through the menu, “Share it? What page is that on? Oh, I found it.” He looks at it for a second. “Jesus! Who is eating all of this by themselves? FOUR pancakes?”
“I’d hope it's intended to be shared.”
They don't have any more time to discuss the topic because Anri sets their drinks down on the table and readies her notepad to take their orders.
Chigiri ends up ordering the platter, with extra syrup, of course, and Anri assures them their food will be out soon.
“So, birthday boy, how are you gonna celebrate?”
With Nagi, of course. He celebrated Nagi’s birthday with him at an arcade, and nagi promised to return the favor on Reo's birthday. “Im gonna hang out with Nagi.”
Chigiri looks like he was anticipating more to be said. “That's it?” he asks, comically raising a brow.
“After I hang out with Nagi, my parents want to show me off to potential suitors.”
“Ah, figures.”
The rest of breakfast flies by.
Anri brings out their food shortly after, and an extra plate—usually, he and Nagi just share a plate—for them to separate the food onto.
While they eat, he and Chigiri have a heated discussion about who would win in a fight, a cat or Nagi. They end up agreeing a cat would beat the shit out of Nagi. Or more so that Nagi wouldn't feel inclined to fight back against a cat.
When they’re both done with breakfast, Reo pays for the meal, and they both walk out of the building together, just before he's about to bid farewell to Chigiri and leave, Chigiri presents a small box to him.
“Your birthday present,” Chigiri says.
He's surprised Chigiri got him a gift. Out of all his friends, Chigiris is the one who understands that Reo doesn't like receiving gifts. While he's always grateful when he receives them, he can easily afford anything that's gifted to him. He always ends up feeling bad that someone went out of their way to buy him something he could easily afford himself.
“Don’t be so surprised, it's my gratitude for you being my friend.” Chigiri smiles at him. “And it didn’t cost me anything, so don't worry about it.”
“What is it?” he cautiously eyes the box. Something that apparently didn't cost Chigiri anything.
“Open it and see,” Chigiri practically shoves the box into his hands.
With the box in his hands, and impatiently waiting for him to open the box, he holds his breath as he slowly pulls off the lid of the box.
Inside sits a beaded bracelet.
A bracelet made of pony beads varying in different shades of purple.
“All the supplies were free at the library, and I knew you wouldn't like me spending money on you, so… I just thought it would be a good gift for you.”
Why does he feel so happy?
It's just a bracelet, but it's the best gift anyone has ever given him.
Reo thinks he might cry.
No, Reo thinks he is crying. He raises a hand to his face to make sure, and he finds it damp with fresh tears.
“Reo?” Chigiri asks him with a worried tone.
“I'm sorry– I don't mean to cry.” But, Reo can’t stop thinking about all the gifts he's been given over the years. And how this is the best one he's ever gotten. “It's perfect, thank you, Hyoma,” he sniffles out through his tears.
Chigiri doesn't hesitate to close the distance between them and wrap his arms around Reo in a warm embrace. “Of course, you’re my best friend, Reo.”
They hug for a moment longer before Reo pulls away and wipes his tears.
He gives Chigiri a warm smile before bringing his attention to the box. He pulls the bracelet from the box and slips it around his wrist. It's a little loose, but it fits this aesthetic perfectly.
“Tell me how hanging out with nagi goes, alright?” Chigiri says with a wave before turning to start his walk home.
Reo returns his wave and starts walking to his own destination.
His parents planned a party. It's really not a birthday party, more of a coming-of-age party where his parents make connections and try to get him into an arranged marriage as fast as possible. Luckily, he won't be alone. He begged his father to let him invite Nagi.
It's almost 10, and he's supposed to meet with nagi at the mall around 11. That gives him a little more than an hour to get there.
First, he needs to fix his makeup. He only wore a little brightening concealer, so it won't take too long to fix. He didn't plan on crying today, but leave it to Chigiri to overturn his plans.
He blends out his makeup as he walks to the mall, it's only a 25-minute walk.
He thinks about picking up nagi on the way, since he’ll be walking right by his apartment building. He ultimately decides against it since they agreed on 11 and Nagi would be fussy if he made him leave sooner, and he doesn't wanna be stuck at Nagi's house until he's ready to go. Nagi would end up asking Reo to dress him because it's a hassle. His brain can't take that today.
Nagi’s especially submissive behavior around Reo isn't doing anything for Reo's lingering crush on nagi. It's cruel that Nagi chooses to act that way around Reo and not anyone else. Nagi would go through any hassle to be by Reos' side, but avoids everyone else like the plague.
He makes it to the mall with half an hour to spare. On the side of the building is a secluded bench under the shade where nagi and Reo usually meet up. He can check his phone while he waits for him.
He didn't check his phone this morning, besides texting Chigiri. The first thing he sees is messages from nagi, last night. Usually, he’d text Nagi about his day while it's happening, and Nagi would respond to his messages and tell Reo about his day before he goes to bed.
He didn't send Nagi any messages today, mostly because they're meeting up soon, but also because he was busy with Chigiri.
He opens up the chat between him and nagi. There's only 3 short messages.
Nagi <3:
reoooooo
start calling me seishiroouu
i call you reo so call me seishirou :x
….
Reo thinks he might die if he has to call Nagi by his first name.
But.. if it's what Nagi wants.. when Nagi shows up, he’ll call him Seishirou just to test the waters. But what if he accidentally stumbles over his words and ends up embarrassing himself in front of his treasure? Since Nagi asked him, he has to at least try. Nagi always does things he doesn't want to for Reo, so this time he’ll do something he's not enthusiastic to do for nagi.
With that decided, he has other messages to look at. Mostly “happy birthdays” from all his friends, besides that, Bachira sent him a short paragraph and a GIF, and Gagamaru just sent him a birthday cake emoji.
Bachira:
REO! its your birthday >:3 so isagi is helping me write this! I just wanted u to know ur an amazing friend to all of us. you always look out for us and go out of your way to help us! im grateful you always have my back nd help me with my problems. we made alot of happy memories these past years and you always make every moment enjoyable. your presence is magical! even nagi is affected by it!11!! me and isagi will always be here 4 u, as ur always here 4 us. please dont be afraid to reach out if anything is bothering u, ill always lend my ear to u. im sure u have alot planned 4 today so i wont bother u anymore! just remember im always here 4 u!! Happy bday <333
Bachira’s text is easier to decipher than usual, which must have been Isagi’s help. At first, he wasn't fond of Isagi. Honestly, he was kind of annoying, but recently he's been hanging out with Bachira more, and when Bachira's around, Isagi is around. So in the end, he ended up becoming close friends with both boys.
He reacts to the paragraph with a heart and quickly types a small thank you message to both Bachira and Isagi before moving on to look at his other messages.
He responds to all the “happy birthdays” with a thank you and a heart, until he makes it to a message from his father.
Father
You have to sit in on a meeting at 1:15.
Make sure you look presentable at the party later. Don’t embarrass the family name, Reo.
He’s immediately filled with frustration when he sees the messages. He’s not supposed to have any meetings today. He made a compromise with his father when choosing his university. His father wanted him to go to a prestigious college overseas, but he wanted to stay here with his friends.
In the end, he ended up convincing his parents by applying for only the most prestigious colleges in the area, and promising to work for the company over the summer.
Nagi took it kinda hard when he told him they most likely wouldn't be able to attend the same college, since Reo would be applying for one that Nagi couldn't afford. Nagi’s only response was “okay,” but shortly after that, he started avoiding Reo and being distant. When Reo showed up at Nagi's house out of the blue to apologize, he found nagi working restlessly to study for the entrance exams.
“I'm never leaving Reo’s side~ I'll work hard so we can go to the same university,” Nagi murmured into Reo's shoulder
It almost put Reo into an early grave when Nagi basically tackled him and wouldn't let him go, and Reo basically heard his funeral reception when Nagi later told him he got offered a scholarship to the same university Reo got accepted into.
The semester starts in fall, so Reo and Nagi had a whole summer for themselves. Well, besides Reo’s work.
Reo was only supposed to be working part-time, and he was allowed to take off the days he liked, considering he was also preparing for college.
He requested today off for obvious reasons. Why was his father pulling him into a meeting on his birthday? He wishes he could tell his father no, but he knows his father. When his father tells him he's doing something, he has to do it.
Well, that just cuts short his time with nagi. He planned to spend the day with nagi until his parents wanted him back for his party, but if he has to sit in on a meeting, then he’ll have to leave Nagi early.
He’ll let Nagi know he has to leave a little early when he gets here. Nagi shouldn't complain too much since they’ll see each other again in the evening, at the party.
He has a few minutes, so Reo opens up Instagram and brainrots on the 78 reels Bachira sent him last night. He has to admit, he's gained a scrolling addiction thanks to Bachira. After he watches the reels Bachira sends him, he usually ends up scrolling on his own accord.
The next time Reo looks up from his phone, it's already almost 12. He got so distracted scrolling, he didn't even realize it was past the time Nagi was supposed to meet him.
He was going to stop scrolling when Nagi showed up, but Nagi didn't show up at 11, and Reo ended up spending an hour scrolling on Instagram reels.
Reo isn't sure whether he's more concerned that Nagi didn't show up—Nagi jumps at any chance to be close to Reo—or the fact that he spent an atrocious amount of time scrolling on Instagram.
He doesn’t spend too long thinking about either of those things, because Bachira is online and dming him on Instagram
Meguru:
Reocchi! ur online!
Happy bday :>
WYD??
Reo: hi bachira
im sitting outside the mall
Meguru:
Why r u sitting outside the mall?? go inside
Reo:
i was waiting for nagi
Meguru:
And then what
Reo:
he didnt show up
Meguru:
??
Why not
Its your birthday
Reo:
Idk but i gotta go now
i got put into a meeting last second
we’re gonna see eachother later anyways so ig its fine
Meguru:
Oh ok then!
it sucks u have a meeting on ur birthday!
we should hang out soon! its been 2 long :<
Reo:
tmr?
Meguru:
YES
lets call tn and plan
NOW GO TO UR MEETING!!
Reo:
finneee
Hes a little bummed out Nagi didnt show up, But he tries his best to push it to the back of his mind since if he doesnt leave now, he might be late to his meeting. Reo quickly grabs his stuff and starts walking to the office building where he works.
While he walks, he focuses on keeping his strides long and his pace quick, instead of the fact that Nagi didn't show up to their plans. Maybe he hasn't woken up yet. That's why he didn't show up. He probably didn't intentionally stand him up, Reo tells himself
He reaches the office with a little time to spare, and it occurs to him that his father didn't even tell him where the meeting would be taking place.
He assumes any updates about work would go to his work email. He opens up his email on his phone and finds an email. The meeting is on one of the upper floors, and it's a private meeting about an arranged marriage.
What.
Reo has to reread the line multiple times before he accepts that it actually says arranged marriage. He doesn't have to think about who is getting married. It's obviously him. Why else would his father spring this meeting on him without warning?
He doesn't even have time to think about it. He has to take the elevator now, or else he’ll be late. He doesn't want to know what his father would do if he showed up late. So he shuts off his phone and speeds to call the elevator.
The elevator is already on the bottom floor, so he doesn't have to wait for it. As soon as he gets in, he pushes the button to the floor, the meetings on, and the door close button.
On the way up. He only thinks about how much he hates his father.
Before he knows it, the elevator door dings. He begrudgingly makes his way to the meeting room, where he can already see his father waiting for him outside the meeting room.
He hopes his face isn't giving away his hostility. He's trying to play it cool. He truely is, but its Reo’s 18th fucking birthday and hes already being forced into a meeting for an arranged meeting.
He bites back his anger enough to let out a good morning to his father. Not sparing him a glance before walking past him and into the meeting room. Inside the meeting room is a man and a girl. He doesn't look close enough to catch any of their features. He just takes a seat across from them and concentrates on keeping his disdain off his face.
His father joins them in the room and sits next to Reo. He starts speaking, but Reo doesn't catch any of it. He just stares at the wall and keeps his face calm.
He doesn't know how long it will take until his father eventually gets up to shake hands with the other man, who also stood up. It seems like they made an agreement.
Reo doesn't even know why he's here. His father didn't even ask for his input at all. It's a firm reminder that he has no choice in whatever decisions will be made when his father’s here.
He finally takes a moment to glance at the girl across from him. She has chocolate hair framing a round face with matching brown eyes. Reo doesn't know what to think of her. Her face holds a blank expression, but her body language is tense.
His father and the other man finish up their conversation, and his father turns to speak to him. This time he listens.
“I’ll leave you here to get familiar with your fiancé.”
He wishes he could say he was surprised. He knew this would happen as soon as he saw that email. The party later may as well be an engagement party, rather than a birthday party.
His father and the other man exited the room. Now only Reo and his fiancée remain. The silence is tense.
He wishes he had paid attention to the meeting now. Maybe then he would at least know her name. It would be disrespectful to ask her now.
“Uhm…” He looks up at her, “I'm Kiyomi.” Her earlier blank facade is completely gone. She looks like she's holding back tears now. “I'm sorry– I just turned 18 a week ago… I don't wanna get married, I'm sorry.” Now he feels bad for her. It seems they're both in the same situation
“My name is Reo, and today's my 18th birthday.” He feels inclined to share his own story, now that she's already opened the conversation. “I don’t want to get married either.”
Reo can see the way relief washes over her face, and her shoulders slump as she lets out a breath. He can't let the poor girl relish in her relief too long, though. “We have to, though.” He reminds her.
The statement didn't ruin Kiyomi’s relief the way he expected it to. “At least I’m not alone. Maybe we can understand each other,” she explains.
It's a good point, and he agrees. It's better this way. They both understand their obligation, but they can also find comfort in the fact that they aren't alone.
“So, all we have to do is stand by and let our parents marry us off. How fun is that?” He says blankly.
“Might be one of my top 5 activities.” Kiyomi’s perfect deadpan challenges his tone, and Reo thinks he’ll enjoy her company.
—
He chats with Kiyomi for a while. It's awkward at first, but he ends up enjoying it. While he can tell he would never harbor romantic feelings for her, they could end up good friends one day. When he tells her this, she enthusiastically agrees.
He finds out that, against her parents’ wishes, Kiyomi is an aspiring artist. She even shows Reo some of her sketches and tells him that she never goes anywhere without her sketch book.
However, they have to cut their time short.
“I'm sorry,” she starts as she stands up, “I was invited to a party at four, and I really have to get going soon.”
Engagement party. He was right. There was no birthday party from his parents. He’s sure that it's an engagement party for the two of them.“Can I ask where you’ve been invited?”
“A banquet hall downtown. Why?” She directs her attention away from packing up her things and back to Reo.
“My parents planned a birthday party for me downtown at a banquet hall.” He makes sure to emphasize birthday party with air quotes, and it seems to cue her in on his thoughts.
Now they both know what's going to happen. They’ll go to this party, and his father will spring the announcement of their engagement. If they don't put on a good act, it'll end up being a public embarrassment ritual.
Kiyomi is silent for a minute, and her actions come to a halt. Then she lets out a loud groan. “Why can't my parents ever tell me anything?” she holds her head in her hands. She's visibly distressed.
“We really never had a say in this decision.” She knows both of them were thinking it, so she says it. “I fucking hate my father.”
He can agree, “Me too.”
Turns out, they both prefer walking everywhere compared to other forms of transportation, but in favor of time, Reo asks Ba-ya to drive them both to the banquet hall together.
It seems the only saving grace of the party would be Nagi’s presence by his side.
—
When they first arrived, both he and Kiyomi were ushered into a room on the side of the venue and given new outfits. So now, Reo’s sporting a navy blue suit while Kiyomi was forced into a maroon floor-length gown with a split on her leg. While he can't agree with the decisions his own stylist made, Kiyomi’s stylist did her perfectly.
One thing is still on his mind.
Nagi hasn't shown up.
It's 15 minutes into the party, and Nagi still isn't here. He was tempted to text him, but he was quickly whisked into a conversation by a group of wealthy old businessmen, right after the party started. He's kept an eye out for his white haired companion, but there's been no sight of him.
If he had to speak more than a few sentences in this conversation, he would cry. Luckily for him, Kiyomi stayed by his side and has been pretty much manhandling the conversation. From their earlier meeting, he was aware of her intellectual prowess, but he hadn't seen it up close before. She's currently humbling grown men in a heated business debate he doesn't care about enough to listen to.
If he wasn't sure they would get along before, he's sure now.
Aside from her intellectual prowess, she seems to understand social cues more than the old men in this conversation. “Ah, look at the time. I wish we could continue this conversation for longer, but then Reo and I wouldn't have any time to mingle with other attendees, so you'll have to excuse us.” She quickly grabs his arm and pulls him away before he even processes what she said.
She pulls him to a secluded corner of the venue. “What's wrong?” he asks her.
“I should be the one asking you that,” She crosses her arms at him and makes a worried face that rivals even Kunigami's worried mom face.
“I invited a friend to this party.” He confesses, “He's not here.”
“You got stood up.” Kiyomi rephrases it. She's right.
“Twice today, by the same person.” He slumps against the nearest wall. Usually, he atleast tries to keep up appearances, but he doesnt give a damn right now. It's hard to admit that Nagi hasn't shown up to either of the things Reo invited him to do today. The first time was understandable. It was early for nagi to be up. But now, he can't excuse Nagi not being here.
“Damn.” She joins him, slumping against the wall as well. “When do you think they're gonna announce it?”
Their engagement, she must mean.
“Probably soon,” he sighs. “Do you think they have alcohol?”
“You want some?” she glances at him worriedly.
“Don't worry. I handle it well.” Reo assures her.
With a huff, she walks off towards the middle of the room. He must’ve offended her. While he's free from any conversation, he takes a look around the room. It's definitely not decorated for a birthday party.
“If anyone asks, this is fruit punch.” Reo didn't realize Kiyomi sneaking up on him. She's offering him a clear cup half full of a dark red colored liquid inside. “And, this is your only glass tonight. Understand?” In her other hand, she's holding her own cup, filled to the brim with a matching red liquid.
He takes the offered cup. “What's in your cup?”
“Actual fruit punch.” She rushes out before she starts gulping down her drink.
“I see,” he punctuates by taking a small sip of his own drink, as a test. It's good wine. he drinks more.
The night continues slowly, and he tries not to drink all his wine at once. Unfortunately, it's still gone by the halfway mark of the party, and the buzz isn't really there at all by the time his father gathers everyone's attention.
He doesn't pay much attention to what he's saying, but Kiyomi hits him on the arm and whispers for him to stand up straight. He does, and shortly after, the whole room is looking at them and cheering.
His father must’ve announced the engagement.
Reo puts on his signature smile, puts his arm around Kiyomi to pull her closer, and she puts on an act of being shy with everyone's eyes on them.
The rest of the night is a blur of people congratulating them and trying to make conversation. All Reo thinks about is how he wishes he had stronger alcohol to drink, and how he's missing a white haired warmth at his side.
—
After the party finally ends, Kiyomi enters her phone number into Reo's phone and gets into a car with her father, with one last wave to Reo.
“You two are getting along well!” The voice of his mother finally spoke to Reo for the first time in weeks.
He responds with a nod and leaves it at that. Ba-ya drives him and his parents back to their building. They exchanged no words in the car.
He exchanges no words with his parents after the drive either. He lets them walk ahead of him to the elevator.
“Young master?”
He doesn't have the energy to respond to ba-ya. He’s tired from a long day, his shoulder hurts from holding his bag with the increased weight of his clothes from earlier, and all he wants to do is lie in his room and cry. The most he can find within himself to do is spare her a glance.
She looks worried.
He turns his attention back to the building in front of him, where he makes his way up the stairs and into the lobby. He walks as quickly as his body lets him and calls an elevator. His parents didn't wait for him. The elevator chimes quicker than he thought it would.
He decides to take a small detour.
The doors open onto a floor that's usually staffed by chefs, but it's past their working hours. Which leaves the floor open.
The left half of the floor is kitchen storage, and the other side is kitchen equipment. He turns to the left side.
He had just wanted to stop by to grab an easy snack, preferably some bread and fruit. But on the farthest wall sit bottles and bottles of different alcoholic drinks.
He grabs a smaller bottle, one that was on the back of the liquor rack, something nobody would notice missing. He slips it into his bag without looking at the label and continues his quest for a snack.
Aside from the food inside the fridges and freezers, there aren’t many snacks in the storage room. Perhaps his parents aren't fans of snacks.
He finds some leftover breakfast pastries and decides they'll have to do. He immediately downs a cinnamon roll and a muffin.
Now that he has his hunger out of the way, He makes his way back to the elevator and hopes it's still on the same floor. He really just wants to go back to his room now.
He makes sure to close all the doors behind him, leaving no trace that he was around. He doesn't want his parents interrogating him.
The elevator opens immediately as he walks up to it, thanks to the fancy motion sensors it's equipped with. He forgot to get out his keycard sooner, which leaves him to search through the tote bag for his wallet, which ends up being at the very bottom of the bag. When he finally pulls it out, he finds his keycard and swipes it on the elevator door interface, and finally, the elevator starts moving to his floor.
He closes his eyes and relishes in the peace of a quiet elevator.
The elevator door dings to announce that he's finally made it back to his floor.
He immediately throws off the stupid dress shoes he was forced into not even 5 hours ago. As soon as he's in his room, he's throwing off his suit, he doesn't bother putting on pants, he just shrugs on the largest hoodie he can find. It ends up being a basic white one that goes down a little above mid-thigh.
Finally, he can lie down on his bed. He didn't realize how overstimulated he got. He looks at the bag he left on the floor by his bed. The bottle of alcohol stares at him. He pulls it out of his bag.
He didn't spare the bottle a glance long enough for him to get a good description of it before. It's an amber bottle of tequila, probably worth more than a hundred thousand yen.
He immediately opens it and takes a swig. He likes the rich flavor, and the burn Reo feels in his throat brings him an amount of satisfaction he didn't know was possible.
It's been a long day for Reo, but after all of it, he's still thinking of one thing. Nagi.
Why didn't nagi show up at the mall? Or his party?
He didn't even wish him a happy birthday. Not a call. Not even a text.
He's past devastated. His first real friend, the person he values over anyone else, the treasure he found, couldn't even wish him a happy birthday.
Without thinking, he sends a message.
Reo:
hello?
Then he waits.
He thinks about Nagi
10 minutes pass.
There was no response. He sends more messages.
Reo:
hello?
nagi?
you didn’t show up to the mall
or my party
He waits again.
He lets a few minutes pass. He recaps his day. Breakfast. Mall. Meeting. Party. Nagi.
No response from Nagi.
One last try.
Reo:
hello?
nagi?
you didn’t show up to the mall
or my party
nagi?
He waits. Until it's 11 o'clock at night, all he does is drink and wallow in his exhaustion. Then he finally checks his phone. He's still on delivery.
He gives up.
He hits the call button. No answer
He calls again. No answer. Again. Again. Again. There's no answer. He thinks he feels sick. is nagi ignoring him? He calls again. No answer. Again. No answer. One more time.
This time, it doesn't even ring once before Nagi answers.
He's angry and sad. What's going on with nagi? Usually, he doesn't go a day without his sloth-like companion making an appearance in one way or another. Today, it seems like Nagi is avoiding him at every cost. They were supposed to meet twice today. Nagi didn't show up either time. He hasn't responded to any messages either.
He lets everything out when nagi answers, all his built-up anger from today explodes.
“Nagi! Do you even care about me?” You didn't show up to anything we were supposed to do today “Why did I— why’d I ever even try with you!” You don't even care about me.
Reo is beyond aggravated. Hes fucking pissed.
This isn't the first time Nagis has done it. Nagi has never cared about him; he's seen it all before. Why does he always forgive him? He's seen it when Nagi blew him off to hang out with Bachira and Isagi before Reo even knew them, for a whole week. He saw it when he ended up sobbing to Chigiri instead of nagi about his familial problems because Nagi didn't show up when he needed him. When he begged him to be there for him.
He's so frustrated. Everything is bothering him. Nagi’s existence is the biggest offender right now.
His makeup is definitely past ruined now.
“Reo,” Nagi’s response finally comes.
That's all he said. Reos name. He doesn't say anything to defend himself. All he says is Reo’s name. What the hell is that even supposed to mean? Is it supposed to calm it down? because he's still fuming. He spent all day waiting for nagi. Anything from nagi today would have made him happy. But he got absolutely nothing. Radio silence all fucking day.
“Reo i-”
Who does Nagi think he is? “no- no. nagi no.” You don't have the right to say my name right now.
He’s so fucking done with nagi. He’s spent years helping nagi. He's spent years spending time with nagi when nobody else would, years helping him do things he would consider a hassle.
All the times he picked Nagi up in the morning, drove him to school, drove him home, helped him with his homework, and packed him lunch. He's done so much for nagi.
Yet in all those years, half the time, Nagi failed to repay him with words or actions. Reo’s been dragged through hell for Nagi’s sake before, and this is how nagi repays him?
No-showing their plans. Ignoring his texts. forgetting Reo’s birthday.
“I just can't believe you.. I can't believe you forgot.”
Nagi responds immediately, for once.
“What did I forget?”
…
He hates Nagi. “i hate you- fuck you Nagi!” its my birthday you fucking asshole! “dont ever fucking talk to me again!” he hits the end call button with too much force. He wishes he were strong enough to break his phone.
His first course of action is to block nagi’s number. His next step would be to block him on every social media platform, but his anger is interrupted by a video call from Bachira.
Bachira and the 0.5 forehead picture set as his profile picture. Reo wants to laugh, but he can't. Not right now.
He wishes he could ignore the call, but he knows Bachira will be sad. So, he answers and lets Bachira see his miserable state.
Bachira immediately notices “Reocchi! What's wrong?”
He can see his face, red and damp with tears. He's in a sorry state. He can’t resist spilling out his heart to Bachira.
He tells Bachira everything, from the amazing breakfast with Chigiri to the bottle of tequila that sits half empty on his bedside table, and Bachira listens.
“It's been a long day for you, hasn't it, Reo.” Bachira says matter-of-factly, Reo would say yes definitely, but Bachira doesn't actually give him time to respond.
“Lemme tell you what, get some sleep. I’ll be there for you first thing in the morning. What time do you usually wake up? I’ll bring breakfast.”
He thinks he starts crying harder at Bachira's words. When did Bachira get so mature? He's so grateful that Bachira is an amazing friend.
“8 am,” he tells Bachira. He wonders if Bachira is even capable of waking up that early
“Do you want me to bring Isagi? Or Chigiri?”
Chigiri is one of his closest friends, but the person who’ll validate him and comfort him the most in this situation is Isagi. “Isagi isn't busy?”
“Isagi it is! We’ll see you tomorrow, Reocchi. It's time for sweet dreams now, ok?” Bachira’s voice is soothing right now and has practically already put him to sleep.
“Goodnight, Bachira,” Reo sniffles
“Goodnight, Reo! Sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite~” Then he hangs up.
Reo immediately passes out as soon as he closes his eyes.