Chapter Text
Reo is miserable. Even though they had won, his thoughts were still all muddled up. Once the euphoria had come and gone, the memories of playing with Nagi once more brought up the complicated feelings again. He couldn’t even bring himself to jump on Nagi, unsure whether he was allowed to anymore.
He sits in the middle of the open air field right before midnight, where the U-20 match was held. The stars are pretty that night, twinkling high above. Everyone was long gone, enjoying the celebrations. Reo found it hard to breathe being in the same room as Nagi, so while they all partied he had escaped here.
His parents hadn’t attended the match. Reo had searched for them within the crowds, as Isagi and Bachira’s parents called out enthusiastically for their sons. Of course they still didn’t support him. They hadn’t even congratulated him via text or phone call, he doubted they even watched. He wasn’t good enough, yet.
Was Nagi watching him? Did he still care, even a little bit? Did anyone?
Back onto the field, the grass underneath his toes. As he stares listlessly at the sky, he wonders to himself.
I wish I knew what Nagi thinks of me. What am I to him? His rival? His friend? Things would be so much easier if I could hear his thoughts…
Suddenly a long streak of bright blue flashes across the sky. It blinds him, lighting up the field and the stands in an unearthly glow just for a split second.
Reo blinks, lowering his arms. A shooting star? A comet?
For a moment, he thinks of grabbing Nagi and showing him this rare sight in case it happened again. Then he realized they were still in a Cold War, and his heart drops.
Reo sighs, he was getting cold. It was winter in Blue Lock, and he had given his only spare gloves to Nagi. He stands up and brushes off the grass on his shorts, and heads back to the dorms.
He hates me. Reo thinks, as he avoids eye contact with Nagi who walks into the cafeteria.
They’re sitting at opposite ends of the cafeteria eating alone. That bastard, looks like he was always capable of cutting up his own steak. Reo broods over his ramen, with the rest of Team V eliminated (minus Zantetsu) there is no one for him to command attention from.
He looks down at me, I know he does. He just gives me that impassive stare and walks off with Isagi. I bet he doesn’t think of me anymore except as a stepping stone to him. Our friendship meant nothing to him; he just discarded me.
Nagi takes a few bites, then seems to tire of the chore. Reo sneaks glances, fighting the urge to spoil him and coax more food down so he would have energy for training. To praise him for his goals and bury his hands in his hair. Even when Reo was mad, it was hard to break the habit.
The silence is deafening.
Nagi stands up, and picks up what’s left of his meal to head towards the trash. He shuffles past Reo’s table, and accidentally bumps into Reo’s chair.
This causes his half empty milk carton to drop onto the floor. Nagi instinctively goes to catch it with his foot at the same time that Reo reaches out to stop the milk flying everywhere.
His hand touches Nagi’s foot, and suddenly Nagi’s voice calls out, loud and clear.
Reo.
Reo’s head tilts up. Did he call his name? Or was it his imagination? Nagi’s voice comes back again, taking over his brain.
I miss you. Forgive me Reo. Don’t ignore me, it hurts you know? I worked so hard to score that goal, to get this far for you.
Nagi’s mouth wasn't moving. Nagi just continues to look at him with that braindead expression, before expertly pitching the carton into the trash with his foot.
Okay so that was fucking weird. Did he just hallucinate that? Or he wanted Nagi to speak to him so badly he crashed out and imposed a fake monologue onto him?
Reo tries to read other people’s thoughts, briefly patting Chigiri on the back or bumping into Isagi. But they just politely went on their merry way, with no words or thoughts exchanged.
He’s starting to think he should go to the infirmary, or check himself into a mental hospital. What was the protocol for this? Maybe he was going crazy from all the soccer, like how Bachira talked about this monster entity he played soccer with. It was probably that.
Reo grabs his towel and heads towards the baths to clear his head. It’s steamy in there, so he doesn’t see anyone until he crashes face first into Nagi’s rock hard abs.
“Ah!” Reo cries out. He stumbles, but Nagi’s firm hands hold him upright. Reo’s towel nearly slips, and he quickly pulls it back up to cover his private area.
Ahh he shouldn’t cover up his front. I want to see underneath the towel.
NAGI?? Reo gawks at him, he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He whips his head around to see if anyone else heard that, but the rest of the team hadn’t even looked their way.
The steam was probably getting to his head, the first thing he was gonna do once Ego let them out is request a psych evaluation. He was hearing voices, the first sign of schizophrenia.
As Reo pushes past Nagi wordlessly, he hears Nagi’s voice call after him.
Reo has a nice ass.
“WHATTT?????” Reo shouts suddenly, and his voice reverberates across the baths. Everyone stops blow dying their hair and lathering up and stares, and Reo flushes.
“Are you okay, Reo?” Nagi says innocently, and Reo has no idea what to say. These thoughts aren’t his, he would never think that about himself. Not in a million years.
Reo’s nipples are so nice. They’re so pink and his abs too.
Reo immediately snatches the towel to cover up his chest but then accidentally flashes the group. Everyone sees his jewels, especially Nagi, whose eyes flicker down.
Goal.
Reo feels like he’s going to faint, before he can he turns and runs back out without bathing.
What the heck??? Reo shoves his clothes back on, he recalls the wish he had made that night. The one he had done before the shooting star.
Fuck! Was that shit real? That Disney crap about wishing upon a star?
Did that mean everything up until now was Nagi’s real thoughts? No way.
He had wanted Nagi to want him but that was in regard to soccer- he had no idea Nagi had those kind of impure thoughts!
Well, he was a teenager with a sex drive. This was Blue Lock after all, there was not a single girl to be seen for months on end. Even Chigiri had been getting propositioned, since the boys just went “female enough.”
So that’s it, Nagi was just horny! It had nothing to do with Reo. Nagi was probably just admiring his form, like guys at the gym do.
When he wore a sleeveless tank top to self practice, Nagi’s thoughts became so explicit he had to escape and practice with Otoya instead. Except this time visions of Reo writhing in the bedsheets biting the end of his singlet to reveal his chest was beaming right into his brain.
Alright. So he turns his old ex best friend on. What is he supposed to do with that information? Nagi probably thought that way with other guys, not just him.
Later that week when Reo had calmed down a bit, he went to test this theory. Bachira has his cheeks fully out in the locker room, trying to rile up Isagi.
Nagi has zero reaction. In fact he even yawns, like he’s going to fall asleep. Okay well he always looked bored, so he’ll read his real thoughts. Reo gently elbows him awake, and Nagi catches his eye.
Reo, Reo, Reo, Reo.
Reo looks at him, baffled.
He glances at the naked Bachira, then back at Nagi. But Nagi’s staring at him like an attentive student, fully awake now.
Reo clears his throat. “Did you not sleep?”
I’d sleep better if you were there with me. Nagi thinks. In our shared bed we won with our points.
Reo’s eyes widened a bit. Seriously?
“I slept fine.” Nagi says, instead. “Did you not sleep well?”
This guy, he says the opposite of everything he thinks. Reo realizes, had he gotten it wrong this entire time? Nagi’s thoughts were-they were full of him.
“I…I’m okay.” Reo mumbles.
I miss his smile. It’s my favourite thing in the world. How can I bring it back? Will he only smile if I become the best in the world?
Reo feels self conscious. He hadn’t realized he had stopped smiling, or that it worried Nagi. It was his favourite thing? He had no idea.
“Are you sure?”
Reo forces a strained smile. “Don’t worry about me. Worry about your own health. You threw away your food earlier. You need to eat.”
But if Reo doesn’t feed me there’s no point.
Nagi turns away. “Ok.” He agrees, but looks put out that Reo didn’t immediately offer to spoon feed him and cut up his meals and carry him.
Reo doesn’t know what to say or do with his new mind reading ability. In fact this whole ordeal just made him even more confused.
When Reo picks Manshine City, he doesn’t expect Nagi to join him. Chigiri says something about one of the players Nagi admired being from Manshine and Nagi easily agrees.
I already knew that he was from there, I just asked Chigiri in front of Reo so he wouldn’t think I joined because of him.
Nagi’s real thoughts betray him.
I just want to be by his side again. If we’re in the same dorms then…
“Nagi.”
He tilts his head, eyes lighting up.
Reo!!!!! He’s talking to me!!!!!
I was stupid, you were right. I’m the idiot who doesn’t deserve to be with you since I hurt you.
“Reo.” Nagi says instead.
Wha- if he felt that way he should’ve just said it instead of staring at him and speaking in monosyllables!!
“Um, can we talk?” Reo says. Nagi stares at him and nods, as Reo holds him by the sleeve and leads him to the dorms.
Nagi’s thoughts assault him a million miles a second.
Reo??? What does he want to talk to me about??? He looks so serious, I’m scared. Is he gonna say something like he’s quitting Blue Lock? Does he not want to be with me at Manshine that bad? If he quits I’ll quit too.
“Is there something you want to tell me?” Reo hedges, trying to egg him to say his apology out loud. “You’ve been looking at me a lot.”
Nagi’s thoughts are suddenly quiet, though his eyes give it away.
Reo suddenly jolts when he feels Nagi’s hand on his.
His head is bowed.
Reo is getting nervous, trying to pull his hand away but Nagi holds on fast.
“I’m sorry….”
He says it so quietly, Reo thought he misspoke. Nagi looks so miserable that Reo’s heart stutters.
“For hurting you.. for saying those cruel things… I know I don’t deserve to be with you but I…”
Reo pulls him into a hug. That’s all he wanted to hear, from his mouth and not through his thoughts. It made him feel less crazy, that Nagi finally admitted it.
Ah..Reo’s so nice and warm.. I wish we can be like this forever.
Reo blushes against his will, his entire body overheating.
The sound of a water bottle hitting the ground breaks the moment.
Chigiri is standing at the doorway, a towel wrapped around his shoulders.
“Uhhhhh am I interrupting?” The redhead says, his eyebrows raised to his hairline.
Reo quickly shoves Nagi away from him in embarrassment.
Ow, Nagi thinks from the floor.
“No! You’re not!”
Chigiri looks at them both then sighs. “Listen, I’m glad you two have made up. But…I’m not homophobic or anything, I just don’t wanna be forced to listen to you both fuck in the middle of the night since we’re sharing a dorm.”
Reo’s mouth falls open. “Wha- We’re not- Me and Nagi are just teammates!” He defends, hands waving furiously. “It’s nothing like that! Isn’t that right Nagi?”
He turns to see Nagi, a shadow across his eyes. He doesn’t say anything.
Oh…Reo doesn’t feel the same way.
A flash of guilt strikes Reo right in his chest.
Perhaps Reo’s obsessive nature had come across differently than he had intended.
The depth of Nagi’s feelings was much heavier than he had ever imagined.
“…Right.” Chigiri says slowly, but shoots Nagi a sympathetic look.
Chigiri goes to brush his hair and Nagi stands up to go to his own bed and brings out his phone to play games. They’re both pointedly not looking at Reo, who is now feeling a vague sense of horror dawn on him.
It was easy to speculate when he was away from Nagi, but now with his thoughts out in the open and living with him 24/7 once more, it didn’t seem like this would resolve by itself.
Looks like he had traded his old issues for a whole new set of problems.
A new set of problems being that now he gets wet dreams. While in the same room as Nagi and Chigiri. The worst part being that whatever weird shooting star magic that bound their thoughts together was that Nagi’s horny dreams were being directly transferred to his head and fucking up his sleep.
It was mortifying, he would wake up gasping with the front of his underwear damp.
I reject this! Reo thinks, staring angrily at Nagi’s peaceful sleeping form. He hopes his roommates are fast asleep as he runs out to change in the bathroom.
This hadn’t happened before. He had been so preoccupied with his academics and sports and maintaining his image as the perfect Mikage heir. This kind of thing wasn’t supposed to happen to him. He wasn’t supposed to enjoy the attention of a certain 6’3 man thinking about him all the time in certain positions. Reo wasn’t supposed to let dream Nagi pin him down and do whatever he liked.
No! It’s not like Reo had even properly accepted his apology, he still wanted to be the one he looked at when it came to soccer. I mean sure, Reo had a great body! He worked hard for it. Back at school many people had looked at him with that lustful gaze, since he was handsome (as he was told) and rich. Attention was not intention.
As he agitatedly washes his underwear, he hears someone walk in.
Reo jumps, and realizes he’s naked from the waist down. It’s Nagi, his form silhouetted in shadow.
“Reo? What are you doing up?”
Reo snatches up his pants, trying not to shake. He realizes his boner is tenting his pants and he quickly grabs one of the official Blue Lock washcloths to hide it.
“Nothing, go back to bed Nagi.” Reo’s voice is strained.
Nagi peeks at him curiously. “Did you need help?”
“N-no. I just can’t sleep.”
“Me too.”
Reo abruptly remembers Chigiri in the next room. He knows he should reject Nagi, but with Nagi not saying anything aloud, it’s not like he could. Reo didn’t even know what his own feelings were- it’s not like Nagi said he was in love or anything like that.
“I’m heading back.” Reo says suddenly and tries to brush past Nagi.
Is Reo hard?
Reo gives an undignified squeak.
His pants are wet.
I want…I want to touch him…
Reo slaps a hand over Nagi’s mouth.
“Stop thinking so damn loud.” Reo begs.
My thoughts?
Nagi’s eyes are wide.
But..l want to feel you, Reo.
“You can’t. Whatever you’re thinking, you better stop.” Reo chides. His breath is coming out strangled. “Please.”
“Yes boss.” Nagi mumbles.
Reo lies awake the rest of the night, too afraid to fall back asleep. He wonders if it’s too late to apply to transfer to Bastard München.