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Reo is the last one left in the bath, his muscles aching too much to pull himself away from the water just yet, but the peace and quiet is something he finds himself in need of.
This… has been a lot.
It’s a necessary step for his dream of winning the world cup—of getting there with Nagi—but a part of him feels like his mind and body have been put through a meat grinder.
But he won’t give up.
Coming here he thought he was the best, but even he can see how much he was lacking. He will replace all of those faulty pieces until he’s the best player in the world, and this dream— their dream—will one day come true.
Even if he thought at one point he’d lost him, he’s glad they both came here, and it seems that they might leave with Nagi in love with soccer, something he never thought he would fully see with his own eyes.
They can love it together.
He looks down at his hands to see that every one of his fingers have wrinkled into ugly little raisins, and he decides that that’s his sign to finally get up and end his day with a loud groan that rivals an old man’s.
He towels off, takes care of the appropriate amount of skincare, and he walks back to their room where his precious bed awaits, although he thinks he might drop down on Nagi’s instead.
But when he gets there, he sees it’s already occupied.
Nagi and Chigiri sit together on the bed with their backs to the wall and a phone propped up against their knees as they share the screen.
It’s strange seeing him so comfortable with someone else, but Nagi actually smiles when he talks to Chigiri, and Reo can’t help but notice how easily Chigiri smiles back.
Somehow at some point they became close, fond of each other in a way Reo isn’t used to seeing as an outsider, and it makes something in his stomach twist, something deep and possessive that reminds him of being young and smashing his own toys to keep anyone else from having them.
But Nagi isn’t a Transformer, and Chigiri isn’t out to take him away.
And Reo is actually fond of Chigiri too in a real way.
Most of the people here he doesn’t mind, but playing with Chigiri is fun, and he adds something to their team they never had before.
Speed.
No matter how adaptable Reo is, there are certain things his body will never be capable of. He’ll never be taller than he is, he’ll never be double jointed, and he’ll never have the freakish muscles in his legs that make Chigiri faster than light.
He doesn’t envy him as much as he admires him, sees the potential in keeping him close, and he says that, but as he looks at them then, he doesn’t see a teammate.
He sees the guy with his shoulder pressed to Nagi’s as they watch a video together in their sleep clothes with Reo nowhere near them.
If he wasn’t there, Nagi would be fine.
If he stopped playing, it wouldn’t matter.
Nagi would still have the best control in the world, and Chigiri would still be the fastest, and Reo would go back to the world of business like this never happened.
It would be nice to be needed.
It would be even nicer to be wanted.
“Reo, come look at this,” Nagi says without looking up, and Reo’s eyes widen in surprise because he didn’t realize he knew he was there.
Just watching them…
That’s embarrassing.
“I’m going to bed,” he says, and it’s sour when it comes out, a child pouting because he wanted to be invited to the party ten minutes before the invitation actually came, and Nagi looks up at him with sparkling eyes, completely unaffected.
His eyes sparkle now.
That’s new too.
“Do you think we can do this?” Nagi asks.
“I’m sure you and Chigiri can do anything.”
“I can’t,” Chigiri says. “This one’s all you.”
Reo raises his eyebrows, interested, and he walks over to the bed to see what kind of play they’re referring to. He expects Nagi to turn the screen around, but he keeps the phone on his leg, forcing Reo to climb up with them.
Nagi moves his phone over and rests his head on his shoulder. “Look at this.”
Reo recognizes the team from their uniform, but it’s not a match he remembers immediately until he sees what Nagi’s referring to.
A double fake out with a backwards pass away from the defense to a backwards goal away from the other team’s forward.
No eyes, no calls, just complete trust.
And Nagi thinks they can do it.
“Do you wanna practice that tomorrow?”
“No, I don’t wanna practice. That’s too much work”.
Chigiri snorts, and Reo finds himself smiling.
Nagi keeps his head on his shoulder.
“Oh, show him that goal we watched earlier,” Chigiri says. “I think Reo should be able to copy that one too.”
“Quit treating me like a Xerox machine.”
“I don’t know what that is,” Nagi says.
“Like a photocopier,” Reo says.
“That’s what you are,” he says, and Chigiri laughs.
Reo glances at both of them from out of the corner of his eye, and Nagi hooks his arm around his, keeping him close.
“I don’t know what you’re laughing at, Fast and The Furious.”
Chigiri laughs harder, and Reo feels the bed shift with his weight. “Oh, fuck off.”
“He’s like Sonic.”
“Sonic?” Reo asks.
“The Hedgehog.”
Reo laughs, his head falling against the wall, and Chigiri complains louder, throwing in a threat or two their way for good measure.
Ah.
So that’s why Nagi seems happier.
This isn’t so bad.
It’s nice to have something to laugh about again, and even if it’s strange no longer having Nagi to himself, Chigiri hasn’t once tried to take him away.
He just wants to play with him too.
And why wouldn’t he?
Nagi is the best.
“Hey, show him that other clip,” Chigiri says.
“Which one,” Nagi asks.
“The thing I said I wanted to try with Reo tomorrow.”
“Oh yeah,” he says. “The crazy shadow attack we watched earlier.”
“Yeah, that one.”
“Reo, you and Chigiri should do this,” Nagi says.
“I think we can,” Chigiri says. “If you think it looks cool, let’s practice it.”
Reo smiles to himself, making sure the other two can’t see.
“Okay,” he says, and it feels good to say.
Nagi and Chigiri want to play with him too.