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STAYING MORE THAN five hours at Blue Lock should be illegal. By the fourth hour, Nagi had reached his limit. Luckily for the team and Ego, Nagi's ambition suffocated all his complaints, but it didn't mean his muscles weren't aching or that he wasn't tired.
And because, in Nagi's case, 'tiredness' translated to 'laziness', he was barely making an effort to reply to his dad's texts, not thinking of his responses nor trying to keep the conversation going. He would see him at home anyway after Haru came back from work.
Nagi's been living with his father since he came of age, but no matter how much Haru tried, some shit would never be the same between them. He said he would be home before nine, no distractions on the way, and he offered to cook dinner, even if he could only make the most basic meals that fit his diet. It might be the bare minimum, but Nagi was sleepy, and his father wasn't critical.
He pocketed his phone the second he was outside and stopped only to warm his hands with long breaths. The tip of his nose felt cold under his fingers. The gloves were also in his backpack; Nagi had grown bored of wearing them. He should've put them on since he's always been sensitive to the chilly weather.
Coffee might help. Right, coffee was a good idea, he decided. It would help revitalize him, and there was a machine right at the side of the building.
But he slowed down his steps, and he didn't need the coffee at the end, for seeing Reo there was enough to change his mood. Suddenly, Nagi felt ten times more awake.
The last time they saw each other, Nagi wasn't paying attention. Every single time before Reo left, Nagi hadn't paid him enough attention. It's different now; Reo is impossible to ignore, and something heavy settles on Nagi's chest. It hurts as if his ribs were tightening, and it would be foolish to call it simple nostalgia.
He thought he had his feelings under control, but that was easy when Reo was miles away. Even the other day, just bumping into him had left enough impact for Nagi's self-preservation to kick in. So he fled because it was as poignant as seeing a ghost.
Even if images weren't flashing through his head, the feelings attached to every memory of their past flourished uncomfortably in his chest. Like his body couldn't forget, or his heart couldn't make sense of the reasons why Nagi had every right to resent him.
Reo moved him all the same.
He stood next to the machine. Holding a latte in one hand and his phone in the other, watching who knows what on his screen. He looked like he could be waiting for anybody. Perhaps he'll look up and smile at Nagi. Maybe he'll say he'd been waiting for training to be over so they could walk back to the hotel or the hamburger place that used to be their spot.
