Mibuchi Reo (
showyousomethingnice) wrote2015-03-14 10:23 am
Soulmates AU (Reo, Kise)
[cont. from here]
After he's given Ryo-chan enough time to leave, Reo leaves too, heading for Rakuzan's locker room. He doesn't know how much of the team will still be there, but he expects that Coach Shirogane will be waiting to hear his decision directly for him, and he also needs to get his bag.
Most of the team has gone - off to lick their wounds, Reo thinks, back in their rooms where they don't have to face anyone but their assigned roommates. Without Ryo-chan here to occupy his attention, the full impact of the loss is beginning to hit him, and what he feels first and forement is guilt. Sei-chan didn't say it directly, but it doesn't take a genius to guess that it was Reo and Ryo-chan finding each other and leaving the court that changed the flow of the game. He'd thought it would be Kaijou that would be crippled without its ace, that Rakuzan would absorb his own departure smoothly and Sei-chan adapt his strategy accordingly, but. Well.
Obviously, that isn't how it happened, is it?
It occurs to Reo to wonder: when was the last time Rakuzan - or Sei-chan - had to adapt to anything? Shirogane warns them frequently of the dangers of complacency, but when was the last time even he had to consider the possibility that Rakuzan could lose? Reo may only be one piece of the machine, but removing him was still enough to make it wobble and crash.
He lost his team this match, this tournament, and now he's leaving them to join the team they lost to.
Standing in this mostly-deserted locker room, without Ryo-chan by his side, it's a lot harder to justify that decision.
He only has a few seconds to dwell on that, though - the room's three remaining occupants all look up when he comes in.
"Reo-nee." Hayama is subdued in a way Reo has never seen before, lacking his customary exclamation points, but he still manages a smile. "Ditch your soulmate already, huh?" Nebuya snorts a little next to him, while Shirogane withdraws into the background to give Reo a moment with his erstwhile teammates.
"Not for long," Nebuya says, "from what Akashi said."
"I'm so sorry," Reo says helplessly; he must look and sound as guilty as he feels, because from there the conversation is mostly the other two trying to reassure him and celebrate his good luck, and Reo's heart aches as he realizes how much he is going to miss them. It's always seemed like they drive him crazy more often than not, Hayama frustratingly careless and Nebuya utterly without shame about his tendencies toward vulgarity, but they've become his friends too, the first friends he'd had among his teammates in a very long time. They haven't showered yet, but for once Reo doesn't care about that, and he hugs them goodbye anyway.
Eventually, Shirogane gently shoos them along to the showers - "He has a soulmate to get back to, you two, you'll understand someday" - and turns to Reo in the quiet of the room.
"I won't keep you long," he says, and smiles a little. "I don't want to take up any more of your first day than I have to. You've made the right decision. We're going to miss you, but Kise-kun wouldn't be a good fit here. I think you understand why."
Reo does understand. Rakuzan has a lot of big personalities on it, a lot of talent, and a lot - not to put too fine a point on it - of ego. It's why he was so relieved when Sei-chan agreed to come to Rakuzan; otherwise, Reo would have been captain, and he knows he doesn't have the right touch to maintain the delicate balance Rakuzan requires to stay functional. Much as Reo loves his soulmate, he can easily admit that the addition of his personality would upset that balance and cause unnecessary waves until Sei-chan could smooth them down.
"It did seem like the best decision for everyone," he says. Then he hesitates, long enough that Shirogane raises an inquiring eyebrow.
". . . How is Sei-chan?" he finally asks. "He seemed . . ." Reo shakes his head a little, unable and unwilling to look for the words he wants.
Shirogane sighs.
*
Sei-chan, as it turns out, does not want Reo's company for the evening.
"It's kind of you to offer," he says, a softness in his expression that Reo can't seem to look away from, "but I'd just spend the whole time feeling guilty about keeping you two apart, and that wouldn't help either of us."
As he has done so often before, Reo has to admit that Sei-chan is right.
"But I'd like it if we could stay in touch," Sei-chan continues.
"Just you try to get rid of me," Reo says, mostly steady. Sei-chan smiles, mostly steady.
*
He sends the text less than an hour after he made the promise.
On my way, Ryo-chan!! Sei-chan gave me your address too, so don't worry about that. I'll see you soon. ♥ ♥ ♥
After he's given Ryo-chan enough time to leave, Reo leaves too, heading for Rakuzan's locker room. He doesn't know how much of the team will still be there, but he expects that Coach Shirogane will be waiting to hear his decision directly for him, and he also needs to get his bag.
Most of the team has gone - off to lick their wounds, Reo thinks, back in their rooms where they don't have to face anyone but their assigned roommates. Without Ryo-chan here to occupy his attention, the full impact of the loss is beginning to hit him, and what he feels first and forement is guilt. Sei-chan didn't say it directly, but it doesn't take a genius to guess that it was Reo and Ryo-chan finding each other and leaving the court that changed the flow of the game. He'd thought it would be Kaijou that would be crippled without its ace, that Rakuzan would absorb his own departure smoothly and Sei-chan adapt his strategy accordingly, but. Well.
Obviously, that isn't how it happened, is it?
It occurs to Reo to wonder: when was the last time Rakuzan - or Sei-chan - had to adapt to anything? Shirogane warns them frequently of the dangers of complacency, but when was the last time even he had to consider the possibility that Rakuzan could lose? Reo may only be one piece of the machine, but removing him was still enough to make it wobble and crash.
He lost his team this match, this tournament, and now he's leaving them to join the team they lost to.
Standing in this mostly-deserted locker room, without Ryo-chan by his side, it's a lot harder to justify that decision.
He only has a few seconds to dwell on that, though - the room's three remaining occupants all look up when he comes in.
"Reo-nee." Hayama is subdued in a way Reo has never seen before, lacking his customary exclamation points, but he still manages a smile. "Ditch your soulmate already, huh?" Nebuya snorts a little next to him, while Shirogane withdraws into the background to give Reo a moment with his erstwhile teammates.
"Not for long," Nebuya says, "from what Akashi said."
"I'm so sorry," Reo says helplessly; he must look and sound as guilty as he feels, because from there the conversation is mostly the other two trying to reassure him and celebrate his good luck, and Reo's heart aches as he realizes how much he is going to miss them. It's always seemed like they drive him crazy more often than not, Hayama frustratingly careless and Nebuya utterly without shame about his tendencies toward vulgarity, but they've become his friends too, the first friends he'd had among his teammates in a very long time. They haven't showered yet, but for once Reo doesn't care about that, and he hugs them goodbye anyway.
Eventually, Shirogane gently shoos them along to the showers - "He has a soulmate to get back to, you two, you'll understand someday" - and turns to Reo in the quiet of the room.
"I won't keep you long," he says, and smiles a little. "I don't want to take up any more of your first day than I have to. You've made the right decision. We're going to miss you, but Kise-kun wouldn't be a good fit here. I think you understand why."
Reo does understand. Rakuzan has a lot of big personalities on it, a lot of talent, and a lot - not to put too fine a point on it - of ego. It's why he was so relieved when Sei-chan agreed to come to Rakuzan; otherwise, Reo would have been captain, and he knows he doesn't have the right touch to maintain the delicate balance Rakuzan requires to stay functional. Much as Reo loves his soulmate, he can easily admit that the addition of his personality would upset that balance and cause unnecessary waves until Sei-chan could smooth them down.
"It did seem like the best decision for everyone," he says. Then he hesitates, long enough that Shirogane raises an inquiring eyebrow.
". . . How is Sei-chan?" he finally asks. "He seemed . . ." Reo shakes his head a little, unable and unwilling to look for the words he wants.
Shirogane sighs.
*
Sei-chan, as it turns out, does not want Reo's company for the evening.
"It's kind of you to offer," he says, a softness in his expression that Reo can't seem to look away from, "but I'd just spend the whole time feeling guilty about keeping you two apart, and that wouldn't help either of us."
As he has done so often before, Reo has to admit that Sei-chan is right.
"But I'd like it if we could stay in touch," Sei-chan continues.
"Just you try to get rid of me," Reo says, mostly steady. Sei-chan smiles, mostly steady.
*
He sends the text less than an hour after he made the promise.
On my way, Ryo-chan!! Sei-chan gave me your address too, so don't worry about that. I'll see you soon. ♥ ♥ ♥

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"She is," he says. "Sometimes I wonder if it didn't all start because I wanted to be like her." He wrinkles his nose a little. "Don't tell her that, though, I'd never hear the end of it."
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"Your secret's safe with me, Reocchi!" He even crosses his heart. "Sometimes you need to take your soulmate's side against even the best older sister. I'm sure it's in the rules somewhere."
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"I am gay," he says suddenly. "Just to be clear." He says it matter-of-factly, without any of the borderline awkwardness of a moment ago. It's not something he keeps a secret, and it's always been something people understand more easily than they do his penchant for blurring gender. "My parents don't have a problem with that. I didn't even have to tell them, they knew before I did. It's, uh, it's why I was so confused about - well, I always thought I'd fall instantly in love with my soulmate when I met him, you know?"
He'd known that theoretically his soulmate could well be a girl, but he'd never been able to take that idea seriously. Girls are lovely and wonderful and some of his favorite people are girls, but he couldn't begin to imagine one being his soulmate.
Though, considering the platonic nature of his bond with Ryo-chan, he supposes that wouldn't have been so far-fetched after all. But he's so glad it was Ryo-chan and not anyone else; the notion of bonding to anyone of any gender who isn't Ryo-chan seems absurd to the point of hilarity now.
Aloud, to confirm that train of thought, he adds,
"But I like this way better." Because this is the way it is for them, and so it's perfect.
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"OK! Don't worry, Reocchi--I thought I'd fall in love too. It's what you're supposed to do, right? Which is why it didn't really matter who it was for me, but I'm so glad it's you." He was confused at first, too, but Kise doesn't tend to linger in confusion, especially when there's an easy way out like accepting the situation in front of of him. After all, you don't play for the Generation of Miracles and let yourself spend a lot of time thinking about what's realistic or likely. At first he thought he might like guys more just because he spent more time around them, but girls were great too. Eventually it just seemed that he liked people and things like gender weren't really a factor, so rather than fight it, he went with it. Most people thought it was just him playing coy as a model which made it a lot easier to slip real flirtation and interest under the radar.
"And we could still fall in love later! After all, it will be very hard for Reocchi to not fall in love with me." He gives a little, 'what can you do?' shrug, knowing full well that the odds of getting teased for that are high. It's worth it if it makes Reocchi feel more comfortable talking about things like this, and Kise knows no matter what happens their bond will still be exactly right.
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(He knows what people say, especially other players, and he can guess at what Kaijou's players might have had to say about him before the game.
He can guess at what they're saying about him and Ryo-chan now, too.)
(He'll realize, once he's been at Kaijou for a little while, that his guesses are harsher than reality.)
"It would be very hard for anyone not to fall in love with Ryo-chan," he says lightly, and takes a bite of his supper.
He's only teasing a little.
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(If it continues, though, if it looks like there's a single person at Kaijou who's going to give Reocchi a real problem being on the team, Kise's not afraid to hold his talent hostage. He won't play on a team that doesn't accept his soulmate.
Luckily for everyone involved, Kaijou's not likely to be very resistant.)
He starts to go back to his supper when he hears Reocchi's reply and turns a suspicious look at him.
"If I didn't know better, I would think you were picking on me, Reocchi. Don't you think I'm lovable?" Kise is the most lovable, obviously.
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He eats for a moment, quiet, then asks,
"What is the team likely to think of . . . all that?" Of having a gay teammate, of having teammates who have bonded (even if it isn't a romantic bond or even a sexual one; that's an idea that will be hard for some people to swallow, after all), of having . . . Reo, who doesn't hide who he is even when who he is is someone the people around him just want to go away.
(He knows his middle school team wasn't representative, that a team as serious about the game as Kaijou is is more likely to hew closer to Rakuzan's response of putting his talents as a player first, but . . . some experiences leave deep marks.)
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He picks his way through his own meal while Reocchi eats, pausing only for a moment when he asks about Kaijou. "I think they'll love you." He realizes that's a flip answer to an important question, though, so he stops and sets his utensils down, counting on his fingers.
"Moriyama-senpai will be glad to have someone who won't compete with him for girls, and also since you and I are bonded he'll probably be happy that a lot of girls will think I'm unavailable now too. Nothing really bothers Kobori-senpai so I don't think he'll have anything much to say about it but if he does it'll probably be kind. He's been very nice. Nakamura-senpai will probably be disappointed that you're likely to take Moriyama-senpai's place on the first string when he retires, but you're more talented and Nakamura-senpai has always been supportive of whatever's best for the team. Hayakawa-senpai is very loud but he means well. At least, I think he does..." Kise can't always understand his teammate, but to be fair most of them can't understand Hayakawa-senpai.
"And Kasamatsu-senpai doesn't care who you are or where you come from as long as you're respectful and serious and play good basketball. I think they might be confused by our bond but it'll make the team stronger so even if they don't understand I don't think they'll mind." Even if respectful and serious are things Kise often struggles with, his admiration and affection for not just his captain but his entire team shines through as he speaks.
"You won't regret coming here, Reocchi. They're good people."
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And Reo has far more reason to believe Ryo-chan, his soulmate, than he had a virtual stranger who'd had reason to want Reo to believe him. Ryo-chan knows his team, and he isn't lying, and Reo didn't get the slightest hint of anything less than professionalism toward him from a single Kaijou player during the game.
So it's pointless, insulting even, unfair at least to Ryo-chan if not to Kaijou as a whole, to still feel that creeping frisson of doubt after Ryo-chan's earnestly detailed answer. Reo frowns a little, self-directed, trying to shake it off. Bad experiences leave people paranoid, he knows that. That's all this is.
(Wouldn't they love that they're still getting to him after all this time?)
Aloud, he says,
"I'm sure I won't. I can see how happy you are with them. I'm sure they're wonderful."
He says it firmly, like that will be enough to make that sureness a reality.
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"I hope your transfer comes through quickly. I know they're looking forward to meeting you, even though I'll be sad not to be able to keep Reocchi to myself anymore." It just means he has to make the most of the time he does have before everyone else realizes how great his soulmate is, right?
Speaking of which...
"Reocchi? When did you want to try to get in touch with your sister?" When in doubt, change the subject.
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And no doubt Ryo-chan feels the same about him, but - all the same. Enough.
He offers Ryo-chan what he knows isn't quite his best smile, but is a better effort than he could have made just a few seconds ago.
"I was thinking after we finish eating? She's definitely in by now, probably dying for an excuse to put her homework down." And this will be the best excuse he could possibly have to give her. His smile firms up a little in anticipation of her delight.
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"Everyone deserves a good reason to skip their homework, and we are an awesome reason." Of this he's completely certain, both the awesome part and obviously the homework part. He's hopeful Reocchi feels the same way, if only because it will make it much easier to explain to Kasamatsu-senpai why Kise's homework is so often neglected.
"I hope I'll get to meet her in person too, though, before too long! Maybe all five of us could go out, or even go away somewhere!" Is he getting ahead of himself? That's hardly even possible in Kise's mind.
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Though he also likes that Ryo-chan is eager for his sake. It feels - nice.
He also starts eating faster, not wanting to keep either of them waiting.
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Of course he'd spend the entire time, or a fair portion of it, under an umbrella anyway, but it's the sunshine that counts, not the sunburn. He's concerned that Reocchi's sister will side with Ryoko since Reocchi's already said they seem somewhat alike, but maybe he can sway his other sister to the side of warm weather...
Somewhere along the way, Kise's just about cleaned his plate, but he tries to slow down at the end so he doesn't finish before Reocchi, and so that he at least sort of doesn't look like he inhaled his entire meal. He's a gentleman, really! He swears! (Sort of!)
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And the girls at the beach, but Seiko isn't as open with the world about her proclivities as Reo is with his; that's hers to tell, in her time.
Reo doesn't really notice the varying speeds at which Ryo-chan is eating. Now that they've both remembered their meals exist (and the mood has lightened again), Reo has rediscovered his appetite and is focused more on eating his own meal as fast as is politely possible. Which, since he's hungry and the food is good and he feels as comfortable with Ryo-chan as he does with his own sister, is still a little faster than he would in polite company.
Well. Just because Seiko doesn't know she's waiting for an important Skype call doesn't make it any less rude to keep her waiting, right?
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Kise sips at his drink while stealing glances at Reocchi's plate. Almost... almost... OK, this shouldn't be too rude now, right? "If Reocchi is almost done, I can start my computer up and make sure the camera is working?" It's a little unnecessary--Kise would never let a camera in his presence be anything less than operational--but he's trying to be a good host so he wants everything to be ready as soon as Reocchi is.
"We can take care of the dishes later, too. Dad cooked so I told him I would clean up." Which automatically means they will, right Reocchi? But in time, of course. Kise's not about to tell Reocchi he's been roped into chores right before a call like this.
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"Sure," he says, "that would be great."
Seiko, he thinks, is going to like Ryo-chan so much.
Even more eager now to get in touch with her, he hurries his last few bites and then sets his plate neatly aside.
(Of course he won't mind joining Ryo-chan in cleaning up later. He may be a guest, but Ryo-chan is his soulmate, which blurs the rules a little; he would feel odd standing around and not helping.)
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Kise carefully sets his empty plate down and moves to turn his laptop on. It's a modest machine but he doesn't use it for much--homework, tracking the Google news alert he has set up for his name, the sorts of things he can't do on his phone. Naturally it has a camera, though, and he's quick to test it, turning it until it catches Reocchi where he's sitting and waving to his image on the screen.
"Up and running!" He comes back and offers it to Reocchi for signing in and whatnot. Kise will just be here peeking over his shoulder until everything's set up. There was supposed to be a preparatory phone call or something, wasn't there? Oops. Patience is for people who don't have anyone to impress.
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"Thank you, Ryo-chan," he says, taking an extra second or two to give his soulmate an affectionate smile before he turns to the business of signing in and calling Seiko.
It takes a moment for the connection to go through; when it does, the girl who appears on the screen looks like a smaller female version of Reo, her hair longer and pulled back into a casual ponytail.
"Reo-chan!" she says, both cheerful and a touch surprised. "What are you bugging me for, don't you have a tournament you should be - wait. Reo-chan." Now she sounds appalled. "Is that Kise Ryouta? Are you fraternizing with the enemy?"
She pulls a dramatically scandalized face as she speaks, then stops abruptly with a blink, taking in the wide smile on Reo's face.
"Wait. Are you - ?" (Hey, it's not an unreasonable conclusion. If anyone deserves a chance at the prettiest player in basketball, it's her baby brother.)
"Better," Reo interrupts, reaching up to pull Ryo-chan more properly into the shot. "Ryo-chan is my soulmate."
There is a long beat of silence. Then there is a delighted squeal that should, by all rights, blow out the speakers on Ryo-chan's computer.
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Kise's doing his best to make sure he's in the shot over Reocchi's shoulder, but of course only in profile (on his good side). He does glance over at the screen once or twice but really, he should wait to be invited in, shouldn't he?
Even if she is very cute. And even if she does know his name already...!
He's about to say something when she--when Seiko-san? Can he call her that?--insinuates they might be dating, but then Reocchi's pulling him toward his shoulder and Kise can only beam. He props his chin on Reocchi's shoulder, holding himself up on the bed with one arm while the other loops lightly around Reocchi's waist.
Wow. She must really like him. Kise's used to the sounds his fangirls make but Seiko-san is still pretty loud. Even so, he can't help grinning right back at her and nodding over Reocchi's shoulder.
"It's nice to meet you, Seiko-san!"
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"Uwah, I can't believe my baby brother found his soulmate first! Naomi-chan will never let me live it down!" She tries to look dramatically upset, but the beaming smile that looks very much like Reo's kind of spoils the effect.
Also, she is definitely taking about eighteen screencaps right now, because so cute.
"Poor Nee-chan," Reo says, laughing and leaning into Ryo-chan.
"Though of course he's a basketball player, maybe I should be surprised it took this long. You played against Teiko, I remember that game!"
Reo wrinkles his nose. "Don't remind us."
Seiko gives a dreamy sigh. "All your awful teammates were so mad that you were the only one who could do anything against the Generation of Miracles, it was so great. Well! I guess you should have spent less time playing and more time feeling them up!"
Reo chokes. "- Nee-chan - !"
Seiko cracks up unrepentantly.
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She's also just as eager to tease as Kise's sister, but this time Kise can gang up on Reocchi. Just a little. "Don't listen to him, it's OK to remind us! Teiko won and Reocchi got to shine!" Sure, Teiko had their faults, but they did win games, and the Generation of Miracles' collective talent had just made what Reocchi brought to the game stand out that much more. Kise didn't see it that way at the time but in hindsight (slightly rose-tinted), of course Reocchi was the star.
And then Kise switches sides again when Seiko-san says Reocchi should've been feeling people up. He startles too--she's shameless, it's amazing--but one of them has to be able to roll with it and clearly Reocchi is not going to say anything back to his sister. "Seiko-san! You should know that even now, Reocchi hasn't felt me up yet. He's been a perfect gentleman. Well, except when he drew me into a foul. That was rude."
The last is punctuated with a patented Ryo-chan pout. Seiko-san needs to start building immunity immediately.
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Seiko grins when Ryo-chan switches so smoothly from teasing Reo to defending him. That's exactly what she wants to see in her little brother's soulmate, is the willingness to take whatever position necessary to take and stay on his side. He needs that, and she can't be around the way she used to be when they were younger.
"What do you mean, he hasn't!" she exclaims. "Reo-chan, you do know that's what he's for, right? Mou, he's so pretty too, what are you waiting for?"
Reo, who had already started to blush over the praise for his game against Teiko, is really red now. "It isn't - Nee-chan, it's not like that - we're not -"
Little help here?
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Or it is until he remembers that Seiko-san doesn't know about the sort of special circumstances of their soulmate bond. It feels so normal to Kise that he hadn't even thought about it, but of course it would be a little misleading to hear what Kise'd said without knowing. He gives Reocchi a little squeeze--which probably doesn't clear anything up--then shakes his head at the image on the screen.
"Seiko-san, Reocchi and I aren't that kind of soulmate. We talked about it when it happened because I know it's not how the movies make it out to happen, but Reocchi and I don't want to have sex, or even kiss. I'm happy just to be around him." Is it awkward having your soulmate say these things with his chin on your shoulder, Reocchi? Sorry!
"I still love him very very much and he is very beautiful, but our bond is different. It's still the best, though."
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"Reo-chan?" she asks, after a few seconds' thought. Reo can hear all the things she isn't asking (Is this okay? Is he being a jerk? Is it because you're gay? Is it because you're you? Are you okay? Do I have to kill him?) and he hastens to answer.
"It's okay!" he says, leaning in deliberately against Ryo-chan to reinforce his words. "It was confusing at first, but. It's - right. It's how it's supposed to be for us."
He has no idea how he can possibly get her to believe him - the words and gesture alone aren't enough, are far too flimsy to express the depth of that rightness - but Seiko, after all, hasn't found her soulmate. She doesn't know any more than Reo did just a few hours ago how weak words are in the face of the bond, so she takes a slow breath and nods, her smile returning.
"Good. Ahh, tell me all about it, then! Was it when you got the foul? It was, wasn't it? I knew that shot was the best thing that ever happened to you! Reo-chan steals points and hearts!" She flicks her gaze to Ryo-chan, drawing him back into the conversation. "Or at least the most important heart!"
Reo sighs, because he's relieved, and it's true. "It's not my fault people don't believe me when I tell them I'm greedy."
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bugger, i have to reup his paid, sorry for the sudden lack of genkise