Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Hi, I’m Choki. I am a cactus, coincidentally shaped like scissors, thus resulting in this name. My owner is a really big lazy dude…I think his name is Nagi Seishiro. After I was purchased from the shop, this guy took me home, set me on the window, and started playing games. Games? Not even a hello? Rude. He must have no friends.
To be fair, the only thing he does all day is play games and sleep. His fridge doesn’t even have food. Just jelly. And some water, of course. I can’t really do anything or tell him to eat something since I don’t have a mouth, or hands, or legs, but I’m honestly really concerned for this guy. How is he alive…? Even I, as a cactus, must lead a healthier life than him, for sure. At least I’m responsible enough to make my own food. Sometimes he forgets to water me. And I don’t even need watering for three weeks at a time!
Seishiro’s day was always super boring, to my disappointment. It would be better to have been bought by someone who knew how to live, at least, and water me properly. I would have been happy staying in the shop with the kindly, old human, but I guess those days are over, huh? However, I can’t help but think that Seishiro is also interesting in his own way, with his lazy, minimal-effort routines and his jelly-composed diet.
Today, when he went outside with a peace sign, as they call it, tossed at me, I thought back on the dialogue I had heard from the shop. It was rare for Seishiro to even move, after all. There seemed to be something that many medium-sized humans were complaining about. ‘School’, they called it. Must be really scary to get even the slothboy moving.

****

What happened? It’s already so late. Seishiro’s still not back? Strange. He usually arrives at around 5:00pm. The sun was already setting. I was worried about the boy. Had he fallen asleep in the building and never woke up…? Silly sloth. Just as I was contemplating growing legs and going to him(impossible), the door clicked open. Seishiro trudged inside, covered in sweat. Wait. Eh? Sweat?! WHAT?! SWEAT?!?! SEISHIRO WAS SWEATING??? HE MOVED??? I was so shocked that one of my spines fell off. His eyes were also strangely sparkly, which was also strange. What the heck was going on?! His usually dull, gray, eyes were sparkling with what could only be described as yearning. What mysterious force, other than school, could get him moving as much as this? He doesn’t even move much for school? Could it be something scarier? No, no, his eyes were sparkling too much. It’s probably not scary.

****

It’s beginning to annoy me. So this is what caused Seishiro to move so much that he sweated. Another human. One named ‘Reo’. I’m not even counting, but he might have said that name like eleventeen bajillion times. I had witnessed this at the shop. Could this be what humans call ‘love’ or something? It’s usually between a male human and a female human, pretty much like what us cacti do. But from what Seishiro’s been spouting, I think that this ‘Reo’ is also a male. Weird. How will they pollinate, then? Not that I know. Seishiro truly is a peculiar being, even for a human. I sighed internally (because I had no mouth to do it externally).

Seishiro was currently gaming again, but without his usual fervor and consistency. Once in a while, his character disappeared from the screen with a loud ‘GAME OVER’, but he didn’t spit deadpanned curses at the screen like usual. He even put down his phone a few times. I have never been more shocked. At the rate he’s going, all my spines will be gone by the next hundred moons. As I listened to more talk about this ‘Reo’ guy, I became irritated. Reo must really be a nuisance. Making Seishiro fall so hard that all I can hear is his name. Like, yeah, Sei, I support your interests, but seriously…I need some peace. He’s never talked so much in his life. The only things that came out of his mouth before he met Reo was “Goodnight, Choki.”, “Good morning, Choki. Ow, that woke me up.”, “Choki peace.”, “I’m home.”, and of course, bits and pieces of muttered comments at his games. Now it’s just Reo everywhere. I’m getting curious. Who was this Reo? I wonder if I could meet him sometime.

Chapter Text

The next day, Seishiro actually got up on time. HUH?! I was even more confused when he pulled a box of actual food out of the fridge. Since when did this boy…eat food? I thought it was just jelly?? At this point, I was wondering if this was Seishiro’s twin that I was taking care of, and not the real one. But I knew anyway, since I didn’t see him leave. “I’m leaving, Choki…” Seishiro murmured, and left. I fought the urge to facepalm(I can’t anyways). So, the only thing I could do was wait.

This time, when he came home, I heard an unfamiliar voice laughing from outside the door. Huh. I guess Seishiro does have friends after all…? What a nice laugh. Then, the door clicks open. Another human walks in. Another human. And he flops onto Seishiro’s bed. “Hey, Nagi, this room sure is small. You live alone?” the pretty stranger asks, grinning radiantly at Seishiro.
“No, I have Choki,” Seishiro replied, pointing at me. The pretty human turned to me.
“Cacti don’t count, Nagi!” he laughed, and then sat up and ruffled Seishiro’s hair. Huh?
“Choki does count, Reo…” Seishiro whined, leaning into Reo’s hand and staring at him with his large gray eyes. Wait, Reo??? This is Reo? This pretty stranger, he’s THAT REO THAT SEISHIRO HAS BEEN SPEWING ABOUT DAY AND NIGHT?!?! I can see why. This…Reo, he has a strangely captivating presence, like a ruler of the humans. He is also quite a fine specimen, I can see. But…Seishiro! What happened to your deadpan face? What happened to your gaming language?? What is this new attitude?? I stared at Reo. Reo stared back with an oblivious smile.
“Hey, Choki! Nice to meet you! Thanks for watching over Nagi!” Reo beamed, poking my side. Yeah, Reo, it’s nice to meet you too. PLEASE TAKE CARE OF MY PATHETIC OWNER. I’M COUNTING ON YOU, REO-SAMA.

“Reo, I’m tired…” Nagi groaned, at about 10:00pm. They were watching ‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’ on Nagi’s iPad. Reo chuckled and threaded his fingers in Nagi’s hair.
“Alright, treasure, sleep. I’ll just finish the movie,” Reo replied. Nagi let out a sleepy noise and leaned against the bed, then immediately fell asleep. As Reo and I watched the movie, Reo seemed more interested in my sleeping companion then on the device. Finally, Reo cut the stillness as the credits began to roll. “Hey…Choki?” he asked. I perked up. “Isn’t Nagi so cute? Like, a seal, or a sloth.” Well, Reo, I see it too. He is uncannily similar to them. “Nagi…” Reo murmured, a dreamy look in his eyes as he sat beside Seishiro and smiled like a middle schooler at him. Oh. So, it’s requited. Ah. So, they’re both in love. Well, it was obvious! I totally knew already!

Reo climbed into the bed, tucking the already knocked out Seishiro in after him. The lights turned off and they lay down, back to back. Reo stared up at me. It was slightly unnerving. Hey, Reo. What’s wrong? “Choki…I think I might love Nagi,” he whispered to me, blushing slightly in the moonlight. Yes, Reo, I know. He loves you too, don’t worry. “What if he doesn’t like me back?” Reo continued. What? How could he think that? This guy, he looks like he must be one of the smart humans, but how dumb must you be to miss something as obvious as this?? Reo, can’t you see that he looks at you like you’re his entire world(you probably are!)? “Oh, well. I’ll just go to sleep…can’t believe I talked to a cactus, haha…” Reo mumbled, and closed his eyes. Excuse me sir, I can’t believe I talked to a human either! Reo is annoying after all, I observed. But I must–it’s just–I feel the inexplicable need to see Seishiro and Reo discover their shared feelings someday. It’s so frustrating. I need to sleep too.

Chapter Text

I woke up to Seishiro yawning and turning over in bed. He closed his eyes and went straight back to sleep. The clock next to his bed read: ‘8:10 AM’. He usually says that school starts at 8:30, and at this rate, he was going to wake up at 8:25 again. Silly Seishiro…you should really wake up. Hey, you’re gonna be late. I was in the middle of silently yelling at Seishiro when a knock sounded from the dorm’s doorway. Huh? A visitor this early? Suddenly, Seishiro’s eyes jumped open and he sprang up. “Reo,” he murmured, and trudged over to the door, putting on a sleepy face. Eh? It’s Reo, huh? Are they finally going to confess?? Seishiro opened the door, and Reo’s beaming face literally lit up the room.
“Hey, Nagi! It’s time for school! I’ve come to pick you up like I said!” he exclaimed, giving Seishiro’s head a little tap as he slumped into Reo’s touch.
“Ughhh…Reo, it’s a pain…” Seishiro groaned in a cutesy voice. Reo laughed.
“Just put on your uniform, Nagi,” Reo walked into the dorm and sat on Nagi’s bed. “Good morning, Choki!” Good morning, Reo. How sweet that you came to pick Seishiro up.

They soon left Seishiro’s room, heading to school. I sat on my windowsill, thinking. It seems that Seishiro is like a completely different person around Reo. His usually reserved manner instantly turns clingy and sweet, a total contrast to what I witness when Reo’s not here. Sorta cute. I wish they could realize that they both like each other! The yearning is sorta driving me crazy. I sighed internally and gazed out the window, waiting for Seishiro to come home. How boring.

The door clicked, and Seishiro walked inside. “Choki, I’m back,” he called softly, and flopped onto the bed after flinging off his shirt. He was sweaty again. He was late again. With Reo again, I bet. Seishiro exhaled and took out his phone again. “Soccer’s such a hassle,” he mumbled, starting up his shooting game. Eh? Soccer? What’s that? “My foot hurts…Reo’s such a mean captain…” Seishiro whined. Oh, so it had something to do with feet. And of course, he was with Reo again. It’s so predictable, Seishiro! I teetered on the edge of my clay pot, trying to poke Seishiro to get him to his senses. Then, I noticed something new sitting at the corner of the table. It was a bento box. Huh, food. Looks like Reo has even prepared food for Seishiro. Y’know, I really wouldn’t mind having him as one of my owners too. He seems like he would water me on time. And he would probably give me some good soil.

Seishiro was gazing at his phone, eyes washed with the look of a lovesick schoolgirl. He whispered his responses and proof-read them before finally sending the message, and held the phone closer in waiting for (Reo’s probably) response. I glared at his pants and shirt scattered across the floor. This lazy guy, never picking up his clothes. Seishiro! Your sweaty clothes are laying on the floor! Please pick them up, it stinks… Seishiro wrinkled his nose. “Ugh…it smells weird…” he muttered, squinting at the ceiling. Well, obviously. Your clothes are the source. Sometimes it’s really exhausting taking care of Seishiro. Sometimes he needs someone to just spoil him rotten.

Chapter Text

Today, Seishiro was not going to school. It was one of those ‘weekends’, as he called it. However, Seishiro was still rummaging through his pile of clothes and picking out a hoodie and sweatpants. Huh, that’s unusual. During the weekends, Seishiro just stayed home and kept gaming on his phone and never moved from his bed, other than to go to the bathroom. I observed as he popped his head through the hole on top of the hoodie, and sighed from under his tousled hair. “What a hassle…” I saw him mutter and reluctantly trudge to the front door and step into his shoes. I wonder what the occasion is? Was there school on this one weekend? I was pretty confused until Seishiro took out his ringing phone. He picked up, and I heard the voice of none other than Reo on the other end. Of course. Who else? “Ah, Reo,” Seishiro greeted. Reo chuckled from the line.
“Hey, Nagi! Are you done yet? I’m almost there!” he said. Seishiro’s eyes widened.
“R-Reo’s already almost there…gotta hurry.” he said softly, and quickly rushed out. Oh well, it seems like they’re even spending the weekends together now.

After the sun dipped into the other side of the sky, the door finally clicked and Seishiro returned. I was sort of surprised to see that Reo was not with him considering that they always biked home together. Hey Seishiro, what’s up with that? Seishiro stepped inside, looking completely drained. I guess Reo’s energy was too much, huh? Then, I noticed that Seishiro had that weirdly shiny look in his eyes again. Ehhh…how strange…then, I saw a circular object in his hand. It was a brown, smooth sphere. Seishiro brought it up to his face, peering at it. He placed it on the table and slumped onto the bed. “Reo…” he whispered. “I gotta work harder…I’m Reo’s treasure.” Eh? Work harder? Wow, Seishiro. You never cease to surprise me.

I already knew from the shiny look in Seishiro’s eyes that he was inspired. I don’t know what happened, but he was also eating something new. The brown sphere. A candy apple, Seishiro called it. Ah, so it was an apple. Since when were they brown though? Was it a rotten apple? Humans are super confusing. Why would Seishiro eat something like that? Either way, it seems like it was a gift from Reo. Seishiro eventually fell back into his usual routine of gaming and fell asleep at around 11:00pm, and I stared at his sleeping form in the darkness. Was love really this motivating? It was like seeing a seed sprout from a precious drop of water. In this case, the seed is Seishiro and the water is Reo.

The next morning, the doorbell rang again and Seishiro blinked in the sunlight. “Mornin’, Choki…” he mumbled, and then proceeded to enthusiastically(well, for him…) shuffle over to the front door and open it to reveal Reo. Ah, another school day. A ‘Monday’, one of Seishiro’s least favorite days ever. “Reo…” Seishiro groaned and gazed at Reo with his lovestruck watery puppy eyes. Reo ruffled his hair.
“Good morning, treasure! Go change, we have school today!” I saw Reo sling an arm around Seishiro and walk into the dorm. He sat on Seishiro’s bed and waited as Seishiro dressed in his usual black hoodie and uniform jacket. Reo leaned over and tapped me. “Good morning to you too, Choki!” Ah, Reo’s so polite. Good morning, Reo. Have a nice day at school, lovebirds.

Chapter Text

Reo sighed. “Nagi…you really should tidy up your dorm.” Indeed he should. The worn sweaters, hoodies, and uniform were strewn around the floor. Seishiro groaned. “Reooo…I don’t wanna…it’s a hassle…” Reo put on a face of mock irritation.
“Nagi, just take a look at your room! Now get to work!” Reo couldn’t help but chuckle at Seishiro’s deadpan stare following that. He playfully yanked on Seishiro’s sleeve. “Naaagi, c’mon!” Seishiro sighed
“Fine. For Reo. But only because Reo asked,” he huffed, and dragged himself upright. God, he’s such a lazy boy. Reo grinned.
“That’s the spirit, Nagi!” With that, Reo flopped onto the bed. “Now, I’ll wait for you to finish!”
“Ehhh? All by myself? Reoo…you aren’t gonna help me?”
“No, Nagi! It’s your room.”
“Reo…”
“Ugh…fine!”
As I watched Seishiro’s puppy eyes take full effect on Reo, Reo sat up patted Seishiro’s shoulder. “Alright, I’ll help you. Only because you’re so damn insistent, okay?” Seishiro nodded a little eagerly. They then began picking up the clothes on the floor(thank god). Once it was clean, I nearly fell over at how dusty the floor was. “Oi, Nagi, do you have a vacuum?” Reo asked, clicking his tongue at the floor.
“No…” Seishiro said plainly, staring at the floor along with Reo. Reo sighed.
“Ah, then we’re gonna have to do this the old fashioned way.” Reo picked up a broom leaning at the side of the closet, and began sweeping. “Nagi, you help too!” Seishiro stood helplessly beside Reo, watching him sweep.
“Nah, seems like a hassle,” Seishiro fell onto the bed. “Right, Choki..?” Seishiro, you big dummy, help Reo! Seishiro finally got up after some convincing from Reo. He then reluctantly started helping Reo sweep the dust off the floor, and I was amazed at how fresh the room seemed now. Sadly, there wasn’t as much carbon dioxide for me to breathe after Reo opened the windows. At least it was fresh now. I watched as Reo and Seishiro began organizing the room, shifting textbooks and furniture around (mostly Reo of course). It was a little impressive how different Seishiro’s room looked now, since it was considerably neat. How the hell did Seishiro even manage to exist without Reo? And besides, where are his parents? Don’t human parents usually stay with their children until they mature? It seems a little sad that they aren’t here. Seishiro really is a mystery to me. After all, I’m only a cactus.

Reo raised his glass. “Cheers, Nagi! Your room finally looks better!” Seishiro lazily lifted his cup of water as well, and touched it with Reo’s
“Ah…I’m spent…” Seishiro groaned, and laid his head on the table. Reo laughed.
“You do realize you barely lifted a finger right, treasure?” Reo ruffled Seishiro’s hair, grinning. Seishiro sighed.
“It’s too much work anyways…only did it ‘cause Reo asked me to,” Seishiro buried his head deeper in his arms, his sweater muffling his words. “Ugh…I’m gonna die…Reo’s always making me work so much…”
Ah, this lazy boy. He’s such a pain to deal with.

Chapter Text

Today, I felt something was off. Though Nagi continuously checked his phone, probably checking for any message from Reo, I never saw any of the gray text boxes from Reo. Usually they texted once every, like, few minutes. Huh. strange. I heard Seishiro sigh as he closed his phone and let his hand flop onto the bed. He stared at the roof. “Eh…why hasn’t Reo replied…” he mumbled, turning to the side. Good question. Seishiro sighed, then closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

After a few hours, a knock on the door rang through the small dorm. Seishiro rubbed his eyes and sat up. Rain was falling outside. Who could it be..? Just as I was thinking that, Seishiro stood up begrudgingly and shuffled over to the door, half-asleep. The door clicked open to reveal…Reo? Reo’s eyes were really red, and he looked like he was about to cry. Seishiro’s eyes widened slightly. “R-Reo? What’s wrong..?” Reo didn’t raise his eyes, staying silent. Seishiro looked sort of confused, and stepped closer to Reo. Reo suddenly collapsed forward, into Seishiro’s arms. He gripped Seishiro’s sleeves like a lifeline, tears beginning to stream from his eyes.
“Nagi…” Reo let out a breathy sob. “It’s just not fair…” he dug his fingers into Nagi’s hoodie.
“Reo? What..who?” Seishiro asked, holding Reo closer.
“My father,” Reo replied bitterly, voice cracking. “He told me–he told me I can’t play soccer anymore…he–he says that I have to quit the team for my studies…” Seishiro let out an exhale.
“Don’t listen to him, Reo, you don’t have to. Reo asked me to reach the world cup with you, right? So…don’t be the first one to leave our dream, Reo.” Upon hearing that, Reo’s eyes once again filled with tears and he let out a choked hiccup, hugging Seishiro tighter.
“I promise I won’t, Nagi, but…he’s really making it difficult…he told me…” Reo paused to wipe at his eyes, another sob slipping out of him. “That…that we can’t meet again, that you’re a bad influence on me…I wish he’d just shut up…” Seishiro sighed.
“Reo…Reo, don’t cry, it’s okay,” he whispered, burying his face into Reo’s hair. Reo clung closer to Seishiro, almost like his life depended on it and Seishiro was his hope and light.

As they lay on Seishiro’s bed together, Reo’s tears had dried earlier, as he had fallen asleep in Seishiro’s arms. Seishiro’s eyes were also closed, but I felt like he wasn’t asleep yet, most likely just savoring the feeling of Reo’s figure in his arms. As I sat on my windowsill, suddenly, Seishiro turned to me, eyes half-open. “Choki…do you think Reo’ll achieve our dream with me?” I considered it. Maybe so, considering the fact that he has a notebook about it. I believe that you guys will do it. “Hey, Choki, do you think…do you think Reo’ll stay with me even after our dream is done?” Seishiro asked softly, through the mellow silence of the room. “Do you think…that Reo’ll love me? Maybe after I help him accomplish our dream? Will I still be his treasure?...”