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SEISHIRO PONDERED on what to do with the information. He clicked on the news site to find out Isagi had come second and an Italian man had taken bronze. Seishiro's focus moved slowly to the picture in the article, the joyous glow on his ex-friend's face as he posed with the Japanese flag behind him.
First time earning gold since he debuted in seniors, four years ago. If this had happened at the beginning of their senior career, Reo would've cried tears of relief. Now, he looked delighted in the picture, with no weight on his shoulders anymore. In the end, Nagi would have to grow used to seeing him at these international events.
He went to his room, claiming tiredness to his father. In reality, he needed time alone. Even better, time out. He should take a nap to clear his mind, instead of following the stupid instinct that insisted he should reach out to Reo to congratulate him. They had started this dream together, it felt weird to not celebrate it by his side.
But that was nostalgia, and Nagi knew better than to let emotions dictate his behavior.
He texted Isagi instead. Hey, I saw the results. Congratulations on the silver.
He hadn't expected Isagi to call in response, much less considering their phone's data didn't include expensive overseas calls. But, Nagi picked up regardless.
Isagi sounded breathy across the phone as if he had been agitated and was now coming down from those strong emotions. After a few beats of silence, he said "Thanks, can we talk?"
"About what?"
"I don't know," he sighed. "You're my friend and I'm here, all alone, and I need a familiar voice. I don't feel so good."
Nagi's first thought was that Isagi should've called Bachira who was so much more in tune with his emotions. However, he didn't say it out loud. "How come? You just won."
"I know. Do you think I sound ungrateful? Don't answer," Isagi paused. Nagi could hear the hitches of his breathing. "It sounds like I'm being too hard on myself, but it's not me being a perfectionist. I worked my ass off, I just wanted to see the results of it."
"...I think you did great," Nagi said, uncurling a white lie with his tongue. "And you still have another event left, remember?"
"Yep, just the amount of pressure I needed."
"It's not bad. You can easily make it to the finals from here."
"Maybe," he said. "On any other day, I would be happy with the results. I mean, I was still better than ten other skaters, you know? And I'm consistent, people talk about me like I'm a threat to overcome, I get the recognition I deserve..."
