Layla/Astre/Ciel. Any pronouns. Omnisexual and Panromantic
Main blog of @somnianyx. I don't know what you want me to say. Thanks for checking it out. There's really nothing interesting here, just reblogs and random posts.
You're a second year in high school and have decided to become an all-new you! You plan on battling your anxieties and facing the difficulties of your teenage social life head-on, with your pursuit of your one-sided crush on Reo Mikage being at the forefront of this new challenge. Through bribes, you manage to enlist the help of Mikage's best friend, Seishiro Nagi, as you try to win his heart through Mikage's love of football. With Nagi as your guide and newfound friendships on the football team providing you support, there can only be victory waiting for you! You make a vow to yourself to bulldoze through any obstacle and accomplish your goals for the year, but that's much easier said than done when your biggest enemy is yourself, and the goals themselves become unclear the closer you and Nagi get to the finish line—and to each other.
☆ high school football team au ☆ reader is extroverted but has anxiety ☆ gender / race neutral reader ☆
← prev | ep. guide | next → unreleased!
w/c : 3.7k
tw : none!
a/n : so ... yes ... it is a week late. but !! but .. but nothing. sorry lmao lol i got no excuse. also every update i get increasingly more anxious about the writing so i just wanna thank everybody who have been reblogging / commenting, yall make my year fr 🥺
completely irrelevant but its also MY BIRTHDAY WEEK MWAHAHA
Episode 3 : Shouldn't you should see a doctor?
“Coach says no.”
Your bento dropped to the floor. Nagi stared blankly at you.
“Well, you had a good run,” he added.
You stood frozen in place, eyes blown wide, lips parted in disbelief. "...h—huh?"
Nagi walked right past you and out from underneath the stairwell.
You blinked once. You blinked twice.
"...WHAT?!"
─────────────⋆☆───
｡ *ﾟ + opening song ｡ *ﾟ +
───⋆☆─────────────
Okay okay okay-
Wait a damn minute.
"WAIT A DAMN MINUTE."
You whipped your head around and grabbed Nagi by the arm. He turned and looked at you with a defeated expression, like he expected this but hoped you would leave it be—but, he should have known better. The hell does he think this is?
"You can't just walk away after that! Lunch just—lunch just started-"
Nagi sighed and rubbed at his neck. Without a word, he took it upon himself to sit against the wall and get comfortable. He even started unpacking his lunch.
"I guess we'll be here for a minute, so do you mind if I eat while you talk?"
"You're the one doing the talking," you said.
You wanted to apologize for taking up his lunch (again) and tell him that of course it was okay to eat, but you really couldn't get into all that right now. Your tongue just felt heavy and your heart was pounding.
It's barely been ten minutes since class ended. You were finishing up an assignment so you lagged behind in the classroom after Nagi left. When you finally left for the meeting spot, you expected to be waiting much, much longer for the news. You had planned on preparing yourself for whatever answer he gave within that time frame.
Instead, he was the one waiting for you, and you got whiplash from the sudden rejection. You couldn't prepare at all, and this—this just didn't make any sense.
With stiff arms and a trembling frown, you sat in front of Nagi with your hands gripping your knees. Your lunch sat beside you, untouched; you can't eat at a time like this.
"Tell me what happened, what did he say? Why did he say no? We gotta—appeal, or something!"
"We?"
"Nagi-san!" you said with exasperation. You grabbed his shoulders without warning and shook them. He must need some blood flow getting to his head, because he wasn't thinking straight at all if he thinks this is over.
Nagi just groaned as his neck was flung back and forth, gripping his bento to prevent it from falling to the ground. His voice shook with his head when he finally answered. “He didn’t even look at it.”
You stopped shaking him. Your face fell as he continued. "He said he doesn’t care who my 'little friends' are, and that we’re not having a manager, no matter what.”
You paused. Slowly, a bashful smile bloomed.
It’s been a couple days, but, it’s not strange for connections to bloom so fast. After all, you’ve clearly bonded, and Nagi really is helping you, and you’ve helped him. That's how friendships work, isn't it? Honestly, you didn't think Nagi was friendly, so you were just touched that-
“I tried to correct him since we are not friends at all, too,” Nagi added.
Oh ok.
“He said he doesn’t care. He’s pretty set on it.”
You nod quickly, in attempts to breeze over your own embarrassment. There are much more important things to be thinking about.
“What did Mikage-san say?” you asked.
Yes, he was much more important. Beyond the fact that Mikage could help persuade Waste-sensei to change his mind, you really wanted to know if your crush had a positive impression of you so far.
“Reo’s cool with it.”
“Okay, but, like, what did he think of my application?”
“He didn’t read it. He just agreed ‘cause I said I wanted you as manager.”
So you did all that for nothing. Great.
“He tried to help convince Ego-sensei, though," Nagi said.
“But it didn’t work?” you finished. Nagi nodded and took another bite out of his lunch.
“Like I said, he’s set on it. He didn’t even budge when Reo offered him cash.”
You chose not to comment on their attempts to bribe a teacher.
“Did he mention why?” you asked.
“I didn’t ask.”
“Wha—why didn’t you?”
“Was I supposed to?”
With a heavy sigh, you rose your hands to rub at your temples and sucked in your lips. Why do you even bother?
“...you know what? This is just a road bump! I thought your influence with Mikage-san would be enough, but it wasn’t! So, it’s time for plan B!” You clasped your hands together and leaned forward, trying to make up for Nagi’s lack of energy with more of your own. He just stared at you with a bored look.
“And what’s that?” he droned.
“Bargaining!”
Nagi shook his head. “Reo tried that already. Coach said he doesn’t need money.”
“Pfft, not with money. I’m broke."
At that, Nagi slowly trailed his eyes downward. After making a quick assessment of your appearance, he nodded. “Yeah, that makes sense.”
You had to actually bite your tongue before you said something to him that you would regret. Instead, you just squashed the little bit of you that imagined being his friend.
“So, what things do Wast—I mean, Ego-sensei need?"
“You know that one, already. You got in the way of it this morning,” he replied. Your blood instantly drained.
As awful as it was to know you may have fucked up Plan B before even starting, it felt even worse that you instantly knew just what Nagi was talking about.
“Please, don’t let it be because of that…” You groaned softly, placing a hand on your chest as if a knife was stuck in there. There might as well be.
“Yup. Chigiri Hyoma," Nagi replied.
Why did you even bother with that, this morning? You actively got in the way of Mikage, knowing everything he does these days is for the football team. You should have been able to guess that damn notebook was important.
“So, what exactly are they trying to get from Chigiri?” you asked.
“They want him on the team.”
“..got it. Then, in order to get Ego-sensei to accept me, I’ll do what they can’t. I’ll get Hyoma Chigiri to join the football team!”
“So, am I done here?” Nagi looked at you with his eyebrows slightly raised, probably from hope. You squashed that in less than a second.
“Absolutely not. Now, you’re my intel, because I have competition.”
Nagi paused, before realization made him give a defeated sigh and nod. "You want me to tell you before Reo makes a move, so you can get to Chigiri-san first.”
“You’re so smart!” You playfully nudged his knee. “So! Do you know why Mikage-san wants him on the team so badly? Or why Chigiri is refusing so much?”
“Nope. I don’t know and I don’t care.”
You nodded shortly at Nagi’s response. That’s what you expected, at this point. You’ll have to take it all in your hands.
“Just make sure to tell me when Mikage-san tries something, so we’re always a step ahead!”
“Again with this, ‘we’, business…”
“What time does your practice end today?” you asked. As you spoke, you stood up and dusted yourself off.
“I don’t have practice today.”
You looked at Nagi with your eyes narrowed and your face slightly scrunched, like your confusion was a matter of sight and not because Nagi never did a normal thing in his life. “But, you guys have practice every day.”
“One of my agreements with Reo was that I don’t need to attend both practices. They have one in the morning and afternoon, and I get to choose which one I want to go to every day.”
“Okay. Suspicious, but convenient! I guess you’re spending your afternoon with me, then,” you said. Clearly, you weren't asking.
“Hah.” Nagi gave a single, dry laugh before taking another bite out of his lunch. His lips didn’t even twitch for a smile. “No way. I’m not exerting myself any more than I already have for you.”
You promised him the armor he’s been pining after in Champions of Orisha and he agreed.
By the time classes ended for the day, you made a few discoveries about Chigiri. It was easier than you thought it might be, because he was actually kind of famous, at least locally. All you had to do is google his name and a bunch of articles from a couple years came up.
First off, Hyoma Chigiri is—was known as a prodigy when it came to football. It only took one game when he was still in junior high school for him to blow up in the newspapers. He got nicknamed the “red panther” by everyone because of how utterly fast he was.
Secondly, red is actually his natural hair color. You genuinely thought he’s been dyeing it all this time.
Thirdly, he got a bad injury in his last year of junior high. You assume that’s why he quit, because he hasn’t been back on the field since. Just from that, you would have assumed that he wasn’t in any condition to play, but he was totally normal when he ran with you earlier that day in the halls. He wasn’t as fast as all the videos made him out to be, but maybe he was doing it on purpose? Mikage wouldn’t have been trying so hard if he hadn’t recovered yet, right?
You also found a short interview from the very beginning of the school year last year, when he was still a first year. He announced that he wouldn’t be playing football in high school. Honestly, a part of you felt a little bad people were always pestering him about it, when it must have been enough for his downfall to be so public. You felt guilty about contributing to it, but you’ve already made up your mind.
You’ll have to start small—just having a conversation with him, upfront.
While packing up your things for the day, you turned to catch Chigiri’s attention—just to see him with one foot already out the door.
“No!” you gasped, scrambling to grab the rest of your things. You didn’t even bother to close your bag all the way before you grabbed Nagi’s arm and started pulling him along with you.
“What are you-”
“He’s getting away!”
Despite your tugging, Nagi refused to run with you, so you let him go and chased Chigiri yourself. You rushed out billions of apologies as you pushed your way through the crowded halls, keeping your eyes trained on the flash of red from his hair.
Just when you were about to ask yourself why he was in such a rush to leave, you heard Mikage call out his name from the opposite hall.
Ah, that’s why…
You took a different stairwell to avoid any collisions. Mikage was way further, but you didn’t want him to see you after Chigiri, too. If you rushed to get to the entrance before they both did, maybe you could talk while walking together!
…or, that’s what you planned on doing, but then you went down the flight of stairs and remembered that running is not your best talent. You were about ready to admit defeat when you actually got to the shoe lockers, and saw Chigiri standing there and trying to get around Nagi.
Nice, King Nagi!
“Seriously, what are you doing? Get out of my way-” Chgiri said sharply. He moved to the side, but Nagi moved again to block his path.
“I’m not doing anything.”
“You are! This is for Mikage-san, isn’t it?!”
Somehow, you immediately got a surge of energy and rushed forward, painfully aware of the grin plastered on your face but too excited to care.
“Chigiri-san! He—hah!”
You meant to say “hey”, but your lungs caught up too fast and it came out as a wheeze.
The moment he saw you were there, Nagi stepped to the side and just—walked off. Chigiri seemed both confused and annoyed at his sudden retreat, or at least it seemed that way from behind. You still had trouble keeping up with his pace as you followed him to his locker.
“Ch-chigiri-san, wait a second, I was—whew!—thinking we could talk about something,” you said, doing your best to speak between huffs. You thought that you were going to miss your chance again, but when Chigiri opened his shoe locker, a couple notes and letters fell out—holy shit, what is with your luck, today?! If a day comes where you meet one of his secret admirers, you will thank them profusely.
Just then, you heard that silky voice call out his name again—Mikage. Both of you flinched and looked up. As soon as you spotted your crush from the opposite side of the entrance, Nagi popped up in front of him, getting in his way the same exact way he did with Chigiri earlier.
Your heart was so touched you could almost cry. Nagi was really pulling through for you!
“Sorry, but I’m in a rush,” Chigiri replied, opening his bag just barely to stuff the letters in there. You weren’t one to snoop, but you couldn’t help but notice a pair of shoes tucked in the corner—a very familiar pair of shoes that you’ve seen Mikage wear during his games (yes, you have gone to watch them before).
“You have cleats!!” you blurt, before you could stop yourself. Chigiri almost dropped his bag from panic and scrambled to cover them up again before closing his bag. He looked at you with a betrayed expression.
Okay, there goes your attempts at subtly…
“I knew something was off with you. No way you’d be friends with Nagi-san and not Mikage-san. You were in on it the whole time, huh?” he said, his expression completely cold. It made your stomach churn in the worst way.
“S-sorry, I wasn’t—I mean, it’s not like that-”
Chigiri cut you off with the slam of his shoe locker, not even bothering to stick his feet all the way in his sneakers before storming off. You stood there rubbing your sweaty palms on your sides as you watched him leave. Your stomach felt like lead.
“What are you just standing there for?”
You flinched and looked to the side, and Nagi’s bored expression was staring back at you. You pressed your lips together and inhaled through your nose.
“I totally fucked up…” you finally managed.
“Did you talk to Chigiri yet?” he asked.
“I mean, not really…”
Nagi rolled his eyes and started walking, not even bothering with a response. You scrambled after him, grabbing the strap to his bag.
“Wait, where are you going?!”
“To catch up to Chigiri.”
“But, he just—I mean—hold on! I’m still wearing my indoor shoes!!”
“Hurry up, then. I don’t have all day.”
Nagi’s eyes bore into your figure as you rushed to get to your locker and change your shoes, occasionally droning on about how slow you were. The sweat in your palms and the hardening of your stomach didn’t change, but his pestering at least pushed you to get moving before you could run off from guilt or anxiety. It was more chaotic than it needed to be, but maybe it was a good thing that you didn’t have time to slow down and think. The nerves would probably get worse.
However, the chaos also meant that you didn’t notice Mikage standing at the ends of the lockers. He watched intently as you and Nagi both rushed through the doors.
“Ch—Chigiri! San! Wait!” you huffed, waving your arms, but really it was just so you could feel useful. Nagi already had him cornered against the fence in an oddly suggestive pose, and because you were slower than them, you were lagging behind.
Nagi looked over at you with his usual blank expression, but you swore you could see disappointment dripping from his eyes. You gave him a weak smile as you slowed down to a walk and leaned on the fence, fanning yourself.
Note to self: next time you make life-changing plans, don’t make them during the summer.
Chigiri stared at you with that same coldness from earlier, but honestly, now that it was next to Nagi’s face, it didn’t sting as much.
“What the hell?” he said, looking between you two. “How many times do I have to say it? I’m not joining your team. Go and tell Mikage-san it’s pointless to send you after me.”
“We’re not working with Mikage-san!” you said quickly. As soon as you said it, though, you realized how dumb it was. You’re literally rolling with Mikage’s rumored boy-toy.
Chigiri just tilted his head and pulled his lips back with raised eyebrows—a perfect “are-you-seriously-trying-that?” look if you’ve ever seen one.
“I mean, Nagi is a double agent for me,” you explained.
“Temporarily,” Nagi added.
“Okay? Either way you’re trying to get me to join the football team, aren’t you?” Chigiri said, before snapping his head to Nagi. “And will you take a step back already? Damn…”
Nagi looked to you, a you stared back at him, waiting for him to say something. It took a moment of awkward silence for it to click that he was asking for your permission to let Chigiri go. Your orders. He’s literally obeying your command, right now.
You nod shortly, standing up straighter. Your newfound power gave some much needed confidence.
Chigiri straightened out his clothes and hair when he was released, before turning to you with crossed arms. He was waiting for what you had to say. You took a deep breath.
“Well, Chigiri-san—I was wondering, um, if you play football with, like, a local community group, or something?” you said, slowly.
He narrowed his eyes. “What does that have to do with you?”
“Well, I mean, um, actually...” You looked to Nagi, and he just gave you an equally expectant look. This is where his services reach their limit, you suppose.
“...um, actually, I—we want to play with you!”
“Huh?”
“Huh?”
Chigiri and Nagi both spoke at the same time, and it took everything in you not to look at Nagi sharply for not just going along with it.
“Yes! We want to play with you!” you repeated, more firmly.
“You want to play football,” Chigiri said, raising his brows. “You couldn’t even run in the halls earlier without bursting a lung.”
“Yeah, shouldn’t you see a doctor, instead?” Nagi added.
“First of all—Nagi, stop talking, please. Second of all, that’s besides the point! Does football say only certain people can play? It’s for anyone!” you said, a little defensively. Even if they weren’t wrong to be skeptical, it was still offensive.
“We won’t tell Mikage-san where you play, I promise. Like I said, we aren’t working with him. I just wanna—get to know you better, and I like football! Nagi likes football, too, right?”
Nagi stayed quiet. You shot him a look.
“Right, Nagi?”
“Am I allowed to talk, now?”
“Boy if you don’t-”
Nagi looked to Chigiri before you could finish your sentence, “No, I don’t particularly like football.”
You sighed and squeezed your eyes shut, pinching the bridge of your nose.
Honestly, at this point, it’s on you for setting that up.
“Okay—I don’t know what the hell you two are trying to do, but do you really think I’ll believe anything you say?” Chigiri said. He looked between the both of you and clutched his bag closer to his torso, for some weird reason. What is he, some old lady?
“For all I know, Mikage-san set up that little act with you this morning, so you could try to befriend me or something fucked up like that.”
You immediately opened your mouth to refute it, but no words came to mind. You could only stand there, looking like a stunted fish.
Chigiri was right to be suspicious. You didn’t know any way to convince him other than telling him the actual truth—and there’s no way you could do that, either. You’d rather be tortured mercilessly tell someone else about your crush on Mikage.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” Chigiri rolled his eyes and turned, starting to walk. You didn’t know what to say, but you still followed, and you pulled Nagi along with you again.
“Waaait wait wait! Please hear us out!”
“You need to learn to take ‘no’ for an answer.”
“I promise we don’t mean any harm or—”
“Don’t care.”
“—anything, really, we just wanna try playing, and—”
“Don’t care.”
“—I mean-”
“What’s all this?!”
You all stopped when a third year suddenly appeared before you and held up a hand, looking between the three of you with a smile. His eyes particularly lingered on you, though. You were a little confused on who he was, so you looked to Chigiri, who sighed heavily.
“Imamaru-senpai, please don’t start. They’re with Mikage-san.”
"We're not! We just want to play football with Chigiri's group," you interjected. Chigiri gave you a sharp look, and the third year—Imamaru, apparently—hummed curiously.
“Really, now? But Nagi-kun, aren’t you on the team? Why would you need to play with us?” Imamaru looked to Nagi. So did you, expecting him to explain who he was, but Nagi seemed just as clueless as you were.
“He doesn’t,” Chigiri said quickly.
“He does! I mean, we does—do!” You shot up a hand and gave a nervous smile. Imamaru smiled right back at you.
“Well, c’mon, then. Maybe I can get your number, since you'll be joining us today?” he said, slipping behind you and placing a hand on your lower back as he lead you forward. You weren’t completely comfortable with that, but you were too grateful to care.
“Are you playing football with Chigiri-san?” you asked. Imamaru's smile grew.
“Yup! And you’re just in time, too. We have a big event today.”
“They don’t want to play,” Chigiri repeated, reaching out to grip Imamaru’s shoulder. “They’re just trying to get me to join the school's team.”
“Honestly, Chigiri, not everything’s about you. Lighten up a little.” Imamaru gave you a wink as he spoke, even though it clearly wasn’t addressed to you. You gave a slightly confused wink back, and he laughed lightly. “Oh, you’re a cute one. I can’t wait to see what you got on the field!”
"Haha, thanks.." you said hesitantly, giving a sheepish laugh.
This is going to be a shit-show.
｡*ﾟ+ ending song ｡*ﾟ+
← prev | ep. guide | next → unreleased!
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a/n : i hope yall like this ep bc yall ... i was goin through it tryna get through certain scenes lmfao, half of which didnt even make the final cut for this ep 💀 idk how to feel about the final product and the pacing is all over the place but .. i think it'll be a smoother read when the plot picks up a little more
SOBBING SCREAMING CRYING MICHAEL KAISER YOU ARE ONEEHELL OH A MAN AND I LOVE YOU SO MUCH AND I WANNA KISS AND MARRY YOU AND LIKE FUVK WHY ARE YOU SO VUTE AND I LOVE YOU I FUCKING LOVE YOU SMM IM CRYING
can we get more blue lock pranking your bf by taking of your engagement ring !!!
YESSS YES YES I WAS WAITIN FOR THIS LMAOOOO
𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦'𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨? PART 2!
SYNPOSIS; pranking your bf by taking off your engagement ring!
FEATURING; Michael Kaiser. Oliver Aiku. Nagi Seishiro. Karasu Tabito.
TAGS; 100% fluff and crack. Them being them.
MICHAEL KAISER.
Just don’t.
"Ain’t. No way." He stopped in his tracks while the two of you were out for a walk, raising your interwinded hands to his face, his apprehension getting confirmed.
„Kaiser what are you-„ he put his ring finger up to your lip, hushing you. „Do you feel the cold metal? That is how cold my heart is right now.“ You put his finger down, looking at him with a raised eyebrow.
But he didn’t waver, hand holding you by the shoulder, looking you deeply into the eyes. „I thought you are the lid to my pot but,“ he turned his head, dramatically clenching his eyes together, „I seemed to have been mistaken.“
You knew what he would do next, quickly trying to clear up that it was all a prank but it was already too late. He stood right infront of you, loud words echoing through the whole area causing bystanders to turn their heads.
„Oh what have I done to earn such punishment from the gods!? Why is there no end to my suffering! Please, oh God of the engagements rings! Please have mercy upon us and present us back the glorious ring from the emperor Michael Kaiser the first!“
You’re face heated up in embarrassment, all the attention from strangers on you or to be specific your finance, caused you to turn on your heels. „I do not know you.“
He giggled while strolling after you. „Oh empress Y/N! This is what happens when you toy with the Emperor’s heart! Do not let this foolish inconvenience ever accrue again!“
OLIVER AIKU.
"SUCH A TEASE URGH ends up pranking YOUU
You were growing impatient at this point, throughout the whole day you tried to make him notice that you put the ring off, but he purposely ignored you.
„What’s with the long face?“ he questioned from the bed rather rethorical, lips curving into a teasing smile. You just turned you attention back to the clothes you were folding, not sparing him another glance.
This made the young man wary, getting up from the bed to move into your direction. „C‘mon doll, no need to feel bad. I put mine off too, see?“
This alone made your head snap back at a ridiculously fast speed, scanning over your lovers hand. But the ring was still on his finger and as you looked up at him, his other hand was quick to flick your nose, laughing in the process.
„Not funny.“ You slapped his hand away, trying to act all hot and bothered. But when he caught your arm in the air and placed a soft kiss on your lips you couldn’t help but smile. “That’s what you get doll.”
NAGI SEISHIRO.
This man did not notice.
"Urgh Sei'!" He turned his head to you, confused look on his face. You knitted your eyebrows, head shaking in disappointment.
You waved your hand around, trying to help him understand. But he still didn’t, brows knitting in confusion. „Are you that dense? Don’t you notice anything?“
He put down the controller, intensely looking at you form, trying to figure out what could’ve possibly changed. He even slit his eyes to probably scan you for any change- to no avail.
„New… nails?“
„C‘mon Sei‘! My ring! I put it off to prank you!“ he blinked once, twice, then he noticed that there really was something off. „Oh.“
You huffed as you threw yourself ontop of him, head burying in his chest as he stroked your head. „You’re no fun you know that?“
He only placed a soft kiss on your head, attention turning back to his game. „That ring isn’t the real deal anyways. Just wait till our day, yeah?“
KARASU TABITO.
drama queen 2.0
"Are you out of your damn mind?"
His words made you look up at him in confusion as you stopped with your cooking. "Huh?" He gave you an amazed look, huffing out in disbelieve. "Don't you huh me! Who is he huh?!"
Your eyebrows crinkled in confusion, demanding him to explain his outburst. "Whoever he is, tell him he doesn't stand a single chance against me!"
You sighed in annoyance, still left in the dark about what he even meant. "Karasu what the hell are you even talking about?"
"Your ring!", he dramatically exclaimed, finger pointing at your naked ring finger as if he was pointing at an imposter.
You couldn’t help but let your lips twitch up into a smile. „I don’t have it on what’s the problem?“ you tried to say as nonchalantly as you could.
„That’s exactly the problem! This better be some stupid prank or I‘ll literally cry.“ You bursted into laughter, causing the man to sigh in relief, taking ahold of his heart through his shirt.
He moved around the counter to embrace you in a tight hug, lips attacking your face. „Thank god.“
You're a second year in high school and have decided to become an all-new you! You plan on battling your anxieties and facing the difficulties of your teenage social life head-on, with your pursuit of your one-sided crush on Reo Mikage being at the forefront of this new challenge. Through bribes, you manage to enlist the help of Mikage's best friend, Seishiro Nagi, as you try to win his heart through Mikage's love of football. With Nagi as your guide and newfound friendships on the football team providing you support, there can only be victory waiting for you! You make a vow to yourself to bulldoze through any obstacle and accomplish your goals for the year, but that's much easier said than done when your biggest enemy is yourself, and the goals themselves become unclear the closer you and Nagi get to the finish line—and to each other.
☆ high school football team au ☆ reader is extroverted but has anxiety ☆ gender / race neutral reader ☆
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a/n: ok this chap was a little harder to write, i kept feeling like im being boring?? or that the pacing feels off one way or another. but after spending more time on it im satisfied with how it came out for now! i hope you all are, too!!
Episode 2 : Warmth of the Heart
｡*ﾟ+ opening song ｡*ﾟ+
You and Nagi decided to make that spot underneath the stairs your designated rendezvous point. He was weary when you brought it up last night, but you assured him just having a set place to meet doesn’t mean you plan on taking up his time often. You almost felt guilty because he seemed exhausted by you already, but then you got to the stairs the next morning and saw him knocked out on the floor like it was his own home.
“Uh—Nagi-san?” you murmured, awkwardly leaning towards him. He didn’t respond.
“...uh, hello?” you tried again. Once again, no dice.
Didn’t he have morning practice that just ended? How did he fall asleep this hard so quickly?
“Nagi-san!” you said a bit louder. You nudged him with your foot. Then, you nudged him a little harder. Then you kicked him!
He slowly woke up like you had ruffled his hair instead of bruising his calf.
“Oh, you’re here—morning…” he murmured, yawning.
Seriously, why is he on a sports team…
“How long have you been sleeping here?” you asked, sitting down in front of him. You started rummaging through your bag to take out your application. Just the mere action made you a little giddy, and you had stop yourself from cackling like a maniac.
It’s only day two, and you’re already taking out your application for Nagi to review and use to advocate for you becoming manager.
It’s day two, phase two!!
“Probably only five minutes, maybe?” he replied.
“Wow! That’s impressive! You were in such a deep sleep!”
“How are you so energized this early in the morning?” Nagi draped his jacket over his face, like you were a beam of light he needed shielding from. You faltered a bit.
“Sorry, hehe. I’m just excited for you to look over my application. I’ll take it down a notch,” you replied, sheepishly.
"Look over? I'm just supposed to submit it for you.” You couldn't see his face, but you could perfectly visualize the exasperated expression he was making. Your jaw dropped and you instantly put up a hand, as if to physically stop him from continuing that train of thought.
“Uh-uh, you’re supposed to help me get accepted!”
"Yeah. By submitting it for you."
Nagi lowered your hand without even looking, but you just lifted it again, this time attempting to smile through your desperation.
"Nooooo…” you started, leaning to the side. You laughed a little, but really you didn’t find this funny at all.
“You're supposed to help my application get through Mikage-san and Ego-sensei. You have to make sure there’s no problems with what I wrote, and you have to talk good about me and stuff when you give it, y’know? Like, about how I’m not like the other students applying just to fawn over the players, and whatever else you think they’ll want to hear..."
You finally found the form in your bag and held it out to him with a hopeful look. You let out a sigh of relief when he finally took off his jacket from his head and grabbed the paper, even if it was begrudgingly.
"But you are just like them-"
"I’m not!”
“You are.”
“Stop saying that! I won't deny any fawning, but I really want to support the team in any way I can! That's what makes me different—ah, but don't repeat that I might fawn over Mikage a little. Seriously."
"...If I knew I had to do all this, I wouldn't have agreed…" Nagi trailed off as he started to look over the application, and you took it upon yourself to move next to him and peer over his shoulder as he read. He gave you a short look at your sudden lack of personal space, but didn’t comment on it.
"C'mon, it's not that much work!” you continued. “Just butter them up a little. Mikage-san will go with whatever you want."
"Maybe he will, but Couch is hard to please—and he's just weird."
“...woah. Hearing that from you is crazy.”
“Is it?”
You almost replied seriously, but then you glanced up at him again and saw his bored expression, clearly not at all concerned with what you were saying. You looked back at the application and nervously wiggled your foot.
Hearing it from Nagi felt more intimidating since he was already a weird guy himself, but it wasn’t news. Everyone in the school already knew all about Jinpachi Ego. Although, to most students, he’s more commonly referred to as Waste-sensei.
The nickname was kinda mean, sure, but you understood where it came from. When it got around that a young, successful teacher from the football field was coming in as a PE teacher just to coach the football team of the school, there was a lot of buzz on what he would look like—especially because Mikage was apparently the one to scout him and convince him to come. It wasn’t logical, but the general narrative among the masses was that anyone mysterious and associated with Reo Mikage just had to be good looking.
Then, Ego-sensei started working in the spring. One student actually screamed when they saw him. Not out of excitement, but of horror.
There’s no good word to describe what Jinpachi Ego looks like, but he’s thirty with a bowl cut. That should be enough context.
On top of that, on his first two days as instructor, he made every student in every class do one hundred laps in a duck squat. If anyone complained, he gave them ten push ups per word. He was an absolute fucking monster that couldn’t accept that the students who had to take a required PE course were not actually trying to hone their physical abilities.
He looked ugly and had a bad personality, so everyone said it was such a waste since young teachers are supposed to be the opposite. Thus, the nickname Waste-sensei.
If he knows about his reputation, he doesn’t seem to care. He’s even said himself that he didn’t care at all about any of his students, and to not bother him for advice because he didn’t have time for it. He announced that he only cares about getting the football team to the top, and that he’ll ruin anyone that tries to get in his way.
That is the man you have to convince to let you be manager of his precious team.
Nagi’s endorsement might help with Mikage, but if Jinpachi Ego refuses you, that’ll be it.
If Jinpachi Ego refuses you, that’ll be it.
You let out a long, worried groan and rain your hands down your face.
Nagi only made a single comment, and all of a sudden you can’t stop thinking about what a disaster that man is, and how awful this whole thing can go. You were in such a good mood before, too…
“...ello? Helloooo?”
Your head snapped up. You didn’t even realize Nagi was still talking to you.
“Stalker-san-”
“If you call me that, I’ll start thanking you again,” you immediately replied. The annoyance you felt was enough to distract from worries of impressing Ego, at least for now.
Nagi grimaced just slightly and he held up a hand in defeat, “Okay, you win.”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought.”
“...anyway, I was saying that this looks fine to me,” he said, waving the paper in emphasis. He started to stretch his back and stand up. You stood as well, nervously rubbing your hands together.
“...just fine? Is anything good?”
“I guess.”
You waited for him to elaborate. He didn’t.
“Okaaay? And?”
“What?”
Nagi slung his bag over his shoulder, but you quickly stood in his way so he couldn’t leave just yet.
“Which parts are good?” you asked. He just shrugged.
“How should I know? I’ve never done one of these before.”
You stared at him for a short moment, almost in disbelief. Then, your body folded you half and you knocked your head against the nearby wall in agony.
Of all people, why did Mikage choose the most anti-social person in school to be his best friend? This would have worked so well with someone like—well, literally anyone who bothered to remember their classmate’s names…
“Why are you doing that?” Nagi asked.
“‘Cuz I’m doomed,” you replied in a croak. A little dramatic, but it’s only because of the high stakes, here.
“What if Ego-sensei won’t even consider me?”
Nagi didn’t reply, which made you feel even more deflated. Now is the time where he’s supposed to say something encouraging, but of course he wouldn’t! Because there’s nothing encouraging to say! You’re doomed!!
Eventually, he did speak, but it wasn’t anything positive. Not that you were expecting different, by now.
“...why are you bothering with all of this?” he asked.
You sighed pitifully with your head still against the wall.
“Wh—what do you mean? You know why I’m doing this already…”
“I know what you want. I just don’t know why you’re bothering in that state,” he said. You finally looked up at him, beginning to frown.
“‘That state?’ All I said was I was nervous to talk to Ego-sensei…” you said. He didn’t seem to mean offense, but you couldn’t help but feel like you were being insulted.
“You’re freaking out about something as minor as talking to Ego-sensei, but you went through the trouble of doing all this to get my help convincing them. And you said yourself you’re doomed,” he said, glancing back at your paper. “If you’re so sure you’re going to fail, shouldn’t you just not bother? This sounds tiring for you.”
“I’m not going to fail!” you said defensively. You shot up from your position against the wall.
“Oh. But didn’t you just say-”
“I can be nervous and still know I’m going to succeed!”
Nagi tilted his head slightly from confusion, and honestly, you almost did, too. You were kind of talking without thinking first.
But, still, you were—you were right. You’re nervous, but deep down, you’re just as determined as yesterday, when you declared they needed you. You just need to remind yourself that you’re going to succeed, no matter what. Otherwise, this would have no point.
“...I’m not going to fail,” you repeat, more to yourself this time. “I’ll become manager no matter what. You’re right, King Nagi!”
“What? I just said not to bother with this.”
“Ego-sensei will have no choice but to take me in, and I shouldn’t say I’m doomed! You’re absolutely right!!”
“I didn’t say that at all. He could easily tell you to get lost.”
“I’m basically already manager! It’s a shoe in!” you said, slapping his arm with a grin. He gave you a bitter look and lightly rubbed his arm where you hit him, but you ignored it. What a baby.
“You switch tunes quick,” Nagi murmured, finally starting to walk out from underneath the stairwell.
“I’m just talking shit. If I say it out loud, maybe I’ll actually get that confidence,” you replied, but you kept the energy in your voice.
“So you’re self aware on how delusional you are?”
“Yup! Being delusional is the best way to go! Otherwise I really will run away from what I started out of nerves…”
‘Like I have been until now’ you finish to yourself, but you would rather get too deep on him suddenly.
Nagi hummed in response, “Okay. Then, I’ll turn it in during lunch. I told Mikage I wouldn’t be long, so he’ll probably find me soon. I don’t think I can go right now.”
“That’s fine! Then, let’s meet during study period. Tell me how it goes—not, uh, not that I don’t know that I’ll succeed. Because, I will,” you said. Nagi gave a lazy thumbs up, but then he paused when he glanced back at you.
“Ah, it’s Reo.”
The lighthearted air immediately vanished.
Or, more accurately, it got vacuumed into your throat, went all the way into your stomach, and solidified into a giant rock of dread that you could feel slamming around your organs when you bolted to get behind a nearby corner.
Seriously, you’ve never moved that fast in your life. Your neck was a little sore from the whiplash.
It was only a split second of scrambling, but your heart was pounding to your ears, and it felt like you just ran around the whole school.
You fought the urge to peak over and get a glance at your crush, instead rubbing your sweaty palms on the side of your uniform.
Now is not the time for you to be confronting Mikage. You had a plan, here. You were going to join as manager and have a heartwarming teen romance! You can’t meet right now, before the appropriate time starts! Also, the fact that you had just been conspiring with Nagi a moment ago just made you feel jumpy.
“Sei!”
His voice is like silk. Wow. Grade-A. He should charge people every time he talks.
“I’ve been looking all over for you—you disappeared right after morning practice. Who was that?”
HE SAW YOU!
…well, of course he saw you. It’s not like you teleported. Plus, he had been walking up from behind you.
Still, though, he didn’t just see you, he noticed you!
“[Surname]. They’re in my class.”
You gasp to yourself. You slowly brought a hand to your mouth.
Mikage knows your name, now.
Nice, King Nagi!!
You almost giggled manically, but you really didn’t want to get caught—and, what if they start to walk back this way? It’d be safer to leave now. No more eavesdropping…
You turn and start to walk, but then you come face to face with someone in your class. The air left your lungs.
At the same time you went breathless, your classmate gasped, before clamping his hand over his mouth.
He was also suspiciously close to the wall right now, like he only just ran against it to hide from the people around the corner. Huh.
Why was Hyoma Chigiri hiding from Mikage and Nagi? Strange.
Your curiosity was piqued, but you didn’t have time to question. For now, the two of you had a silent agreement of solidarity as you began skidding in the opposite direction of the hallway on the tips of your toes.
When the two of you got a safe distance and turned into a different hallway, you stopped to take a break. Well, actually, you stopped to take a break, Chigiri stopped because you did. He wasn’t the least bit out of breath, while you were huffing against the wall like you busted a lung.
“Uh—should I get you a water, or…”
“N-no!” you huff, panting just barely. You almost waved your hand at him and smiled to be lighthearted, but you really didn’t have the energy.
Damn, you were really out of shape. This can’t be healthy.
“I’m good,” you added, swallowing thickly as you tried to catch your breath. Chigiri just slowly nodded, although he looked doubtful.
“Sure—ah!”
You looked up and saw Chigiri looking around the floor in slight panic, running a hand through his hair. He looked up at you with worry.
“I dropped the notebook I was holding. It’s the math assignment we had.”
“Oh, shit—uh…”
You started looking around as well, eventually craning your neck around to look at the hallway you two had just been hiding in.
Mikage and Nagi were there, walking towards you.
You immediately jerked your head back and sucked in a short breath. Suddenly, you were all out of breath again. Dread crept up your throat and swelled into a lump.
Not only was Mikage there, but you—you also saw a notebook there on the ground…
“Chigiri-san, how bad do you need to turn in that homework?” you whispered, sucking in your lips when you looked at him. His face fell even more at your words.
“Did I drop it back there?”
“And Mikage-san is coming towards us…”
“Dammit…” he cursed. He dragged his slender hand down his angelic face.
Not that you were attracted to him, of course. He was just pretty! You were loyal to Mikage.
“Maybe you can just run and grab it, and run away again. Are you fast?” you asked. Chigiri opened his mouth to answer, but he hesitated.
It was faint, but—you noticed his mood turned a little dark at the question. You weren’t sure what it was that you said that seemed to make him upset, but you didn’t want to put him in a tough position.
You’re running from Mikage, not Nagi. Maybe you can pull some strings…
“Hold on!” you said, pulling out your phone. You gestured to Chigiri and the two of you started running—er, speed walking, for your sake—down the hallway before Mikage could catch up. He looked confused, but went along with it.
After a couple paces, he pulled you to the side and you two decided to go up the stairs instead. Mikage probably wouldn’t go in that direction, since that floor was mainly for third years.
You dialed Nagi’s number. He picked up instantly.
“Why are you calli-”
“Grab the notebook in the hallway!” you said, gesturing for Chigiri to lean in so he could hear, too. You two were huddled in the corner of the staircase, keeping an eye out every few moments.
“Why are you so out of breath? You shouldn’t be this out of shape at your age.”
“Focus! The notebook, Nagi, the notebook! It’s Chigiri’s.”
“I can’t, Reo has it. He’s using it for leverage,” Nagi replied.
Chigiri made a face and groaned silently. You nodded to yourself.
That made sense. Mikage has always been an opportunist. You don’t know what it’s for, but damn, he’s just so resourceful. If you weren’t helping Chigiri, you would have wished him the best of luck.
“Don’t let him! Bring it to the classroom! And don’t tell him I was the one asking, either-”
“Eh? What a hassle…”
“I’ll—I’ll farm in Champions of Orisha for you tonight! I’ll get you some good shit!”
Chigiri looked at you with confusion, but you just waved it off with your hand. On the other line, you heard Nagi sigh and Mikage’s muffled voice, although you couldn’t make it out.
Oh, to hear Mikage on the phone…
“Fine.”
“Yay! Thanks, King Nagi!!”
“Don’t call me-”
You hung up before he could reply, and gave Chigiri a thumbs up. He let out a breath of relief.
“Thanks, Y/N. You’re a lifesaver.”
“No problem. It’s what Nagi’s here for,” you joked. Chigiri nodded slowly with a small smile.
“I didn’t know you were friends with Nagi. I didn’t think he had friends besides Mikage, actually.”
"Friends? Oh, I wouldn’t—I mean…”
You stammered in your attempts to find something else to call him, and Chigiri just stared at you with an odd look.
Oh, no. This is your first time having a real conversation with him all year, even though you’re in the same class, and you already are having trouble speaking.
“He’s more like—like, my liaison!” you finally blurt.
There was a moment of silence.
Then, Chigiri suddenly laughed, and you let out a breath of relief. Thank goodness he didn’t seem weirded out. Yet.
“That’s weird.”
Okay, nevermind-
“Ah, I mean in a funny way.”
You nodded and attempted an awkward laugh of your own.
Right afterwards, the two of you heard Nagi and Mikage talking in the hallway below. Thank goodness there was something to save you from the awkwardness.
The two of you peered over and watched carefully as they walked. You waited for a bit before deciding it was safe to go and start heading to class.
Neither of you asked the other about why you were avoiding Mikage. Chigiri’s situation also seemed to be something he wanted to keep a secret, but you doubted it was anything positive if Mikage almost used his homework as “leverage”, as Nagi said.
It was a little awkward because of the elephant in the room—er, hallway, but you and Chigiri managed to make decent small talk on your way to class, and the discomfort eventually evaporated from your conversation. When you got inside, Nagi was waiting there with a dead expression and held out the notebook for Chigiri.
“Kin—I mean, Nagi-san! You really did it!” you said, beaming at him. He did not smile at all.
“This is the last time I’m doing an errand for you outside the deal,” he said, and he actually sounded. You gave him a slightly urgent look at his mention of your agreement, but he didn’t seem to care. You grimaced to yourself as Chigiri looked between the two of you with confusion and hesitantly took his homework.
“Uh, thanks, Nagi-san.”
“Sure.”
Afterwards, class started. Everyone went to their respective seats. It took a moment for you to realize that you actually bonded with two people in the same morning, all before the school day even started. When you glanced behind you to where Chigiri sat, he gave a smile and half-hearted wave when he met your eyes, like he would a friend.
A friend.
You turned back around and faced the front of the class.
The pressure of what would happen during the lunch break had completely vanished. You didn’t think about Waste-sensei at all. Instead, you thought about the possibility of you having just made your first friend in high school, and it made your heart warm.
｡*ﾟ+ ending song ｡*ﾟ+
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a/n: thanks for reading again!! n all the way to the next ep too!! 🥹
y/n is classified as a simp. why? bc youre on tumblr reading fanfic for ur faves. so obv i had to make y/n a simp lmfao dont tell me its not accurate. anyways writing the other characters im in love with as friends with absolutely no romantic undertones at all will be like a gunshots. like i love chigiri this was so hard. and when we get to kunigami?? yall... pray for me rn. its rough bruh...
anyways i hope yall enjoyed it!! see you again in 1-2 weeks <3
itoshi rin is tormented by the lingering ghosts of your tragic breakup. he is cold and he lives with the burden of missing you. he wonders if you are hurting too, or is it just him?
pairing : itoshi rin x reader
content : hurt and comfort. exes to lovers. messy breakup. accusations of cheating (no actual cheating). insecurities. mentions of alcohol. cursing.
it’s one in the morning and rin is surrounded by his friends and acquaintances but still, he feels cold. even with the alcohol in his system that he drank to purposely warm him, it’s cold.
it has been this way for nearly a year now. eleven months and a couple weeks, if anyone is counting. a few days more and it would be the anniversary of your breakup.
the nearer it gets to twelve months without you, the colder it gets. right now, even with the perfectly working heater in one of his teammate’s penthouse, rin shivers.
it’s cold.
he never thought it could be this cold.
rin knows why he feels like this. he knows exactly why he wakes up and goes to bed alone. the reason why his life is dull and empty is not a secret to him—he just won’t acknowledge it.
he refuses to admit to himself that the reason why he has been suffering for the past eleven months of his life is because you’re not here.
how could he admit it? how could he ever address that your absence it what causes his pitiful state, when he brought it upon himself.
it was his fault that you’re not here. he wanted this. well, he had thought that he wanted this.
there is no way he could welcome the thought that he misses you when he was the one who drove you away, right? there is no use.
it’s too late now. all he could do is go out with his teammates on nights like this and pretend as if he wasn’t freezing from the inside out.
“damn, this is so boring,” seishiro sits down beside him on the sofa and rin tenses at the presence of the white-haired boy.
he does not know what to do because among everyone else in this crowded room, you are most connected to nagi seishiro. your best friend. and he has long been your best friend before you and rin even got together.
how is rin supposed to act around the person who is still in your life while he himself isn’t? this man seated next to him knows where you are right now and what you have been doing, while rin has absolutely no idea how you are.
“didn’t think i’d see you here, itoshi,” nagi speaks again. rin hums in acknowledgment, “thought it wouldn’t be so bad to come.”
there is this unspoken understanding between them, that both of them are thinking about you. after all, aside from soccer, all they have in common is their connection to you.
nagi debates whether he should tell you that he saw rin tonight or keep it to himself so as to not instigate negative feelings from you.
rin wonders if he should start asking about you. he decides against it and pretended to busy himself with his cellphone to avoid further conversation with your best friend.
he convinces himself that he does not care. he acts like he doesn’t want to know how you are. he tries to make himself believe that as long as he can fake it, it will somehow be true.
jokes on him, really.
meguru approaches nagi next to him and rin is planning to ignore him like he usually does, but the words that comes out of meguru’s mouth made that utterly impossible.
“nagi! i saw y/n by the bookstore earlier this afternoon, didn’t you ask her to come? i invited her but she said you didn’t mention anythin’ about a party!”
the mere mention of your name makes rin’s heart stop. it has been a very long time since he heard someone mention your name casually around him. now that your name has been dropped, everything comes crashing down on him, and he cannot breathe.
“oh, damn, i’m sorry—“ bachira seems to notice his mistake upon not seeing rin next to nagi. they know not to carelessly throw your name around because at first, it affected his performance. now, it is apparent that you affect him in and out of the game.
“excuse me.”
rin is cold. it’s like ice is running through his veins as he stands up and rushes to leave the suffocating penthouse.
rin runs out to the street and for the first time since he lost you, he names the sinking feeling in his stomach that won’t go away.
for the first time since you walked out the door of your shared apartment, rin finally admits it.
he misses you.
he is longing for you like how the moon misses the sun but never meets it enough. it burns and it is freezing all at the same time because when you were here, he felt nothing but the assurance of your love.
he runs, and runs, and runs. it’s dark and it’s cold, but he runs. he runs in hopes that he could change the past. he runs with the burning desire to correct his faults and take back all the hurt he inflicted on you.
maybe then, you’d be here.
maybe then, it wouldn’t be so cold.
“are you seriously accusing me of that, rin? are you hearing yourself right now?” the hurt was evident in your tone as you watched the love of your life with all of his guards up.
his glares were accusing as if what he saw was an unforgivable betrayal. he had seen you talking to his brother, sae, and rin was quick to act out of pure rage and jealousy.
“you were flirting with my fucking brother!” he spat out, and he knew it was irrational.
he knew he was wrong about and that you would never be able to do that to him, but his years of pent up frustration and hatred towards his brother made it impossible to remember his trust in you.
“and i already told you i wasn’t, rin. i was talking to him. i bumped into him at the coffee shop while i was getting your usual morning drink when he saw me and i sat down for a little chat! that was all, baby. believe me.”
you deserved an award with how well you held up, with how patient you were with him despite his hurtful accusations towards you.
no one else understood him like you did, and you knew to be more patient with him in times like these. you were aware of how his brother affected him and how he just needed someone to stick with him through it.
“well, fuck that! you shouldn’t have been with him in the first place! sae wants everything that i have and now, he’s tryna get you too!”
it almost made you flinch, with his tone rising and his voice getting louder. he is furious, and you try to disregard the sting of his words now that his fury is directed at you.
“i’m sorry, alright? it wasn’t my intention to hurt you, rin. he’s your brother and i thought it would be nice to ask him how he is and—“
rin cut you off like he couldn’t comprehend a word that you were saying. “that’s bullshit and you know it! just fuckin’ tell me the truth! that like everyone and everything else, you’re gonna leave me for him!”
it frustrated you that he blocked all your explanations out. you were growing weary with the accusations thrown at you, but you continued. you continued to reason with him because you knew him. you knew he needed someone to stay. and above all, you tried further because you were in love with him.
you loved rin three years before you finally got together. your two years together made that five. that was five years of your life being deeply in love with someone whom you thought was going to be your husband and the father of your kids.
that amount of time may not be much when viewed through the generations of people who loved each other, but for the both of you, those five years were enough to build a life and create an ideal future with the other.
so, yeah. it never occurred to you to give up in that argument. there was no chance in hell that you would leave him high and dry.
“it’s not like that, rin. i am never going to leave you for anyone, much less for your brother! i need you to listen to me! we talked! that’s it!”
“you’re lying to me. i know it.”
you shake your head in exhaustion. “i talk, and i talk, and i talk—and you don’t hear a thing.” a lone tear falls from your eye without realizing.
his sharp stare does not falter. all he could see was red. the scene of you and sae together replayed over and over again in his mind.
you, the person he loved most, with the person who took everything away from him. it killed him to imagine a future where it is not you and him, but you and sae.
“i’m in love with you. only you. i cannot see myself with anyone else and i thought you knew that, rin. i get that your brother strikes a vein in you but don’t i at least deserve to be heard? we’re better than this.”
“yeah? and i thought you’d be better than acquainting with sae like that. you knew how i felt about him, and you did this? fuck that.”
rin walked out on you that night without another word. it felt like he also walked out on your relationship because he started training more. this meant leaving before you even woke up and going home when you were fast asleep.
during those weeks when rin avoided you like the plague despite living under one roof, you felt completely alone and isolated. you were lonely. he spoke to you in words, and he treated you as if your encounter with sae was enough for him to give it all up.
until one day, he comes home to a living room full of bags and boxes. you were there, waiting for him with a tired smile on your face.
for the first time, rin realized that the black circles under your eyes have grown where they weren’t before. he noticed that you are all cried out and now, you’ve got no tears to shed as you leave him.
“w-what’s all this?”
“i’m leaving. i’m sorry for not getting out of your hair faster. it was really hard to look for another apartment that was within my budget but don’t worry, i figured it out.”
“leaving? leaving me? leaving… this house?” which one is it? or fuck, is it both?
“mhm. i f-figured it’s not healthy for us to live under the same roof after everything. i wouldn’t want you to be uncomfortable in your own space just because i’m here, so…”
did you really think he wanted you to leave? he wanted to explain. he wanted to tell you that he only acted that way because he was hurt and he was guilty! you don’t have to leave!
but he’s frozen from where he stood. the sight of all your stuff packed up and ready to go was a little bit too much for him.
you stood from where you were seated among the bags and boxes, and you stop in front of him. again, you smile gracefully, in contrast to the breaking heart that almost killed you.
“and rin? i’m sorry again for what happened with sae. i should’ve known better than to do that to you, and i understand that you don’t want to do anything with me because of that.”
he shook his head but you missed it because you walked past him with some of your bags in your hand. “y/n, no. i—“
you hear it and for a moment, you delude yourself into thinking that he will ask you to stay. but he doesn’t continue.
he stops because how could he ask you to stay after how he treated you? it was his fault for not listening and in the end, it was you who apologized? in what fucking universe do i deserve this angel, huh?
he doesn’t stop you from leaving because in that very moment, the thought of you finally escaping from him and his hurtful treatment towards you didn’t seem so bad.
“so, i guess… i’ll see you around. nagi will be around to grab my remaining stuff, so try not to kill each other, yeah?” you try to play it off cool, mask the fact that inside, everything is falling apart.
rin nods but he stayed with his back facing you. until the end, he did not have the guts to face you. to face what he had done to you and your relationship.
suddenly, everything grew cold. everything lost their color. the empty corners of where your warmth used to be mocked him.
for nearly a year since then, he has lived and suffered with the mistakes he did. he didn’t know what to tell people when they started asking about you. he didn’t know how to ride the train without holding your hand. he didn’t know how to be soaked in the shower without letting his tears flow freely.
he wondered endlessly as he daydreamed of speaking to you again: are you hurting too, or is it just me?
his endless running brings him to your street where you moved when you left him. his feet takes him farther than he expected because this street is on the opposite part of town from your shared apartment, a telltale sign that you tried to get as far away as possible.
evidently, it is not far enough because on your way home from the convenience store, you run into your ex-boyfriend. rin is first to notice your presence, and instead of freezing up like he did when you left, he walks up to you.
“rin?” you are confused and nervous. after all, the last time you had seen him was almost a year ago. you never tried to see him again.
“it hurts.”
the two words he just confessed are two words that he has never said together in a sentence ever in his life. itoshi rin never admits it when something is hurting him. he never tells anyone when he is in pain.
for him to say that now, it is a cry for you to soothe him in a way that only you could, and you know this because you know him better than the back of your hand.
standing a meter away from you underneath a street lamp, itoshi rin confesses his truth.
“it hurts, y/n. it hurts without you. it feels like i can’t breathe. it is so cold without you. it hurts so badly. i thought i could live with it eventually—but i can’t. it only gets worse.”
rin sees your shoulders shake in your attempt to conceal your sobs but you are failing miserably, and so does he. you don’t say anything and rin figures that’s fair.
you already tried to talk. you already told him everything you needed to hear on the night of the fight that ruined your relationship. it’s his turn to tell you everything you deserve to hear.
but he isn’t as good as you when it comes to words. he thinks about how he accused you of cheating on him. he thinks about how he shut you out and left you feeling lonely. he thinks about every day that he could have chased after you but didn’t. he thinks about all of that and he thinks about how he’s sorry.
and he manages to get that last part out, hoping that you would get it. hoping that the deep-rooted connection between the two of you is enough to let you know what he means.
“i’m sorry.”
you drop your groceries to the ground and you close the meter of distance between the two of you. you welcome him in his arms but he wraps his arms around you tighter than you welcomed him, because he is afraid that if he doesn’t, he will lose you again.
“that is all i needed to hear from you, rin. i never wanted much from you. just you and your love. i just needed to know that you still felt that for me, and when i didn’t… i had no other choice to walk away.”
rin nods against your neck and you feel his tears staining your shoulder. “i’m sorry. forgive me, please. i love you. i love you. and i trust you. more than anyone, baby. i promise.”
“you know i could never hurt you like you thought i did—“ you recalled, but rin cuts you off because he can’t bear another second of you defending yourself when you shouldn’t be.
“i know. i know.”
his embrace around you tightens, and he does not care if anyone could look out from their windows and see the soccer star practically begging for you in the middle of the night. not when he is in your arms again after months of only dreaming about it and wishing for it.
“it hurt too much without you too, rin. i had to remind myself that i can’t run to you for warmth. i took everything in me not to throw away my dignity to beg you to bring me back.”
that answers his question.
in his absence, you were hurting too. your separation killed you just like how it killed him.
“no. no—don’t have to beg for it, baby. i should be on my knees to thank you for even taking me back like this because—shit—i swear that i wouldn’t have lasted another day.”
you run your hands through his hair before briefly pulling away to cup his cheek in your hands, and he fondly leans on your touch.
“for the entire year, i thought it was just me who longed for you, rin.”
you couldn’t be any more wrong.
“i begged the stars and the skies for this very moment. it wasn’t just you.”
notes: this one's shorter than the one before but still, go wild my loves <3
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐍𝐈𝐂𝐄 𝐆𝐔𝐘 who values you very much. is the type to be very secure in the relationship; doesn't like any unnecessary drama and is definitely ready to move onto the next stage. wouldn't really care about the other person but will not tolerate having his boundaries crossed. especially when it's clear that he's yours and yours only.
isagi, yukimiya, bachira, nagi.
his eyes are on his phone, feet tapping against the tiles of the cafe. it's a hole in the wall that he's used to frequenting with you, so much that the staff know your orders by heart. the line is short, seats mostly empty, as the rush hour has passed. the rain is pouring against the window beside him, and he taps his finger on the table to their rhythm.
tilting his head, his eyes find you in the middle of the line. you're focused on the menu, your bottom lip between your teeth as you scan the list of food and beverages. it makes him smile, chuckling under his breath because he knows you'll end up getting what you usually do. he gets onto his feet, wallet in hand, when you're finally set to order.
"hi. good morning, how are you?" your sweet voice tickles his ear as he approaches, his heart warm and sated as you go through your usual routine.
"hey." he presses a kiss to your head, wrapping a hand around your waist. his lips trail down, stopping at your cheek, a smile pressed against the skin as he hears you giggle. "what's taking so long?"
the cashier smiles, amused at the sight. "mornin' i'm great. how about you two lovebirds?"
"we're good," he answers for you both, an easy-going expression on his face. he looks down, scrunching his nose at you while you giggle at his answer. "just waiting for this angel to finish ordering."
"we'll have matcha latte, caramel macchiato, and a blueberry cheesecake please. the usual." he tilts his head, looking for your confirmation. he smiles proudly, chest puffing when you nod your head.
"i'll pay," you say as you show your card to the cashier, smiling at her. he chuckles, letting you take the bill this time. "how much will it be?"
the drinks are out in a second, the green and brown a contrast against each other. there are two pairs of utensils on the plate, and he thanks the staff for their work, taking the tray into his hand. "i'll take these to our table first, okay?" he looks over his shoulder, a gentle look in his eye as he processes just how... domestic this all feels.
"yeah, i'll be there in a minute. i need to go to the bathroom." you smile at the cashier one last time, tucking your purse into your bag. you glare playfully, poking your tongue at him. "don't you dare finish the cheesecake before i'm back."
he pokes his tongue back, a laugh breaking loose from his chest. "no promises."
he sits back down, placing the food on the table as he goes back to drumming his fingers. the rain doesn't look as if it'll be stopping any time soon, wind combining with water to shower the earth clean. he looks at his watch, mentally thinking about making dinner later with you. a smile grows at the thought.
there's a shadow in the corner of his eye that he assumes is you. he smiles, ready to lean over and press a kiss, only to stop when his eyes meet a stranger instead. "sorry." he backs away, a furrow in his eyebrow as he looks around, searching for you. "you've got the wrong table."
"no. it's okay. i've definitely got the right table." the stranger lays it thick with a high-pitched tone, and fluttering eyelashes. "hi, handsome. here's my number."
he watches as she slips a piece of paper onto the table, confusion blending into annoyance when she leans over to take his hand. "look," he says with a frown, pushing his hands into his pockets. he's very obviously looking in the direction you went off in. "you've got the wrong table and i'm already with someone."
"ah but i don't see this someone?" the smile on her face is pushing at his limits. his jaw ticks when she moves to sit beside him. "c'mon, handsome. give me a chance."
the bathroom door by the end opens with a creak, and his head snaps at the sound. before she has time to reach over once again, he's quick to swerve away to your side. you're already eyeing the girl at your table with curiosity, your head tilted in question. "hey, who's that? one of your frien-"
he doesn't let you finish. he's quick to reach for your waist, tugging you into a kiss with a hand cupping your cheek. all negative feelings drain from his limbs, turning him into a puddle of love as you thread your fingers into his hair.
"as much as i love your kisses," you say with a gasp of breath as you look up into his eyes, finding love looking back at you through the orbs. "that was a bit sudden. did something happen?"
"not at all." he shakes his head, nuzzling into your nose. his hands are on the side of your neck, lovingly stroking the skin. "not now that you're here."
you look back at your table, seeing it empty, and the girl from before nowhere in sight.
"shall we enjoy our drinks?" he pushes you with the hand he has on your waist. he sits down first before pulling you to sit right beside him, your hands intertwined under the table. "can't wait to eat dinner with you later."
𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐄𝐍𝐒 𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐏𝐎𝐓𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓. he won't say no to playful flirting since it feeds his ego but will only respond if you're somewhere near or in his field of vision. he won't give the other person any of his attention if you aren't. will think it's funny that they're trying their best but will either shoot them down in a way that crushes their pride or brush them off as if they don't exist.
reo, aiku, karasu, kaiser.
the bass is thrumming against his skull, a tune that doesn't fit the mall's calm and serene energy. he's sitting on one of those plush sofas in a clothing store outlet, tapping his fingers against his thigh as he waits for you to finish changing. he feels the warning glare the manager's sending, and he snorts as if trying to go into the dressing room with you is a crime. he would be so much more satisfied with you between four cramped walls than in the wide space where people are obviously gawking at him.
"excuse me." someone calls his name timidly, and he cocks his head towards them, wanting to see where this goes. they send him a smile, one that's too teethy and falsely sweet but hey he can't fault them for not flashing his favorite smile; they aren't you after all.
"yes?" his reply is short and blunt, but he sighs when the girl flinches away. you've always said that his resting face looked too mean. he chuckles at the thought.
shaking himself out of his daydream, he shows his best smile. he leans back, arm stretched out against the back of the couch as he adjusts his pose, manspreading. a peacock, you'd once muse when he first did it in front of you. he watches with thinly veiled boredom in his eyes, a juxtaposition to the sickeningly sweet smile on his lips. "can i help you with something?"
the girl flushes, biting her lip and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. being coy, he realizes with an amused scoff.
"sorry to bother you. it's just- you looked so bored. i thought i could entertain you."
his eyebrow quirks at the word entertain, tilting his head in mock curiosity. "and how would you do that, hm?" he takes her in, taking in her choice of clothing and hairstyle. cute he'd give that much to her. nothing like you, though. she couldn't compare.
he realizes belatedly that the once over was seen differently than what he meant for it to come across. amusement flickers in his eyes when she flushes a bright red, fidgeting on her spot. "you do this often?" he tilts his head, eyes half-lidded, trying to gauge her reaction. "flirting with random strangers in the mall of a hobby, eh?"
"just the handsome ones," she says with a giggle. he watches as she points a finger to the row of clothes, her interest clear as day. "how about we look around? buy some clothes or jewelry so we match."
he chuckles, shaking his head at the thought. he can't wait to tell you about this. right on cue, the door to your dressing room opens, and you step out. his breath gets stuck in his throat, his eyes widening, and a grin making its way to his lips.
the black dress you have on is nothing short of stunning. it tapers off to your knees, the material hugging your curves. he sends you an eager look, one which you giggle at. you turn, showing him the back of the dress, keeping eye contact as you do. his mouth falls and thoughts short circuit as his eyes rake down your bare back, stopping just before your bum.
oh the things he'll do to you in that dress. no wonder the manager was so adamant on not letting him join in on the fun.
"nah," he says distractedly at the girl still waiting for his response. he sends you a wink and a flirty smile, mouthing one moment, before turning back to her. "see that gorgeous specimen right there? yeah i'm hers."
"she and i, we match." his eyes are filled with mischief as he tugs his shirt down, showing off the collection of marks you left on him last night. the skin around his collarbone is red, purple, and bruised. littered with love bites. a symbol of your love he thinks smugly. "see?"
there's pride blooming in his chest, a smug smile forming on his face the moment her eyes widen and the color drains from her face. "i'm not interested in anyone who's not her. so scram." he's quick to wave her away, skipping over to tug you back into the fitting room, this time with him in it.
𝐂𝐎𝐋𝐃 𝐀𝐒 𝐈𝐂𝐄, the type to literally not care at all. will not give them time of day and will appear hostile if necessary. but he'll mostly just look at them, expressionless with dead eyes.
sae, rin, kunigami
there are so many options to choose from, he frowns, glaring at the row of refrigerators stacked next to each other as if they've done something wrong. the supermarket is relatively busy, customers ranging from middle schoolers to elderly. he's in the drink section, passing one fridge to another, looking for your favorite drink from outside the glass, his frowning reflection looking back at him.
you're somewhere in the dairy section, picking out pints of ice cream, and who knows what else. he checks his phone, checking for any new messages from you. i'll head over soon, after i find the popcorn, it reads along with multiple hearts and photos of you smiling beside the ice cream. he shakes his head, tapping a finger against the screen to save the photos.
he pockets his phone, ready to move on to the next isle when he bumps into someone. he huffs, his eyes looking at the girl that's staring right back at him.
"really?" she says with a flirty giggle after she gets a clear look at his face. he remains stoic, hands in his pocket, even as she nudges him on the shoulder as if a longtime friend. "you're handsome but if you don't say sorry when you bump into someone, they'll lose interest. but maybe that's your charm."
he moves to slight past her, not at all caring about her presence, but before he knows it, she's stuck a hand into his back pocket, sending a kiss playfully before bounding over somewhere he doesn't give a damn about. the frown on his lips deepens, but before he has the chance to look into his pocket, you pop up right beside him.
"hey, i can't find the drinks but i've got everything else." he hears you say as you show him your basket full of things, smiling up at him. there are all kinds of things in the basket, ranging from chocolate, popcorn, ice cream, sausages, and many more. tonight is monthly movie night and he tries to shake off the weird encounter from his mind, not wanting to dampen the mood.
he smiles back, leaning down to take the basket from you. the hoodie you have on is his, and it dwarves you. the hem reaches your knees, and he can't see your hands which makes him chuckle all the while more. you told him that you were cold, he knows it's just another excuse to wear his hoodie.
"let's go home." he ruffles a hand through your hair, affection getting the best of him, before taking your hand with his other.
he drops the basket on the self-checkout counter, and helps you scan all the necessary items. he eyes the chupa-chups by the counter and grabs two, strawberry and cola, scanning both and handing them for you to choose. he chuckles when you brighten, choosing the strawberry for yourself.
"i'll take the bags." he takes both bags into his left hand, the other placing itself on your back. he leads you out, shaking his head in amusement when he feels you slip your hand into his back pocket.
"hey what's this?" the tone of your voice has him frowning. "i didn't know you smoke. it's bad for you, ya know?"
looking down at the cigarette in your hand, he eyes the scribble of numbers surrounding the stick. ah that's what she slipped in, he sighs. taking the cigarette from you, he's quick to throw it to the ground, crushing it with his foot.
"i don't," he chuckles at the look of disbelief on your face. leaning in, he plucks the candy from your mouth, pressing a kiss and pushing his tongue in. you taste sweet from the candy he notes, you smell like ice cream too. he's quick to pull back, chuckling when he realizes just how flustered you've become.
"i prefer sweets," he says with a smug smile before popping the candy into his own mouth.
GUESS WHO'S A COUPLE! w isagi yoichi, mikage reo, & itoshi sae (sep)
essentially people are guessing if you are a couple with these guys and what factors gives them away into knowing you two are together! inspired by this video obvi
ISAGI YOICHI
I’m so sorry, but this man will automatically sell you guys out so fast the moment you two are put together. Like, he already looks at you like you’ve pulled the stars from the sky and laid them at his feet, so imagine his expression when the contestant asks you to come forward beside him.
“From the get-go, these two kind of have this vibe going on,” the contestant would say, gesturing between you and Isagi. “I’m gonna ask if you two can hold hands real quick, just to confirm my suspicions.”
And this is what screws you both over because, out of habit, Isagi is already intertwining his fingers with yours. He forgot that the whole point of the game/video is to throw the contestant off of thinking you guys were a couple.
Without missing a beat the contestant nods once, then twice before clearing their throat to state the obvious. “Okay. Yeah, they’re dating.”
“Isagi.”
“I know…”
MIKAGE REO
Reo is someone else who comes to mind as the type of boyfriend who would also be very bad at concealing the fact that you two are together. But not in the same way as Isagi. Oh no, no, no, nooo.
At first, Reo was super into the game, trying not to make it obvious that you were dating. He usually wears this devilishly handsome smile whenever he sees you, but once the contestant asks you to step forward beside Reo he immediately schools his features so they would appear as passive.
And it works!
If the contestant incorrectly pairs you with someone that isn’t him, Reo is wearing the biggest stank face ever, LOL. Like his brows are furrowed, mouth is bunched up into a tight, peeved pout. He is such a baby.
He’s jealous once he sees you paired up with another guy, and the contestant raves on and on about how “good” you two look together, how they can really see this happening, yadda yadda.
Like, okay. Whatever.
And his expression only sours for the worse when the contestant asks you to tell the stranger you love them. And for the sake of the game, you do.
Obviously, you and Reo both know you don’t mean it, but he’s like a puppy who always seeks to gain attention and love from its owner.
So, when the person who’s pairing finally finishes their match-making antics and says, “Let’s see if anyone looks mad in this line-up.”
There’s Reo sticking out like a fucking sore thumb in the line, looking like >:[
So there goes that.
ITOSHI SAE
Let’s just imagine him in a different context outside of the game/video because let’s be honest, this man is BUSY! So, instead, I’ll drop you guys some tell-tale signs that people can pick up on that you two are together.
He lets you get away with stuff that other people would never get the chance to do. Take that as you will, but people have come to learn that he is especially lenient when you’re in the picture.
His phone has a bunch of notifications on it, ranging from missed calls from his manager, mass text messages, multiple mentions from his social media page. Still, he always finds the time to respond to you and your messages (even though some are stupid).
you: wtf sae. open your texts???
sae<333: It’s fine.
Whenever he is invited to special sporting events or games and has an extra ticket, he brings you. Even when you don’t know what’s going on half of the time on the field.
“The players are leaving the field already? So that means the game’s done?” You’d ask, diverting your attention away from your boyfriend to look at the players temporarily exiting the arena once the midpoint interval has begun.
Thank your lucky stars Sae does have a bit of patience when it comes to you because he bites his tongue from answering you with the most deadpan response.
Leveling Up Your Love! ☆ Episode 1
Nagi Seishiro x GN!Reader
You're a second year in high school and have decided to become an all-new you! You plan on battling your anxieties and facing the difficulties of your teenage social life head-on, with your pursuit of your one-sided crush on Reo Mikage being at the forefront of this new challenge. Through bribes, you manage to enlist the help of Mikage's best friend, Seishiro Nagi, as you try to win his heart. With Nagi as your guide and unrivaled determination keeping you focused, there can only be victory waiting for you! You make a vow to yourself to bulldoze through any obstacle and accomplish your goals for the year, but that's much easier said than done when your biggest enemy is yourself, and the goals themselves become unclear the closer you and Nagi get to the finish line.
☆ before blue lock ☆ reader is extroverted but has anxiety ☆ gender / race neutral ☆ blue lock starts a year later than in canon ☆
ep. guide | next →
a/n: this is my first like FIC fic thingy thats not just one / two shots, so idk what im doing lmao .. but im shooting for romcom shojo manga/anime vibes bc yes hehe. i'll be updating every 1-2 weeks and idk how many chapters this will have, but just know it'll be long! bc slow burn!! also i put op/ed songs bc why tf not. but they dont fit the mood/vibe of every ep so i wouldnt call them something to listen to while you read. anyway enjoyyy (hopefully) <3
Episode 1 : Seishiro Nagi has joined your party!
｡*ﾟ+ opening song ｡*ﾟ+
For the past five years, your life has been stagnant.
Everything was much simpler when you were a kid. When you were sad, you cried. When you were happy, you smiled. When you liked someone, you said it.
You’re not sure when things got muddled, but you realized it the moment you fell for Reo Mikage.
It was the first year of lower secondary schooling and you only spent a couple months interacting with him before he quit band, but suddenly everything was just—complicated. Maybe it was a conglomerate of things going on in your life that made it impossible to be yourself around him. The reasons were hard to pinpoint. But, anxiety was the most blatant out of all of them.
You exchanged greetings, but never held a conversation with Mikage since he quit the club, and didn’t bother trying. You overthink when it comes to talking to your crush, and eventually you started overthinking when it came to talking to others, too, and your social life at school just became nonexistent. You didn’t know how to really share your feelings like you could when you were kid.
…well, that all ends today!
It’s been five years, and you're now in the second trimester of your second year in high school. Summer vacation has ended, and you’re starting out with a clean slate!
You weren’t going to be lazy or cowardly. You were sick of drifting along and cowering at everything. Mikage was changing, too, and he finally found something he became invested in—you were happy for him, but you weren’t going to be left behind. You wanted things to be different in your final years of school.
Starting this trimester, for the rest of your high school years, you’ll be driven and assertive! Nothing can get in your way!
“Are you going to go in?”
You flinched at the familiar voice and whipped your head around. Nagi stared back down at you with a tired look, holding his phone in one hand.
“S-sorry!” you quickly stammered, scuffling out of his way.
…okay, you were starting this semester with a clean slate, sure, but your change would begin when you entered the classroom. It’s okay for you to be nervous before you get inside.
Nagi walked past you without sparing another glance. You stared at him as he entered.
Seishiro Nagi.
Mikage's best friend.
Your ticket to your crush.
Nagi was notorious in the classroom for his laziness. He always slept in class, he was curt and lacked manners with everyone he spoke with, and he was one of the most unapproachable people here. He just didn’t hold conversations. Yet, at the same time, his grades on exams were the highest, he got spoiled by the teachers, and had plenty of people pining after him because of his height and pretty face. He gained even more popularity towards the end of last semester, after making the local news following the first football game of the year.
More important than any of that, though, Mikage stuck to him like glue.
Yes, it wasn’t the other way around, as Mikage’s “friends” usually were. Ever since they joined the football team, Nagi has been the only thing Mikage really paid attention to, besides football.
Honestly, aside from his friendship with Mikage, you weren’t interested in Nagi. But, as you awkwardly hovered near the classroom entrance while he made his way inside with no problem, your eyes couldn’t help but linger on him.
Nagi didn’t get along with anyone in class, but he never seemed nervous when he interacted with others. He just didn’t care how other people thought of him. You both envied and admired that quality.
If Nagi can go through his time in class bullshitting and pissing of the teachers without thinking twice, why couldn’t you, when you haven’t done anything at all? You can’t forget your vow for the year this early.
You sucked in a deep breath and walked inside.
The classroom was bustling. You actually came to school early today, so your things were already at your desk. But, you stepped outside to wait for everyone else to arrive. Now that the classroom wasn't empty and you had a goal in mind for the day, it was somehow nerve-wracking.
When you made it to you desk in one peace, you felt your nerves start to wash away.
Alright, you did it. No sweat. Now, you have to keep focused.
Your eyes drifted back to Nagi.
The only two things Mikage has shown interest in were your only options to get close with him, and one of them is your classmate, who sits to the right of the seat in front of you. He’s been this close for months, but the two of you never exchanged a single word.
That all changes today.
You watched as Nagi placed something in his desk, before freezing. He must feel it.
You bit your lower lip and held your breath when he pulled out your letter.
It wasn’t anything crazy—you didn’t want it to look like a confession, or to catch people’s attention. It had to just look like a simple note, because that’s all it was.
You watched as he read it, and then turned to look at you directly. Normally, you would have looked away immediately, but this was a different you. This is the assertive, direct you.
You locked eyes for long moment, before he turned and faced forward. You released the breath you had been holding.
He folded the paper and put it back in his desk, and you caught a glimpse of your own writing on the paper when he did:
Meet me behind the stairs during study period
- Y/N
Phase 1: Start!
You anxiously paced back and forth later that day, hands fiddling around with anything to keep busy.
It’s only been a few minutes since you excused yourself to go to the bathroom, but you really didn’t want the time to go on any longer. What if your teacher probed you for questions because you took a while? What if someone passed by and caught a glimpse of you, and got you in trouble? What if Nagi didn’t even come?!
You couldn’t talk to him between classes. Everyone around you would hear. You couldn’t talk to him during lunch, or before or after classes. He’d be with Mikage. This was your only option. If he didn’t bother, you were screwed!
“Make it quick. I’m tired.”
“ACK!”
You covered your mouth at the weird sound you let out and turned to see Nagi leaning on the wall, staring at you with boredom. You looked away again.
Maybe you should have chosen a different spot. Behind the stairs was good for hiding, but it was a narrow space, and he towered over you. It felt—uncomfortable.
…not that you would let that stop you, of course.
You cleared your throat and began taking out your phone, straightening your posture as though it’d make up for the height difference.
“Nagi-san, you play Champions of Orisha, right?” you started. “How are you doing on the current event?”
His lips twitched, “You made me come all the way here just to talk about games…?”
The stairs were right around the corner from his classroom, so it’s not like he went far—but for someone as lazy as him, it was probably a big deal. Why was he even on a sports team?
“Yes, but it’s more than that. I have a proposition for you!” you said. “Trust me, it’ll be worth your while.”
“Another deal? Such a hassle…”
Another?
Ah, whatever. You can’t ask about that now. One thing you’ve observed about Nagi last trimester is his time limit. If you took too long to get to the point, you’d lose his attention.
“You don’t play in a party, do you? You don’t seem like the type, even though it's an MMO. So, you really rely on these events and the gacha pulls to level up. That way you can take on the bosses on your own,” you said. He nodded.
“Yeah, I do. So, if you’re going to ask me to be in your party, you already know what my answer is.”
“No, no! Actually, I used to be obsessed with the game in junior high, when it was first released. So, I have a lot of rare items that aren’t available, since a lot has updated—y’know, they sometimes revisit gacha events these days, but they never bring back the old ones. That makes the stuff from back then really rare.”
As you spoke, you held out your phone screen, showing him your inventory.
Technically, you weren't sharing the whole truth. You did play the game a lot back in the day, but you didn’t really participate in the gacha events or get amazing equipment. You weren’t that dedicated. What actually happened was that you hustled over summer breaking all day and night, hunting for older players that would have actually had this stuff, making trades with them, and getting it all fully upgraded. You may or may not have spent some of your savings for this, too...
You’ll be taking that to your grade, obviously. Doing all of this for a crush was fucking embarrassing...
Still, it was all worth it when you saw Nagi's reaction. His eyes widened and his lips parted in shock as he looked over your items. This was the most emotion you’ve ever seen on him!
“Woah. You’re offering this to me? What do you want in return?”
You grinned.
Bingo.
“The football team you’re on doesn’t have a manager yet, does it?”
Nagi rubbed at the back of his neck, “No, but we’re not taking applicants.”
Yes, you knew they weren’t taking applicants—or rather, Mikage wasn’t taking any. Too many of them were fans that were just joining with ill intentions, so he didn’t want to deal with them. He was doing all of the work of the manager himself on top of training. Anyone who paid enough attention could gather this much.
“Exactly. I know Mikage-san will let me be manager if you ask him. If you can get my application through, all of this will be yours. And, of course, you gotta keep the deal between us…” you said, slowly swaying your phone like it was a piece of steak to entice him. You had a hopeful smile, even as Nagi gave you an incredulous look.
“Look, I know what you’re thinking! And, don’t worry. I do my duties well! We’ve been in the same class all year, haven’t we? You know that I’m responsib-”
“I don’t pay attention to you. I don’t even know your name.” Nagi cut you off quickly.
Okay, ouch…
“Uh—well, then I'm telling you now! I'm super responsible-"
Whether or not that was true didn't matter, of course.
"-and when I commit to something, I give it my all. I won’t be a nuisance or get in the way, and I'll do my best to support you. I just—really want to be manager of the football team!”
“Really?”
“Really!”
"This is because you want to help the football team?"
"Yes!"
"Not at all because of your crush on Reo?"
“Of course no- eh?!”
You froze, looking at him with wide eyes. Nagi stared at you, too.
When did he—how did he—
He didn’t even know your name, but he knew about your crush?!
Was that how obvious it was?!
Physically, you stood there stiffly. Internally, you were screaming, pulling at your hair, falling to your knees, and your skin was peeling.
Mikage’s best friend knew. Have they talked about it before? Does Mikage know? Who else?! The rest of their friends?! The football team?! The entire class?! Have they been gossiping about you behind your back this whole time? You don't have any friends, so you'd be an easy target, and-
“Reo doesn’t pay attention to all the people who have a crush on him. He doesn’t care. I don’t know if he knows, but I don’t think it matters either way,” Nagi said, like he was reading your mind.
You continued to gape like a damn fish.
“...if that’s all, then, I guess we’re done here. That’s my answer to your offer,” he finished. Nagi turned and started to walk away.
No—no, it’s only the first day! You only just started this plan, it can’t already be over…
You can’t falter. This is a setback, sure, but—but, maybe, it’s just an opportunity in disguise!
“Wait!”
You rushed forward and grabbed his arm, pulling him back. He looked at you with slight annoyance.
“What now?”
“N-Nagi-san, I’m not done.”
“I’m not going to help you be manager. You’ll just get in the way.”
“I won’t. You need me.”
He didn’t really, but you needed to make him believe that.
“You—you care about football, don’t you? Aside from games, that’s the only thing you seem to care about. If I’m manager, I can-”
“You’re wrong.”
Nagi shook your arm off him, rolling his eyes. You didn’t back away, but you did let go.
“I don’t really care about football. I'm just in it 'cause Reo’s paying me.”
….
“...wh-…”
Your jaw completely dropped.
“Whaaaaat?!”
“I said, Reo’s paying me." Nagi made a face at your volume. You quickly covered your mouth and peaked your head out to make sure you didn't catch any attention, but he continued normally.
"And he takes care of things for me so it’s not a hassle, to keep me around.”
You looked back at Nagi with utter disbelief when you confirmed the coast was clear.
This—this is the craziest thing you’ve ever heard.
“...you—you, don't care about football at all, then?”
“Nope.”
“Like, at all?”
“That’s what I said, isn’t it?”
“Then, what does it matter to you if I’m manager or not?! Take the offer! Who cares if it sucks for the team if you get paid either way?!”
“Well, that’s…” Nagi paused for a second. That seemed to have him stumped.
“Huh. Good question. Why do I care?”
You rose your hands to your head and groaned softly. If even he didn’t understand what he wanted, how were you supposed to convince him?
After a bit of thought, Nagi shrugged, “Well, Reo will make me practice harder if you get in the way of your games or practice and make performance go down. And, Reo and I are going to be World Cup Champions, so.”
“World Cu-”
You quickly stopped yourself from replying. You almost questioned him on how that made sense with his flimsy motivations, but that wouldn't end well for you. You're not here to pick a fight.
“Okay, so, you don’t care about the team. But, if you want to live up to your promise with Mikage-san, doesn’t that mean it’s him you care about?” you tried. To you, it just sounded like a couple best friends playing a sport together.
“...huh. I guess I do care about Reo, don’t I? You’re right, there.”
“Perfect! We have that in common!” you said, your energy quickly bouncing back.
“You already know I care about Mikage-san. I would never do anything to get in his way. I simply want to support him as manager. Don’t you think it’ll be easier on him if he has less duties to take care of? As manager, I can take off half of the load. It’ll make things run smoother for you two. He’ll have more time to dedicate to football instead of managing the team. I’ll even—I’ll even help you with your homework instead of him!”
“How do you know he helps me with that? Are you a stalker-”
“Everyone in class knows! It’s not like you two are subtle! There’s a rumor you two are secretly fucking, anyway!” you said, a little too defensively.
“Hm…”
“Anyway! My point is that I can take off a lot from Mikage-san’s load. Just thinking about his schedule stresses me out. If you care about him, I’m sure you would want him to have a load off too, right? And, I also want to see him win the World Cup. I—I mean, I’ve known him since Junior High. He always said he was looking for something, which is why he quit our club, and—and it looks like he finally found what he was looking for. I’ve never seen him so driven and passionate before, so I’m genuinely rooting for him, really. I just—I don’t want to sit on the sidelines anymore in my own life and feelings. I want to be active. I know I’m technically joining for impure intentions, but I mean it when I say I want to support the team with everything I've got. I swear on my mom!"
You were almost out of breath by the end of your monologue from how desperate you were. You pressed your phone forward.
“All of this will be yours, I’ll do your work, and I won’t let anyone find out. I’ll be the best manager ever. No matter how you look at it, you and Mikage-san will benefit! All I’m asking is that you let me help you both reach your goal!"
Nagi was silent. He stared at you for a long time.
After what felt like literal years of suspense, he slowly let out a sigh. Your chest leapt when his hand reached forward and grabbed your phone.
“I’ll bring it up to Reo. If he says no, there’s nothing I can-”
“YES!!” you rushed forward, but Nagi took a humongous step back and made a face.
“I—I was just going to give you a high-five!”
“Really?”
“Really! But, I got it, no high-fives! Thank you thank you thank you thank you, thank you!!”
“If you keep being extra, I’ll take it back.”
You sucked in a sharp breath and clamped your mouth shut. You nodded fervently, now silent as Nagi typed in his username in the game and sent the friend request.
“Send it all to me today. I’ll take your application tomorrow.”
“Thank you so much!—Ah, and um. This will stay between us, right?”
“Yeah. Reo would make a big deal out of it if he found out. You’re a borderline stalker, so…”
“I’m not a-”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Nagi handed the phone back to you. You took it like it was the most sacred thing on this Earth.
“Nagi-san—no, King Nagi-”
“Doing too much.”
“Right, sorry. Nagi-san, I promise not to let you down!”
“Uh-huh,” he said, but he didn’t seem like he cared about your vow. He turned and started to the classroom, and you lagged behind. If you returned at the same time, it’d look fishy, and you also had to celebrate your success!
With silent squeals, you jumped up and down underneath the stairs, pumping your fists in the air.
Why did you ever doubt Nagi?! He’s an amazing guy. A pure angel. The personification of good itself. He deserves all the good in the world. He really will win the world cup, single-handedly, and you’ll be his number one fan! You are his loyal fan, now!
Phase One is officially complete. The new you was moving mountains, and the school day hasn’t even finished yet.
If you had any doubts, they were officially washed away. You were going to give everything your all and come out on top. You’ll make the most out of your high school years, make friends, get along with your classmates, and most importantly—you will pursue your unrequited love.
Nothing can get in your way!
｡*ﾟ+ ending song ｡*ﾟ+
ep. guide | next →
a/n: thanks for reading!! i hope you liked ep 1!! side note but BRUHH a video game based on orisha????? i want that sooo bad. i have a bunch of lore for the game in my head now even tho the story will never get to it bc its just some random game and isnt relevant. someone needs to make the mmorpg pls we need it 😭
MAO I CANT DO THIS ANYMORE I NEED DAD CHRIS PRINCE
DON'T WORRY I'VE GOT YOU
Requests open! - masterlist
Tags: gn!Chris' child!reader, this is a bit of a braindump so kinda unorganized/messy
-Chris is a very emotional dad. VERY. emotional. Cried when you were born, cried when you took your first steps, and don't even get me started on when you said "dad" for the first time
-gentle parenting is the only parenting method I'm somewhat educated on and LET ME TELL YOU. Chris is definitely a gentle parent. You never get any punishments, but you have to face the consequences of whatever you did wrong
-he teaches you what's right and what's wrong and he focuses on helping you process your emotions a lot!! If you're sad he never says "Don't cry" or anything like that, instead he always asks what makes you sad and helps you go through your emotions until you feel better!! He does that with al
-he's very supportive of anything you wanna do!! He lets you try out any hobby that comes to your mind and he wants you to pursue any passion you've got
-he LOVES to show you and your achievements off. Not really to the public because he respects your privacy, but he talks about you towards his friends and other family members whenever he gets the chance to
-definitely brags about you towards Noa. Sure he might be the world's best striker, but does he have the world's best kid?
-he calls you his little prince/princess all the time!! Especially when asked about you in interviews because he doesn't want to reveal your actual name to the public
-he's like. VERY. careful with what information he reveals about you. He's heard so many stories of bad stuff happening to kids and it makes him afraid of anything happening to you. He's just very overprotective and careful because of that
-many many hugs and cuddles!! He also hugs you a bit too tight whenever he returns home after travelling so you have to remind him to let you breathe
given how Americanized this site is, it’s important to celebrate all our countries and nationalities - with all their quirks and vices and ridiculousness, and all that might seem strange to outsiders.
1. favourite place in your country?
2. do you prefer spending your holidays in your country or travel abroad?
3. does your country have access to sea?
4. favourite dish specific for your country?
5. favourite song in your native language?
6. most hated song in your native language?
7. three words from your native language that you like the most?
8. do you get confused with other nationalities? if so, which ones and by whom?
9. which of your neighbouring countries would you like to visit most/know best?
10. most enjoyable swear word in your native language?
11. favourite native writer/poet?
12. what do you think about English translations of your favourite native prose/poem?
13. does your country (or family) have any specific superstitions or traditions that might seem strange to outsiders?
14. do you enjoy your country’s cinema and/or TV?
15. a saying, joke, or hermetic meme that only people from your country will get?
16. which stereotype about your country you hate the most and which one you somewhat agree with?
17. are you interested in your country’s history?
18. do you speak with a dialect of your native language?
19. do you like your country’s flag and/or emblem? what about the national anthem?
20. which sport is The Sport in your country?
21. if you could send two things from your country into space, what would they be?
22. what makes you proud about your country? what makes you ashamed?
23. which alcoholic beverage is the favoured one in your country?
24. what other nation is joked about most often in your country?
25. would you like to come from another place, be born in another country?
26. does your nationality get portrayed in Hollywood/American media? what do you think about the portrayal?
27. favourite national celebrity?
28. does your country have a lot of lakes, mountains, rivers? do you have favourites?
29. does your region/city have a beef with another place in your country?
30. do you have people of different nationalities in your family?
im not patriotic but this seems fun and I get to talk bc honestly I just wanna talk.
1. favourite place in your country?
I don't actually have a favourite place considering I don't go out that much but if I have to say then it's probably Central I-city Mall. I went there like thrice? But it's a really big mall and has bookstores. That's the only thing I look forward to tbh so I can buy mangas and stuff.
2. do you prefer spending your holidays in your country or travel abroad?
I spend my holidays at home. I don't like going outside alone bc it makes me nervous.
3. does your country have access to sea?
We do!
4. favourite dish specific for your country?
It's got to be Nasi Ayam or Nasi Lemak. It's like a classic dish but its good! Though i usually like non-local food.
5. favourite song in your native language?
Arjuna Beta. This is like the only malay song that I listen to cuz its about a mom singing this to her sleeping baby. It usually makes me cry bc the mom sings about how she's going to protect the child and how she hopes her child only have sweet dreams.
As of today, I will highlight more of her song title Arjuna Beta by Fynn Jamal. The song was a dedication to her ill son Bakti Arjuna Fitri, not only praying for hope but crying for the hope to come to realize. A truly an expression of struggling soul fighting for justice, just one word which is amazing.
I took this from google so dont quote me.
6. Most hated song in your native language.
Honestly, none. Idc about the other songs nor do i listen to them. Mostly western stuff cuz the music here is trash.
7. three words from your native language that you like the most?
None. Maybe bulan (moon), bintang (star/s) and cahaya (light) i just made it up on the spot.
8. do you get confused with other nationalities? if so, which ones and by whom?
uhhh honestly idk. I didnt really gaf about it.
9. which of your neighbouring countries would you like to visit most/know best?
Mainly would like to visit singapore cuz they have universal to play all the fun stuff even though im not a child anymore.
10. most enjoyable swear word in your native language?
Babi. I say this all the time. It means pig and is a commonly used swear word here.
I realize I never wrote fluff in this blog before.
"What are you doing here so late?" Surprising you at almost midnight was none other than your boyfriend Rin. He didn't respond, opting to just close your door and dragging you back to your bed.
"Rin? Did something happened?" Rin never comes over without informing you first so the sudden visit got you a little worried. He sat down, looked at you and proceeded to hold both your hands. Doing circular motions with his thumbs.
"Baby, what's wron-"
"I miss you."
It caught you off guard. Your usually stoic boyfriend took one of your hand and places it on his cheek.
"Do you not like it if I came over whenever I want to see you?"
He looked up at you with droopy eyes, his tousled hair made him look even more cuter. "Of course I like it. It just suprises me."
"Do you wanna sleep? You seem like you're about to fall off this bed" You giggled, finding your sleepy boyfriend's expression quite adorable.
Rin nodded in response, he pulled you into bed. Making himself getting into a more comfortable position with his head on your chest and his arms wrapping your waist.
Naturally, your fingers finds its way to his hair. Fiddling with it while humming your favorite song.
"You smell so nice.." Rin murmurs, trying to nuzzle into you even more.
You hummed, "Your hair is so soft Rin.. It's so different compared to when we first met."
"Its cause you like to pet my hair so I took better care of it"
You giggled, "You're always so cute Rinnie" only earning a grunt back from said man.
"Goodnight Rin, sweet dreams. I love you so much." You placed a chaste kiss on his forehead.
snowghoul
theartofmadeline
germansingergirl
yousharknotpass
turnnoffyourmind
areudirty
titsay
tangentwithtanner
romaincrisis
