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“C’mon, we’re getting some new gear.”
Isagi declared bluntly, signaling with his hands for the two other boys to follow, with finality.
Yoichi Isagi had just saved up enough goal bonuses for a one-day out ticket. For the longest time, the gear they’ve been using at practice has gotten worn out, so naturally, Isagi pointed this out to Ego. He worked hard building his case to the man in charge, hoping that perhaps Ego would be persuaded. Conveniently, the man didn’t care one bit about Isagi’s plan to use his ticket to go frolicking around outside; as long as he was back in time for scrimmages.
Isagi’s command to follow was faced with a deep growl. “Who died and made you in charge, peasant?” Barou hissed, sitting down on the field, chest heaving after completing his warm-up. “Don’t you know it’s the middle of practice?" The self-centered king wouldn’t have his schedule disturbed by a donkey.
Isagi’s former finality seemed to crumble the moment he was challenged. His eyes drifted to Nagi, wondering if he had some sort of rebuttal as well.
The snow-haired boy was lying down on the field, a towel on his forehead. He’d been waiting for Reo after promising to practice with him for the afternoon. His morning was already occupied by the other two.
“No can do…” The lazy genius groaned. “I have things I’m doing. Why not ask Bachira?”
“Well, he’s practicing with Rin… I kinda don’t want to interrupt them.” Isagi scratched the back of his neck with a shaky chuckle. Lightheartedly, he continued. “I thought, since you guys are here, you wouldn’t mind missing an hour or two if it pertained to soccer.”
“Besides, Barou, I’m sure you’d appreciate some new cleats.” Isagi’s eyes would slowly lock with the cleats currently being worn by Barou. His eyes widened with embarrassment at how backhanded his previous comment sounded. “N-Not that you actually need it, ahah…”
While the larger player glared at Isagi, Nagi voiced another one of his concerns.
“How are we gonna get there? By walking?” His tone carried a sense of pondering… and a lot of ‘not-doing-that-energy.’
“Okay- no.” Isagi then quickly reiterated. “Actually, yes, but it can’t be a far walk. Trust me.” The dark-blue-haired boy was determined. He would leave this place with all three of them together and come back with some new equipment, whether they liked it or not.
Barou crossed his arms, not hooked yet on whatever Isagi was scheming. “Do you expect us to use our goal-bonuses on your shitty plans?” Isagi faltered when Barou pointed out that flaw. He was essentially asking them to waste their bonuses on a day out with him…
“Hey, don’t act like you guys can’t afford it when we practice like crazy every day!” Isagi countered.
While the three debated and bickered, two other Blue Lock players entered the field from the locker room. The redhead speedster Hyoma Chigiri and the versatile copycat Reo Mikage.
“Oh, it’s you guys.” Chigiri looked over at the other boys and gave a nod of acknowledgement. Reo gave a curt wave. The arrival of the other two put their discussion on hold.
“Hey, Donkey, go ask them to go run your errands with you.” Barou gestured to the two with a sudden chin jerk. That action caused both boys to stop walking and raise their brows at them, now curious of what they’d just gotten themselves into.
Isagi gave a fleeting scowl at Barou for dragging Chigiri and Reo into this, before turning and walking over to the two anyway. With an apologetic grin, Isagi asked the two. “Would you come with me to buy some new gear? I have money, and we’ll be gone for about an hour so-”
“Hard pass,” Chigiri interjected. “unless you want me to blow all of your cash or return 30 minutes later.”
Isagi frowned, but he expected that kind of answer from Chigiri. He wasn’t joking about coming back half an hour late or spending all of his money. The striker then looked at Reo, as if the midfielder was his last hope.
Reo cringed at the sight. Instead, the violet-haired boy looked at Nagi’s body lying there on the field…
“Is Nagi going?”
“What- him? Uh, no.”
“Yeah, I’m not going…” Nagi confirmed.
“Oh,” Reo nodded, taking in this information. “Yeah, I’m not going then.”
At least he pretended to consider.
Isagi sighed, which must’ve signaled the end of that conversation, because Chigiri and Reo began to head out and set up the field for their warm-up.
“Well… that’s just even more reason for you guys to come with me.” He turned to the two other players. Isagi simply doesn’t give up. “It’s just an hour! You guys are benefiting from this!” He pleaded, attempting to sway Barou and Nagi.
“Hearing a donkey’s cries is always pathetic.” Barou sneered, which only got an eyeroll from Isagi, since he knew better than anyone that even Barou couldn’t deny that going along wasn’t as bad as he thought.
Isagi retorted, biting back his frustration with firm knowledge. “Okay, but there’s simply no real reason NOT to go!”
Isagi and Barou’s back and forth seemed like static noise to Nagi, whose head was now turned in the direction where Reo and Chigiri were setting up. His gaze focused on the copycat. Now thinking about it… Reo may enjoy a gift. Maybe Nagi should get him one. Would he like something expensive? Wait- no, Reo is already rich, but shouldn’t anything Nagi hands over be enough for Reo to treasure?
What if… it brought a smile to Reo’s face? To see his expression gleam as it used to when they were first starting soccer…
That’s got to be his favorite thing about Reo. His smile.
“Hey, Isagi?” His low voice suddenly chimed in, stopping whatever convincing Isagi was doing and whatever retaliation Barou had. “I’ll go.”
Barou’s brows furrowed deeply, his jaw clenched. “Really, Mr. Hassleman?” “Don’t call me that-” “Thought walkin’ was going to be a pain. What changed your mind?” He growled, unimpressed by the sudden 180.
Nagi didn’t necessarily have to think about it. His head was still turnt towards Reo, watching him chat to Chigiri with a rather blank expression. To think he could maybe change that.
“I think I have something I want to get.” He yawned, slowly sitting up and doing a few arm circles to awaken his muscles after relaxing. Isagi’s lips broke out into a grin. He believed he had won him over.
“Now it’s just your stubborn-ass, King!” He pointed right at Barou, to which he slapped Isagi’s finger from his view. “Shut up.”
“It’s two against one.”
“Shut it.”
“C’mon, just an hour!”
Barou abruptly stood up. He hated bowing down to those below him. Especially peasants like Isagi, only meant for devouring on the field. Unfortunately, he was making sense right now… Dammit, Isagi.
“…We gettin’ changed?” It hurt to ask because he knew that question admitted his defeat. Of course, Isagi’s eyes lit up the moment he heard that question, confirming his victory.
“Yeah, get your tracksuits,” Isagi smirked, watching as Barou begrudgingly began to walk over to the locker room. “Donnnkey.” Isagi couldn’t resist getting one little quip in.
It was followed by a hard shove, which sent Isagi tumbling and sure as hell shut him up without another word being uttered. Nagi lazily dragged his body up on his own and walked with the two others into the locker room.
As that went on, Chigiri had finally finished setting down each cone they would use on the field for this run. While he placed the last one, the sight of the three leaving the field caught his eye.
“Hey, they’re leaving.” Chigiri tilted his head before standing and placing a hand on his hip. “Thought we’d practice a bit.” Reo glanced in that direction, following Nagi, who was also walking into the locker room.
“I thought Nagi was joining us?” He whispered, which Chigiri caught almost instantly. He could see the flicker of confusion from Reo swiftly flip into betrayal. The redhead wasn’t amused. “Guess he changed his mind,” was all Chigiri could really say at this moment.
A beat of silence between the two players. Reo still staring where Nagi previously was, and Chigiri observing his teammate’s expression.
“Do you think he lied to me?” The first question. “Or maybe he just wanted to get me off his back so he could hang out with Isagi.” The second conclusion.
The redhead striker exhaled softly. “Maybe he, I don’t know, changed his mind?” “Without me knowing.” Reo pointed out.
It was frustrating being Reo’s emotional support system sometimes. He could be quite the stubborn person when it came to what he believed. “It’s fine, Reo. Let’s just get a few runs in. They’ll be back soon, and you’ll interrogate Nagi all you want after that.”
That answer was… satisfactory for Reo. He nodded and turned back to face Chigiri in order to stretch and get this going.
_______
Who would’ve guessed that hiking your way down a large mountain area would be difficult? The three players have been trudging down some random trail for the past ten minutes.
“Man.. I forgot Blue Lock was in the middle of absolutely nowhere,” Isagi groaned as he dragged his feet along the mountain-forested terrain. The smell of mud and whatever plants smelt like filled the atmosphere. “Nagi, can you see the town?” Isagi inquired, nudging the taller male.
Nagi yawned again in response. He lazily opened his eyes and zeroed in on the front of them. He could faintly make out what appeared to be a civilized area in far-sight. “…something like that.”
“There has to be a mall around here somewhere… Let’s keep going!” Isagi encouraged, to which Barou simply glared and Nagi mumbled a soft ‘okay’.
As they were walking, Barou peered up momentarily, taking a glance at the sky. Dark, gloomy storm clouds began to roll overhead to their area, and the slight smell of humidity filled the air around them. All of these were tell-tale signs of a weather change, but the idea that it may start storming or raining only pissed Barou off further.
Crackle! Thousands of droplets held by the clouds were released following a loud roar from the sky. It was now raining on all of them, proving to be a horrible day to wear tracksuits. The raindroplets fell down heavily, not sparing them in any manner. Their hair was now drenched mops on top of their heads, but that didn’t blow out the flame of determination in Isagi.
The trio was about halfway through their journey to the mall. They were walking on the town’s sidewalks and whatnot. Luckily, because of the horrible rain and heavy weather, not many people were outside to recognize them as famous national U-20 football players. The longer they trudged through, the more visible the large structure of the mall became.
“Uurgh!” A sudden loud growl arose from Barou, who stomped his foot on the ground, stopping the two others in their tracks. Isagi turned his head, squinting at Barou while rain droplets clung to his eyelashes. “What is it? Come on, pull yourself together. We’re almost there, and it’s only been around 30 minutes-”
Down came a brutal strike to Isagi’s nose, delivered personally from the king’s royal fist. Isagi didn’t fall back, but he stumbled, and his hands flew up to clutch at his damaged nose and brace for attack. “What the hell?!” the striker fumed, blood from his nose beginning to seep down his nostrils and to his lips, to which Isagi cringed and wiped it off the back of his sleeve.
“Shut the fuck up,” Barou lashed, anger seeping from each and every word. “I have a schedule. You said an hour. We should be heading back by now. So tell me, Isagi-” A large hand came to fist at Isagi’s hair, pulling his head close. Isagi could see every ounce of annoyance in his dark expression alone. “Why are we still messing around in this damn town? Huh?!”
Sharply, Barou turned his head to glare back at Nagi, who was standing there, oblivious and mentally checked out. “And you,” he began, ready to berate Nagi too. “If we’re going to get anywhere, could you put some pep into your step, you lazy asshole? I’m surprised you’ve made it this far.”
“Uhm.. I’m just here to buy something.” Nagi mumbled, shivering from the heavy rain. He was getting cold. “Can we just… keep going?” It seemed like Nagi was on Isagi’s side in a way by opting for continuing their little side mission.
In reality, Nagi had one simple goal that he kept screaming in the back of his head as motivation. Buy something that’s worth giving to Reo. It wasn’t particularly romantic or even for any occasion other than the feeling Nagi got in his chest whenever he saw Reo’s grin directed at him. Although his rather emotionless face failed to reflect the multitude of emotions he truly harboured, Nagi was ready to do anything to fulfil what his heart would skip a beat for.
It’s not like Reo’s smile was anything special to most people. Sure, it was a charming curve of the lips and a flattering flash of teeth. One made to captivate for only a moment, to get what he wanted, and the same smirk he’d wear for photos or around classmates while they were at school. There was a difference between that grin and the smile that Nagi was striving for. The way Reo’s lower lids would crinkle up into his softening eyes and the manner his lips would waver before beaming such a joyful grin. It seemed like a reward for every time Nagi would make him proud during practice or by scoring goals. He missed that look.
That was Nagi’s determination. Ignited by something different than Isagi’s typical resolve.
So, with Barou’s initial anger being outweighed by two egoists’ selfish desires, he was forced to keep his ego under control by continuing on. The trio walked together like that, not another peep as they sped up to make it inside the mall.
Funny enough, the moment they reached the parking lot and the multiple stores next to the complex building, the rain suddenly ended. How convenient; couldn’t it do that before? Barou kissed his teeth when he noticed, and Isagi shook his head with a sigh before stepping through the double doors. Upon entering, the three strikers decided to split up in order to cover the most ground. Isagi gave Barou his and Nagi’s cleat sizes and sizes for other gear. Barou was in charge of getting those to prevent him from complaining if someone else did the job wrong. Isagi decided on getting some essentials that any athlete would prefer to use after training or rigorous practice drills. Nagi was free to go do whatever he wanted, since both Isagi and Barou knew giving Nagi any real responsibility would be the dumbest idea ever. They expected him to sit around at the food court, playing video games on his phone, awaiting their return. That is not what he does, since that is not what he wants to do. Nagi had a bit of shopping he’d like to get done on his own.
_______
The ball flew past Blue Lock Man and straight into the goal’s net in the upper corner, right side. It went in rather harshly, as if the kick itself was staggered.
“Hey, Reo, are you sure you’re not still mad?” Chigiri tilted his head, watching as Reo took a sip of water after making such an aggressive shot. The violet-haired boy’s chest heaved, and with an exhale,
“No,” Reo muttered, but the question still hung in the air as if it was unanswered. “But don’t you think it’s a bit weird?”
Chigiri’s gaze narrowed; He didn’t even want to bite. It was painfully obvious that Nagi skipping out on practice was still weighing on Reo’s mind. “What’s weird?” he deadpanned. Reo cocked a single thick brow, noticing Chigiri’s shift in tone and demeanor.
“You think I’m overreacting?” Reo questioned, which was only answered with a sigh from Chigiri. That blew him. Both brows furrowed and he turned to face Chigiri fully. “He’s leaving me for Isagi. Again! Don’t you see the pattern?”
“No, I don’t think I’m seeing it.” The redhead had to simmer down Reo’s bubbling emotions one way or another. Carefully putting him down like that worked, yet he understood why his teammate was having those worries. If he was Reo, yeah, he would be wondering a lot of things too… Reo gritted his teeth and looked away. “I doubt that he’s leaving you on purpose, Reo.”
“Yes he is,” he stubbornly persisted. “What, are you saying I don’t know what I’m talking about?”
“I mean, your words, not mine, but-”
“Oh my god.”
“Just listen for once, okay?” Chigiri now approached Reo, facing him head-on. (Oh, you’re approaching me? Yare yare daze)
Chigiri stared at Reo, and he stared back. It’s like a form of telepathy between the two, built from months of long practices and selections with each other. For once, Reo faltered. He understood the look that Chigiri was giving him. It’s the classic ‘get it together’.
“Fine then, Missy.” Chigiri smirked at the nickname being used while the violet-haired player folded his arms and looked away. He’s still skeptical, but Chigiri knew that Reo was viewing this a bit more logically, even if his demeanor brimmed with frustration.
_______
“What.”
“The hell?!?”
“Is THAT?”
Nagi held the jewel in his hand, and his usually dull eyes seemed to widen with awe. The strange light illuminating the rock was unreal. It was literally glowing. Isagi and Barou were holding their own shopping bags with dropped jaws and nothing but shock and horror written on their faces.
“Isn’t it cool?” The snow-haired male lifted the crystal in his palm. It was really hard to tell what it was. Crystal, jewel, gem, diamond… It’s something, that’s for sure. “It costs an arm and a leg, though.”
Nagi looked at the small jewel as if it was his prized possession and his pride. This was perfect. Something strange yet interesting enough that if received as a present, would make someone's day shine brighter than the rock itself. Exactly what Nagi wanted for Reo.
“A-An arm and a leg?” Isagi was perplexed by the mystery rock. That didn’t seem like something just anyone would sell in a mall. Hardly even on the black market. Where did Nagi manage to get such a thing? Even pressing matters: “Did you use my money to buy this?!” Isagi exclaimed. The glowing-rock-wielding male shook his head. “My own,” he clarified.
Barou pinched his nose bridge before turning around. “I couldn’t care less where you got it or how you did it, but we have to get back to the damn facility.”
Isagi gulped down any more of his complaints. Barou was right; they’d gotten everything they needed (and more?), so it was time to get going. The trio made their way out of the mall, holding bags of gear and necessities and bringing along a glowing gem.
Time was ticking, and none of them wanted to be late. The rain left the ground all moist and wet, with small puddles on the trail as they dashed back into the mountain terrain once again. Luckily, Barou remembered the way they came from. It would’ve been a disaster if they managed to get lost on the way… funny, but a complete mess.
It took exactly an hour and thirteen minutes to finish their trip. When they entered, teammates inside the facility gathered around Isagi, Barou, and Nagi, overbearing the three with questions. Isagi had been thoughtful enough to purchase enough items to share within the team or simply just his friends, while Barou explained he only bought gear for themselves. The white-haired player scanned the crowd lazily, noting each face he saw. None of those faces were Reo’s. The glowing rock was deep in his tracksuit’s jacket pocket, and his hand reached inside to clutch at the jewel while he thought about Reo. Quietly, he slipped away from the rest of his teammates and went to deliver this present personally.
The hallways were hushed and still now that most of his peers were at the front of the facility or in their rooms. As he was walking, Nagi lifted his hand, which held the glowing gem. It seemed to illuminate a faint light-blue hue now. He lifts it higher, now in the focus of the lights on the ceiling. Nagi squinted slightly, the silhouette of the rock now a blur, yet so bright. He closed his palm once more.
The snow-haired striker then got a deep urge to go check the movie room. The place where players could review footage of matches and practices of any day. Nagi didn’t see the logic in why Reo would be in there, but since it was right around the corner, he might as well bite.
_______
The noise of Isagi’s cheer rang throughout the dim room. He observed how the striker jumped onto Nagi to celebrate before grabbing the remote and switching matches. Reo was going over footage again. It was his guilty pleasure, although it almost rarely brought him any sort of pleasure. It’s more similar to a secret habit. Reo could find himself in this room for hours, watching random matches from the past. Rewinding all 90 minutes each time just to focus on another player’s style.
He’s long since convinced himself that this custom was a result of his newfound playstyle as a chameleon, dismissing the fact that he’s done this long before that. Reo sat on a beanbag, eyes glued to the screen as he rewatched another game; this one held a special spot in the back of his mind. His face illuminated with a soft light-blue gleam while he was surrounded by darkness. Team V vs Team Z’s match during the first selection began to play.
Just as the whistle blew and the noise reached Reo’s ears, the door to the movie room creaked open. The lights flickered on, done by the hand that belonged to the one who opened the door. Reo’s brows furrowed, and he squinted as he adjusted to the light while turning his head to glare at whoever was barging in like this. The door swung open completely.
“Oh, sorry.” A voice mumbled listlessly. “I didn’t realize there was someone in here.”
Their eyes met, followed by silence as they sank in each other's presence. Nagi’s brows lifted upon seeing Reo. Maybe he should trust his gut more often.
Reo raised a brow, breaking their intertwined gaze by looking his partner up and down. He could tell that Nagi’s hair had gotten wet somehow. His tracksuit a bit dirtier than usual. Small things that Reo could sense with such a swift glance.
“So, you went with Isagi after all, I’m guessing?” It came as a complaint rather than acknowledgement. He wasn’t guessing; this was a fact that Reo didn’t like.
It’s a shame that Nagi knew how to maneuver Reo’s emotions too well. “Yeah. Last-minute change.” There wasn’t any sort of regret or guilt in his face for skipping out on his promise. Reo stood up from the beanbag, walking over to where Nagi was standing, hands in pocket now.
“You know, I bought you new gear before too,” He recalled, putting a hand on his own hip. “In Harajuku. Remember?” Nagi nodded slowly. If he pretended to miss the point of bringing that up, he could be blissfully oblivious. “Yeah, I remember.”
Reo let out an exasperated sigh at Nagi’s rather nonchalant answer, but he knew better than to expect too much from Nagi these days. He turned away. “Whatever. We’ll train together tomorrow.”
“Wait.” A hand flew out to grab at Reo’s sleeve, preventing him from walking out on him. Nagi wasn’t done. He didn’t get what he wanted yet. “I… bought something for you too.”
The statement caught Reo’s attention, and he turned back, forcing Nagi to release him. A smirk of disbelief appeared on his face. “Sure you did.”
“I’m serious, Reo!” He took a step forward, his other hand clutching the glowing rock in his pocket. “We went to a mall, and I made sure to buy you something too.”
Nagi pulled the radiant rock from his pocket, presenting it to the violet-haired male. The light was nearly blinding, causing Reo to step back and wince. Nagi’s other hand came to the side of it to try to minimize the light. The longer Reo looked at it, the softer his gaze became. The glimmering light lit up both of their faces as Nagi held it between them.
“What… where did you get that?” Reo sputtered, taken aback by this random object. It was peculiar. “No, seriously, answer me. What kind of shop sells those?” He stared at the gem with shock and an odd sense of familiarity. It’s like he’s seen something like that before, maybe while studying stocks and value waves.
“A jewelry place, I think? They had a display of stones.” He shrugged, his eyes flickering up from the rock and to Reo’s face. He stared intensely, awaiting that expression he did all of this for.
Reo’s lips seemed to curve on their own into an unsure yet cheery grin. “Wait, really? And you got this for me?” His hand came underneath Nagi’s, as if he was trying to take it, and Nagi dropped the gem into the other’s palm. Reo held it up and close to himself, ignoring the sting in his eyes when he focused on it for too long.
Nagi felt his heart melt at Reo’s expression, baffled and confused, yet so thrilled to have this unusual rock in his hands. He felt as if he could stare at Reo for hours, or maybe even take out his phone and snap a picture of this moment to cherish humbly.
“This probably costs a lot, man.” Nagi looked back at Reo, ready to shake his head and deny it when suddenly, he sneezed with a small stir of his face. “Are you sick, Nagi? Was it cold out there or something?”
“No… just rain.” A harsh sniffle from Nagi as his hand quickly came to rub his nose. He could hear Reo’s chuckling, and that brought warmth to his cheeks.
Reo’s grin widened, nothing like any controlled smile he usually kept. His gaze drifted back to the radiating jewel. “It looks like it’s worth a lot. Whoever sold this to you is a dumbass!” He was getting a good laugh out of this, and Nagi was proud to have caused that. The atmosphere around them was lighter than ever before.
The violet-haired player just knew he couldn’t let this go without showing his appreciation. A heavy head-pat came to Nagi’s head, initiated by Reo. He rubbed the white strands for a moment, his hand slowly slipping down to Nagi’s shoulder. The hand holding the rock slipped into his pocket to store the item, now a precious reminder of the time Nagi went out for Reo.
Using the hand already on his shoulder, Reo pulled him into a loose embrace, but a hug no matter how you pictured it. Nagi’s eyes dilated, but he recovered quicker than he reacted. Stiffly, he hugged back.
“Thanks, Nagi,” whispered Reo, pulling back slightly to beam at him. “Now I have two treasures.” He joked with a short snicker.