"I didn't pick Reo."

Nagi's leaning all casual against the headboard of his bed as he talks to you, face as impassive and blank as ever.

You're not quite sure what to say.

You could push it, but you don't want a repeat of what happened last time. But then again, if you ignore it, he might get the impression that you're annoyed with him.

"Okay." Is all you can say.

"I don't want to talk about it right now though, so don't ask."

The camera jolts and you see a clothed elbow come into view, digging into Nagi's side and jostling him.

"That's how you talk to your girlfriend? Really?" A voice you've never heard before hisses. "You're unbelievable, Nagi. Unbelievable."

Nagi pouts, pushing whoever it is besides him lightly. "Ow, Chigiri. That hurt."

Chigiri's face pops into the frame; he's incredibly beautiful, with soft, almost feminine features. Long, silky red hair frames his face, and he's got such long eyelashes that you feel a little jealous.

"Hi, Nagi's unfortunate girlfriend," He offers you a little wave. "If I were you, I'd break up with him right this second and stomp all over his pathetic little heart for talking to you like that. But that's just me personally."

His words take you by surprise; out of all the things Nagi's Blue Lock buddies have said to you, this is the most random sentence you've heard.

You burst out laughing immediately. "What?"

"Chigiri!" Nagi whines, trying to push the redhead's face out of his personal space and failing miserably. "Don't give advice like that! What if she actually listens?"

"Hi, Chigiri," You say over Nagi, pretending you can't see him. "That's some wonderful advice you've given me. Really opened my eyes."

"Hey!" Nagi protests, but it's drowned out by Chigiri's response.

"You're welcome," He winks. "Anytime, okay?"

You can't see because Nagi's phone starts shaking like crazy, but you're pretty sure Nagi kicks Chigiri off the bed- you hear a dull thud as he lands on the floor.

"Nagi!" You gasp, a hand over your mouth. "Don't tell me you kicked my dearest Chigiri off the bed?"

"He did!" Chigiri cries from his new home on the ground. "Your boyfriend is a savage!"

"Would you guys cut it out?" Nagi practically screams, and you and Chigiri laugh at his discomfort.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry." You concede, still giggling slightly. "I'm just joking with you."

"Yeah, man," Chigiri climbs back up onto Nagi's bed. "Not my fault I get along with your girlfriend better than you do."

"Shut up."

"So I take it you're the lucky man that got picked for Nagi's team then?" You ask.

"Yeah. Sorry to disappoint, but I'm here in Reo's place."

He doesn't sound apologetic at all.

You laugh slightly. "I'm not disappointed. Even then, my opinion doesn't matter, because I'm here and you're there, with Nagi."

"It does matter," Chigiri insists. "Nagi talks about you all the time. He just won't shut up-"

"That's not true." Nagi interrupts calmly, but the speed and urgency with which he says it is far too telling. "You're exaggerating."

"Am I?" Chigiri pokes him playfully. "Aren't you the one who-"

"Go away!" Nagi's face flushes red and he dives under the duvet of his bed, plunging his screen into darkness. "Leave us alone and go comb your hair or something, Chigiri."

"Already done that." Chigiri replies in a singsong voice; it's slightly muffled because he's not under the duvet as well.

Nagi waits a minute before emerging from the duvet; Chigiri's still sitting there, a huge grin on his face, and Nagi rolls his eyes.

"Are you this bored?"

"Yeah, I am. Isagi and Barou are going at it again and I'm too tired for that, so you've got to deal with me."

"It's alright, Nagi," You offer consolingly. "We can talk later?"

"But I want to talk now."

"Then do it!" Chigiri slaps the back of Nagi's head. "You whining baby! You're the worst boyfriend ever. And my sister's had a few of those, so I would know."

Nagi sighs. "Man, I kinda miss Reo now."

"Everyone at school does, too. It's not as lively now that he's gone."

It leaves your mouth without you even thinking, and you're about to take it back when Chigiri adds "Can't blame them."

That takes both you and Nagi by surprise, and he shrugs.

"What? He was a good teammate." He says. "A little bit too hellbent on getting revenge on Nagi, but still. A good teammate."

"I still don't get him," Nagi huffs. "Revenge for what? I told him we'd meet again after this selection. It's not my fault he started being such a pain in the ass."

You and Chigiri give each other a knowing look.

"Never mind him, Nagi," You sigh, not wanting to rehash old wounds. "Just focus on yourself for now. That's Reo's issue; he's too hung up on you and he's not thinking about himself. He needs to be selfish, you know?"

"That's true," Chigiri agrees. "Even when he was playing with me and Kunigami, he was really focused on making plays that we could pull off. He's a great team player, but this is Blue Lock."

Nagi's silent for a while.

"Yeah," He says eventually. "You guys are right."

"Of course we are." Chigiri flicks his hair over his shoulder.

"So who're you guys going up against next?" You ask, curious (and maybe slightly nosy.) "You just need one more win and then you're through, right?"

"We're going against Bachira's team, believe it or not." Nagi scratches the back of his neck. "And we're gonna win."

"I don't doubt it," You say. "Isn't that the team you went against at the start? They're still here?"

Nagi shrugs. "I don't think anyone wants to play against them."

"That, and also Bachira waited for Isagi." Chigiri shakes his head. "They're inseparable."

"Good luck for tomorrow," You give them a smile. "Though you guys probably don't need it."

"I do need you," Nagi grumbles. "Wish you could replace Barou on this team. We'd probably still win regardless."

You laugh at that. "I don't want to see you for a long, long time, okay? You better be the last one to leave Blue Lock or I'll be really upset with you."

Liar. You want to be with him right now.

But his happiness and his future is more important than you, and you'd be damned if you take this golden opportunity away from him.

"Hate to break it to you when you guys are acting so cute," Chigiri interrupts, sticking his tongue out. "But I'm gonna be the last one at Blue Lock, sorry in advance."

Nagi actually laughs. "We'll see about that. You never know, I might just end up staying here forever."

Chigiri rolls his eyes. "You wish, lazy genius. I'll outlast you, just watch."

"You guys are both going to be great." You say matter-of-factly. "And the other two as well. I do wish I could watch you and cheer you on, but I'll be thinking about you, okay?"

It's the only thing I can do, you think. The only option I have.

Because no matter how bad you want to be with him, you can't.

The corner's of Nagi's lips lift, in a tiny smile. "Who knows? Maybe one day you'll be able to come and watch me play for real. I'll smuggle you in. Just dye your hair red and pretend you're Chigiri, easy peasy."

Chigiri slaps Nagi's arm. "I'm shorter than you, Nagi, sure- but I'm not that short."

-

Nagi looks the most tired and frustrated you've ever seen him be, and it tugs at your heart.

"It's okay," You offer. "We don't have to talk about it."

He doesn't seem to hear you.

"We were so. Close." He tells you, running a hand through unruly white hair. "I'm so annoyed. God, I hate this feeling, man."

He leans back against the wall, shutting his eyes, his face scrunched up in disappointment. Your heart yearns for him, and you wish there was something you could do to console him, to make him feel better.

"Nagi," You say softly, wishing you could reach out and place a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay to be frustrated- I told you this before as well. It means you'll do better. It happens."

"I know," He groans, hitting his head against the wall, once, twice. "But still. We lost to them twice. Twice. And you know what makes it worse? Their winning goal was a fluke. It was literally just luck."

"Then the skills gap between you and them can't really be as big as you're making it out to be, is it?" You ask with a small smile. "If all they had over you was luck."

"You're right but you're wrong," Nagi opens his eyes and looks at you, his expression softening, melting your insides. "If you were there? I'd have had all the luck in the world."

"Well, you'll be glad to know that I'm working on my Chigiri disguise." You joke, and you can see the tension in his shoulders ease up as he laughs.

"You always know how to make me feel better." He sighs, his voice barely above a whisper. "What did I do to deserve you?"

"Nagi, stop," You cover your face with your hands, your cheeks flaring up red. "Don't say stuff like that!"

He laughs again. "But it's true."

"You're acting as if I'm a godsend, Nagi," You chide. "I'm not. I'm just me, and you're just you. And that's all I could ask for."

He doesn't say anything.

"It certainly doesn't hurt that you have a really nice voice. And your laugh is great, too. It's so soothing, you know? And you're incredibly handsome. Not to mention that you're 190cm tall. And you're really warm. And- "

"Alright, I get it." He interrupts, but you can see the tips of his ears flushing pink, the smug smile that he's fighting to keep off his face. "You can't talk, you know? You're really pretty, you're funny, you're smart, you're so, so cute-"

You're certain your heart is going to combust so you shriek, cutting him off and placing your hands over your ears. "Stop it, stop it! I might die!"

Nagi grins, his eyes crinkling at the corners slightly. "You're so cute when you're embarrassed, man. I got screenshots for days."

You groan, dropping your hands to your lap. "You're impossible, Nagi."

"Am I?"

"Yes."

He laughs. You sit there in silence for a few moments, just enjoying each other's company. You're so comfortable with him, able to jus be fully yourself, and it's a feeling that you relish in.

He truly is one of a kind.

Eventually, the silence is shattered as the door to his room slams open.

"I'm getting the single bed and you peasants can't stop me."

You recognise Barou's voice immediately.

"Not fair!" Nagi gets to his feet, and you can tell by the way he's standing straight for once in his life that he's using his slight height advantage against Barou. "You got it last time, and me and Isagi had to share the bunkbed. So it's my turn."

You can hear Chigiri laugh in the background. "I'm staying out of this, because Reo and Kunigami were nice enough to let me have it. You guys can duke it out if you want."

He skips over and snatches Nagi's phone out of his hand, grinning down at you. He brandishes the phone in Barou's face.

"Say cheese, king. Nagi's girlfriend's watching!"

It's safe to say that Nagi gets the single bed pretty easily after that.

Nagi jumps down onto his new bed. "I get the impression that the king isn't good with girls."

Chigiri snorts from his own bed. "You aren't that good, either. You're just lucky you have a saint for a girlfriend."

"Whatever, Chigiri. You keep combing that hair."

"You jealous?"

"You wish."

You laugh at their childish antics. "I'm jealous, if I'm being honest. His hair looks like silk."

"Feels like it, too!" Chigiri yells, and Nagi rolls his eyes.

"Found an opponent for tomorrow?" You ask. He shakes his head.

"Nah, not yet. Nobody wants to go against us. Too scared." He says, and you hint a tiny bit of satisfaction and pride behind his words.

"Yo, is that Nagi? Dude, it's been ages!"

Nagi looks up at whoever's speaking to him, and his face lights up with recognition.

The voice sounds familiar, but you can't place it until Nagi yells "Zantetsu?"

"Nagi!" Zantetsu ruses up to him and ruffles his hair. "Man, I missed you!"

Nagi looks incredibly happy to see him, and you can't help but wonder if he'll look like that when he returns from Blue Lock to you, too.

"How'd you know this was my room?" Nagi asks curiously, and Zantetsu sheepishly rubs the back of his neck.

"Accident," He explains. "I got lost from mine and Niko's."

He notices the phone Nagi's clutching in his hand, and he squints at you for a second before beaming at you.

"Hey, it's your girlfriend! Dude, I missed you too!"

You hear Chigiri cackle with laughter in the background- and then a thud as he presumably falls off the bottom bunk.

"You got a team to play tomorrow?" Nagi asks, and Zantetsu shakes his head.

"Not that I know of. You should probably ask Niko. He's tiny but he's the one who's in charge of like, everything."

Nagi grins. "You can go against us then."

"Um, sure?"

"And we'll win."

"I'm not going to let you do that." Zantetsu warns. "So you can't cry about it when we win."

"Deal."

-

I know it's been a hot minute since I last updated and I'm sorry!! But here take this as an apology

It's really dialogue heavy I know I'm sorry but,,, that's all I can write atm lol it's not like I can do much else hhh