I rewrote this chapter maybe 4 times, each time writing something completely different. Its been a while so sorry for any inconsistencies or anything - here's an extra long chapter to make up for it. It's a really weird chapter because I'm writing from Nagi's pov whilst still referring to the reader in second person so let me know what you think!! next chapter we'll go back to reader's pov also i didn't proofread this chapter so uh!

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Nagi regrets agreeing to this.

It's his own fault, really - he should've just minded his own business and done what he's best at, which is either laying in bed, playing games, or both simultaneously. That sounds really nice right now.

When he'd agreed to come over, he'd honestly had no clue what that had meant; he'd thought it would've been the same as before, where he chats with your parents for two seconds to observe formalities before they go off and do their own things and leave him to hang out with you.

He was dead wrong evidently, judging from the way you'd bullied him into wearing a navy button-up shirt he'd gotten before Blue Lock that is now slightly too small, just so that he could look formal. Because yes, apparently this is serious and he ought to make a good first impression. Which is nonsense, in Nagi's opinion, because he's already made that first impression a while ago, so he seriously does noy understand what is wrong with you right now.

What he does know, however, is that as he walks down the path to your house, your hand securely holding his, he is about to be in for the most bothersome night of his life.

It's clear from the slight dampness of your palm and the way you're chewing on your lip that you're nervous, although Nagi isn't understanding that either. This is your house, and they're your parents; why would you be nervous?

To be fair, Nagi finds that a lot of the things to do with you are contradictory. Like how you've forced him into a shirt that stretches uncomfortably across his shoulders and his back in a way that makes him feel like if he stands at full height it'll burst at the seams, and yet you claim he looks cleaned up this way. (Nagi's comfy sweatshirt had been perfectly clean, but he tends to avoid battles that he won't win.)

So he'd worn it regardless, hunching a little so it doesn't actually burst at the seams.

But then, you'd also told him to stop slouching, so he's standing as straight as he can without, you know, bursting his shirt at the seams?

Which makes no sense, but. Here he is.

Another example would be your relationship; how being boyfriend and girlfriend suggests being close, although the two of you are anything but close.

Nagi peeks down at you again. You're frowning at the pavement now, brows furrowed together in this oddly attractive way. Nagi finds a lot of things about you attractive.

"Are you nervous?" He decides to just bite the bullet and ask.

You stop and look up at him, your eyes flitting to the side guiltily like he's caught you doing something bad. "Yeah, a little bit. Sorry."

He watches as you visibly release the tension between your eyebrows and force a smile. "Why're you nervous?"

"When am I not?" You joke, bumping him with your shoulder, but Nagi frowns slightly. He knows that you're thinking up a storm in that brain of yours, but he can't quite figure out why.

"Is is because I said that the seams on this shirt are going to burst?" He asks, rolling his shoulders a little. "I was exaggerating a little bit. I'll keep it on as long as I can - though I might have to sacrifice a few buttons."

It's a pathetic excuse for a joke, but you laugh anyway. It's one of the things Nagi really likes about you; the way you're always trying to be positive and uplifting for him, no matter how bad his jokes are.

"How did you know? I was afraid they were going to pop off and hit me in the eye," You pat his arm comfortingly. "But really, don't worry too much. Everything will be fine."

"Huh? I'm not worrying," Nagi says evenly, though he's a little confused. Why are you comforting him when you are obviously in more distress? "You are. Though you shouldn't. They are your parents after all."

You laugh, and it's a nice tinkling sound, similar to the sound the charms on your bag make when they clink against each other. "You're right, as always. I don't know why I am - honestly, I think they like you more than they like me."

"I doubt that."

"You'd be surprised." You tell him solemnly. "I know that they like you, it's just - I don't want them to start acting all weird and stuff because you're my boyfriend, you know?"

Nagi, in fact, doesn't know. "I don't understand what you mean."

You sigh, "Ah, just forget it. At least you're dressed to impress."

You look him up and down with a smirk, and for a second Nagi is really taken aback by your blatant ogling before you burst out into giggles.

"You're so weird." The two of you say at the same time, and you start snorting as you laugh.

"I knew you'd say that!"

Nagi huffs out a half-laugh at that, amused. "You're cute."

You smile, but then your eyes get that distant look again. Nagi knows you're overthinking again.

"Seriously, we're gonna be fine," He reiterates, punctuating every word with a gentle pat to your cheek. "You said it yourself - they don't hate me. All I gotta do is smile and nod, right?"

"I just don't want anything embarrassing to happen," You admit sheepishly. "From either end.  My parents are self explanatory. But sometimes you can be so... Nagi."

"I don't follow."

"Don't get me wrong, I love that you're so Nagi," You say quickly, as if you're worried you've offended him (you haven't.) "You could do the silliest thing and I'd still love you. But parents are different, you know?"

Nagi isn't really listening anymore. He's going in for the kill.

He smirks. "You love me, huh?"

The look on your face is priceless. Your eyes widen to a comical degree, face turning a shade of pink he's never seen before.

You freeze in your tracks. "I- well- yeah?"

Nagi considers it for a second. He doesn't really know what loving someone entails - he's never really felt love on the level that you probably have, not from his parents or family.

But then he thinks about you, and he thinks that maybe it was obvious all along that you loved him. He figures you could've easily found some other boyfriend whilst he was gone, but you stuck by him anyway.

The thought sparks a foreign feeling within him, and then suddenly he does know what loving someone entails.

"It's okay," He tells you. "I-"

"Sorry that I said it so abruptly!" You interrupt him before he can get another word out, abnormally loud. "I mean, it's still true but I don't want you to feel-"

"I love you."

The words have a much larger effect on you than they did on him; you look at him with eyes impossibly wide, like saucers, your mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water before those big eyes well up with tears and Nagi's about to panic but then you blink them away, and you're suddenly smiling really brightly, and Nagi's finding it hard to look away from your beautiful face and he just wants to kiss you - so he does.

Not on the mouth, of course; you'd probably slap him for doing that in public, no matter how chaste the kiss is. So he plants a soft one on your forehead instead.

You look like your heart is about to pound out of your chest, so he simply just tightens his grip on your hand and marches on towards your house.

"We can talk about this later," He says, suddenly too shy to look at you. "But I meant it."

You don't reply, but Nagi can see you nod your head meekly through the corner of his eye.

By the time the two of you arrive at the front door of your house, Nagi isn't given time to think; he raises his hand to knock, but the door swings open, and you yelp in surprise. Nagi blinks dumbly, hand still raised mid-knock, as your dad's face grins back warmly.

Not at Nagi, of course - it's almost comical, really, the way he forces his face to sober, swallowing his smile in an attempt to look stern when he looks up at Nagi over his glasses, though he can't quite mask the twinkling in his eyes.

Like father, like daughter. Though he's nowhere near as pretty.

"Hello." Nagi says, with full confidence.

"Yes, hello, young man." He replies dryly, and he manages to maintain his straight face for maybe about two seconds before he smiles warmly and yanks Nagi in for a bear hug, shoving his daughter away in the process.

"Dad, what the hell?" Nagi barely hears your protest as his head is being forced into your dad's chest, arms wrapping around him like a vice and squeezing the air out of his lungs. He deals with the suffering for exactly three seconds, and tries to break himself free as politely as possible, but to no avail; the damn man is determined, slapping Nagi's back fondly.

Please don't let my shirt rip, Nagi pleads silently, feeling the seams cut into where it's stretching too tightly around his upper arms and shoulders.

"Dad, you'll kill him," Nagi hears you say, and he feels relief wash over him as you pry your dad away with a frown. "Seriously, you haven't even let him in yet and you're suffocating him!"

"I missed the boy," He replies, smiling at Nagi with fond eyes. "Welcome home."

He moves aside to let the two of you in the door. You hop in with no hesitation, grinning from ear to ear and talking about something that completely flies over Nagi's head because he's replaying those words in his head.

Welcome home.

It had felt nice. It was a different kind of nice than when you'd told him you love him; that was understandable, because it's you and the feeling is obviously mutual, but your dad welcoming home? Nagi's nothing but shocked.

"You alright there, Nagi?" He asks, eyebrow raised. "Why don't you come on in, lad?"

"Sorry." He mumbles as he steps in, toeing off his shoes and placing them neatly in the rack next to yours.

He's hit in the face with comforting warmth and the smell of hot curry and broth and it's enough to get his stomach growling. He stands awkwardly in the hallway; you've disappeared into the kitchen somewhere and so has your dad, and despite the fact that Nagi knows your house like the back of his hand, he can't help but completely lost.

He lingers in the hall, unsure of what to do.

Your mother's head suddenly pops out of the kitchen doorway, brows furrowed together and mouth pinched into a frown until she sees him, her eyes lighting up.

"My, if it isn't Mr. Nagi Seishirou!" She cries joyfully, rushing out to envelop him in a warm hug - although this time he actually reciprocates it, albeit awkwardly, because your mother is half his size and twice as pleasant than anybody he's ever met. "Welcome, darling, welcome!"

"Hello." He greets.

"You've grown even taller, my dear!" She gasps as she gazes up at him, hands clasped over her chest. "I didn't even think it was possible."

"Hasn't he?" Your dad reappears from the store cupboard under the stairs, balancing a set of traditional style teacups on a tray. "When I opened the door I couldn't see his head!"

"Anyway, let's not keep him waiting in the hallway," Your mother beams at Nagi again, gesturing towards the kitchen. "Nagi, you can wash your hands in the kitchen and then come join us in the dining room."

He obliges gladly, and he waits for you to be done at the sink. You give him a wink as you dry off your hands.

"Good start, huh?" You sound very pleased.

"I told you there was nothing to worry about." He scrubs his hands dutifully, a small smile on his face.

"You're always right." You say, grabbing his shoulder and standing on your tiptoes so you can place a peck his cheek.

"Someone's in a good mood." He notes, and you just shrug, still smiling.

"I'm just happy that things are actually going well," You say, handing him some tissue to wipe his hands with. "Why do I ever doubt you?"

Now, Nagi's not an expert in relationships, but he's pretty sure things are looking really promising right now. If there were ever any doubts in either of your minds about this, Nagi thinks they've been completely abolished.

He's feeling quite lucky, actually.

"It's because," He leans over you to throw his tissue in the bin. "I have my good luck charm with me."

That line always works, like a charm. He loves the way it makes you all bashful, the way it turns you into a blushing mess. It's his trump card for whenever he really wants to bring out your cute side.

It's only once Nagi follows you into the dining room that he remembers he's never actually been in there before - it's smaller than the living room, with a quaint mahogany dining table in the centre.

The entire room is bathed in yellow lighting, giving it a potent sense of comfort that Nagi's never felt in the dining room he had in his family house. There are pictures hung up along the far wall; he's seen most of them as duplicates in the various albums your mother keeps in the living room, but there's something so loving about seeing parents displaying full-blown photographs of their child on the wall, in frames that he doubt are cheap.

Photos of you as a tiny baby, swaddled up in plush blankets; photos of you in cute little princess dresses, beaming from ear to ear; photos of your first day of elementary, junior high and high school, standing proud in your uniform; photos of family vacations; photos of-

There's a photo of you and Nagi, side by side, in traditional clothing for a summer festival he'd attended with your family, back when you'd first started to become close friends. He wasn't as tall as he is now, so he isn't towering as much over you, but his eyes drift down to where you clutch his hand, raising it to the sky in a victory pose, proudly displaying the white polar bear stuffed toy he'd won you in the other hand. The sky is a gradient of pink and orange, your father having captured the moment whilst the sun was setting, bathing the two of you in an iridescent and undeniably beautiful light, almost as enchanting as the pink and white sakura flowers stitched delicately into your pale yellow kimono.

"Okay, mum, you really outdid yourself." Your voice snaps Nagi back to reality and it's only now he actually notices the food spread out on the table.

"Yeah," Nagi adds, blinking in disbelief. "You must've worked a lot."

Your mother laughs, waving away your concerns. "Oh. stop it. There's a lot to celebrate, so it's a feast we're having! So please sit."

To call it a feast would be an understatement; there's enough food spread out on the table to feed the entirety of Blue Lock, of all different kinds ranging from traditional Japanese to modern Western cuisine. But Nagi does as he's told and takes his seat besides you.

"Exactly," Your dad chimes. "Not only is Nagi back home, but he's also dating our daughter! Though I don't know how to feel about that..."

"Oh, stop acting," Your mother scolds him, though she's smiling gently. "Drop the tough act in front of him, I doubt he's buying it. You brag about him shamelessly like he's your own son, anyway."

"I guess he's trying to look cool in front of Nagi." You add, snickering.

"Can you two stop that?" He squawks indignantly. "Nagi, son, ignore them."

Nagi's busy gazing over at the pictures on the wall again, so his response comes out more like a confused grunt than anything else.

"Anyways," Your dad clears his throat before he grabs the steaming bowl of rice from the table and heaps rice onto his plate. "Let's eat now, please. We wouldn't want the food to get cold now, would we?"

"Dad!" You protest, gesturing at Nagi's empty plate. "We do have a guest, you know!"

Both you and your mum glare daggers at him for being so abrupt, but Nagi doesn't mind at all, nodding in agreement as he pushes his chair out a little to allow for more leg space. "No, I don't want it to get cold."

Your dad leans over the table to spoon rice onto Nagi's plate, piling it high, and his eyes widen slightly in alarm.

"Wait, that's... too much." He protests, looking to you for help, but you shrug back at him, helpless.

"Dad believes in big appetites," You tell him, giving him a sympathetic pat on his arm. "He won't take no for an answer."

"Exactly." Your father agrees as he serves your mother, and then you, nodding enthusiastically. "And you're quite the tall young man, Nagi. You should eat lots. Make sure you take seconds, okay? Or I'll take personal offence."

Nagi slumps his shoulders in defeat. "Okay."

"Now then, what would you like first, Nagi?" Your mum points to the various curries she's prepared. "You've got rice on your plate, so take your pick."

That's a lot of options.

He doesn't even bother thinking about it, gazing blankly at what she points out; instead he slides his gaze over to plead with you silently and frantically.

What should I pick?

"You should try my mum's katsu curry," You prompt, like the angel that you are, pointing at the bowl. "It's really good - and easy to eat."

"What do you think?" She asks, already reaching out for his plate. "Would you like some?"

"Yes." He says, handing his plate to her. "Please."

"Now, Nagi, seeing as you like lemon tea," Your father grabs one of the traditional cups from earlier, a matching teapot in hand, and starts pouring the lemon tea in it. "I brewed this just for you, I followed a recipe on Facebook and everything, so let me know what you think."

"How did you know that?" Nagi asks incredulously, taking the cup eagerly. It smells heavenly.

The man in question blinks back at Nagi. "Well, you told me, my boy."

"Oh," Nagi takes a sip; it's hot, but not too hot, and the honey leaves a pleasant aftertaste. "It's good."

Your dad grins smugly, earning a few groans from his wife and daughter. "I'm glad you like it."

Nagi doesn't know how to respond to that. He's kind of rattled by the fact that your parents seem to actually really like him?

Well, they've always been nice to him. When he used to come around after school they'd greet him with warm smiles, but he's never actually been around them for this long before.

Nagi opts to keep his mouth shut for the rest of the meal, nodding politely here and there instead. He does let out the occasional grunt and protest whenever your parents try to force him to try something else and eat some more, you'll waste away!, however, because he's sure this is more than he's ever eaten in his life and he doesn't know if he'll be able to breathe properly after this.

Your mother stands to bring dessert, and Nagi's eyes almost bug out of his head. He looks over to you urgently, shaking his head subtly. He doesn't want to make sudden movements himself; he's afraid his shirt will actually rip.

"Mum, we aren't in a rush, are we?" You get up as well, gesturing at Nagi. "Why don't we all digest what we've eaten, that way we can enjoy it more?"

"Oh, but I don't want to make our lovely guest wait," She gestures at Nagi sympathetically, apparently mistaking his fear for eagerness. "Nagi, I baked the loveliest cake-"

"No, it's really fine," He offers a pained smile. "I'll help clear up for now."

He rises slowly, trying not to wince at the pinching at his shoulders.

Your mother looks at him like he's stabbed her twice. "You will do no such thing!"

It's true, Nagi doesn't want to. But he'd rather suffer with the effort of doing dishes than he would with making small talk with your parents, lovely as they are, for any longer.

"Nagi, dearest, please relax in the living room!" She continues. "We'll take care of everything else."

"No, I insist," He shakes his head, utterly confused. "You worked hard preparing all this, so I'd like to do my part."

He can feel your eyes staring at him,but you wordlessly start to stack plates, letting him handle this on his own.

"You really don't have to-" Your dad starts, but Nagi cuts him off abruptly, moving into action before he can be stopped.

"It's not a big deal," He states simply, piling different bowls together. "I won't drop anything."

He leaves, heaving a sigh of relief when your parents don't do anything bothersome like tackling him in the hallway. He hears hushed whispers behind him as he goes, and can only hope he hasn't upset them.

He joins you in the kitchen. You've stationed yourself at the sink, and he places the bowls down on the counter, laying out a towel for you to place the clean plates on.

He makes the rounds a few more times from the dining room to the kitchen, gathering everything. Your parents have thankfully retreated to the living room, so he can stare at the photos on the wall openly as he walks past them.

You instruct him on what to do with the leftover food. He obeys dutifully, kind of enjoying the mundanity of it. He starts to get hot, so he loosens the top two buttons on his shirt, feeling a hint of satisfaction when he sees your face warm up.

"So I take it this was a success?" He asks, before you can say anything.

You laugh, struggling to flick your hair over your shoulder. Nagi takes the initiative to sweep it behind your ear for you, earning him a grateful smile.

"Well, yes, obviously," You answer, rinsing off a fork and placing it with the other dishes. "I knew they'd missed you, but I didn't think they missed you that much."

"I'm surprised myself," He admits, grabbing a rag and a spray bottle. "There was a picture on the wall that had me in it."

"Do you want me to ask them to take it down?"

"No," He says, a bit too quickly for his own liking. "I don't mind it. It's just that I've never had my picture hung on the wall like that."

He quickly retreats before you can question him further, swiftly heading back to the dining room to wipe down the table. Once he's done, he comes back, setting down the bottle and waiting patiently by the sink with the dirty rag in hand.

"Just leave it there," You point at the windowsill and he does as he's told, thankful that you've moved on from what you guys were talking about before. "Now you can start with drying."

"Got it."

Nagi's basically got a good idea of where everything goes other than the random pans, baking trays, and fancy chinaware, so he places those to the side and puts away what he knows first. He's diligent with it, enjoying the way the task allows him to switch off his brain (it's never really on anyway) and move on autopilot.

"So, what do you think?" You ask, breaking the silence.

"What do I think of what?" He leans over you to place a stack of spare plates into the overhead cabinet.

"I don't know... everything? To do with us, I mean."

He pauses for a moment to consider. "I think we're good."

You're silent, prompting him to continue.

"And it's clear your parents approve. They used to scold me a lot more before."

You snort. "That's true. We were scared for no reason - we misunderstood what their intentions were."

Nagi wasn't scared at all, but he decides to just let you have it.

"How do you mean?"

"As in, we thought this was to size you up as a boyfriend. But they literally just wanted to see their precious Nagi."

Nagi nods. "I can't believe I dressed up for this. My shoulders are so sore."

"Just endure it for a little longer," You pat him on the back with a soapy hand. "Then you can go home and relax."

"Do you want to stay over?" He asks, and he thinks it's an innocent enough question until you freeze in your tracks, the water still running.

"Do you want me to?" You ask back, and Nagi sighs. What use is there in answering a question with another question?

"Yes," He answers bluntly. "But it's up to you."

"I'll have to ask my parents," Your face is steadily growing redder by the second. "They might get... the wrong idea, you know?"

Why do you always assume Nagi knows what you're talking about when you're being vague? He most definitely does not. 

"I don't get what you're on about." He shrugs. "But yeah, ask them. If they say no, it's not the end of the world. I still have two weeks."

It's only once the words come out of Nagi's mouth that he realises - two weeks isn't that long of a time. 

The realisation is more crushing for you than it is for him, judging by the crestfallen look in your face; you quickly get over it, shaking your head and plastering on a smile. 

"I'll make sure they say yes." You tell him determinedly. "Don't you worry about it."

Why are always assuming he's worrying, too? He never is. 

"Ah, are the two of you done?" Your mother suddenly appears in the doorway, causing both of you to jump in surprise.

"Uh, yeah." Nagi says, setting down the dishcloth he'd still been holding. "We're done."

"Thank you so much for your help, lovely," She says, bustling past him to open the oven; Nagi is hit in the face with the smell of fresh baked cake, and suddenly he thinks he might just have some space in his stomach after all. "Now, go and settle yourself down in the living room while I get this ready for us."

You gesture for him to go, staying with your mother to help. He mouths something at you before he leaves, and you nod to show him you understand. 

You got this. 

Nagi still can't figure out what you meant by what you said earlier about your parents getting the wrong idea, but he knows that you'll somehow pull through and convince them. 

Your parents seem to like him, so they wouldn't say no, right? Nagi still doesn't get how normal parents work (he's never had to ask his for permission to do anything, really) but he figures this shouldn't be asking for too much. He doesn't know how he'd feel about going back to solitude for two weeks when he's had nonstop roommates for the last couple of months. 

And besides, his girlfriend being his roommate would be much more ideal than anything else. 

- 

how has it been a year??? since the last update??? im so sorry omd but since then i've gotten my license, gotten into university, turned 18, started studying at aforementioned university, got a new laptop - just so much. thanks for your patience and kind comments and i'll try to be more consistent from here on out!!

Also i love how Nagi's more shocked by a parent's love than he is of his own girlfriend confessing her love lmao i love him - i wanted to try add some more dimension to his character without breaking it completely so pls leave feedback i need it!!