The rest of your evening is spent doing your homework due for tomorrow- at least, that was what you had intended to do, but you keep finding yourself thinking about earlier.

Your heart flutters when you think about the way he'd spoken to you after his win against Aomori Dadada High School- the way he'd called you over to him, the way he'd rested his chin on your head, the way he'd called you his good luck charm.

Come to think of it- hadn't you said that to him before?

You sit up straight in your desk chair as you rack your brains for the memory; it had been last year, outside the uniform store...

"Most people think I'm unlucky." He'd told you. You hadn't liked how casual he'd sounded about it, as if it was normal for people to say that about him when he was obviously so much more that.

"Well, you aren't for me." You'd said confidently, and you'd be damned if you didn't mean it. "You can be my good luck charm."

You knew it! You'd definitely said that to him before.

You think back on the events of today- Nagi had just repeated your own words back to you, so does that mean he didn't mean anything special by it?

You shake your head. No, it can't be. Otherwise he wouldn't have said anything, right?

Oh dear, you think. Am I really down this bad? Why am I grasping at straws that aren't there?

With that , you snap yourself out of your thoughts and return your attention back to the incomplete geography homework waiting in front of you.

You're idly answering a question about coastal erosion when the thought crosses your mind again- it genuinely can't be a coincidence, can it?

You look at your phone where it's charging on your bed and snatch it up. You scroll through your contacts until you see Nagi's name, and call his number, determined to get to the bottom of this.

He picks up after the first ring. You refuse to let yourself get excited over it; he's always on his phone, so you'd be concerned if he didn't answer immediately.

"Hello?" His voice is as gentle as ever, and you turn up the volume on your phone to hear him better.

"Hi, Nagi!" You greet cheerfully.

"What did you call me for?"

"Oh, you know. Just because." You laugh nervously.

"...You want me to pick the colour of your nail polish again, is that what? Because you know I like the light blue, so-"

"It's not that." You interrupt, your face flushing red. You're thankful that this is a voice call and not a video call, because the last thing you need is Nagi seeing you blush at everything he says. "It's just... you said something earlier and it's been on my mind ever since."

"Oh, yeah, me too." You hear rustling, presumably as he sits up in his bed. "You're thinking about what I said when the gorilla from that loser team asked me if you were my girlfriend, right?"

You're stunned. No, you weren't, but now you certainly are.

Nagi apparently takes your silence as a yes.

"I know I answered in this weird way that kinda made it seem like we were dating," He continues. "So if that upset you, then sorry."

"Why would that upset me?" You ask, genuinely perplexed.

"You tell me, I don't know."

Trust Nagi to make things even more confusing. What were you even expecting from him?

"Anyways, don't worry about that- I'm not upset." You say dismissively- if anything, you'd actually rather liked it, but you aren't about to tell him that anytime soon. "It's something else."

"Oh, okay." He waits patiently for you to answer as you will yourself to stop goddamn blushing.

"After that match today you called me your good luck charm. Do you remember?"

A pause.

Please say he remembers, you think frantically. Or I'll have to kill myself.

"Yeah. Is that what you're upset about?"

"Nagi, get the idea that I'm upset about something out of your silly little head right now because I'm really not." You sigh. "I'm just wondering. Why did you say that?"

You purposefully abstain from telling him that you'd said those exact words to him last year; you're curious to see how he'll respond.

"Well, it's a bit dumb," He starts. He doesn't sound like he's done talking, so you keep quiet and wait for him to finish.

"I remember you saying something like that a while ago," He continues, and your breath hitches. "But I don't really quite agree with it."

Your heart feels as if it's about to combust but you keep your mouth shut, not wanting to ruin the moment.

"I don't really think I'm bringing you good luck, you know? So it seemed silly for you to call me that. If anything, you're the good luck charm. Which sounds stupid, now that I say it out loud, but oh well."

"That's not stupid." You breathe, blinking rapidly (again, super grateful for the voice call.) "I'm- I'm touched."

"You don't have to be," Nagi answers, in that usual monotonous way of his, but it's slightly softer than usual. "It's just the truth."

"I can still be happy about it, can't I?"

"Well, yeah? You know, you're really-"

His voice suddenly cuts off, and it takes you a moment to realise that the battery's died. You stare at it in disbelief, mouth hanging wide open, before processing what's happened and throwing it across your bed in anger.

Of all times, why now? You could rip your hair out in frustration.

You sulkily retrieve your phone from where it's rolled under your end and plug it back in to your charger, cursing profanities under your breath.

You doubt you'll ever be able to figure out what Nagi was about to say (How on earth are you going to ask?), but at the very least, you shared a relatively intimate moment with him- though lately, you've found yourself experiencing more and more of those.

You debate calling Nagi back, but you decide against it. You'd just do something silly.

You sigh, leaning back in your seat, staring idly at your wall.

It's got a bunch of photos taped to it; some depict you and your other friends at various sleepovers and parties, but most are of you and Nagi through your first and second year at Hakuho.

There's one of you and Nagi at the sports festival during first year- funnily enough, you can see Reo sprinting in the background of the photo, but you're more distracted by the small smile on Nagi's face, the way his head is slightly resting against yours as he poses for the picture, silky white hair tickling the side of your temple, and the peace sign he's making.

You smile fondly at the memory. You remember the day vividly; you and Nagi had practically been joined at the hip all day, and all your friends had screamed, declaring that the two of you were basically in love.

You'd denied it back then, insisting that you and Nagi were friends. He'd never said a single word in response, and now you wonder to yourself what he had thought of the situation at the time.

Why can't you stop thinking about Nagi? Is this really what you've become?

You give up on your stupid assignment, abandoning the homework on your desk and changing in to your pyjamas. You slide pathetically into your bed, settling down under the covers and willing yourself to forget about your silly, tall, handsome, wonderful companion.

Evidently, you need to work on that.

-

The next day is a rather warm one, with summer break drawing ever closer. To your delight, the weather means that Nagi ditches his usual pullover hoodie for a regular school shirt, which fits his body nicely.

You mentally reprimand yourself to stop perving and focus on your class, but you find it hard to draw your gaze away from Nagi. It's currently geography, meaning he sits a few seats ahead of you, and you're content with staring at the back of his soft white head as he doodles in his exercise book.

You're still wondering about what is was he was going to say yesterday before your phone died- nothing too important, you suppose, seeing as he didn't say anything about it today.

He suddenly turns to look at you, snapping you back to reality. Your teacher stands right in front of you, calling your name impatiently, and you stand upright to answer him.

"Well?" He demands, and you feel the class' eyes staring at you. "Where is it? You're the only one who hasn't gotten up to hand it in."

"Uh, what, sir?" You look back at him blankly, which only serves to irritate him further.

"The homework, young lady. I gave you a week to do it, so I expect you to give it to me right. Now."

Oh, shoot. You envision your desk in your bedroom at home, with your geography assignment sitting right on top of it, incomplete. You'd been too busy thinking about Nagi Seishirou to complete it.

"I don't have it, sir." You bow your head, hoping he'll go easy on you.

"Don't have it?" He repeats, hissing at you.

"Yes, sir."

"Detention, an hour after school. No excuses." He barks, before storming back to his seat.

You ignore the hushed whispers that erupt around the class, feeling Nagi's gaze on you. You look up at him, and he's frowning slightly, slipping your teacher off behind his back. You stifle your laugh behind your hand, not wanting to get into any more trouble, and Nagi looks pleased with himself as he turns back around to face the front.

By the time the school day ends, you want to jump off the roof, not looking forward to spending the next hour with your geography teacher.

You sigh heavily as you pack away your things. Reo waltzes up to you, sitting only a few desks away from you in biology, his signature smile lighting up his face.

"There's my favourite female companion." He greets, leaning against your desk. "You gracing us with your presence at practice today?"

"I wish I could, Reo." You grumble, tossing your pencil case into the abyss of your bag and roughly pulling the zip shut. "But, I can't."

"Nonsense!" He tucks a stray lock of hair behind your ear and pats your cheek. "Course you can! You've just got to sit there, it's not that hard. I've already told you, Nagi shows off when you're around, otherwise he's just a giant baby."

"I'm flattered, Reo," You say, and you really are- you'd be a liar if you said that Reo's praise doesn't make you feel a little giddy. "But I really can't. I've got an hour's detention with my geography teacher."

The door to your now-empty biology class opens, and Nagi shuffles in, dragging his bag behind him along the ground as he approaches you. His expression shifts slightly from total neutrality into something different when he takes in the close proximity between you and Reo, but says nothing.

"Nagi, hey!" Reo grins. "Can you believe this angel here actually landed herself a detention?"

"You should've seen it Reo," he says, as unbothered as ever. "She didn't do her homework like a bad student. And she has the nerve to reprimand me."

"Hey, this was a one-time thing!" You protest, suppressing the urge to tell Nagi it's his fault anyways. "And besides, I've got a detention to attend, so if you'll excuse me, please."

You shuffle between him and Reo, careful not to touch either of them- that would just be too cliche- clutching your bag in one hand.

You trip over Nagi's foot (wonderful way to embarrass yourself) and you're about to taste the hard cold floor when Nagi's hand grabs yours, keeping you upright.

"That was close." Reo sighs in relief. "Thank goodness for Nagi's crazy reflexes."

"Yeah," You agree, trying not to appear flustered by the way Nagi's gripping you, or the way his eyes are boring into yours. "Thank goodness for Nagi."

"I'll walk you to your detention." He suddenly announces, not letting go of your hand. He turns to Reo. "You go on ahead without me, I'll be there soon."

"Alright," Reo shrugs. "See you in five, dude."

He claps Nagi's shoulder and mutters something into his ear that you don't quite hear; the two are so tall you can't eavesdrop, but you hear your name, which peaks your interest. Nagi doesn't show any reaction, but Reo winks knowingly at you before exiting the classroom.

"What'd he say?" You ask curiously. Nagi just hums in response dismissively.

The walk to your geography class is silent. You can't muster up the courage to ask Nagi what is was he was going to say yesterday, so you just silently squeal over the fact that he is still holding your hand and how his hand practically envelops yours.

Once you're there- it's only a two minute walk across the corridor, after all- he finally releases you, opening the door for you to enter.

You wave at him as you go in, already dreading the next hour.

Your teacher instructs you to sit down and hands you a new assignment to complete, which you do diligently, trying not to focus too much on the clock.

An hour goes by slowly enough; you smugly hand your complete and perfect assignment back to your teacher who gruffly dismisses you, and you practically skip back down to the football pitches in glee.

There should still be an hour or so of practice left, so you intend on surprising Nagi and Reo- and also, you just want to watch, because why wouldn't you?

You're nearing the water fountains when you hear Nagi's voice and stop in your tracks to listen. You peer over the corner of the wall, seeing him talking to one of the girls from your class. She's holding a box of chocolates, which she offers to him, and your stomach twists itself into a knot.

"Please accept this gift, Nagi!" She cries, pushing it toward him, but he pushes it back.

"I already told you," he says monotonously. "I don't want your chocolates."

"But, Nagi," She insists, pushing it towards him yet again. "I told you, I have feelings for you! Watching you play yesterday gave me butterflies!"

"Well, too bad." Nagi bluntly replies, shoving his hands in his pockets. "I don't care."

She tears up a little- you feel sympathetic, but a small, ugly part of you is pleased that Nagi seems so uninterested. He spots you as he approaches the water fountains, a small smile breaking out onto his face.

"Oh, hi." He greets, slinging his arm around your shoulders in that way of his. "Didn't see you there. You're going to stay to watch practice, right?"

He pulls you towards him and walks back to the pitch; you lock eyes with the girl he's just rejected, and the look she gives you is dripping with venom and disgust, as if wondering why Nagi seems to enjoy your company more than hers.

Too bad, you think as you stick your tongue out at her. I found him first, so you can back off.

Nagi follows your gaze and the girl's face changes, offering you both a sweet smile before walking off, tossing her box of chocolates into the bin. You raise your eyebrow at Nagi curiously, prompting him to give you the gossip, but he just shrugs dismissively.

"Don't worry about it." Is all he tells you, and you ignore the way your heart does a 360 in your rib cage.

"Oh, she's back!" Reo says when he sees you and Nagi, jogging up to join the two of you. "How was it? I've never been to one, so I wouldn't know."

"Okay, Mr. Perfect," You joke, punching his arm lightly. "It was just boring, really. I was sighing so much I sounded a bit like Nagi."

You both laugh, and Nagi sighs, much to your amusement.

"You're so mean," He complains, flicking your forehead. "Why don't you ever call me Mr. Perfect?"

"You know you're perfect." You reply.

You intend for it to be a joke, but it sounds much more serious that you'd like. Reo raises his eyebrows in amusement as your face turns red, and Nagi actually smirks, as if satisfied with your answer.

"Well- I'm just gonna- I'm gonna go stand over there." You stammer awkwardly, pointing over your shoulder to the edge of the pitch. "So, uh, just kick the ball around now, I guess. Haha."

You quickly walk away, resisting the urge to dig a hole into the ground and die in it. Reo's delighted laughter at your predicament doesn't help your situation, and your face feels as if it's on fire for the rest of practice.

You do notice the way Nagi seems to play with more energy, though, and he keeps glancing at you every time he does something impressive as if checking that you're watching him (when are you not?) as he plays.

By the time practice is over, Nagi is noticeably more sweatier than he usually is after a game, though you abstain from saying anything, not wanting to seem creepy or anything.

Reo drops you off home- you insist that he doesn't have to and that you don't want to be a hassle, but he practically drags you into his limo, kicking and screaming. Nagi, of course, has no such qualms about abusing Reo's power like this, sitting nice and calm in Reo's ride like it's his (which you suppose it is, to some extent.)

Once you arrive at your house, Nagi stops you as you're leaving the limo.

"The usual, tomorrow?" He asks, and Reo's eyebrows (he's awfully expressive with them) shoot up in surprise, but he says nothing.

You have to think for a second, your mind laggy. You realise tomorrow is Saturday, and you understand what he's saying.

"Oh, yeah," You agree, giving him a thumbs up. "Always."

The limo drives off as you open your front door, and you race up the stairs into your bedroom, setting out your outfit for tomorrow.

You're determined to look cute; if Nagi Seishirou's going to fall for anyone, it's going to be you.

You'll make sure of it.