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Blue lock had won another game.
Hours of rigorous training and lectures from Ego were all worth it, just for the glorious moment when they received another trophy for their success.
It was now much later, and the celebration was nearly over. They crashed at a bar, and by now most of the Blue Lock players had left, but some stayed behind. Two of those people were Chigiri and Reo, who sat at the bar and chatted with each other.
“I can’t wait to stop hearing Ego’s voice for two weeks,” Reo groaned, leaning his head on his hand and pushing an empty glass away from him. Ego had given them a two-week break, reluctantly letting the players go after their win with a short speech. Chigiri snorted, “Tell me about it.”
A goofy grin appeared on Reo’s face, and he swayed slightly, “I still can’t believe Sei actually wanted to go to Australia. I mean, I usually organize our travel plans, but I don’t mind him requesting anything, not one bit!” Reo was drunk, not caring about how loud he was being.
Chigiri, on the other hand, was only slightly tipsy, just chuckled, “Didn’t you still organize everything?”
Reo shot him a weak glare, “Yes, but this time I have a continent and a concrete location! That makes it much easier.”
“Whatever you say,” Chigiri turned to his half empty drink, and pushed it away. He was happy for his friends, really. They’d finally talked to each other and mended their relationship. To see them so happy now was great. Chigiri just couldn’t help but let his mind drift to him and a certain redhead.
Before he could get too lost in his thoughts, Reo spoke up, “So how’r’you spending these 2 weeks?” His speech was a bit slurred, but still understandable.
Chigiri paused for a moment. As much as he also wanted to travel, he couldn’t, “Just staying home, my knee’s been hurting a bit more lately.” He’d been especially careful during training this season, but his knee had a mind of its own. “Just wanna take it easy.”
Reo frowned for a second, as if he was going to say something, but settled on a hum and nod. He turned to stare at the back of the bar.
This continued for a bit, with bits of chatter and silence flowing between them, until Reo’s phone buzzed. He picked it up and squinted, reading what was on the screen, “Sei’s gonna be here soon, gotta look out for a green taxi.” Nagi had left a while ago, but promised to come back for Reo and allowed Chigiri to also ride back with them.
They gathered their things. Chigiri stood up, looping an arm around Reo to help him up, and they both left through the bar’s entrance. The crisp night air hit them both, making them shiver. Streetlamps illuminated the dark, anything beyond them being hard to see. Other than the two of them and the bar behind them, there were no signs of life, except for a single car approaching them.
When the taxi stopped, the passenger’s door opened. Nagi poked his head out and immediately spotted the two, stepping out and walking over. They both waved at him, with an exaggerated “Seiiiiii” from Reo. The only response they got from Nagi was a quiet hum, as he took Reo’s bag and helped him onto one of the car’s backseats. Chigiri walked around and slid into the passenger seat, closing the door at the same time as Nagi got into the other backseat.
The ride back to their hotel was mostly silent. Reo tried to talk, but anything he said came out mumbled, and with Nagi not giving any verbal answers, it dissolved into a comfortable silence, the radio quietly playing some random pop song.
After 15 minutes, they were at their hotel. Chigiri got out, thanking the driver for their time. He watched as Reo tried to walk- or rather stumble- by himself, but after a quick staring contest with Nagi, he let himself be carried back. All three stepped onto the sidewalk as the car drove away.
As a tired Nagi and half-conscious Reo passed Chigiri, he gave them a small wave. Nagi just nodded at him, but Reo was staring at the ground, so he didn’t say anything.
Now Chigiri was completely alone. He stood still for a bit, taking in the night. The sky was blanketed by thick clouds, hiding the moon and stars from his view. Some people were stumbling in the distance, probably other bar-goers trying to get back home. He stood there for a bit more, as if waiting for… something. Something to happen? Or maybe waiting for… someone?
He didn’t want to ponder on what that something could be, so he decided to finally get to his room to sleep.
After a quick trip in the elevator, he was in his room. It was exactly as he left it in the morning, untouched aside from the bed and opened suitcase. He grabbed all his products from the suitcase and headed towards the bathroom.
There, he got a good look at himself in the mirror, after hours of being unable to do so. He looked rough. His skin was dry, stray strands of hair sticking out in random directions and eye bags forming under his eyes. Now Chigiri was determined to do nothing but relax for the next 2 weeks.
After a quick shower, Chigiri wrapped a towel around his waist and hair and headed back towards the sink. He brushed his teeth and did his skincare routine, taking one last look at himself. Already better, Chigiri smiled.
He walked back to the bedroom feeling refreshed. He took out a fresh pair of sleeping clothes and dropped his dirty clothes in their place. Tomorrow, Chigiri said to himself, although he knew he’d regret it when morning came.
He changed into a loose t-shirt and sweatpants and quickly dried his hair with a hairdryer. Now he was finally done and ready for bed. Chigiri checked the time, only to be met with 1:58 am staring back at him. Jeez, was it really that long? Chigiri yawned.
No use pondering on that anymore, he put his phone on the nightstand and turned off the lights. Settling into the bed, Chigiri let out a sigh of relief. Finally, some proper rest.
He turned on his side, ready for the land of dreams to take him.
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And as Chigiri tossed and turned for what felt like hours, it seemed as if the land of dreams was not ready to take him.
“I can’t sleep.” Chigiri said out loud to no one in particular, he felt like he was losing his mind. Sure, during training season he never slept that well, but it was never this hard to go back to sleeping full nights after a game. He usually slept like a brick afterwards.
Not this time though, after turning for the 1000th time, Chigiri grabbed his phone, checking the time. 3:23 am. Fuck. He ran a hand down his face. At this rate, he’s gonna be a zombie by the time morning rolls around.
After 20 more minutes of trying, Chigiri gave up and shoved the blanket off him and stood up. Maybe I just need to walk around more? He remembered there was a small garden area downstairs; it had plenty of chairs to sit on, even a hammock if you wanted to nap. Alright, it was settled.
Chigiri put on the fluffiest pair of slippers he had and made his way out of his hotel room. The hallway was empty, as expected; not a single sound other than him locking the door. The ride down the elevator felt a bit more eerie this time, but still, after a ding the door opened to the main area of the hotel.
Turning to his right, he spotted the big double doors leading to the outside area, and quietly made it over to them. Thankfully they didn’t squeak when Chigiri opened them, and now, he was outside.
Lush plant life surrounded him, from various bushes and low hanging leaves. The gavel path turned to the left, so Chigiri followed it deeper into the area. Outside the entrance, there weren’t as many trees, but there was still plenty of grass to go around. Hydrangea bushes lined the fence, softly swaying in the wind. Chigiri smiled. I should come back here when they’re blooming. That was another promise for tomorrow, or rather, later today.
Turning his gaze back to the path, he stopped dead in his tracks. A few steps ahead was a bench, placed perfectly in front of a thick oak tree. On that bench sat a very familiar person, one with broad shoulders and short orange hair.
It was Kunigami, arms crossed and eyes closed, meaning back against the tree.
What the hell is he doing here?? Chigiri screamed internally, not moving an inch. Kunigami was the last person he wanted to see right now. Well, not really, it was… complicated.
Ever since the Wild Card program, Kunigami had been distant. They hadn’t spoken more than a few passing sentences to each other for a year, with most of what was said being hostile on Kunigami’s part. Chigiri hadn’t given up on him, but had eventually resigned on their relationship staying the way it now was.
In recent months though, something… changed. Subtly, Kunigami became more receptive to both Chigiri’s and his friend’s advances, begrudgingly agreeing to hang out more often than before. It wasn’t a lot, but it was a step in the right direction. He’d even invited Chigiri to train together once, using some lame excuse he can’t even remember anymore. Chigiri had just smiled and followed him, “Real charmer, aren’t you?”
This brings them to this moment, where they’re somewhere in between speaking terms and something Chigiri couldn’t put a name on.
Chigiri’s internal spiral seemed to go on for too long, as Kunigami cleared his throat, “You’re staring too loud, princess.”
That snapped Chigiri back to reality. He almost thought he imagined Kunigami saying that, but the other man had opened his eye and was now staring directly at him.
Chigiri scoffed, “Forgive me for not believing someone else was awake at this hour,” he finally moved forward, sitting down on one side of the bench. Kunigami didn’t move, not giving him more space to sit on, but also not leaving. Chigiri leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.
After a moment of quiet, Chigiri continued, “You also can’t sleep?” He got no response from the other, but he should have guessed already. Yeah, no shit he can’t sleep, only insomniacs sit on a garden bench at 3 am.
They continued to sit in silence after that. It wasn’t that uncomfortable all things considered, the weather was good enough to just sit in. They didn’t have a need to exchange many words, at least not in this situation. Though Chigiri was noticeably chilly, he took the initiative, “Wanna go back to my room?”
He turned to look at Kunigami, who now had both of his eyes open and looking at him, one eyebrow raised. “That’s quite bold, even for you.”
Chigiri gasped, “Not like that, you brute!” he swatted at the other’s arm. “I meant, like, go watch something in my room. We’re not sleeping for a while, and before you say anything, no, I wouldn’t believe you’d rather stay out here.” Kunigami continued to stare, not saying anything. Chigiri stared back, unrelenting.
This continued for a short while, neither one backing down, until Kunigami sighed and stood up, stretching a bit. Chigiri didn’t know what to do. Is he actually agreeing? Or just leaving? But, as if Kunigami could read his mind, he took a couple steps forward and looked back, “You coming?”
Chigiri smirked, stood up and walked up to him, “I’ll lead the way.”
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The walk back was quiet, but comfortable. They rode up the elevator and walked up to Chigiri’s hotel room. He unlocked the door and let them both in. Chigiri immediately sighed and relaxed in the warmth of the room. He just thought of something, and turned to look back at Kunigami, who was looking around the pink-haired man’s room.
Chigiri hadn’t noticed it before, but Kunigami was only wearing a tank top and shorts, along with plain-looking slippers. “Weren’t you cold out there?” Kunigami only spared a glance at him, “None of your business.” Ah, he was getting cold. Chigiri smiled.
He walked deeper into the room, “The bedroom’s in here,” Chigiri could hear footsteps behind him as he opened the door to his room. “I’ll find my laptop real quick, you can sit down on the bed.” If Kunigami had a problem with the messy bedroom, he made no comment about it, placing his phone on the other nightstand before sitting down on the edge of the bed.
Chigiri got his laptop and plopped down on the bed, leaning on the headboard, “What are you sitting there for? Come here,” he scooted over a bit, giving space for Kunigami to also sit down and lean on the headboard.
“I’ve got this new series saved for a while. Reo recommended it a while back and said it was good, something about golf and whatnot,” Chigiri said as he turned off the lights. He clicked around the laptop, entering some streaming service and clicking on the first episode. Kunigami hummed, not caring for what they watched.
And so they watched. It was nice to just relax like this. Nice to shut off the outside world and just be here. Chigiri only sometimes commented on some scenes, but they both mostly stayed silent.
After the first episode, Chigiri grabbed his blanket and covered the both of them. “I’m cold!” He immediately tried to defend himself, to which Kunigami chuckled. At least, Chigiri thought he chuckled; it was so subtle he had to second guess himself.
Over the course of the second episode both of them got progressively more tired, Chigiri’s eyes slowly closing and his head falling on Kunigami’s shoulder. Kunigami moved a bit closer, unable to fight off his own sleepiness for much longer.
By the time the episode ended, neither had been paying attention to what had been playing, with Kunigami clicking off the episode and shutting off the laptop. “You’re not even paying attention anymore.” He said in a half mumble.
“Like you’re one to talk.” Chigiri tried to laugh, but ended up yawning instead, as Kunigami took the laptop and placed it on a nearby table. Chigiri properly laid down on the bed, head resting on a pillow. Kunigami stood at the table, unmoving, and turned to look at Chigiri, who was looking back at him.
Before anything could happen, Chigiri moved the blanket on one side of the bed away and forced his gaze to look anywhere else. “Stay?” He uncharacteristically half-mumbled into the pillow. After a beat of silence, Kunigami wordlessly padded over and laid down on the bed, covering himself with the blanket.
Chigiri immediately snuggled closer, resting his forehead on the other’s chest. This was a lot more than Kunigami had given him in the last year and a half, and Chigiri was happy. This was progress, however big or small. Kunigami stiffened for a second, but eventually wrapped an arm around the other, resulting in a silent gasp from Chigiri.
He immediately wrapped his arms around Kunigami’s middle, but the other didn’t stiffen, just accepted the advance. They laid there, both finally comfortable. “Goodnight, Kuni.” Chigiri said, but he was quickly falling asleep. Before he fully blacked out, he heard a soft “...-night, princess.”
As the first rays of dawn appeared, they both finally fell asleep.
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When Chigiri awoke, he was made aware of several things.
First of all, it was bright outside. Which was fine, he’d planned on sleeping in anyways. Their flight back was in the evening; the hotel was reserved the entire day.
Second, there was a buzzing sound coming from the nightstand. Jeez, who needs me this early? If it’s Ego I will block him. He groaned quietly.
And thirdly, most importantly, Kunigami was almost entirely lying on top of him.
Chigiri had built up quite a bit of muscle during his football career, but none of that mattered when a brick shithouse decided you’re its new favorite napping spot. He could still somewhat breathe, which was a relief, but leaving the bed was out of the question.
The buzzing from his phone continued, and Chigiri wiggled his arm, trying to see if he could poke it out. Thankfully, he could, wiggling it out after a bit of struggling. He had to bend his arm at an awkward angle, but he got his phone. What awaited him was… concerning.
Glancing at it, he found out that the time was actually- 4:46 pm?! What the hell?! Chigiri screamed internally, which only resulted in a grunt coming out of him. The other concerning thing was that the calls were coming from… Isagi? With messages from both him and Bachira coming in.
Before Chigiri could ponder on it, another call from Isagi was coming in. He immediately picked it up, placing the phone up to his ear. “Oh! You picked up! Didn’t expect you to actually-”
Chigiri interrupted him, “I am so sorry for not responding, I just couldn’t sleep at all last night and overslept too long!” Chigiri was already breathless, trying to take in as much air as the body above him would allow.
When Isagi responded, he sounded surprised, “Oh, Chigiri? Good to hear from you too! Where is-”
“Are we going to the airport already? I’ll pack and go as soon as I can, It might take a bit.” Chigiri started trying to wiggle his other arm out, but it seemed to be fully trapped under everything.
No response came from the other line for a moment, then Isagi continued, “No, we’re not going to the airport till 8pm. We were gonna invite you to hang out with us and Kunigami, and speaking of, where is he?” Chigiri paused, his hand wiggling. “What do you mean?” He asked. Isagi paused, but then continued, “...Isn’t this Kunigami’s phone number?”
Chigiri froze. He slowly pulled the phone away from his ear. That was not his phone case, nor did he have Isagi’s number saved as “Isagi Yoichi”. Too formal, like a certain other person would name his contacts.
Chigiri’s jaw fell open. Oh no. He scrambled to try to explain “I-” But right as he tried to speak, a comically timed snore came from Kunigami. It was loud enough to be heard through the bedroom door, and certainly loud enough to be heard through a phone call.
For several unbearable seconds, no one said anything. Chigiri didn’t move, couldn’t move, both literally and not. He was absolutely mortified; what the hell would Isagi think of him?
“...oh.” was all that he got from Isagi, at first atleast. “You know, you did sound suspiciously out of breath.” Chigiri could feel the smirk forming through the phone.
“I- You- This is not-” he tried desperately, face getting hotter by the second. “This really isn’t what you think it is.” But it was Isagi’s turn to interrupt him.
“No, no I get it, really! I understand you’re busy, so I’ll go with just Bachira instead.” His voice dripped with a fake sort of niceness that you knew meant he was fucking with you. “I’ll leave you both to your, uh, activities. Have fun!”
“Wait, no, this isn’t- Isagi, don’t you dare tell anyone about this-” But the call had already ended, leaving Chigiri alone once again. Well, almost alone, as more snores came from the man above him.
Chigiri was horrified. He started up at the ceiling, face hot as a tomato. After a bit, though, he sighed. “No use in sulking now,” he gritted through his teeth and nudged Kunigami. “Wake up, it’s almost 5.”
The man above him, predictably, didn’t move an inch and continued to snore.
“Kuni we have to get up, we’re gonna leave for the airport soon.” Still nothing.
Chigiri leaned his head back, sighing. He really wasn’t ready to deal with any of this. Though, a thought did come to him, one that made him blush impossibly harder. He raised his free hand to settle on Kunigami’s head, gently petting his hair. Then, almost whispering, he tried again, “Ren, we need to wake up, please.”
Now that got a reaction out of him. Kunigami stopped snoring, arms twitching for a bit. He raised his head up, looking around. Chigiri got a brief respite, as the weight on his lungs disappeared, allowing him to take the first full breath this… morning? Afternoon? He didn’t care anymore.
Kunigami finally turned his head to look at Chigiri, who glanced back with a soft smile. “Good morning, you sleepy mountain.” Kunigami didn’t respond, looking as if he was in a trance. They continued to stare at each other, before Kunigami plopped back down on top of him, burying his face in the nape of Chigiri’s neck.
Chigiri was stunned, left with no words that could come out of his agape mouth. He had no choice but to resign to his fate, setting a mental timer for later, which he hopes they won’t miss.
Despite that, a smile slowly came back to him, as he too wanted to stay in bed like this.