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PHASE I — THE TRIGGER
(aka the storm)
You stood at the entrance of the training field, although it was well past midnight.
It would take a while for Blue Lock’s backup generators to kick in during the storm.
Everyone had already headed off to wash up or return to their dorms– in pure darkness.
A handful had planned to continue practicing, but after various hits to the faces, from one to another, ball after ball; deeming it impossible to continue, everyone begrudgingly left.
But you decided to come back. You could make it work, or at least that’s what you thought.
You thought wrong though, because the flashlight from your phone wasn’t enough to let you practice effectively. You didn’t have to see through the darkness to be able to tell that you were missing goal after goal.
You decided that maybe you could stay up until the backup generators began operating. You wanted time to practice solo, rather than in a group setting, so you thought maybe you could be the first one to use the training field.
Of course, though, you weren’t sure when the generators would actually come and do their job, so this could end up being a waste of your time.
You sat in the training grounds, mindlessly playing Papa’s Freezeria, humming along to the soundtrack every time you finished an order correctly. There was a customer in the game: He had a bowl cut and glasses, heavily resembling Ego, which caused you to snicker. It was almost taunting because soon, your thoughts circle back to the power outage.
You mentally scold Ego in your brain for the way he chose to invest Blue Lock’s funds.
Seriously.
You ought to think he’d be doing his best to get everyone back on schedule, considering his evident distaste for the current situation, but surprisingly; he too, suggested calling it a day.
At some point, you decided to get up and head to the cafeteria, having grown slightly hungry after also playing Papa’s Donuteria. And Papa’s Cupcakeria. And Papa’s Bakeria. And– okay. You were really hungry.
As you walked out towards the hallway, your heart leaped out of your chest when you thought you saw a shadowy figure.
You do a double take, and flash your phone’s bright flashlight at what you thought was something resembling the Babadook (if this was a horror movie, you would’ve just wasted 15 seconds and caused your own death.)
You sigh in relief after realizing it’s only Nagi.
You’re certain you can still hear your heart thumping through your ears.
“..Sorry.” You tell him after seeing his scrunched-up expression, quickly retreating your phone from his face, “I didn’t think anyone else would be out here”
“Oh. Same.” He yawned.
Your eyes wander behind him, from the direction you assumed he came from. “Were you in the cafeteria?”
He nods. “I forgot the outage meant the food order system wouldn’t work.”
You pause. You hadn’t thought of that.
But then an idea pops into your head: “Did you try the vending machines?”
He looked at you as if you were stupid, “That’s also powered by electricity”
“Well, yeah , ” You say while removing one of the bobby pins from your hair, “but these exist too.”
***
The two of you sat at a table near the corner of the cafeteria. In front of you were a crap ton of different kinds of snacks, candy, etc.
It was silent at first, the only noise was the crinkling of your KitKat bar.
Nagi didn’t seem to mind it, as he started watching a video on his phone.
You took notice of how many Twizzlers he’d gotten. An ungodly amount.
You were a Twizzler hater.
“Do you really like those?” You hadn’t meant to sound so judgy, but you couldn't help it.
“If I didn’t, why would I be eating them?” He answered simply. He didn’t seem to take offense. Though it wasn’t really an answer if he was replying with another question.
To each their own, you thought. At least it wasn’t black licorice.
PHASE II — THE MANIFESTATIONS
(aka the feelings)
The following day, the power was finally back.
Everyone was eating their meal, talking, or doing their own thing.
Near the end, Ego’s face popped up on the wall, making yet another announcement before signing off, out of spite, Ego announced the vending machines would be out of service for a while until the various amounts of snacks that miraculously… " disappeared ” (as Ego emphasized with a scornful tone) were replaced.
Nagi’s eyes instinctively wandered towards where you were, and the two of you made eye contact. It was sort of like an inside joke.
Nagi didn't speak to many others except Reo. In fact, he wasn't interested in being around anyone else. So if Reo saw Nagi show even the slightest interest in anyone, Reo would know they must have something of a character.
***
Days passed.
There was a morning in which Nagi found you in the training field,
Well, he didn’t find you.
He left his water bottle there earlier and he would’ve sent Reo to get it, but he was in the shower.
He watched you dribble, touch drills, and practice target accuracy.
Nagi continues to recall the night of the power outage.
You’d just been coming out of the training field.
He wondered if you were trying to practice then as well.
He was enthralled by you in the same way he'd be when he found a game that was actually challenging.
What he didn't know is that you'd be a challenge to him in more ways than one.
It wasn't just your looks.
It was how you played, and how you presented yourself; you were egocentric, but you were genuine. You were egocentric when you needed to be, and you still found the time to be kind. You kept a balance.
Every now and then, with a shy smile on your face, you’d offer him a pack of Twizzlers.
That action made his chest twist in an unfamiliar way.
It was a hassle.
This feeling distracted him when he played his favorite games. It distracted him when he was trying to multitask (50% whatever he’s doing, 40% that feeling, 10% listening to Reo).
He came to associate that feeling with only you. The Y/N effect , he’d subconsciously come to call it. (50% whatever he's doing, 40% you , 10% listening to Reo).
These were the thoughts that went through Nagi's head. Things he would never say aloud. The kinds of thoughts foreign to him– as many things having to do with human-to-human connections and interaction were.
Reo knew this. Reo noticed this.
When he caught Nagi staring at you for an extended period, he realized this was Nagi's edition of a crush. Which was weird. Because Nagi wasn't the type of guy to just get crushes.
But now, every so often Nagi’s gaze would leave his phone, and he’d glance around until he caught sight of you.
PHASE III — ???
Nagi wasn't a jealous person.
He wasn't even jealous whenever you got your hands on some rare game that just came out that you happened to earn through the amount of goals you scored (Reo's trust-fund-ass would probably just get for him anyway, but still.)
He could see that this “Y/N effect” that’s taken over his life didn’t affect him alone.
He didn’t like that.
Nagi was not a jealous person.
But whenever he saw you smile at another the same way you smiled at him, the grip he held on the phone in his hands grew tighter.
“Nagi? Chill, don’t get too upset over a game.” Reo would tell him after taking notice of his white knuckles. Reo had a hunch this wasn’t about the game on his phone at all, though.
Of course, Nagi didn’t know that the smile you gave to others wasn't the same smile you gave to only him.
***
During meal hours you’d started sitting with Nagi, Reo, and Zantetsu.
It wasn’t really a thing that was premeditated, it kind of just happened.
Reo was wary of you at first. He wanted to dislike you, but he couldn’t find a genuine reason to do so. Plus points for liking some of the same artists as him.
Zantetsu didn’t really care. You were just another face to the table.
At first, you sat across from Nagi, but soon, you began sitting next to him. Sometimes you’d exchange parts of your meal. For example, you could have some of his ramen, if he could have some of your Onigiri.
You still brought him a pack of Twizzlers every day.
Each time, he’d stop his game for a second to open the pack. Before resuming, he’d glance at you and mutter a quick “Thanks.”
***
It was unconscious, the way your pinky interlocked with his as you sat next to him in the cafeteria. That was another thing that just happened on its own. Neither of you ever acknowledged it out loud, but people (like Reo, specifically) took notice.
The interlocked pinkies would turn into hand-holding. Again, another thing that wasn’t addressed out loud.
In a way, it was like a game.
One small achievement leads to another step, which leads to another achievement, which ultimately leads to an ending.
And if there’s one thing that Nagi is good at, it’s winning games.