3.15. You Can Laugh Now

"Oh. My. God!"

"What was that?!"

"Such incredible soccer coming out from Manshine City! A coordinated press by all of their team, an incredible steal from Y/N L/N, and an attack centred around him to get that third goal!"

"That was amazing, Natsuki! Y/N didn't just show off a new move, he rallied and organised the team around himself! In those last few minutes, he truly showed us why he is the most anticipated prodigy in Japan!"

"With that goal, Manshine City take the game, three goals to Bastard Munchen's two!"

The casters erupted, their voices ringing out across the room. The Manshine players broke out into cheers, a few tiredly flopping to the ground, most of them running straight for Y/N. He was slammed from all sides by his team, huge grins all around.

I... scored. I got my goal. See? I don't need luck to win. A small smile gracing his lips, he relaxed his shoulders, slumping back as his team jumped around him. I just gotta keep up my training, and I need to finish that strategy guide that Snuffy gave me. I'll catch up to Noa, just give it time...

"Y/N!" Reo's face popped into his vision. "You passed to me!"

"Yeah..." Y/N laughed. "Good? Or bad?"

"Very good." Reo's eyes were bright, a huge grin on his face. "As soon as you did that, they had no chance! Your goal was practically confirmed at that point. So, you better keep passing to me when we play again!"

Reo was right. Allowing his team to do something for him, not trying to do everything himself, was a relief in a way. It let him focus better on scoring the goal, instead of having to track everyone and everything at the same time, by himself. So he nodded. "If we play again, sure."

Then, it felt like a bear had fallen dead onto his back. Y/N's legs gave way under him, and with a yelp of surprise he collapsed to the ground.

Y/N groaned.

"Nagi, please get off."

The white-haired boy was hugging him like a koala, head on his shoulder and arms around his back. He blinked blearily, probably confused why he was on the floor. "You didn't carry me...?"

"How am I," Y/N tried his best to gesture to himself, stuck under Nagi's body. "Supposed to carry you! You're a two hundred pound giant!"

"One-eighty..." Nagi mumbled against his neck. "And I'm only 6'2."

"Please, just get off."

"Call it weight training. Do push ups."

Y/N strained, pressing both palms to the floor. The veins in his forearms stood out, his face going red with exertion. Nagi didn't move an inch.

Letting out a sigh, Y/N glanced up at Reo. And the rest of Manshine City. Most of them were staring down at him with amused expressions, a few trying to hold back full-blown laughter. "Someone get him off, please?"

It took two of Manshine's defenders to drag the sleepy boy away. Y/N staggered to his feet, dramatically leaning against Reo. "I'm gonna die. Pass away. Become deceased. Go to heaven - actually, probably hell."

Reo snickered. "Is Nagi that heavy?"

"Coffin heavy." Y/N deadpanned. "Six feet of soil heavy. Buried underground heavy. Honestly, I have no idea how you carry him all the time." He placed a hand on his chest, trying to take deep breaths.

"Well..." Reo shrugged. "It helps not being built like a goblin."

Y/N's jaw dropped. He pointed at Reo. Then flipped his hand upside down, presenting his middle finger right in his face.

🥕🥕🥕

"I'm thirsty."

Y/N spoke aloud to nobody, standing in the middle of Manshine City's shower room. Steam filled the entire room, the air warm and humid. Condensation formed on every possible tile. Yet, Y/N wanted something cold. Maybe Bluelock has vending machines or something...?

He took a towel off a nearby rack, drying himself quickly. Most of Manshine had already left the room, Y/N taking his time to clean himself up.

Wrapping the towel securely around his hips, he headed out of the shower room. One hand rubbed at his eyes, the other pushing his wet hair back from his forehead. Y/N mumbled unintelligibly under his breath, walking out into the room where he'd left his clothes.

He paused.

Where he'd left his clothes from before the game, there was a fresh set of new ones. All of which looked very expensive, ironed to perfection with big brand names over the majority of the fabric. Y/N approached it cautiously, prodding at the shirt.

"Y/N?"

He glanced up, realising he wasn't actually alone. Nagi sat on a chair next to a mirror, Reo midway through drying his hair. The purple-haired boy cocked his head, eyes trailing down Y/N's slightly damp chest. He glanced up. "You good?"

"Are... these yours?"

"Nope." Reo tried running a comb through Nagi's hair. It instantly got stuck, drawing out a quiet 'ouch' from Nagi. "I got them for you. Figured you would want clean clothes after the game."

"Oh." Y/N picked up the shirt, inspecting it. Then he frowned. How the hell does everyone always know my size? First Ego, then Sae, now Reo? Everything always perfectly fits, am I being stalked? "Thanks."

"No problem." Reo smiled. "When you're changed, come take a seat. I'll dry your hair too."

"Mmm... okay." Y/N raised a hand to his throat. "Do you have a drink?"

"There's a load in the cooler there." Reo motioned to a mini-fridge, underneath one of the benches against the wall. "Pocari okay?"

"Sure..." He retrieved a cold bottle, uncapping it and draining half of it in a single go.

After he was done changing - and had also downed a full bottle of the citrusy drink - he made his way over to Reo. The purple-haired boy patted a spare chair. "C'mere." Y/N did as he was asked, settling onto the chair. The hair dryer turned on a moment later.

"You know..." Eyes closing at the warmth that blew onto his head and neck, Y/N sighed. "I can do all this myself."

"Sure you can." Reo didn't stop, lifting Y/N's hair up so he could dry it easier. Y/N didn't move either, leaning back so his head thumped against Reo's chest. He tilted his head back, lips forming an 'o' as he stared up at Reo. Reo smiled down at him, stood behind him.

"I really can do it myself, though." Y/N muttered.

"Sure. Okay."

"Like... it's not a problem. I can dry my own hair."

"Sure. I know."

Reo did it.

"Reo."

Before Y/N could protest a third time, Reo laughed quietly. "You know, stuff like this reminds me of the game we just had. Yeah, I know you can do everything yourself. But is it so bad, to let someone else help you out?"

Y/N hummed, legs crossed on the chair. "I guess not." He conceded.

They continued in silence. The whirr of the hairdryer filled the small changing room. Nagi quietly rose from his chair, and headed over to the cooler. He opened it, with a soft pop, and retrieved a drink for himself.

"So, how's life?"

The question caught Y/N off guard. Reo tousled his now dry hair, causing him to screw up his face in annoyance. He hesitated, leaning back more into Reo as the boy folded his arms over Y/N's shoulders. "I mean... it's just life. I'm existing."

"You've got given a unique deal in this league, and you're just existing?" Reo's eyes widened comically. His arms pulled Y/N further into him. "They're marketing the shit out of you. You should be working to pocket as much cash as you can!"

"I mean, do I really need more?" Y/N thought aloud. "I'm gonna play for the Japanese national team."

"Eh. Never enough money, but you do you." Reo shrugged. "You enjoying playing for all the teams?"

Y/N laughed sheepishly, fingers idly running up and down Reo's forearm. "I actually haven't played all the games. Some of the masters don't like me."

"Oof. If it was up to me, you'd play for Manshine, and Manshine only." Reo murmured. "It'd be fun. Me, you, Nagi, Chigiri? Dream squad."

Y/N laughed breathily. "I guess. But even if I miss a few games, I'll still get more playtime than you. So I'm not complaining."

"I am." Reo whined playfully. "Why can't I have the stupidly fast Japanese prodigy on my team all the time? It's unfair, I'm telling you."

They both grinned at each other. Y/N tilted his head to one side, eyes questioning. "So... how's life for you?" He looked over his shoulder. "And you, Nagi."

"Pretty good, if I'm honest." Reo responded. "Nagi's super goal has earned him a huge following online. Everyone's hyped to see him play next time, and I'm pretty sure his auction value is gonna skyrocket. And, we managed to beat Isagi. So all in all, we're livin' it up."

"Yeah..." Nagi's quiet voice came from behind Y/N. "What he said."

"Cool, cool." Y/N nodded. "You have a plan for the next few games?"

"Well..." Reo considered it. "We actually don't have any more games until after the break."

"Break?"

"Yeah. Did you not know?"

"What break?" Y/N blankly stared at Reo.

"Halfway through the Neo Egoist League, Ego's gonna give everyone a break. Something like fourteen days off?"

"Oh, cool. When does it start?"

"There's the Barcha against Ubers game in a few days... then Bastard Munchen against Ubers after that. Then the break is after that."

"Mkay." Y/N nodded. "Sounds fun. Are you gonna do anything nice?"

"Not sure yet. But I'm sure the majority of people will just be training throughout the break anyway."

"I guess..."

Reo's purple eyes looked down at him. "Is there anything you want to do? I'll take you anywhere in Japan."

Y/N's face heated. He looked towards the floor. "I... no. I'm good." He shyly murmured.

There was a silence.

Wait. Y/N looked towards the closed changing room door. Nagi glanced towards it as well. Did I hear something?

Silence again.

The door flew open, hinges screaming something awful. It swung around, faster than any door really should, and slammed into a nearby locker. A deafening clang echoed through the changing room. Y/N felt a pair of hands on his shoulders, glancing back to see Nagi trying to hide himself behind him.

Chris Prince stood in the doorway.

He yelled out in a booming voice, hands on hips for extra effect. He was wearing a dark blue suit, white shirt underneath and a navy tie spotted with red. "Do we have a Y/N in this room?!" Prince kept his hands on hips, waiting for a response and not noticing the dumbfounded trio of boys staring at him.

"Hi." Y/N eventually muttered.

"Ah!" Prince rushed over. He pried Nagi's hands off Y/N's shoulder, replacing them with his own. "It's time for you to pay me back!"

"Huh?"

"Remember, the diet and workout routine I gave you! I told you that you'd have to help me out with modelling!"

Y/N paled. "W-what? Now?"

"No time like the present!" Prince yanked Y/N to his feet. The small boy tugged away, but he could do nothing against Prince's strength. "Yukimiya is waiting!"

"W-wait!" Y/N extended a desperate hand to Reo, as Prince dragged him towards the door. "Toss me another Pocari!"

Reo moved fast. He flung open the cooler's glass door, snatched a bottle, and tossed it at Y/N. Y/N barely managed to catch it, before he was yanked through the open door like he was a side character in a horror movie.

Nagi and Reo shared a stunned look.

"What the fuck just happened."

🥕🥕🥕

"Okay! Y/N, please move a little to the left. Angle your head down, like that. Yep. And... look over the top of your sunglasses at the camera. No, don't turn your head. Just look with your eyes."

Y/N sucked in a breath, trying to calm himself before he punched someone.

They'd only been in the studio a few minutes, but to Y/N it felt like hours. Prince and Yukimiya were in their element, grinning wide, polished smiles and easily understanding exactly what the director wanted.

With three different people, they had a huge selection of photos and videos they could take. They'd started off with just Yukimiya and Prince, but had transitioned into Yukimiya and Y/N after. All of them were to be sent to some kind of sunglasses brand.

The click of a camera shutter sounded. Then again, and again. The photographer went for a few different angles, firing off a dozen shots for each. Y/N fought to maintain his composure.

"Okay, great." The director gave them a thumbs-up. "Y/N, you can laugh now."

The small boy's lip quivered. He immediately burst into a bout of laughter, doubling over and nearly slipping on the green mat on the floor. "I'm- I'm sorry, I can't... how are you all so professional?"

"Who said anything about being professional?" The director shrugged playfully. "As long as we get the shots done, you can have as much fun with it as you want."

"G-great..." Y/N struggled to breathe, laughing even more. Yukimiya just looked down at him, an amused smirk on his lips. He reached out, rubbing the top of Y/N's head with his knuckles.

That shut him up. Y/N froze. Then he glared at Yukimiya, with such an aggrieved look of betrayal it was Yukimiya's turn to break out into laughter. "This is height discrimination." Yukimiya took in his pouty, annoyed look. He looks like an angry Chihuahua...

"Alright!" The director stepped in before Y/N could hurt someone. "Y/N, go have a break. Calm down. Prince, you're in, we're gonna get a short video clip in."

Y/N staggered off the set, heading for his drink and gulping some of it down. As Prince stepped onto the green mat, and one of the assistants fiddled with the lights, he approached the director.

The man nodded a greeting at him. "Yeah, kid?"

"How long is left?"

Y/N's chest rose with hope.

The man hummed. "Forty minutes."

He flopped to the floor.